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Journal of Research and Reports on Genetics | Volume 3
November 07-08, 2019 | Melbourne, Australia
Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering
International Conference on
The North East region of India which occupies a total
geographical area of 262, 179 square kilometer and located
between 87o E to 97oE latitude and 21oN to 29oN longitude,
comprises an important part of the Indo-Burma hot spot of
biodiversity which is also known as the ‘Cradle of Flowering
Plants’. Northeast India characterizes the transition zone
between the Indian, Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese bio
geographic regions and a meeting place of the Himalayan
Mountains and Peninsular India. Northeast India is, therefore,
the geographical ‘gateway’ for much of India’s flora and
fauna, and as a consequence, the region is one of the richest
areas in biological values harboring about 8000 of 15000
species of flowering plants available in India. It includes 40
out of 54 species of gymnosperms, 500 out of 1012 species
of pteridophytes, 825 out of 1145 species of orchids, 80
out of 90 species of Rhododendrons, 60 out of 110 species
of bamboos and 25 out of 56 species of canes. The region
is affluent in medicinal and aromatic plants and many other
rare and endangered taxa. Already 51, 95 & 18 number of
species of medicinal plant in this region has been listed as
Endangered, Rare & Vulnerable, respectively.
About 12.5% of the 4, 22,000 plant species documented
throughout the world has been known to possess medicinal
properties. More than 200 tribes of North East India possess
great traditional knowledge of effective herbal medicine
inhabit this region. A significantly large number of the
population of this part of the country is still dependent on
traditional health care systems and use different indigenous
methods and materials to treat their own as well as
livestock diseases. It has been reported that 152, 77, 81, 19
and 37 numbers of plants have been used by local people
in the treatment of Malaria, Stomach trouble, Diabetes,
gynecological disorder and disease related to childcare,
respectively. This documentation, is however, not exhaustive
considering the great ethnic diversity, difficult terrains of the
region and great eco geographical diversity. It has also been
observed that people having access to modern allopathic
systems of medicine still prefer herbal medicines for their
easy access, lesser side effects and low cost. But very less
information is available about diversity, uses and cultivation
of these plants. Moreover, conservation and sustainable
utilization of medicinal plants are important for better
management of valuable resources. Several of thesemedicinal
plant species have slow growth rates, low population
densities, and narrow geographic ranges ; therefore, they are
more prone to extinction. Conversely, because information
on the use of plant species for therapeutic purpose has
been passed on from generation to generation through oral
tradition, this knowledge of therapeutic plants has started to
decline and become obsolete through the lack of recognition
by younger generations as a result of a shift in attitude and
ongoing socioeconomic changes. Through the realization of
the continuous erosion in the traditional knowledge of many
valuable plants for medicine in the past and the renewal
interest currently, the need arises to review the valuable
knowledge with the expectation of developing the medicinal
plants sector.
Keeping this in background, an attempt was made to focus on
the important portion of this diversity that comprises a host
of therapeutically important indigenous plant species of this
region. So far, two years of our collection effort throughout
the area resulted in a collection of medicinal plants which
includes 179 shrubs, 177 herbs, 68 creepers and 115trees.
The collected germplasm are being maintained in the field
gene bank at BN College of Agriculture, Assam campus.
The morphological and taxonomic characterizations of the
genotypes are underway. It is believed that these valuable
genetic stocks shall be of immense value for the research
M K Sarma
AssamAgricultural University, India
Biodiversity significance of therapeutically potential plant species
indigenous to North East India
M K sarma
, J Res Rep Genet 2019, Volume 3
DOI: 10.35841/2591-7986-C1-002