Ritwik Acharya

By Ritwik Acharya, Trisha Bagchi and Debnirmalya Gangopadhyay

Mulberry is a fast growing hardy perennial woody plant belonging to the genus Morus of the family Moraceae. There are more than 60 species of the genus Morus found in the subtropical, tropical and temperate regions of Asia, Africa and North America. Cultivation of mulberry is highly economical since the leaf produced by mulberry is extensively used for feeding the silkworm, Bombyx mori for silk production. Mulberry possessing valuable nutritional and phytochemical constituents can serve as highly nutritious food for human with high therapeutic values. Mulberry fruit is rich in carbohydrate, protein and dietary fiber and an important foodstuff for the preparation of several value added items like jams, jellies, wines and syrups. Mulberry leaf has been identified as an excellent resource for the development of protein rich food products with natural antioxidant. Extracts of leaf, stem, twig, root and bark of mulberry are reported to have potential antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-hyperglycaemic, anticancer and anti-tyrosinase inhibition activity. Though mulberry is grown commercially in many countries for sericulture, its potential to be utilized as food for human consumption is not well recognized. The paper reviews the importance of mulberry as a valuable resource for various food, cosmetic, beverage and pharmaceutical industries.

Part of the book: Medicinal Plants

By Ashmita Ghosh, Ritwik Acharya, Shubhajit Shaw and Debnirmalya Gangopadhyay

Soil is an important natural resource that nurtures living microbial communities and improves plant productivity, thus ensuring food security. The chemical fertilizers used during the last few decades though improved plant productivity so rapidly; however, it is indiscriminate use results in poor soil health and less agricultural productivity, affecting food security and human health worldwide. There is an urgent need of biological agents, such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), which may serve as better alternative to solve this problem. PGPR plays an important role to increase soil fertility, plant growth promotion, and suppression of phytopathogens for the development of eco-friendly sustainable agriculture. The present study provides a critical overview on PGPR, its mechanism and function, and significance as a potential alternative tool for sustainable agriculture. An attempt has been made to propose an eco-friendly model integrating PGPR with various sectors, such as human health, agriculture, and food industry for its effective commercialization. The study might be helpful to identify the prospects and challenges of PGPR to fully integrate them into sustainable agriculture practices.

Part of the book: Updates on Rhizobacteria