BELLADONNA ( Alropa belladonna Linn ) It is European species, presently grown on a small scale in Kashmir. The plant is a small perennial herb which grows up to 1.5 m in height. It branched freely and produces a large tapering root. The leaves abd roots of belladonna constitute the commercial drug which contains atropine, hyocyamine and hyocine, used in pharmacy for their mydriatic, analgesic and antispasmodic properties; the roots are used for external application only. The leaves and roots should contain not less than 0.3 and 0.4 percent of the total alkaloids calculated as hyocyamine. A. acuminata Royel is a closely related Indian species, found at altitudes between 1800 and 3000 meters in the western Himalayas; its leaves abd roots contain similar alkaloids. A part of belladonna alkaloids and their products used in India are imported.
The crop prefers a well-drained slightly acidic, siltyloam to clayey-loam soil, rich in lumus. It connot stand water-logged conditions. It is a crop of the temperate climate, prefers a sunny location and clear whether, particularly preceding and during the harvesting of the crop; continuous dampness or high humidity favours root-rot.
The crop shows a wide variation in growth and alkaloid content in its plants population. Seeds from selected plants with high alkaloid contents should be used for raising a plantation. Propagation through seed is the easiest and least expensive method, through vegetative methods, such as shoot, root and root-shoot cuttings are also used. The seeds are very small, weighing about 700 per g. They should be treated with ethyl alcohol for 3 minutes or with petroleum either for 6 minutes for improving germination. The treated seeds should be washed in running water for a few hours to remove the adhering chemicals. The seeds are sown in rows in the nursery during early spring. Germination takes place 10 to 21 days and is 15 to 40 per cent. Therefore 4 kg of seed gives enough seedlings to plants in one hectare. The seedling bearing 1 to 3 leaves are planted in the field during august at 45 x 60 cm. or 60 x 60 cm. spacing. Ridge planting is preferred in localities receiving heavy monsoon rains. The land is given about 40 tonnes of farm yard manure, besides 100 kg. of diammonium phosphat and 30 g. of K2O per hectare before planting and 20 kg. of N is given at the time of branching and each time the crop is picked. The plantation is given to 2 to 3 weedings and hoeings before the first leaf crop is obtained and then I or 2 hoeings are usually given before each leaf picking.
The crop is irrigated after every 10 to 15 days during summer. The first picking of leaves is obtained in october; in subsequent years, 3 to 4 leaf crop are obtained for the next three years. Harvesting is done by cutting the plants 20 to 25 cm. on bright sunny days above he ground, except at he time of the autumn harvest when the plants are cut 3 cm. above the ground. The stumps put forth fresh growth during the succeeding spring and bear flowers during june - august and the berries are produced in october. The alkaloids are synthesized in the root and are translocated through the stem to the leaves.
The harvested crop is dried rapidly in the sun for 2-3 days and the leaf-stalks are detached only after the produce is dried. The plants are unrotted after three or four years; the thicker are sliced into 3-4 cm. long pieces and dried. The crop loses 70-80 per cent of its weight during drying. A well dried leaf crop retains its green colour. The average crop yield in the first year is 300 kg. of leaves and thereafter, 750 kg. of leaves per hectare annually. An additional root crop of 2-3 quintals per hectare is obtained when the plants are finally uprooted. Hire average yields of 1 - 1.2 tonnes per hectare are reported from European countries. The produce should be stored in cool dry place away from light.
Cutworms ( AGROTIS flammatra ) attack the tender growing seedling during yearly summer. The application of 5 percent ahe Aldrin dust at 20-25 grammes per square meter of the nursary-bed before sowing protects the crop. The beds may be dranched with 1 : 19 wettable solutions of chlordane, 2-3 times after every 10 days during the attack of the pace. Sometimes damping off of seedlings is caused by pythium sp. and chloropicrin is recommended as a fumigant. Root-rot also damages the crop; the affected plants along with the adhering soil are removed and burnt. Seeds treated with the Agrosan generally protect the seedlings from soil-borne diseases.
RAUWOLFIA(Rouwolfia serpentina Benth ) It is an evergreen, perennial indigenous herb found widely distributed in the Himalayan foothills and Peninsular India. The root constitutes the drug and its virtues as an important medicine, were known to the ancient Ayurvedic physicians; it contains 55 alkaloids, reserpine being the most important. The root powder or other preperations containing its alkaloids are prescribed in the treatment of high blood pressure, insomnia, and certain forms of insanity. Roots of rauwolfia and its products command a sizeable market both in India and abroad.
Rauwolfia grows in sandy-loam to clayey-loam acidic soils, rich in humus. It prefers tropical to subtropical climate, receiving heavy monsoon rains between June and August, and the temperatures between 10 and 38 degree centigrades are considered ideal for its growth. The plants sheds its leaves during winter under conditions obtaining in northern India.
It is a one-and-a-half to 2 year crop and can be grown from seeds, root, root-shoot and shoot-cuttings. The seed-crop, however, gives larger ( root) yields. The seed rate is 8 to 10 kg per hectare, the average germination being only about 15%. Heavy seeds are selected by floating them in water. They are placed under a moist piece of cloth for 24 hours to soften their hard covering they are sown in well prepared seedbeds in lines,20cm apart,during April May. The germination is erratic and takes 3 to 8 weeks; the seedlings grow 5 to 8 cm. tall in the next 2 months and are transplanted in well-prepared field at spacing of 45 * 35 cm,45 * 45 cm, 45*45cm, 45*60 cm or 60*60 cm, depending upon the fertility of the soil and on the intercrops proposed tobe grown. The seedlings generally do well and gaps, if any,are filled by fresh planting. The land is preferably manured with 45 tonnes of farmyard manure per hectare. The crop is given 90 kg of N;45 kg of p2o5 and 45 kg of k2o per hectare in all; half of n and the entire quantity of superphosphate and potash is given as basal dose and the remaining N is preferably applied in two split doses,one 75 days after planting and the other during the succeeding spring.
The crop is given monthly irrigation from January to May and after a period of 40-45 days during autumn.Rauwolfia has a deep root-system and is a drought-enduring species; continuous drought, however, reduces its total yield. The crop requires 5 weedings and hoeings during its entire growing period. Whereas a heavy root crop is obtained when rauwolfia is raised as a pure crop, the growing of intercrops, such as maize, cowpea or brinjal, during kharit, and radish, wheat or a cole crop, during rabi,gives larger overall profit. The roots are dug-out from November ( in northern India ) to Janary February in ( southern India ). The root bark the thin fibrous roots contain a larger percentage of alkaloids and should not be damaged a loss during digging. The roots are dried in the sun, and 55-60 percent of their weight is lost. The average yield is 950 kg. per hectare.
Adults of Anomalapolita feed on the leaves of rauwolfia during the rainy season and are controlled by spraying 0.2 percent folidol. Sometimes, mosaic also affects the young growing leaves and inflorescenc. Nematode infestation is restricted to acidic soils. A wilt due to Fusarium sp. and leaf-blight due to Alternaria sp. and reported to cause minor damage. Sometimes a brown leaf spot is found on the lower surface of the leaves caused by Cercospora rauwolfiae. Die-back is caused by Colletotri-chumdematium, particularly under humid growing conditions. The affected branched may be pruned and the plants are sprayed with 0.2 percent Diathane Z-78 which controls the spread of the disease.
IPECAC ( Cephaelis ipecacuanha ( Brot. ) A . Rich, It is a perennial, evergreen, straggling herb, upto 50 centimeter tall, inhabiting the tropical forest of the south America. It produces slender 10-30 cm. long and 4-10 cm. thick, annulated crockery rhizones. The root bark is the drug of the commerce, used as an expectorant and emetic, mainly in the treatment of amoebic dysentery. The measure world supllies come from Brazil and the neighbouring countries. India, however, is one of the few countries which grow this crop commercially; its cultivation is done by the West Bengal Cinchona department in the Darjeeling district and to a smaller extent in Sikkim and parts of Assam. The annual production ranges between 25 and 30 tonnes of dry roots and part of the produce, including emetine salts, is exported earning a foreign exchange of 1 million rupees annually.
The crop prefers warm and moist sandy loam forest soil, rich in humus and potash. A high well distributed rail fall ( minimum 200 cm. ), a temperature range of 10 to 38 degree centigrade and the altitudes of 500 to 600 meters, and sides shelter from strong wind constitute the most suitable environment for ipecac cultivation.
The crop could be raised from seeds shoot and root cuttings. The vegetative propagation, however, shortens commercial varities are known , mainly after the name of the country of origin. Seeds are small and are sown by broad cast by during January and March in well prepared and heavily manuared raised seedbeds of convenient size. About 35 g. of seed is sown per square meter. The average germination is 30 percent and the seed take 3-5 months to germinate. The seedbeds are shaded during the day and kept moist and free from weeds. Seedlings about 4 cm. tall, are tranferred to the rooted nursery, with 5x5 cm spacing between the plants after the monsoon rains are over. They remain there till the following March and April, when they are again tranferred to a third side with spacing of 20x20 cm. between the plants. The plants remain there for three year till the roots are dug out.
Ipecac is thus slow growing 4 year crop which is very exacting in its requirement for continous shad, moist beds ( but no water logging ) and regular interculture. The plants give out dark green elliptical leaves and bear white flowers and small dark-purple globose berries in the second year. The flowers are dimorphic, heterostylous ( and therefore cross pollinated ) and are formed in group of 6-8. The berries ripen during September - October. The seed is white, plano-convex, 5-6 x 1.5-2 mm. and is cover with a hard tests. About 1/3 of the seeds are sterile. The growing plants require a good amount of nutrient supply which is mainly added to the soil through heavy organic manuring; information on the use of inorganic fertilizers is not known. Each plant forms 2-3 long rhizomes which are dug out during dry weather; the rhizomes are cleaned of the adhering soil and rapidly dried in the direct sun for 2 -3 days. The dry rhizomes are broken into smaller pieces and finally packed in bales for transporting to the extraction sides. The yield varies from 600-1000 kg. of roots per hectare.
The roots contain emetine caphaeline and psychotrine as its main alkaloids; emetine, however is the most important. The average total alkaloid content in the Indian crop is 2.5 percent of which 1.3-1.4 percent is emetine. The alkaloids are extracted in the form of their salts viz. emetine sulphate and emetime hydrocloride, for marketing. According to the Indian pharmacopoeia ( 1966 ), the ipecac, of which not less than 50% should consist of nonphenolic alkaloids.
The seed beds are sometimes infested with Fusarium and rhizoctonia spp. causing damage to the plant suitable fungicids may be used to control the infection of the plants.
