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Punjab's Wonder Plant Needs Saving
17 Mar
Summary
- Punjab initiates scientific project to save endangered medicinal plant Withania Coagulans.
- Guru Nanak Dev University leads research on sustainable conservation strategies.
- Overexploitation and lack of cultivation threaten the plant's existence.
Recognizing the urgent threat to Withania Coagulans, a highly valued medicinal plant, Punjab has launched a significant scientific conservation effort. The plant, known locally by names such as Rishyagandha and Paneer Doda, is facing extinction due to indiscriminate harvesting and insufficient organized cultivation. Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has been tasked with a specialized research project by the Punjab Biodiversity Board to develop sustainable conservation strategies.
This initiative aims to multiply the plant through advanced tissue culture techniques under controlled laboratory conditions. Subsequently, field propagation will be employed to reintroduce the species into suitable natural habitats. The project also emphasizes raising awareness among farmers and the public regarding the ecological and medicinal importance of this wonder plant, with the goal of ensuring its long-term survival.
