Evolvulus alsinoides L. is used for preparation of 'Shankhapushpi', an important popular ayurvedic drug that contributes considerably to the improvement of memory power. The improvement is attributed to the presence of furanocoumarin scopoletin, a metabolite with a wide range of biological activities. This report describes, for the first time, an in vitro culture system for propagation and enhanced production of scopoletin. Different concentrations of auxins and cytokinins individually and in combination were used in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium to induce shoot regeneration in cotyledonary nodal explants and callus formation in leaf explants. The best response was achieved in MS medium fortified with 5.0 μM 6-benzyladenine (BA) in which 96 % of cultures produced 7.6 ± 0.6 shoots per explant. Regenerated shoots were rooted on MS medium with 5.0 μM indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Plantlets were successfully acclimatized and established in soil. MS medium fortified with 10 μM BA + 5.0 μM IAA showed maximum growth and accumulation of scopoletin in cell cultures. Cell cultures could be maintained over 24 months. The influences of auxins, cytokinins, organic acids, amino acids, and fungal-derived elicitors on production of scopoletin were studied. Presence of either L-arginine, sodium pyruvate, or yeast extract highly promoted scopoletin production as compared with control and achieved 75.02-, 72.13-, and 57.98-fold higher accumulation, respectively. The results presented herein have laid solid foundation for large-scale production of scopoletin and further investigation of its purification and utilization as a novel pharmaceutical drug.

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Context Food security, integral to the UN sustainable development goals, has become a global priority. Only a handful of cultivated species meet 80% of dietary intake, and hence, in future, it may be inadequate to depend only on these crops. Aims Wild germplasm is endowed with desirable traits of relevance to food, health and climate resilience and, hence, there is a need to intensify efforts for bringing wild edible plants into mainstream agriculture. Wild banana (Ensete spp.) is a staple food source besides having bioactive compounds, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. Methods Ensete species are cultivated in Asian and African countries, and its cultivation through superior clones is done through conventional methods and plant tissue culture techniques. Despite information on the ecological, social and economic features of Ensete spp., there has been no systematic assessment of their nutritional and other agronomic traits. Key results Herein, we provide a comprehensive account of Ensete sp. conservation, domestication, nutritional profile and medicinal importance as well as documenting the biotechnological approaches and identifying research gaps and prospects of these underutilised species. Conclusion and implications We believe this review could form a baseline resource to aid decision-making for improvement of the crop towards sustainable use and domestication of the species in the global context.

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Boswellia serrata is an important source of medicinal oleo-gum resins and boswellic acid, a unique non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritis drug. This experimental study describes the first time and in vitro direct somatic embryogenesis protocol and plantlet formation from immature zygotic embryos of B. serrata. The morphogenic potential of zygotic embryo was tested on MS medium fortified with cytokinins: 6-furfurylaminopurine [kinetin], N6-benzyladenine [BA], 1-Phenyl-3-(1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl)-urea [TDZ], auxins: IAA [Indole-3-acetic acid], NAA [α-naphthaleneacetic acid] and 2,4-D [2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid] alone and in combination. MS medium containing 1mg/l TDZ + 0.50 mg/l 2,4-D + 200 mg/l PVP was effective for inducing direct somatic embryo in 89.63% of cultures. On the surface of the zygotic embryo observed, the globular, heart and cotyledonary stages of somatic embryo development. Better germination and conversion to plantlets (73.2 ± 1.6%) of somatic embryos were observed on subculture to GA3 alone containing medium. The survival of plantlets under ex-vitro conditions was about 72%. Flow cytometry (FCM) confirmed the stable ploidy level in regenerated plantlets. In leaf samples of somatic embryo-derived plantlets, boswellic acid isomers are detected by using UPLC-UV-MS analysis and the content of isomer 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-β-Boswellic acid (AKBA) was 0.13 µg/gm dry weights. The propagation protocol described here provides an important micropropagation technique for this valued plant. Nevertheless, this described propagation method can be used for genetic transformation and medicinally important bioactive boswellic acid production.