The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : TNAU to study medicinal plants in Western Ghats

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 04, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

TNAU to study medicinal plants in Western Ghats

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, OCT. 3 . The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) will carry out a research project on conservation and use of medicinal plants found in the Western Ghats.

In a release here, the Dean, Forest College and Research Institute (FC & RI) of TNAU at Mettupalayam, K. S. Neelakantan, said that the project would be carried out from 2004 to 2007, with support from the National Medicinal Plants Board.

The Professor and Head (Tree Breeding), FC & RI, M. Paramathma, would be the Principal Investigator for the project, and Assistant Professor (Forestry), K. T. Parthiban, would be the Co-Principal Investigator.

Strategy for multiplication

Besides surveying and selecting superior genotypes, the scientists would evaluate the selected herbal gene pool, so that the plants could be conserved in places away from their natural habitat. They would also develop strategies for mass multiplication of the plants.

Over 2,500 species of medicinal plants were in use for various purposes throughout the world, and nearly 500 to 600 plants were regularly used in ayurvedic and unani systems of medicine.

The varied eco-climatic conditions prevailing in India were responsible for different types of natural vegetation to flourish, and the mountainous system of the Indian sub-continent contained a variety of natural resources.

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