Major Cucurbits of Orissa

sanjeet.biotech@gmail.com

Odisha forest blocks are rich in wild cucurbits which have potent medicinal and nutarational value.

Botany of Cucurbits

Herbaceous, more rarely shrubby , prostrate or climbing by means of tendrils. Leaves alternate exstipulate , simple palmately lobed or pedately divided. Tendrils mostly present , solitary , lateral , simple or divided. Inflorescence axillary , racemose, umbellate or solitary, clustered or paniculate. Flowers small or large, 5-merous , regular , monoecious or dioecious, yellow or  white.fruits usually a fleshy berry, indehiscent or dehiscing by valves or by a circumscissile lid.seeds usually many, in pulp or fibre ,often compressed; outer testa often corrugated and margined, inner membranous;albumen 0;cotyledons fleshy or foliaceous.

Some Wild cucurbits

·        Coccinia grandis L.

·        Cucumis melo L.

·        Cucumis hardwickii Royle.

·        Diplocyclos palmatus L.

·        Luffa acutangula L.

·        Luffa aegyptiaca Mill.

·        Solina amplexicaulis Lam.

·        Mukia maderaspatana L.

·        Trichosanthes cucumerina L.

·        Trichosanthes tricuspidata Lour.

Trichosanthes tricuspidata Lour.

Mahakal – oriya, lal indrayan – bengoli

Large climbers;stem suffruticose, branches long pendent. Leaves broadly ovate,simple or deeply palmatyely 3-5 lobed, cordate,denticulate,sometimes with large green glands near base,upper surface smooth and bright green when fresh but very scabrous when old, lower surface paler with cystoliths on the nerve when dry,. Flowers white, dioecious. Fruits bright scarlet, globose. Seeds embedded in dark green pulp, oblong, flattened, slightly narrowed at base.

Trichosanthes cucumerina L.

Ban potol –oriya , chachindra- hindi.

Climber. Stem often angled. Leaves long-petioled, orbicular-reniform or broadly ovate.deeply cordate,denticulate from the mucronate nerve endings,smooth, primary nerves pubscent or somewhat scabrous beneath,. Flowers white, monoecious, fruits spindle-shaped rostate.at first green with white stripes, ultimately red.

Solina amplexicaulis Lam.

Ban kundri – oriya ,

Prostrate or climbing herb;stem angled,smooth;root tuberous. Leaves polymorphic , ovate or lobed.fruits ellipsoid, scarlet with red pulp,apically beaked , smooth;. Seeds ellipsois,slightly compressed,white,smooth,sometimes with a corrugated margin.

Mukia maderaspatana L.

Bilari –hindi.

Scarbrous climbing herb.leaves ovate or deltoid, angular or lobed.flowers yellow. Fruits scarlet,globose. Seeds grey,ovoid-oblong.

Diplocyclos palmatus L.

Shivalingi – oriya, mala-bengoli.

Climbing herb;stem nearly smooth. Leaves orbicular ovate,deeply lobed or partite.flowers small, yellowish.fruit globose,smooth,green or when quite ripe red, with white stripes. Seeds few, embedded in blue green pulp,grey,pyriform,surrounded by a thick ring on either side of which project the swollen, corrugated faces of the seed.

Cucumis melo L.

Bing dimbo – oriya.

Procumbent annual;stem sometimes rather thickened towards the base;whole plant scarbid and hispid.leaves orbicular or ovate with shallow rounded or sub-angular lobes or subentire,denticulate with mucronate nerveendings.flowers yellow. Fruits spherical or ovoid obtuse at both ends.usually striped green or white green or pale green, ultimately turning yellow.

Wild form is referable to var agretis

Cucumis sativus L.

Khira – hindi.

Hispidly hair climbers. Leaves angled or lobed.flowers yellow.fruits oblong, yellowish-green, glabrous.

The bitter fruit is referable to var.harwickii (Royle).

Coccinia grandis L.

Bano kundri- oriya, kundru- hindi.

Climbing herb;stem angular,glabrous or scabrous. Leaves ovate or orbicular, glabrous,delicately venose beneath,punctuate above.flowers white.fruits oblong, narrowed apically or at both ends,red when ripe. Seeds oblong,compressed.

Sanjeet Kumar
RIE(NCERT), Bhubaneswar.

TUBERS AND TRIBAL PEOPLE OF ORISSA

                              
          

                   SANJEET KUMAR AND M.K.SATAPATHY
           REGIONAL IINSTITUTE OF EDUCATION (NCERT),
                                        BHUBANESWAR

Many infectious diseases are known to be treated with herbal remedies throughout the history of mankind. Plants still continue to be almost the exclusive source of antimicrobial compounds for the majority of the world’s population. The WHO reported that 80 % of the worlds populations rely chiefly on traditional medicine and a major part of the traditional therapies involve the use of plant as a anti microbial agents against various types of infections caused by microbes.

                Discovery of antimicrobial compounds were one of the most important findings of the 20th century. These natural compounds found in many plants have been used to treat human diseases caused by various microbes. Therefore now pick up another thread through the web of Paul Ehrlich, that some natural compounds inhibit the microbes, but not the patients, thus curing the illness. Hence over the last decade, there has been rapid growth in the use of alternative medicines. Natural products, including many plants traditionally used as medicinal herbs against microbial infections are being reevaluated as key components in future microbiological science.

                Orissa, the most picturesque state in eastern India, occupies a unique place in the tribal map of the country having largest number of tribal communities (62) including 13 primitive tribes, with a population of 8.15 million constituting 22.3 % of state’s population. Almost all tribal groups have been using Dioscorea species as popular traditional medicinal tubers that are generally taken alone or in multiple herb formulation. Some biological effect of Dioscorea species, including the ant-oxidative and anti-microbial activities has been reported (Kaladhar, 2002).  Literature survey revealed that the powdered tubers as an ingredient of medicines for cholera and constipation and plant juice in sores, in treatment of piles, skin diseases, intestinal worms and obesity (Nataraj et al, 2009). Uadia (2203) reported some Dioscorea species are used to treat diabetes. Dioscorea species are sometimes used as an herbal tonic, therefore eaten as the treatment for poor appetite   (Rani et al., 2010). Wild tubers are highly acrid and cause irritation in throat and mouth due to excessive amount of calcium oxalate present in tubers still than tribal peoples using more and more wild tubers as a food and traditional medicine with traditional method of processing, therefore systematic rigorous scientific studies of frequently used tubers are needed.Dioscorea species (Sautor et al., 2005) attributing antimicrobial activities due to the presence of secondary metabolites like steroid saponins are exert a large variety of biological functions, such as anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anticancer (Li et al., 2001).Quan et al.(2006) reported efficient antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Dioscorea species are used in Bangladesh for the treatment of Leprosy and tumors (Mbiantcha et al., 2011). In Zimbabwe, Dioscorea species are used as an infusion to apply on cuts and sores, both for humans and animals while in Cameroon and Madagascar, the pounded bulbs are applied to abscesses, boil and wound infections (Mbiantcha et al., 2011). Many phytochemicals studies revealed that purine derivatives, saponins, starches, mucilage are present as main constituents in Dioscorea species, and allantoin, one of purine derivatives, is well-known biologically active compounds, which play an important role in nitrogen storage (Yoon et al., 2008). Zhang et al. (2007) reported many water soluble compounds which are not saponins, such as cyclo – (Leu-Tyr) and adenosine. The bulbils of Discorea species are used to treat piles, syphilis and are applied to ulcers and inflammation (Mbiantcha et al., 2011). Uadia( 2003) reported, Dioscorea species are used to make arrow poison. Dioscorea species contain small quantities of diosgenin, is used as a precursor in the commercial synthesis of sex hormones and birth control (Crabbe, 1979).

CONCLUSION

Dioscorea species are one of the medicinally important wild tubers plant, extensively consumed by rural and tribal people as a food. However there are apparently lack of scientific reports on the antimicrobial properties of this tuber plant. The lack of scientific knowledge has often exerted a major constraint on the use of traditional herbal remedies as an affordable alternative to orthodox medical treatment. Subsequent research work may be extended in this line to other tubers commonly used as food by the tribal’s of Orissa.

SANJEET KUMAR AND M.K.SATAPATHY
     RIE(NCERT), BHGUBANESWAR

                                                 

Biodiversity of Microbes

Biodiversity of Microbes

Bacteria are small and simple in structure when compared with eukaryotes, yet they often have characteristic shapes and sizes. Although they have a plasma membrane, which is required by all living cells, bacteria generally lack extensive, complex, internal membrane system. The prokaryotic cell wall almost always has peptidoglycon and is chemically and morphologically complex. Most bacteria can be divided into gram-negative groups based on their cell wall structure and response to the Gram stain. Components like capsules and fimbriae are located outside the cell wall. One of these is the flagellum, which many bacteria use like a propeller to swim toward attractants and away from repellents. Some bacteria from resistant endospores to survive harsh environmental conditions in a dormant state. Bacteria very in size as much as in shape. The smallest are about 0.3 µm in diameter, approximately the size of the largest viruses. Prokaryotic cells almost are bounded by a chemically complex cell wall. Inside this wall, and separated from it by a periplasmic space, lies the plasma membrane. This membrane can be invaginated to form simple internal membranous structure. Since the prokaryotic cell does not contain internal membrane-bound organelles, its interior appears morphologically simple. The genetic material is localized in a discrete region, the nucleoid, and is not separated from the surrounding cytoplasm by membranes.