Mustard Is a Miracle Seed to Human Health

Brassica juncea, known as Indian mustard, has been used for centuries for its nutritional and medicinal values. L. brassica is a genus of plants in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, or mustard plants. Among the different varieties of mustard, the three principals are Brassica hirta or Alba (yellow-white), B. nigra (black), and B. juncea (brown). In Asian countries, India ranks first in mustard production, and mustard is the primary cooking oil used. In folkloric medicine, different parts of the plants are obtained to treat a wide variety of human aliments. Mustard seed is good source of protein, fibre, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. The plant has several health benefits acting as antimicrobial, antibacterial, anti-diabetic, antimalarial, etc. The present study aims to discuss the up to date information regarding the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological applications of mustard seed and its essential oil.

Quality ascertain of different mustard oil samples Obtained from the Local market of West Bengal, India

Mustard oil extracted from seasonal crops, Brassica nigra, Brassica junea and Brassica hirta, has enormous edible and non-edible uses in India. The oil is consumed after extraction from mustard seeds, generally without any further processing. High price and dark colour of the oil make it vulnerable for adulteration. But there are some distinct physical and chemical parameters like refractive index, saponification value, iodine value, colour, essential content and unsap composition, by which the purity check of mustard oil can be done. Similarly, acid value, free fatty acid content, peroxide value, p-anisidine value of the oil helps to determine its conformity as safe and standard edible oil. In the present study few samples of mustard oil were procured from local market and analysed them to ascertain their purity and safety parameters. The packed samples are found as un-adulterated but few samples slightly deviated from safety standards.

Quality ascertain of different mustard oil samples Obtained from the Local market of West Bengal, India

Mustard oil extracted from seasonal crops, Brassica nigra, Brassica junea and Brassica hirta, has enormous edible and non-edible uses in India. The oil is consumed after extraction from mustard seeds, generally without any further processing. High price and dark colour of the oil make it vulnerable for adulteration. But there are some distinct physical and chemical parameters like refractive index, saponification value, iodine value, colour, essential content and unsap composition, by which the purity check of mustard oil can be done. Similarly, acid value, free fatty acid content, peroxide value, p-anisidine value of the oil helps to determine its conformity as safe and standard edible oil. In the present study few samples of mustard oil were procured from local market and analysed them to ascertain their purity and safety parameters. The packed samples are found as un-adulterated but few samples slightly deviated from safety standards.

Estimation of Plant Growth Promoting Potential of Two Nickel Accumulating Morphotypes Isolated from River Hooghly on Indian Yellow Mustard (Brassica hirta)

Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) are known to influence plant growth by various direct or indirect mechanisms. Present study was conducted with an aim to estimate the PGPB potential of two nickel tolerant bacterial isolates from river Hooghly. Isolates (I-3) (Gram negative coccobacilli) and (II-1) (Gram positive rods) were observed, among a total of 22 other isolates, to tolerate and accumulate significant amounts of nickel and also have multiple Plant Growth Promoting (PGP) activities like IAA production and phosphate solubilization. Present study also shows that seeds of yellow mustard (Brassica hirta) inoculated with both the test isolates individually, significantly enhanced root and shoot growth and also protected the plant from the various phytotoxic effects of nickel.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i4.11107 Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 2(4): 413-419

Toxic response of three predatory fishes to four indigenous plant seed extracts

Toxicity of seed extracts of four indigenous plants, Luffa acutangula (Roxb.), Areca catechue (Linn.), Brassica nigra (Linn. Koch.) and Brassica hirta (Monech) was tested on three predatory fishes- Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch), Anabas testudineus (Bloch) and Channa punctatus (Bloch) under normal laboratory conditions. Due to the toxic effect of different seed extracts and concentrations, mortality rate varied. It also varied from species to species. On the basis of LC50 values of absolute ethyl alcohol extracts, L. acutangula seed extracts were more toxic for H. fossilis and A. testudineus. A. catechue seed extracts were of medium toxicity for all the experimental fishes. B. nigra seed extracts were less toxic whereas B. hirta seed extracts showed differential toxicity being more toxic for C. punctatus, medium for A. testudineus and less toxic for H. fossilis. The susceptibility pattern also varied in the three fish species. In case of L. acutangula, A. catechue and B. nigra seed extracts, the susceptibility was in the same order: H. fossilis > A. testudineus > C. punctatus but the effect of B. hirta seed extracts was reverse. To determine the ichthyotoxicity of the four seed extracts on the three predatory fishes, the present study was undertaken. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/cujbs.v6i1-2.17079 The Chittagong Univ. J. B. Sci.,Vol. 6(1&2):27-39, 2011

New evidence from Sinapis alba L. for ancestral triplication in a crucifer genome

We present clear evidence of ancestral genome triplication in Sinapis alba, a close relative of the cultivated Brassica species. Exceptionally high levels of heterozygosity in the parents of an F1 intercross permitted the mapping of an estimated 87% of all detected restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) loci, with each RFLP probe typically detecting 2 or 3 loci. These duplicated loci were arranged in 8 triplicated homologous linkage blocks and 2 small, duplicated, homologous linkage blocks covering the majority of the S. alba genome. Several large-scale inversions and translocations appear to have rearranged the order of loci within homologous blocks. The role of successive polyploidization events on the evolution of crucifer species is discussed.Key words: polyploidy, yellow mustard, Brassica hirta, genome duplication, hexaploid ancestor, paralogous loci.

Evaluating Leonardite as a Crop Growth Enhancer for Turnip and Mustard Greens

The objectives of this study were to determine if the use of leonardite as a fertilizer supplement improved crop growth and if there was a residual effect from previous applications. Three planting sequences were established and leonardite applied at 0, 50, 100, 200, and 400 lb/acre (0, 56.1, 112.1, 224.3 and 445.6 kg·ha−1). Subplots were treated at the first, the first and second, or all at three planting sequences. `Purple Top White Globe' turnip (Brassica rapa L.) and `Florida Broadleaf' mustard greens (Brassica hirta L.) were used as the indicator crops in the first two and last sequences, respectively. No differences in plant growth were observed among number of applications or treatment rate. Differences in soil potassium and iron were observed.