P-49. Symptomatology and histopathological changes in virus infected Datura in North- Eastern U.P.
Abstract
Medicinal plants are traditional, accessible and affordable source in primary health care. Due to various side effects of allopathic drugs, the traditional system of medicine is assuming great significance globally as” green drugs”. Terai belt of North- Eastern U.P. is a rich storehouse of such herbal remedies. Datura is one of the most extensively investigated medicinal plants of this region and used in treatment of Parkinsonism, hemorrhoids, hair fall etc. A well known ayurvedic preparation of the plant, ‘Kanaka Asava’, is anti-spasmodic and andodyne in cough, asthma, phthisis. Viral infection causes alteration in the physio-biochemical processes of plants which alters the quality and quantity of chemical constituents because of which plants have their medicinal value Some of the viruses reported earlier on Datura are- Cymbidium mosaic virus, TMV, Potato virus X and TABMV, etc. A survey was conducted in forests of Gorakhpur and adjacent area during 2007–2008, to collect informations about occurrence of viral symptoms on Datura. For histopathological studies, plant material was fixed in formaline acetic acid solution (Sass, 1951) and the photographs of the microtomic section of samples were taken. Survey revealed occurrence of viral symptoms viz., puckering and crinkling, shoe-string and leathering on leaves of Datura. In detail histopathological study of root, stem and leaves of the plants only diseased leaves were showing the anatomical changes, while no noticeable changes were found in the diseased stem and roots. The symptoms were found on the leaves predominately. Virus caused several anatomical changes in Datura leaves as no changes were found in the healthy leaves.
