Various culture techniques for the mass propagation of medicinal orchids from Nepal
2019
Pant, B. | Pradhan, S. | Paudel, M. R. | Shah, S. | Pandey, S. | Joshi, P. R.
In the unique, highly diverse ecosystem of Nepal, Orchidaceae is the largest family of flowering plants. This family comprises an estimated 454 species, of which 90 are reported to have beneficial medicinal values and 18 are endemic. Orchids are essential in the maintenance of Nepal's biodiversity, due to their epiphytic association with host species, mycorrhizal associations, and pollinators. Medicinal orchids are also important for their commercial value, and many species contain important chemical compounds, including alkaloids, bibenzyl derivatives, flavonoids, phenanthrenes, and terpenoids. Climate change, deforestation, over-exploitation, and illegal trade all pose serious threats to the orchid flora of Nepal, making their conservation a serious concern. Their germplasm is used in Nepal, to conserve both the threatened and commercially important medicinal orchids, ex situ. Various techniques of in vitro culture are used to propagate more than 30 species of medicinal orchids for large scale production. Community awareness and orchid species restoration programs have been conducted with the local people in central Nepal. Further, local people are encouraged to cultivate artificially propagated species as a source of long-term economic benefit.
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