Beneficiary effect of kalmegh-extract for improving seed storage, viability and vigour some economically important crops

Abstract

Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) is a very well known and popular medicinal plant used in both homoeopathic and ayuvedic system for a long time successfully as antiinflamatory, antibacterial, antiperiodic, antipyretic, antithrombotic, antiviral, hypoglycemic, hepatoprotective. It has proved its efficacy against colon cancer even. It’s such potential to treat different human diseases influenced to attempt a research programme to find out whether there is any effect of kalmegh extract against store grain pest and maintenance of seed vigor and viability in storage for some economically important crops like paddy, lentil, moong and gram. Three concentrations of treatment solution developed following the dilution process described in Homoeopathic Pharmacopeia of India from kalmegh leaves. Freshly harvested seed lots of the above crop seeds treated with the treatments by soaking drying method and kept in cloth bags in three replications along with two control treatments for six months in godown. Such experiment is done during two successive years and from the observation and calculated results it was revealed that crude kalmegh extract was most effective against store grain pest that gradually becomes weaker in dilutions. On the other hand, dilutions improved germination and related parameters in seed lings after storage in respect of control.