Thus PPT covers Cultivation,Collection, Processing and Storage of crude drugs. This ppt includes different methods of propagation, pest and pest control management, growth regulators, polyploidy, hybridization, collection of crude drugs and storage of crude drugs.

1. CULTIVATION, COLLECTION, PROCESSING
AND STORAGE OF
CRUDE DRUGS
PREPARED BY: JEGAN.S.NADAR

2. CULTIVATION OF CRUDE DRUGS
• Cultivation of medicinal plants requires
intensive care and management.
• The conditions and duration of cultivation
required vary depending on the quality of
medicinal plant materials required.
Jegan

3. ADVANTAGES OF CULTIVATION
• It ensures quality and purity of medicinal plants.
• Collection of crude drugs from cultivated plants gives a
better yield and therapeutic quality.
• Cultivation ensures regular supply of a crude drug.
• The cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants also leads to industrialization to a greater
extent.
• Cultivation permits application of modern technological aspects such as mutation,
polyploidy and hybridization.
Jegan

4. DISADVANTAGES OF CULTIVATION
• The high cost of cultivation drugs as compared to wild source
• Losses due to ecological imbalance such as storms, earthquakes, floods, droughts etc
Jegan

5. Methods of Propagation
• Sexual Method (Seed Propagation)
• Asexual Method ( Vegetative Propagation)
Jegan

6. Asexual Method ( Vegetative Propagation)
• Vegetative propagation can be defined as regeneration or formation of a new individual
from any vegetative part of the plant body.
• The method of vegetative propagation involves separation of a part of plant body, which
develops into a new plant.
• They are two types of Vegetative propagation :
 A. Natural Methods of vegetative propagation
 B. Artificial Methods of vegetative propagation
Jegan

7. A. Natural Methods of vegetative propagation
• It is done by sowing various parts of the plants in well prepared soil
1. Vegetative propagation by stem:
Bulb Allium, Squill
Corms Colchicum
Tubers Potato, aconite
Rhizomes Ginger and turmeric
Suckers Pineapple, banana
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9. 2. Vegetative propagation by root
Eg. Asparagus
Jegan

10. B. Artificial Methods of vegetative propagation
• The method by which plantlets or seedlings are produced from vegetative part of the plant
by using some technique or process is known as artificial method of vegetative
propagation.
• Following methods are used:
1. Cutting:
2. Layering:
3. Grafting:
4. Micro propagation:
Jegan

11. 1. Cutting:
• These are the parts of the plant (stem, root or leaf) which, if grown under suitable’
conditions, develop new plants.
• Stem cutting are generally used to obtained new plants.
• Examples: Sugarcane and rose, etc.
Jegan

12. 2. Layering:
• Roots are induced on the stem while it is still attached to the parent plant.
• This part of stem is later detached from the parent plant and grown into a new plant.
Jegan

13. 3. Grafting:
• New variety is produced by joining parts of two different plants.
• The rooted shoot of one plant, called stock, is joined with a piece of shoot of another
plant known as scion.
• Examples: Rose, citrus and rubber, etc.
Jegan

14. 4. Micro propagation:
• This method consists of growing cell, tissue and
organ in culture.
• Small pieces of plant organs or tissues are grown in
a container with suitable nutrient medium, under
sterilized conditions.
• The tissue grows into a mass of undifferentiated
cells called callus which later differentiates into
plantlets.
• These are then transferred into pots or nursery beds
and allowed to grow into full plants
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16. Importance of asexual propagation
• It is a cheaper, easier and rapid method of multiplication
• Many fruit trees usually require 4-5 years to bear the fruits when developed from seeds.
The plants developed by vegetative methods, take only a year to bear fruits.
• Plants like roses and chrysanthemum, etc do not form viable seeds. Thus, vegetative
propagation is the only method of propagation is the only method of reproduction and
continuation of species in such plants.
• All the plants developed by these methods will be generally similar to the parent plant.
• Micro propagation is useful in raising disease free plants
Jegan

17. Sexual Method ( Seed Propagation)
• Incase of sexual reproduction, the plants are raised from seeds and such plants are known
as seedlings.
• For propagations the seeds must be of good quality
Jegan

18. METHODS OF SOWING SEEDS
• Numerous methods of sowing seeds are in
practice. Few of them are-
1. BROADCASTING
2. DIBBLING
3. MISCELLANEOUS
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19. BROADCASTING
• In this method the seeds are scattered freely in well prepared soil for cultivation.
• The seeds only need raking.
• If they are sown deep or covered by soil, necessary thinning of the seedlings is done by
keeping a specific distance
• Examples: isapgol linseed, sesame
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21. DIBBLING
• When the seeds of average size and
weight are available.
• They are sown by placing in holes.
• Number of seeds to be put in holes vary
from 3 to 5 Depending upon the vitality
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23. MISCELLANEOUS
• Many a times the seeds are sown
in nursery beds.
• The seedling thus produced are
transplanted to farms for further
growth.
• Such as cinchona, cardamom,
clove, etc.
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25. Pre – germination Seed Treatments to improve germination rate
1. Chemical (Acid scarification)
2. Mechanical (Scarification)
3. Boiled Water Treatment
4. Soaking in Water
5. Moist Chilling
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26. 1. Chemical (Acid scarification)
• The purpose is to modify hard or
impermeable seed covering by soaking seed in
concentrated sulphuric acid
• The time of treatment may vary from 10
minutes to 6 hour according to species
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27. 2. Mechanical (Scarification)
• Seeds of a few species with impermeable seed coat. i.e. hard seed coat can be rendered
permeable to water and gases
• Their germination is greatly improved by mechanical scarification in taking care that
seeds should be injured (not be injured heavily).
• This can be achieved by
i) Placing the seeds between two sand paper
ii) Passing seeds through machine that scratches the surface.
iii) Filling and notching to make the seed coat permeable to water.
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29. 3. Boiled Water Treatment
• Pouring boiling water over seeds and getting it to cool
gradually for about 12 hour to soften hard shelled
seeds. E.g. Coffee
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30. 4. Soaking in Water
• The purpose of soaking seeds in water is to modify hard seed coats, to remove growth
inhibitors, to soften seed and to reduce the time of germination.
• The time of soaking seeds in cold water depend upon the hardness of the seed coat. E.g
beans
5. Moist Chilling:
• Seed of many woody trees or shrubs are exposed to low temperature to bring about
prompt and uniform germination
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32. Advantages of Sexual Propagation
• Simplest, easiest and the most economical process
• Some plants, trees, vegetables or fruits species can propagate only through sexual propagation.
E.g. – marigold, papaya, tomato.
• This type of propagation leads to better crop species that are stronger, disease- resistant and have
longer life-span.
• Viral transmission can be prevented in this type of propagation.
• It is the only propagation process in which resultant offspring have genetic variation and exhibit
diversity of characters from parent crops.
• This genetic variation is responsible for continuous evolution that keeps on producing better & better
offspring. Jegan

33. Disadvantages of Sexual Propagation
• Seeds take a long time to turn into mature plants i.e. time interval between sowing and
flowering is longer.
• Seedlings propagated through sexual propagation are unlikely to have same genetic
characteristics as that of parent plants
• Some plant species do not produce viable seeds through sexual propagation and hence are
unsuitable to propagate for the same.
• Plants that do not have seeds can’t be propagated through this process.
• There are many factors that can affect the viability of seeds, including moisture, air,
temperature, and light.
Jegan

34. FACTORS
INFLUENCING
CULTIVATION OF
MEDICINAL
PLANTS
Jegan

35. FACTORS
INFLUENCING
CUTIVATION OF
MEDICINAL
PLANTS
Light
Rainfall
Soil
Temperature
Humidity
Altitude
Fertilizer
Pest control
Growth regulator
Polyploidy and Mutation
Jegan

36. LIGHT
• Light is the only external source of energy for the continuation of life of the plant.
• It influences photosynthesis, opening and closing of stomata, plant movements, seed
germination, flowering and vegetative growth like tuber formation.
• Dry sunny weather increases the
proportion of glycosides in digitalis
and of alkaloids in belladonna
Jegan

37. TEMPERATURE
• Temperature is the major factor influencing the cultivation of the medicinal plant.
• The sudden decrease in temperature cause the formation of the ice crystals in intercellular
spaces of the plant.
• As a result, water comes out of the cells and ultimately plants die due to drought and
desiccation.
• Water absorption decreases
at low temperatures.
• The rate of photosynthesis is
affected by change in temperature
Jegan

38. ALTITUDE
• The altitude is the most important factor influencing cultivation of medicinal plants.
• As the altitude increases, the temperature and atmospheric pressure decreases while the
wind velocity, relative humidity and light intensity increases.
• Thus, as the climatic conditions change
with height, they also produce change
in the vegetation pattern.
Jegan

39. • The bitter constituents of Gentiana lutea increase with altitude, whereas the alkaloids of
Aconitum nacelles and Lobelia inflate and oil content of thyme and peppermint decrease.
• Pyrethrum gives the best yield at high altitude.
• Examples: Tea- 9500-1500 meters; cinnamon- 300-1000 meters and saffron- up to 1250
meters
Jegan

40. RAINFALL
• The rainfalls are most important factor influencing cultivation of medicinal plants. The
main source of water for the soil is rain water.
• Rainfall and snowfall have a large effect the climate condition.
• The water from rainfall flows into the rivers and lakes, percolates into the soil to form
ground water and remaining is evaporated.
• The minerals in the soil get dissolved in water and are
then absorbed by plants.
• Water influences morphological and physiology of plant
Jegan

41. SOIL
• Soil is defined as surface layer of the earth, formed by
weathering of rocks.
• The soil should contain appropriate amounts of
nutrients, organic matter and other elements to ensure
optimal medicinal plant growth and quality.
• Optimal soil conditions, including soil type, drainage,
moisture retention, fertility and pH, will be dictated by
the selected medicinal plant species and/or target
medicinal plant part.
Jegan

42. The soil made of five components:
1.Mineral matter.
2.Soil air.
3.Soil water.
4.Organic matter or humus.
5.Soil organisms
• Plants depend on soil for nutrients, water supply
and anchorage.
• Soil influences
 Seed germination,
 Capacity of plant to remain erect,
 Form, vigor and woodiness of the stem,
 depth of root system,
 Number of flowers on a plant,
 Drought,
Jegan

43. Classification of soil particles:
1. Clay
2. Sandy soil
3. Loamy soil
4. Sandy loam
5. Silt loam
6. Calcareous soil
Jegan

44. 1. CLAY SOIL
• Clay particle are very small.
• These fit together very closely and therefore, leave very less pore space. These spaces get
filled up with water very easily.
• Hence, the clay soil becomes quickly waterlogged.
• Such soil have practically no air, therefore, the plants growing in these soil are not able to
absorb water
• It cracks and shrinks when conditions are dry the soil
• Rich in nutrient elements
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45. 2. SANDY SOIL
• Sand particles are large sized.
• These leave large pore spaces which do not have capillary action and therefore, water is
not retained by them.
• Most of the water is quickly drained off and reaches deep into the soil.
• As a result, roots spread and also reach a great depth.
• The sandy soil is poor in nutrient elements; it is less fertile and plants growing in this soil
have less dry weight.
Jegan

46. 3. LOAMY SOIL
• The mixture of clay, silt and sand is known as loam.
• Loam is very useful for growth.
• It is fertile soil because it contains available nutrient elements in sufficient amounts.
• It has a high water retention capacity and appropriate amount of soil air is also present.
• The plants growing in loam are vigorous and have very high weight.
Jegan

47. 4. SANDY LOAM
• The amount of sand particles is more than other types of loam.
5.SILT LOAM
• Silt loam is considered to be the most fertile as it contains more amount of organic
substances than others.
Jegan

48. FERTILIZER
Fertilizer
Biological
Fertilizer
Manure
Farmyard
manure
Composited
manure
Green
manure
Bio-fertilizer
Chemical
Fertilizer
Macronutrient Micronutrient
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49. 1. BIOLOGICAL ORIGIN FERTILIZER
• Soil is generally poor in organic matter and nitrogen.
• The substances of biological origin used as fertilizer are thus selected if these could
provide the elements required.
• These are two types:
 Manures:
 Bio-fertilizer:
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50.  MANURES
• Manure is material, which are mixed with soil.
• These supply almost all the nutrients required by the crop plants.
• This results in the increase in crop productivity.
• Manures are three types:
Farmyard manure
Composited manure
Green manure
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51.  Farmyard manure:
• This is a mixture of cattle dung and remaining unused parts of plants like straw and
stalks fed to cattle.
 Composited manure:
• This consists of a mixture of rotted or decomposed and useless parts of plants and
animals.
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52.  Green manure
• It is a herbaceous crop ploughed under and mixed with the soil while still green to enrich
the soil.
• The plants used as green manure are often quick growing.
• These add both organic as well as nitrogen to the soil.
• It is also forms a protective soil cover that checks soil erosion and leaching.
• Thus, the crop yield increases by 30-50%.
Jegan

53. BIO-FERTILIZER
• It can be defined as biologically active products or bacteria, algae and fungi which useful
in bringing about soil nutrient enrichment.
• These mostly include nitrogen fixing microorganisms.
• Eg. Rhizobium symbiosis, Cyanobacteria, Mycorrhiza
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54. Chemical Fertilizer
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55. 2. CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS
MACRONUTRIENT
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorous
• Potassium
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Sulphur
MICRONUTRIENT
• Iron
• Manganese
• Zinc
• Boron
• Copper
• Molybdenum
Jegan

56. PESTS AND PEST CONTROL MANAGEMENT
• A pest is an organism that
causes epidemic disease
associated with high
mortality.
• Hence pest are harmful to
man physically and to his
crop causing economic
losses.
Jegan

57. Types of pest- The different types of pests infecting medicinal plant are
• Fungi and Viruses
• Insects
 Flying (moths / flies & larvae)
 Crawling (beetles / weevils / cockroaches)
• Rodents: Mice (field / house) Rats: (roof / Norway)
• Birds: Pigeons / crows / starling
• Other mammals: Snakes / cats & dogs
Jegan

58. METHODS OF PEST
CONTROL
Mechanical
Methods
Agricultural
Methods
Chemical
Methods
Biological
Control
methods
Natural pest
control
Agents
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59. 1. Mechanical Methods
• It employs manual labour along with different
devices for collection and destruction of pest.
• Examples include:
1. Hand picking to remove insects
2. Pruning
3. Burning
4. Trapping of pests
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60. 2. Agricultural Methods
• Agricultural control is ploughing which should be
sufficiently deep so as to eradicate weeds, as well as
early stages of insects.
• By Crop rotation
• It also covers advance plant breeding techniques
capable of inducing genetic manipulation resulting in
production hybrid varieties, which are resistant to
fungal and bacterial attack
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61. 3. Chemical Methods
• Pests are controlled by using chemical pesticides.
• Examples:
 1.Insecticides: to control insect (DDT, gammaxine, parathione, malathione)
 2.Fungicides: to control fungus diseases (Bordeaux mixture, chlorophenols, antibiotics)
 3. Herbicides: to control weeds (2,4-di chlorophenoxy acetic acid, Sulphuric acid)
 4.Rodenticides: to control rodents (Warfarin, Strychnine, Red squill)
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62. 4. Biological Control methods
• This method is practiced by combating the pests, mostly the insects, with other living
organisms.
• If this method is properly designed, it may emerge as an effective, safe and economical
method of pest control.
• The chemical substances produced and released by some female insects are capable to
elicting (reaction) a sexual response from the opposite sex, which could be exploited for
biological control of pests called sex pheromones .
• Example : 7, 8-epoxy 2- methyloctadecane from gypsm moth.
Jegan

63. 5. Natural pest control agents
• Natural pest control agents : Example of natural agents acting as pesticide:
 Tobacco
 Nux-vomica
 Pyrethrum
 Neem
 Citronella
Jegan

64. Neem:
• Biological sources: It consist of fresh
or dried leaves of Azadirachta indica
belonging to family Meliaceae
• Chemical Constituents: Azadirachtin ,
Nimbin , Nimbidin , Nimbidol , Sodium
nimbinate , Gedunin , Salannin and
Quercetin .
Jegan

65. GROWTH REGULATOR
• It is a hormone like synthetic organic compound.
• In small amounts, it modifies the growth and development either by promoting or
inhibiting the growth.
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66. General plant hormones: The phyto-hormones are broadly grouped under five major
classes namely
 Auxins (cell elongation)
 Gibberellins (cell elongation + cell division - translated into growth)
 Cytokinins (cell division + inhibits senescence)
 Abscisic acid (abscission of leaves and fruits )
 Ethylene (promotes senescence, epinasty , and fruit ripening)
Jegan

67. AUXIN (Indole acetic acid)
• Auxin increases the plasticity of plant cell walls and is involved in stem elongation.
• Production of auxin occurs at shoot tips, developing seeds
Physiological effects of Auxin
• Cell elongation and expansion
• Initiation of adventitious roots
• Abscission - loss of leaves
• Flower initiation, fruit development
• Apical dominance
• Lateral branch growth are inhibited near the shoot apex, but less so farther from the tip.Jegan

68. High auxin
concentration
Low auxin
concentration
Evidence for the role of auxin in apical dominance
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69. With synthetic
auxin
Without synthetic
auxin
Adventitious roots
growing from stem
tissue
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70. Auxin-like growth regulators (Synthetic)
• Indolebutyric acid (IBA)
• 2, 4 dichlorphenoxyacetic acid (2,4D)
• 2, 4, 5 trichlorophenoxyacetic acid
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71. GIBBERELLIN / GIBBERELLIC ACID (GA)
• Produced in roots and young leaves
• Now known to be essential for stem elongation
Physiological effects of Gibberellins
• Cell division
• Cell elongation
• Stimulate seed germination
• Stimulate flowering
• Stimulate fruit development Jegan

72. COMMERCIAL USE OF GA
Without GA With GA
Larger fruits that are easier to clean are attractive in markets
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73. CYTOKININ
• These are either natural (Zeatin) or Synthetic (Kinetin) compounds with
significant growth regulating activity
Physiological effects of Cytokinin
• Promotion of cell division.
• External application of cytokinin promotes the growth of lateral buds
• Cytokinin breaks the dormancy of many seeds and also promotes germination.
• Application of cytokinin delays the process of ageing in plants
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74. UNTREATED
TREATED WITH
CYTOKINES
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75. Cytokinins Delay Leaf Senescence
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76. ABSCISIC ACID
• Abscisic acid is produced chiefly in mature green leaves and in fruits
• Produced in Mature leaves (especially under stress), roots then transported to shoots
Physiological effects of Abscisic acid
• Stress response
• Stimulate stomatal closure
• Inhibit premature germination of seeds
• Induces bud dormancy in a variety of plants
• Seed dormancy maintenance Jegan

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78. ETHYLENE
• Ethylene is a simple gaseous hormone. It is usually present in a minute quantity.
• It is synthesized in large amounts by tissues undergoing ageing
Physiological effects of ethylene
• Fruit ripening
• Leaf and flower senescence
• Leaf and fruit abscission (controlled separation of plant part from the main body)
• Flowering - Ethylene inhibits flowering in most species, but promotes it in a few plants
such as pineapple, bromeliads, and mango
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81. POLYPLOIDY
• Plants whose cells contain two sets of chromosomes, derived at fertilization from the
union of one set from the pollen and one set from the egg cells, are described as diploids
and denoted by “2n”.
• The term polyploidy is applied to plants with more than two sets of chromosomes in the
cells
• when four sets are present the plants are described as tetraploids and denoted by “4n”.
Jegan

82. • Tetraploidy is induced by treatment with colchicine, which inhibits spindle formation
during cell division, so that the divided chromosomes are unable to separate and pass to
the daughter cells.
• The two sets of chromosomes remain in one cell and this develops to give tetraploids
plant.
• Treatment with colchicine may be applied in various ways
• The seeds may be soaked in a dilute solution of colchicine, or the seedlings, the soil around
the seedling or the young shoot treated with colchicine solution
Jegan

83. • The average increase in alkaloids content compared with diploid plants of Datura
stromonium and Datura tatula was 68%, with a maximum increase of 211.6%
• Polyploidy increases cell size. The large cell size can result in thicker leaves, stems, and
wider branch angles. Flowers can be larger with thicker petals resulting in longer lasting
flowers, and fruit that can be bigger than normal
• Some polyploid plants exhibit greater pest resistance, drought tolerance, increased
nutrient uptake, and increased cold tolerance
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86. MUTATION
• Sudden heritable change in the structure of a gene on the chromosome or change in the
chromosome number is known as mutation
• Mutations can be artificially produced by certain agents called mutagens or mutagenic
agent.
• They are two types:
a. Physical mutagens:
b. Chemical mutagens:
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88. Example:
• Penicillin, as an antibiotic was first obtained from Penicillium.
• However, the yield was very poor and the preparation was commercially expensive.
• Since then mutants with higher yield of penicillin have been selected and produced.
• Penicillium chrysogenum used in the production of penicillin yielded about 100 units of
penicillin per ml of culture medium.
• By single-spore isolation, strains were obtained which yielded up to 250 units per ml of
medium, X-ray treatment of this strain gave mutants which produce 500 units per ml and
ultraviolet mutants of latter gave strain which produced about 1000 unit per ml
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90. MUTATION
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91. HYBRIDIZATION
• It is mating or crossing of two genetically dissimilar plants having desired genes or
genotypes and bringing them together into one individual called hybrid.
• The process through which hybrids are produced is called hybridization.
• Hybridization particularly between homozygous strains, which have been inbred for a
number of generations, introduces a degree of heterozygosis with resultant hybrid vigour
often manifest in the dimensions and other characteristic of the plants.
• A hybrid is an organism which results from crossing of two species or varieties differing at
least in one set of characters
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92. Hybrid Fruits Jegan

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95. COLLECTION OF CRUDE DRUGS
• Collection is the most important step which
comes after cultivation
• Drugs are collected from wild and cultivated
plant
• Task for cultivation depends on the collector ,
whether he skilled or unskilled labor
• Drugs should be collected when they contain
maximum amount of constituents
Jegan

96. • The season at which drug is collected is important as amount of active constituents change
throughout the year
*Example:
Rhubarb- It is collected only in summer season because anthraquinone derivatives level is
more in summer season and less in winter season
• Leaves are generally collected just before the flowering season Example:
*Example:
Vasaka and digitalis- leaves contains maximum constituents before the plant bears
flowers Jegan

97. • Flowers are collected before they expand fully
*Example: Clove and Saffron
• The underground organs like tubers and roots
are collected before plant cell die
*Example: Liquorice and Rawoulfia
• Some fruits are collected after their full maturity
and some are collected when they are ripe
Jegan

98. • Barks are usually collected during spring season as they are easy to separate from the
wood during this season
*Example: Ashoka bark, Cinchona bark and Kurchi bark
• The unorganised drug has to be collected as soon as they oozes out
*Example: Resin, Latex and Gums
Jegan

99. DRYING OF CRUDE DRUGS
• Before marketing a crude drug it is necessary to process it properly so as to
 Preserve it properly
 Acquire better pharmaceutical elegance
• Drying consist of removal of sufficient moisture so as to
 Improve quality
 Make it resistant to microorganism
 Inhibit enzymatic reactions
Jegan

100. DRYING
Natural Drying
Sun
Drying
Artificial Drying
Tray
Dryers
Vacuum
Dryers
Spray
Dryers
Jegan

101. NATURAL DRYING
1. SUN DRYING
• In sun drying, it may be either direct sun drying or in the shed
• If the natural color of the drug (Digitalis, Clove, Senna) and the volatile principle of the
drug (peppermint) are to be retained, drying in the shed is preferred
• If the contents of the drug are quite stable to the temperature and sunlight the drugs
can be dried directly under sun (gum acacia, seeds, fruits)
Jegan

102. ARTIFICIAL DRYING
1. TRAY DRYERS
• The drug which do not contain volatile oil and are quite
stable to heat are dried in tray dryers
• In this process, hot air of the desired temperature is
circulated through the dryers and this facilitates the
removal of water content of the drugs
• Drugs dried by this methods are belladonna roots,
cinchona bark, tea leaves, gums Jegan

103. 2. VACUUM DRYERS
• The water is removed by applying vacuum
• The drugs which are sensitive to higher temperature are dried by this process
• Example: Digitalis leaves
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104. 3. SPRAY DRYERS
• Some drugs are highly sensitive to atmospheric conditions and also to temperature of
vacuum drying are dried by spray drying method
• This technique is followed for quick drying of economically important plant or animal
constituents rather than the crude drugs
• Examples of spray drying are
papaya latex, resins, tannins etc
Jegan

105. STORAGE OF CRUDE DRUGS
• Preservation of crude drug needs sound knowledge
of their physical and chemical properties
• If drugs are improperly stored, quality can be
affected
• All drugs should be preserved in well closed and air
tight containers
• They should be stored in premises which are
water-proof, fire proof and rodent proof
Jegan

106. • Many drug absorb moisture during their
storage and become susceptible to microbial
growth
• Moisture can affect the quality of drug
• Moisture also facilitates enzymatic reaction
eg. Digitalis leaves
• Moisture also leads to growth of moulds eg.
Gentian root and ergot
• Radiation due to direct sunlight also cause
destruction of active chemical constituents
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107. • Atmospheric oxygen also act as a destructive agents to several drugs hence drugs are filled
completely in well stored container or the air in the container is replaced by an inert gas
like nitrogen. Eg. Shark liver oil, papain etc
• Temperature is also a very important factor in preservation of drugs, as it accelerates
several chemical reaction leading to decomposition of chemical constituents
• Hence most of the drugs are stored at low temperature
• It is essential to preserve the drugs against insect or mould attack
• This can be achieved by giving treatment of fumigants
• The common fumigants used for storage of crude drugs are methyl bromide, carbon
disulphide and hydrocyanic acid. Jegan