Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, popularly known as CIMAP, is a frontier plant research laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Established originally as Central Indian Medicinal Plants Organisation (CIMPO) in 1959, CIMAP is steering multidisciplinary high quality research in biological and chemical sciences and extending technologies and services to the farmers and entrepreneurs of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) with its research headquarter at Lucknow and Research Centres at Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pantnagar and Purara. CIMAP Research Centres are aptly situated in different agro-climatic zones of the country to facilitate multi-location field trials and research. A little more than 50 years since its inception, today, CIMAP has extended its wings overseas with scientific collaboration agreements with Malaysia. CSIR-CIMAP has signed two agreements to promote bilateral cooperation between India and Malaysia in research, development and commercialization of MAP related technologies. CIMAP’s contribution to the Indian economy through its MAPs research is well known. Mint varieties released and agro-packages developed and popularised by CIMAP has made India the global leader in mints and related industrial products. CIMAP has released several varieties of the MAPs, their complete agro-technology and post harvest packages which have revolutionised MAPs cultivation and business scenario of the country.Recognizing the urgent need for stimulating research on medicinal plants in the country and for coordinating and consolidating some work already done by organizations like the Indian council of Agricultural Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, Tropical School of Medicine of Culcutta and various States Governments and Individual workers, the Council Scientific and Industrial Research approved in 1957 the establishment of the Central Indian Medicinal Plants Organization (CIMPO) with the following objectives. ‘To co-ordinate and channelise along fruitful directions the present activities in the field of medicinal plants carried out by the various agencies, State Governments etc., to develop the already existing medicinal plants resources of India, to bring under cultivation some of the important medicinal plants in great demand and also to introduce the cultivation into the country of exotic medicinal plants of high yielding active principal content’ It was further decide that as the work on all aspects of cultivation of aromatics plants was identical with all the cultivation of medicinal plants, the aromatic plants should also be covered within the scope of CIMPO. The Essential Oils Research Committee functioning under the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research was then dissolve and its activities taken over by CIMPO. The Organization started functioning with effect from 26 March 1959 with the appointment of late Shri P.M. Nabar its first Officer Incharge.The branch in Hyderabad was established on 7 July 1982.
This study presents a bio-inspired, environmentally benign synthesis of zinc oxide nanostructures (AS-ZnO) using Annona squamosa and their functional silica hybrid (f-AS-ZnO) nanosorbents, designed to effectively remove carcinogenic crystal violet dye from water and medicinal plant extracts. The eco-compatibility of these nanosorbents was studied through seed germination, seedling growth, and cyto-genotoxicity analyses, demonstrating their safe nature. Both AS-ZnO and f-AS-ZnO followed diffusion-chemisorption kinetics and adhered to the Freundlich adsorption model. The maximum adsorption capacities were 127 mg g-1 for AS-ZnO and a notably impressive 540 mg g- 1 for f-AS-ZnO, the latter among the highest reported for biosynthesized metal oxide-based nanosorbents. These nanosorbents successfully decontaminated crystal violet dye from water and aqueous extracts of medicinal plants Withania somnifera and Zingiber officinale. Both materials showed minimal genotoxicity at doses up to 500 mg L-1 , significantly lower than previously reported zinc oxide nanostructures, with f-AS-ZnO demonstrating even greater environmental safety at higher doses. This study presents a green, bio-inspired synthesis of AS-ZnO and f-AS-ZnO nanosorbents using Annona squamosa. While AS-ZnO shows good adsorption capacity, f-AS-ZnO demonstrates superior performance with negligible phyto and genotoxicity. Both nanosorbents hold strong potential for effectively removing dye contaminants from water and medicinal plant extracts, providing safe and environmentally benign solutions useful for phytopharmaceutical and water industries.
In agricultural crop improvement programs, genetic diversity is a valuable tool for achieving various objectives in plant breeding, such as developing cultivars with higher yields, greater adaptability, desired quality traits and enhanced pest resistance. The present study evaluated genetic diversity in twenty-five turmeric cultivars using morphological traits and molecular approaches. Gundlupet local was the tallest (156.6 cm), while Erode local had the highest fresh rhizome yield (1110 g/plant). The findings provide insights for turmeric breeding, conservation, and sustainable utilization. Likewise, ISSR analysis 13 primers produced 140 amplified bands of which 119 (83.40%) were polymorphic indicating substantial genetic variation. The number of bands per primer ranged from 7 to 15, with an average PIC of 0.30. The highest polymorphism (100%) was observed with six primers, while the lowest (66.67%) was seen with UBC 827. DAMD analysis using 10 markers yielded 99 bands, 86 (85.58%) of which were polymorphic. The number of bands varied from 7 to 16 per marker with an average PIC of 0.258. Three markers showed 100% polymorphism with the lowest at 57.14% for URP 2R. SCoT analysis with 9 markers generated 106 bands with 74 (69.54%) being polymorphic. The number of bands per marker ranged from 9 to 15 with an average PIC of 0.214. The highest polymorphism (83.33%) was observed in SCoT10 and SCoT15 while SCoT18 had the lowest (54.55%). SSR analysis using 6 markers resulted in 18 bands, 14 (77.22%) of which were polymorphic. The number of bands ranged from 2 to 5 per marker with an average PIC of 0.30. The highest polymorphism (100%) was noted for SSR4 and SSR6, with the lowest (50%) for SSR3. These findings offer valuable insights into turmeric’s genetic diversity, supporting advancements sustainable agriculture.
Environmental contamination by antibiotics and synthetic dyes poses a critical threat to the ecosystem and human health due to their persistence, toxicity, and role in promoting antimicrobial resistance. In this study, bimetallic crystalline nanosorbents, copper-doped zinc oxide (Ocim-Cu-ZnO) and its amorphous silica-integrated variant (f-Ocim-Cu-ZnO), were synthesized using phytomolecules derived from Ocimum distillation waste. Comprehensive characterization confirmed their successful formation and structural properties. A systematic study was conducted to investigate the effects of various adsorption factors, including contact time, pH, pollutant concentration, and temperature. The reusability of the adsorbent was also investigated, and the adsorption mechanisms were analyzed using kinetic and isotherm models. Both nanosorbents showed excellent adsorption capacities for crystal violet (419.21 and 501.24 mg g- 1), Congo red (211.40 and 112.63 mg g- 1), and ciprofloxacin (136.14 and 141.37 mg g- 1). These nanosorbents followed the Langmuir adsorption mechanism for examining contaminants, except the adsorption of crystal violet on f-Ocim-Cu-ZnO, which was described more perfectly with the Sips isotherm model. Both nanosorbents maintained their structural stability and demonstrated high reusability, with a marginal decline in performance over multiple cycles, and exhibited phytocompatibility, which supports their environmental safety. These findings highlight the potential of micronutrient-based, phytomolecule-bound nanosorbents as sustainable and efficient solutions for the mitigation of cationic and anionic dyes as well as antibiotic pollutants from aquatic environments.
The occurrence of an exotic African whitefly Aleurolobus graminicola Bink-Moenen (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on vetiver, Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash (Poales: Poaceae) is reported for the first time from India. The morphological diagnostic characteristics of A. graminicola are described in detail with the help of field diagnosis and microphotographic images of slide mounted specimens of pupa and adult male. Across the locations, whitefly counts from the survey indicated a range of 73.46 -179.2 nymphs per tiller. The study also documents the natural parasitism of A. graminicola by Encarsia sp. (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), with parasitism levels ranging from 20 to 32
A new series of 1-ethoxycarbonyl-3,5-bis(benzyl/alkyl vanillin)-4-piperidone analogues were synthesized via a two-step process involving aldol condensation of vanillin with 1-ethoxycarbonyl-4-piperidone, followed by O-alkylation using diverse aromatic and aliphatic halides. Structural characterization of the resulting compounds (3 and 4a-4m) was confirmed by NMR and HR-MS analyses. Among the synthesized derivatives, compounds 3 and 4k exhibited the most potent and selective cytotoxicity. Compound 3 demonstrated IC50 values of 2.97 µM (SKBR3), 4.4 µM (DU145), and 20.5 µM (HEK-293), while compound 4k showed strong activity against HepG2 (2.27 µM) and DU145 (5.01 µM). Genotoxic assessment revealed that 4k maintained a favourable safety profile, with chromosomal aberration and micronucleus frequencies remaining low or only mildly elevated at higher doses, and a moderate, dose-dependent decrease in mitotic index. Mechanistic studies indicated G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in CHO-K1, DU145, and HepG2 cells, along with significant apoptosis induction in HepG2 (Sub-G1: 13.9%). Although its antioxidant potential was moderate relative to rutin, 4k exhibited dose-dependent free radical scavenging. Antidiabetic screening identified compounds 1, 3, 4c, and 4m as effective α-glucosidase inhibitors (52.6-58.5%; IC50 = 4.27-4.75 µg mL-1), comparable to acarbose. Antimicrobial evaluation showed broad-spectrum activity for compound 1, and compound 4k displayed membrane-stabilizing effects similar to quercetin. In conclusion, these multifunctional vanillin-piperidone hybrids especially compound 4k demonstrate significant anticancer, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial potential, further strengthened by their confirmed non-genotoxic profile.
