R K Lal

• Doctor of Philosophy in Botany specialization in Genetics and Plant Breeding
• Principal Investigator at Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

Ocimum africanum Lour., a lemon-scented, short-lived annual basil is well known for its high citral content and essential oil yield. Besides its usages as food flavouring agent, fragrance intermediates are the other noteworthy applications. In the present study, we report herein a new chemical composition including biological activities in essentia...

The exploration of seed priming techniques represents a critical avenue for enhancing agricultural productivity, particularly in leguminous cover crops like Mucuna pruriens L. DC. var. utilis is commonly known as the velvet bean. This spineless green manure legume has significant potential for sustainable agricultural systems, offering multiple eco...

Uraria picta is a medicinally important leguminous plant widely recognized in Ayurveda for its therapeutic properties, particularly in tissue regeneration, wound healing, and anti-inflammatory applications. In order to identify better genotypes to facilitate breeding and realize its planned cultivation, a systematic study was conducted to investiga...

the effects of various fertilizer and biostimulant applications on the growth, flowering , seed yield, and quality of China aster cv. Arka Kamini. The study followed an RCBD with three replications and seven distinct treatment groups. Treatment 6, which consisted of applying the recommended dosage of NPK at 50 % along with Azotobacter, PSB, and KSB...

Rose-scented geranium is an important aromatic crop producing essential oils in India. The study was undertaken during the 2022–23 to 2023–24 cropping seasons at the CSIR-CIMAP, Lucknow, India (80◦28′ E 26018 N, 49 m above sea level). The present investigation tried to analyze the GEI in geranium genotypes using the graphical approach of the GGE bi...

The nature and amount of variability and correlations were examined in the ten traits of twenty collections of clove basil. The 10 traits' correlation coefficients revealed that, at the genotypic and phenotypic levels, essential oil content (%) (EOC) and essential oil yield (ml) (EOY) had a strong and positive correlation. Both genetically and phen...

Thirty different vetiver genotypes were grown for evaluation in the experiments at CSIR- Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow, U.P. 226015, India, to assess the impact of genotype × environment interactions (GEI) on essential oil yield and chemical composition in vetiver lines grown in north India, as well as id...

Plants are the major source of natural flavour ingredients reported for their wide applications in food and pharmaceuticals, oral care and wellness products, etc. We have investigated the water‐soluble fractions (WSF) of basil tetraploid ( O. basilicum L.) for their toxicity and biological potential against Salmonella Typhimurium, a pathogen causin...

The present study aimed to evaluate the genetic diversity among vetiver accessions obtained from diverse geographic locations worldwide using two molecular markers, namely Inter-Simple Sequences Repeat (ISSR) and Start Codon Targeted Polymorphism (SCoT). The objective of this analysis was to enhance the taxonomic accuracy and to ascertain the evolu...

Natural biostimulants like seaweed extracts (SWE) have significantly increased crop productivity. However, studies exploring the effect of SWE on medicinal plant productivity are scant. The present study aimed to enhance the root biomass and reserpine content in Rauvolfia serpentina by foliar application of SWE. Using a randomized block design, a f...

Geranium is a multi-harvest perennial plant in the Geraniaceae family grown for its sweet-scented herbs and essential oils. It is well-known for its imposing rose-like aroma. Geranium essential oil is commonly used in the soap, fragrance, and cosmetic industries to isolate rhodinol, an aromatic compound found in most high-grade perfumes. The curren...

Ashwagandha, often known as Indian ginseng, is a popular therapeutic plant in ancient Ayurvedic medicine. Its roots and leaves have adaptogenic, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. Traditional medicine mainly relies on ashwagandha, a powerful medicinal plant with alkaloids and withanolides. This study in-vestigates the genetic divers...

The environmental and health concerns connected with the fly ash dumpsite could be avoided by using non-food crops to phytostabilize the site, keeping pollutants from moving and providing extra economic benefits. Fly ash amendments with nutrient-rich vermicompost have the potential to improve soil quality and availability, leading to increased crop...

The environmental and health concerns connected with the fly ash dumpsite could be avoided by using non-food crops to phytostabilize the site, keeping pollutants from moving and providing extra economic benefits. Fly ash amendments with nutrient-rich vermicompost have the potential to improve soil quality and availability, leading to increased crop...

In the current study, sixteen basil genotypes in India were analyzed over three years using the AMMI stability model. The study years explained the bulk of the variation in all nine variables. The vast amount of data required for this inquiry hinders plant breeding processes. For basil's two most critical features, ursolic acid and essential oil yi...

Basil leaves are used to make a tea that promises to assist with vomiting, rheumatic pain, and loose motions. It includes a high concentration of antioxidants, which may increase longevity and health. The current study aims to assess the consistency, stability, and recommendations for producing essential oils from commercial genotypes and cultivars...

Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin Benth.) is a member of the Lamiaceae family and is native to tropical Southeast Asia, specifically Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It is a perennial herbaceous plant known for its distinct aroma and several applications in a variety of industries. It is cultivated primarily for its essential oil, which is prod...

The current study used two harvesting periods (2020-21 and 2021–2022) to investigate the effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers applied to the soil on Kalmegh growth, productivity, and economic viability. The study looked at a variety of growth parameters, including plant height, the number of primary and secondary branches, plant spread, lea...

Natural biostimulants like seaweed extracts (SWE) have significantly increased crop productivity. However, studies exploring the effect of SWE on medicinal plant productivity are scant. The present study aimed to enhance the root biomass and reserpine content in Rauvolfia serpentina by foliar application of SWE. Using a randomized block design, a f...

In the current study, sixteen basil genotypes in India were analyzed over three years using the AMMI stability model. The study years explained the bulk of the variation in all nine variables. The vast amount of data required for this inquiry hinders plant breeding processes. For basil's two most critical features, ursolic acid and essential oil yi...

Senna is a leguminous and industrial crop that produces high-quality glycosides (sennosides) in its leaves and pods, which have substantial therapeutic effects for alleviating constipation worldwide. However, further research on employing Jeevamrutha in Senna is required. As a result, the experiment was carried out at CSIR-CIMAP in Hyderabad for tw...

Senna, an industrial crop that generates foreign exchange, is planted predominantly in southern India. Senna leaves and pods grown in India are valued in international trade and the global market because they contain a high concentration of the chemical component sennosides. The current investigation was conducted in the CSIRCIMAP experimental farm...

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon spp.), is a well-known aromatic grass distinguished by its unique lemon scent. The importance of lemongrass in gastronomic, pharmacological, and cosmetic uses is examined in this research paper. The chemical makeup of lemongrass is discussed, emphasizing the presence of citral and other bioactive chemicals that give the he...

Withania somnifera (Linn.) Dunal is a prominent Indian medicinal plant owing to its immense therapeutic potential. It has extensive genetic diversity, resulting in the availability of chemotypes and variations in phenotype. Around fifteen cultivars have been developed and released by various research institutes to meet the higher demand worldwide....

Perennial aromatic crops' production, yield, and quality are significantly impacted by seasonal variations. Cymbopogon martinii (Roxb.) (Poaceae) is a perennial aromatic grass that produces valuable essential oil from the leaves and inflorescence containing high concentrations of geraniol and geranyl acetate. The current study intends to determine...

Peppermint (Mentha piperita L., Lamiaceae), is an essential oil-bearing crop cultivated in temperate and sub-tropical countries for perfumery and aroma industries. The plant is vegetatively propagated through runners derived from mother stalks of the plants, resulting in a low genetic base. Induced mutagenesis is a unique and supplemental breeding...

Targeted fingerprinting marker techniques have emerged as promising tools in plant sciences, particularly in plant breeding. To initiate an effective breeding program for a licit but industrially potential plant, the opium poppy, a comparative assessment of these markers was conducted. In this study, we compared the Start Codon Targeted polymorphis...

Lemongrasses found in India encompass Cymbopogon flexuosus, C. citratus, C. khasianus, and C. pendulus. This fragrant perennial grass belongs to the Poaceae family and is indigenous to India as well as other tropical and subtropical regions in Southeast Asia and Africa. Pinpointing its precise place of origin is challenging due to its extensive his...

Cannabis L. (family Cannabaceae) has long been used in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and textile industries. Despite the view that Cannabis originated either in India or China, no studies have focused on Indian Cannabis. The present study represents the most extensive morphometric and chemometric mapping of natural populations of Indian Cannab...

The newly released interspecific hybrid variety CIM-Shishir, resulting from a cross between Ocimum basilicum and Ocimum kilimandscharicum claims to be a multicut, lodging resistant, cold tolerant, high essential oil yielding with linalool rich variety. It has a purple-green stem and has a unique feature and advantage of better survival in the winte...

The dried leaves and pods of Cassia L., a member of the Caesalpinioideae subfamily of the Fabaceae family and the Cassiinae sub-tribe are called 'senna drug'. The drug is known by the names Senna, Indian Senna, Tinnevelly Senna, and Cassia Senna in the Indian, British, and American pharmacopeias. It appears to be native to North Africa. Sennoside A...

The development of the rose-scented palmarosa crop stable varieties is primarily driven by the essential oil it contains, which is highly valued in the fragrance and cosmetics industries because of its high geraniol and geranyl acetate content. The objective of this investigation was to improve the stable yield and quality of the essential oil. Tra...

Citral oil holds a 41.5% market share in the booming global essential oil industry (CAGR of 9.57%). Citral (3,7, dimethyl-2,6-Octadienal), is a chemical compound made up of the aldehydes citral A (Geranial) and citral B (Neral). Ocimum basilicum, which can produce a short duration, quick bumper supply with minimal resources and fits in the crop cyc...

The study investigated the variation in the amount of essential oil and the composition of the lemongrass (Cymbopogon khasianus (Hack.) Stapf ex Bor) cultivar CIMAP Suwarna, obtained six times over three years, for morphological and chemical alterations. A gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was performed to chemica...

Genotype × environment interaction Patchouli alcohol γ-curcumine: A B S T R A C T One of the best fixatives for strong perfumes that add strength, character, seductive notes, and enduring properties is patchouli essential oil. It is highly prized in the fragrance, soap, cosmetics, and flavor sectors and acts as a standalone perfume. It is possible...

In the pharmaceutical enterprise, traditional/herbal remedies and commercial drug sources Withania somnifera and Withania coagulans received excellent scores. Numerous studies have been conducted on the phytochemistry and pharmacology of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal. However, the toxicity of plant components extracted using different solvent syste...

Five cultivars were tested for essential oil production in India's citronella Java breeding program in 2018–2019 and 2019–2020. The best experimental facilities for growing aromatic grasses like Java citronella are the CSIR-CIMAP in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and its Research Center in Pantnagar, Uttrakhand, India. For each experiment, a randomized bl...

A total of 65 F1 vetiver hybrids were developed using the L × T design by mating 13 males with 5 females. The goal of this endeavor is to increase the possibility of developing high-yielding, quality essential oil varieties by utilizing heterosis and genetic variability. The heritability (%) was high for the traits CH4, CH7 to CH11 (81.90-99.69%)....

shwagandha is a classic Indian medicinal plant that has long been utilized in the Ayurveda and Unani medical systems. India, the world's largest producer of Ashwagandha, exports it to countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, the United States of America, South Africa, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, and others in raw form (dried leaves, dri...

Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.), a member of family Papaveraceae is an important source of several benzylisoquinoline derived alkaloids known to the human race since the ancient civilizations for their therapeutic and narcotic values. In the present study a total number of 47 accessions/genotypes of Opium poppy were procured from various re...

A mutation breeding program using gamma rays and ethyl methane sulphonate "EMS# was carried out for genetic conversion of narcotic {opium poppy| into non!narcotic {seed poppy|[ Two families contained 20 latexless "opiumless# and 12 partial latex!bearing plants identi_ed in the M 1 and con_rmed in the M 2 generations by the {ray! pluck| method[ Thin...

Citral oil holds a 41.5 % market share in the booming global essential oil industry (CAGR of 9.57%). Citral (3,7, dimethyl-2,6-Octadienal), is a chemical compound made up of the aldehydes citral A (Geranial) and citral B (Neral). Ocimum basilicum which can produce a short duration, quick bumper supply with minimal resources and fits in the crop cyc...

Unlabelled: CIM-Saumya is an improved, methyl chavicol rich variety of Ocimum basilicum (Family-Lamiaceae), developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. This plant possesses analgesic, anti-ulcerogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, cardiac stimulant, Central Nervous System depre...

The exegesis of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L.) types related to various seasons was the focus of the current investigation. A field study was conducted at the CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants experimental field in Hyderabad, India, using a factorial randomized block design with three replicates over two years and four se...

The goal of this study was to characterize forty genotypes of Papaver somniferum L. and assess the genetic variability using data from morphological as well as biochemical studies. For the characterization, the morphological characters, viz., plant height, primary branch, peduncle length, days to maturity, number of selfed-capsules, weight of selfe...

Rapid metabolic fingerprinting with the aid of chemometric models to identify authenticity of natural medicines: turmeric, Ocimum and Withania somnifera study, Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis, https://doi.

Abstract Eucalyptus citriodora is a perennial shrub with aromatic and medicinal qualities that produces a volatile, fragrant essential oil. Its essential oil is widely used in various cosmetic and fragrance businesses, including toiletries, disinfectants, and fragrances. The essential oils had extraordinarily high citronellal, isopulegol, and citro...

Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal is an important medicinal plant belonging to the family Solanaceae. It is widely used in the traditional systems of medicine in Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha. The present study assessed genetic diversity among the 75 accessions of W. somnifera collected from different geographical regions of India based on nine morphomet...

Eucalyptus citriodora is a perennial shrub with aromatic and medicinal qualities that produces a volatile, fragrant essential oil. Its essential oil is widely used in various cosmetic and fragrance businesses, including toiletries, disinfectants, and fragrances. The essential oils had extraordinarily high citronellal, isopulegol, and citronellol. T...

Herbal medicines are popular natural medicines that have been used for decades. The use of alternative medicines continues to expand rapidly across the world. The World Health Organization suggests that quality assessment of natural medicines is essential for any therapeutic or health care applications, as their therapeutic potential varies between...

Aromatic grass is one of the Poaceae family's most unique scents and may grow in various agro-climatic zones. These grasses' volatile oils provide various biological benefits, including immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant capabilities. Cosmetics, soap, household cleaners, sprays, and other products use essential oils and fragrance comp...

Future R&D initiatives must be strengthened in light of establishing biotechnological tools and comprehending secondary metabolic pathways to build designer chemotypes of mint that can generate desirable essential oil components for commercial exploitation. There is a need to find chemotypes with metabolic blockages in essential oil production path...

The genus Ocimum contains 35 aromatic species of annual, perennial, and shrub. Basil essential oil has a pleasant scent that both energizes and purifies the environment. It is consumed worldwide because of its anti-oxidant and anti-aging properties. The study aimed to find superior hybrids of the basil that produced high amounts of essential oil of...

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bert.) of Family Asteraceae, also known as sweet herb or honey leaf, is the only natural sweetener in the world. Stevia is native to northeastern Paraguay. Stevia powder is extracted from the leaves of the plant and refined powder has been rated at 200 to 350 times sweeter than sugar. The medicinal uses of stevia are as a...

CIM-Suras: A menthol rich, sucker producing and hign yielding peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) variety cal Feppermint (Mentha piperita L.; Family: Lamiaceae) is widely use roDe and the dnd Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. The plant is native to in other regions aale East countries of the world. The plant now is widely cultivated in o ail to...

The quantification of stability parameters resulted from an investigation into the five genotypes/varieties of the seven palmarosa attributes. The palmarosa’s essential oil yields are influenced by interactions between the genotype and environment under various circumstances. Little is known about the genotype-environment interaction, including the...

The mosquito repellent Nepetalactone rich Nepeta cataria L. (catmint) has a variety of therapeutic and industrial potential. Reports on the genetic diversity of N. cataria germplasm are minimal globally and needs attention for adding a new variety into commercial cultivation. The present study, therefore assessed the genetic diversity among thirtee...

Identification of plant species is a crucial process in natural products. Ocimum, often referred to as the queen of herbs, is one of the most versatile and globally used medicinal herbs for various health benefits due to it having a wide variety of pharmacological activities. Despite there being significant global demand for this medicinal herb, ra...

A randomized block design was used to examine the important medicinal plant ashwagandha in three replications throughout the late Kharif seasons of 2018, 2019, and 2020. The cultivars of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera Dunal), CIMAP Chetak, CIMAP Pratap, NMITLI-101, NMITLI-118, and Poshita were used to evaluate the quality of dry root yield for a b...

Senna is a medicinal herb widely utilized in Ayurveda, Unani, and allopathic medicine. The leaves and pods of Senna are the most valuable portions, as they contain the compounds sennoside-A and sennoside-B. The laxative properties of sennoside-A and sennoside-B are the fundamental reasons for their use. The demand for Senna on a global scale provid...

Unlabelled: The positive effect of herbal supplements on aging and age-related disorders has led to the evolution of natural curatives for remedial neurodegenerative diseases in humans. The advancement in aging is exceedingly linked to oxidative stress. Enhanced oxidative stress interrupts health of humans in various ways, necessitating to find st...

The vital herb ashwagandha was farmed for commercial purposes in India. This study aimed to estimate the nature and amount of genetic variation in the 20 attributes in the 29 genotypes of ashwagandha in order to understand the correlations and character contributions to dry root weight/plant and alkaloid content with the selection of potential pare...

Uraria picta Desv. (fam. Fabaceae) Sanskrit name ' Prishniparni' is an important constituent of the Ayurvedic drug Dashamoola. The herb is highly valued in traditional medicine for treating gonorrhoea, malaria, hypertension, mouth/throat sore, fever, wounds and to expel tapeworms. Increased industrial demand has threatened its population diversity,...

This study aimed to see how fly ash (FA) and vermicompost (VC) proportions affected lemongrass growth characteristics, essential oil yield, and quality. The application of 10% Fly ash with 90% vermicompost produced considerably greater biomass yield (69.7t/ha) and essential oil yield (429.3 kg/ha) than the rest of the cultivar, followed by 20% FA +...

Herbal medicinal plants constitute valuable resources of natural secondary active biomolecules that supplement human nourishment, support health care, and are the backbone of herbal industry. Plant breeders are faced with challenging task to realize qualitative and quantitative improvement in their secondary content using traditional breeding metho...

Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. the plant is known to synthesize the precious and most valuable essential oil available today on perfumers pellet. Because of its limited production in South East Asian countries like Indonesia, the high demand is always a challenge for the producing countries. To meet the market demand, CSIR-CIMAP has developed a...

Ocimum basilicum L., is most popular fragrant herb renowned for its immense application. However, a plethora of studies revealed terpenoids and phenylpropanoids as marker chemicals with known identities. We herein report two unique chemotypes developed in CSIR-CIMAP for their compositional variability and biological activities. Essential oils obtai...

In Rosa grass/palmarosa essential oil, geraniol is prevalent. Rosa grass essential oil is used in the fragrance, cosmetic, food, and medicinal industries. The study was carried out in four distinct environments/locations in India. The study's objectives were to identify stable palmarosa genotypes with excellent essential oil yields and to investiga...

2010). High oil yielding variety "CIMAP Harsh" of palmarosa {Cymbopogon martinii Roxb. (Wats.) var. Motia}. J Medci. Aromat. Plant. Sci. 32 (2): 148-149.

Lemongrass is grown for its essential oil as well as citral content. Lemongrass is an aromatic grass that contains essential oil with a lemon fragrance. This study aims to see how consistent essential oil production and other relevant characteristics were in multiple locations. For oil yield (kg/ha), citral (%), and other examined features, the pre...

To understand the altered developmental changes and associated gene expression in inter-genomic combinations, a study was planned in two diverse yet closely related species of Ocimum, targeting their hybrid F1 and amphidiploids. The existing developmental variations between F1 and amphidiploids was analyzed through phenotypical and anatomical asses...

Vetiver is a perennial aromatic grass with thin essential oil-rich roots. The current investigation was conducted at the CSIR-CIMAP, Lucknow (India), on the eighty distinct vetiver lines. The experiment was conducted over three consecutive years, 2017–18, 2018–19, and 2019-20 using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The gen...

Ashwagandha is a popular industrially medicinal plant used in Ayurveda and other traditional medical systems. We looked at the stability of the sixteen economic traits in the five ashwagandha genotypes in four locations over two years in south India. The pooled ANOVA showed significant differences among different lines of ashwagandha. The five geno...

A high yielding variety of lemongrass (Cymbopogon khasianus) CIMAP Suwarna suitable for water stress/rainfed/marginal land conditions.2010. J Med. Aromat. Plant Sci. 32 (1): 61-63. Lemongrass, family-Poaceae an important aromatic grass commonly known as "Nibughas" is vegetatively/ seeds propagated perennial, multicut crops in the tropics/subtropic...

ndia is an emerging basil essential oil producer in South-east Asia. Two high essential oil yielding hybrids, namely one inter specific hybrid between of O. basilicum and O. kilimandscharicum Gürke (HYBL-1) and another intraspecific hybrid of O. basilicum × O. basilicum (OBL-1) of basil were analyzed using GC, enantiomeric GC, NMR, enantio-GC–MS an...

Solar-operated distillation unit (SDU) was designed and fabricated for extraction of valuable essentials from aromatic crops with a reduced cost of operation without carbon-credits to the environment. It comprised of distillation still, mesh grid frame, packed column, condenser, oil receiver, energy meter, resistive heating elements, and solar pane...