BackgroundVrikshayurveda, an ancient science of plant life described by Surapala, deals with healthy growth and productivity of plants, which has clearly outlined a systematized agricultural practice that insisted the use of Kunapa jala (KJ) and Pancha gavya (PG).ObjectiveAn experiment was conducted to validate KJ and PG by nutrient analysis and their effect on the germination parameters of Ashwagandha and Kalamegha seeds in comparison with other treatment groups.Materials and methodsKJ and PG were prepared according to the classical references. The nutrient contents and germination parameters of KJ and PG were compared with other groups namely control (Contr), farmyard manure (FYM), humic acid (HA) and NPK.ResultsThe pH and EC were 5.793, 2.653 dS/m and 5.584, 2.216 dS/m for KJ and PG respectively. KJ possess highest nutrient contents followed by PG. The germination parameters revealed the better activity of NPK followed by KJ, PG, HA, FYM and Contr.ConclusionKJ and PG were found to be good in nutrient contents and were found to be effective on studied germination parameters of Ashwagandha and Kalamegha seeds.

Background‘Vrikshayurveda’, an ancient science of plant life described by Surapala, has clearly outlined a systematized agricultural practice that insisted on the use of Kunapa jala (KJ) and Pancha gavya (PG) to enhance the yield and quality of plants.ObjectiveAn experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of KJ and PG on growth, physiological, biochemical, quality attributes and yield of Withania somnifera Dun.Materials and methodsThe effect of KJ and PG was evaluated in comparison with control, organic (farmyard manure and humic acid) and inorganic (NPK) fertilizer at 60, 90, 120 and 150 days after sowing (DAS). The study was conducted in randomized complete block design method.ResultsKJ group were higher in, total leaf area (1707.89 cm2) at 120 DAS, leaf area index (3.795) at 120 DAS, crop growth rate (0.256 g m−2 day−1) at 60–90 DAS, leaf area duration (101.909) at 120–150 DAS, relative growth rate (0.0170 g g−1 day−1) at 60–90 DAS, net assimilation rate (0.0537 g m−2 day−1) at 60–90 DAS. Leaf area ratio was higher in PG group (37.937 m2 g−1) at 60 DAS. The higher levels of chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids were in KJ group (1.877, 0.745 and 1318.14 mg g−1 respectively) at 90 DAS. Yield and quality attributes at harvest (150 DAS) indicated, higher dry root yield (5.93 quintal hectare−1), root length (15.66 cm) were higher in KJ group and root diameter was higher in PG group (1.36 cm).ConclusionVrikshayurveda practices viz. Kunapa jala and Pancha gavya were effective on studied parameters of W. somnifera. Economical and eco-friendly Vrikhayurveda practices can be initiated for sustainable agriculture.

Objective:The goal of the present investigation was to improve the solubility and bioavailability of atovaquone tablet, using in-house biosynthesized biosurfactant in the ternary system of solid dispersion containing hydrophilic polymers with varying concentrations of biosurfactant. Atovaquone is an anti-malarial agent and belongs to biopharmaceutical classification system class IV. Methods:The solid dispersion of binary and ternary mixture was prepared using hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and biosurfactant respectively by a solvent evaporation method. All the atovaquone tablet formulations were prepared by incorporation of physical mixture, binary and ternary solid dispersed products with excipients by direct compression method. Pre-compression and post-compression parameters of atovaquone tablets were evaluated. In vivo bioavailability study was performed using female albino rabbits. Results:In vitro dissolution profile of binary and ternary system of solid dispersion products showed 8.65% and 34.64% respectively. Precompression and post-compression values of all atovaquone tablets formulations were within the specified limits. In vitro dissolution efficiency of F2 and F5 were 1.44 fold and 6.62 fold respectively, in accordance to the F1. In vivo study revealed that bioavailability of optimized formulation F5 was increased by 2.5 times and time to reach peak concentration was reduced to 1.4 h, in accordance to pure atovaquone suspension. Conclusion:Potential application of biosurfactant in the solid dosage form of atovaquone tablet was proved for enhanced dissolution rate and bioavailability of atovaquone for malaria treatment. I In nt te er rn na at ti io on na al l J Jo ou ur rn na al l o of f A Ap pp pl li ie ed d P Ph ha ar rm ma ac ce eu ut ti ic cs s

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Jasminum malabaricum Wight. (Family: Oleaceae) a climber, is endemic to Western Ghats of India. Rapid proliferating callus cultures were established from leaf explants using varying concentrations of auxins with cytokinins. Culture medium consisting of MS basal supplemented with 2, 4-D (9.05 lM) showed good proliferation and addition of cytokinins (BA 11.09 lM and/or TDZ 2.27 lM) resulted in retarded proliferation. Optimization of phenolic-antioxidants from different parts of J. malabaricum showed continuous shaking method to be productive over microwave assisted method. The optimized method involves less input and good yield of phenolicantioxidants. Obtained callus showed good antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP assays) in comparison with leaves and stem extracts and also had higher total phenolics. The optimized protocol for callus culture extraction revealed that continuous shaking extraction is cost-effective and suitable for elevated production of phenolic-antioxidants from callus cultures of J. malabaricum.