EXOGENOUS & ENDOGENOUS

FACTORS FOR PLANT

CULTIVATION

BY INDER & RAVIRAJ

Introduction:

• Plant cultivation and its need.

Advantages of cultivation:

•To improve quality & quantity of drug.

•For supply of raw materials.
•Prevent endangered medicinal plants & to
preserve natural resources.
•To build national economy & business.
Variation in plant yield is due to exogenous & endogenous factors.
Exogenous Factors:

Exogenous factors affecting the production of crude drugs are as

follows,

•Temperature and Humidity

•Climate and light
•Latitude and altitude
•Rainfall or Irrigation
•Soil and soil fertility
•Fertilizer
•Pest
•Allelopathy
Temperature and Humidity:

FOR EXAMPLE:

In Digitalis moisture content of more than 5% will activate various enzymatic

reactions.
Camphore & Coffee can’t withstand frost.
Saffron needs only cold climate hence grow well in Kashmir.
R.Serpentina cannot tolerate temperature below 50 C. and Senna below 100 C.
The fix oil produced at lower temperature contains fatty acids with higher content of
double bonds, than those found at higher temp.

Optimum temperature for drug cultivation

SR NO.PLANTS OPTIMUM
TEMPERATURE (0
F)
1 CINCHONA 60-75
2 COFFEE 55-70
3 TEA 70-90
4 CARDAMOM 50-100
Air Temperature : Optimum temperature for plant growth is 55 and 75ºF (12 and 24ºC).
Crops from temperate climates require low temperature, while those that originate in the
tropical climates require warm temperature.

Soil Temperature: effects on microbial growth development.

organic matter decay, seed germination, root development, and water and nutrient absorption by roots.

Vernalization: The exposure of certain plants to low temperatures induces or accelerates flowering (bolting).
This is vernalization. The required length of low temperature exposure varies with species. For example:
Chinese cabbage.

CLIMATE AND LIGHT:

Light Intensity : Plays role in photosynthesis.

The light saturation point: The light saturation point is the point above which an increase in light intensity
does not result in an increase in photosynthetic rate

For example.
Crops such as corn, cucurbits, legumes, potato, and sweet potato require a relatively high level of light for
proper plant growth. While onions, asparagus, carrot, celery, cole crops, lettuce and spinach can grow
satisfactorily with lower light intensity
Photomorphogenesis :
 
Photomorphogenesis is defined as the ability of light to
regulate plant growth and development, independent
of photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis - Chlorophil. Photomorphogenesis -
phytochrome.
Phytochrome is a colorless pigment that is in plants in very
small amounts.
Photosynthesis - wavelength (400 to 700 nm).
Photomorphogenesis - wavelength 600-660 nm & 700 - 740
nm.
 
Photomorphogenesis is considered a low energy response -
meaning that it requires very little light energy to get a
growth-regulating response. Plants generally require greater
amount of energy for photosynthesis to occur.
 
For example :
Light inhibits seedling hypocotyl growth via activation of
phytochrome and additional photoreceptors of Arabidopsis
(Arabidopsis thaliana).
 
Climate affect the growth of plant.

In cloudy weather: - amount of carbohydrates

produced in leaves is decreased since
photosynthesis is light dependent.This affect
formation of secondary metabolites, which requires
carbohydrate as starting material.

Content of alkaloid in stramonium leaves is lower in

rainy & cloudy weather.

Dry sunny weather may increase the content of

essential oil of lavender,valerian and warm wool.

Pyrethrum needs dry weather for cultivation.

Belladonna gives maximum yield of alkaloid in
summer.
 
 
Latitude and Altitude: Latitude means distance sidewise
from given point.
 
Altitude is very important factor as altitude can’t be produced
artificially.
SR. NO PLANTS ALTITUDE
(METERS)
1 CINNAMON 250-1000
2 CARDAMOM 600-1600
3 CINCHONA 1000-2000
4 TEA 1000-1500
5 COFFEE 1000-2000
6 SAFFRON UP TO 1250
7 CAMPHORE 1500-2000
Rainfall or Irrigation:
 
Plants use a tremendous amount of water. Example: Water
requirement for rice is 300 to 950 mm
Importance of water for plants
Eg. Heavy rain can reduce the alkaloid content of Ephedra and
mucilage contain of Isapgol. Rainfall during ripening of fruit or
during flowering of plant is unfavorable.
 
SR NO. PLANT RAINFALL (cm)

1 SEENA 25-40
2 CINNAMON 200-250
3 CINCHONA 250-380
4 RAUWOLFIA 250-500
SOIL & SOIL FERTILITY: The study of soil is called as
Pedology.
The soil is the shallow upper layer of earth’s crust (form by
withering of rocks) & is enrich with nutrients and decaying
organic matter.
Role of soil in plant growth

Depending up on the size of mineral matter soil names as

follow.

SR NO. PARTICAL SIZE TYPE OF SOIL

(DIAMETER)
1 LESS THAN 0.002 mm FINE CLAY
2 0.002 To 0.02 mm COARSE CLAY OR
SILT
3 0.02 To 0.2 mm FINE SAND
4 0.2 To 2 mm COARSE SAND.
Depending up on percentage of clay present in soil it is
classified as.

SR NO.TYPE OF SOIL % OF CLAY.

1 CLAY >50 %
2 LOAMY 30 TO 50 %
3 SLIT LOAMY 20 TO 30 %
4 SANDY LOAM 10 TO 20 %
5 SANDY >70 % OF SANDY
SOIL
6 CALCARIOUS >20 % OF LIME

Examples:
•Sandy soil: vinca, digitalis, squill, ginger, dill
•Loamy soil: opium, glycrrhiza
•Clay loamy: rauwolfia.
•Loamy sand: isapgol.
Depending up on percentage of organic matter present soil
classified as follow.

SR NO TYPE OF SOIL % OF ORGANIC

MATTER

1 POOR SOIL < 0.5 %

2 RICH SOIL >1.5 TO 5 %
3 INTERMEDIATE 0.5 TO 1.5 %
SOIL
Absolute water holding capacity: it is the maximum amount of water
that remain in the soil after the excess has drained away.AWC is higher
in colloidal clay 40.91% and in coarse sand 13.7%

Air capacity: it is inversely proportional to AWC, in clay sopil its

capacity is less.
CLAY:
 
It consists of finest particle. These provide soil adhesive &
cohesive properties. It also hold plant nutrient.
 
Depending on the mineral contains soil are classified into
three types,

Calcareous soil Laterite/lateriti Peatic soil

c soil
Contains more It is mixture of Also used as
than 20% of oxide of Al, Fe, domestic fuel,
CaCO3. Mg, Ti (as Al2O3, consist of partly
Alkaline in nature TiO2). Deficient in decayed mosses
white in color nitrogen. P2O5 is & other plant.
Suitable for high. Found at Porous and dark
xerophytic higher altitude. color, best for
plants. horti &
agriculture.
The PH of soil decides favorable growth of plant and
microorganism. The maximum availability of plant
nutrient is in between the PH range of 6.5 to 7.5.

 
Depending upon the PH soil is divided in to the
following;

Neutral soil- peppermint, opium

Slightly acidic soil- dill
Acidic soil- deficient in calcium: digitalis grows well.
Alkaline soil- calciphilous (lime loving): isabgol &
cotton grows well.
 

 
FERTILIZERS:

Micro Function.
nutrient
Iron Enzyme activity.
Zinc Synthesis of auxin and enzyme.
Boron Synthesis of glutamine
Copper Synthesis of ascorbic acid.
Manganese Formation of chlorophyll and
photosynthesis.
Molybdenum Synthesis of tannins, also for
nitrogen fixation.
 Macro nutrients Function

C,H,O Formation of cell wall.

Nitrogen Synthesis of protoplasm.
Sulphur Constituent of protoplast
Calcium Control permeability of
membrane.
Potassium Enzyme activity
Magnesium Enzyme and photosynthetic
activity.

Examples of fertilizers used for certain plants:

•Opium – Nitrates of soda.

•Black pepper – Potash, Ammonium sulphate, phosphates, cattle
compost.
•Digitalis – Nitrates, super phosphates.
PESTS:
Pest is the undesirable animal or plant species which affect the
plant of our importance. Plant also gets bacterial and viral decease as
animals.

Types of Pests:
•Fungi and viruses
•Weeds
•Non-insect pests including rodents.

For examples:
•Ascochyta atropae – Formation of white irregular spots and leaf
necrosis.
•Cercospora atropae – Round and angular brown spot on both side of
leaf.
•Diaphania nilgirica, Indomia cretaceous – attacks Rauwolfia plant.
•Gonocephalum species , Agrotis inflammatra – Cause leaf fall in
Belladona.
•Phytopthora nicotianae – Falling of leaf in tobacco plant.
•Insects
ALLELOPATHY:
It is a science which explains effect of one living
organism on other when both of they are in close vicinity.

Examples:
•Ethylene gas exhaled from apple fruit enhances the ripening of other
apple nearby.
•Growth of belladonna is suppressed when grown together with
mustared, but with Artimisia its constituents increased.
Allelopathy is divided as SYMBIOSIS & ANTI-BIOSIS.

Symbiosis:
Some organisms depend upon each other to such an
extent that their existence is dependent on each other. Eg
Leguminous plants and nitrogen fixing bacteria.
Anti-biosis:
When allelopathy action cause destruction of other
individual, then it is called as Anti-biosis. This action may use for
infectious diseases. Eg Growth of Belladonna is suppressed by
Mustard.
ENDOGENOUS FACTORS:
•Selection
•Mutation
•Polyploidy
•Hybridization
•Chemodemes

1.SELECTION: Purpose of selection:

•To exclude low yield plants and to concentrate high yield plant.
•To modify the mean.
•To reduce variability
•To extend the range in one direction.
Importance of selection:

Eg. Cinchona ledgeriana increase yield from 5 to 15 % by selection.

Mentha arvensis yielding drought resistant varieties by selection.

Type of selection:
•NATURAL SELECTION
•ARTIFICIAL SELECTION

Natural Selection:
•It is the capacity of individual to have maximum no of survivable and
reproducible offspring.
Eg A natural gene mutation causing the roots of the plant to become
resistant to rotting in wet soil.

Artificial selection:
It is a systematic, non random process intended for
better quality of the population in the next generation.