It is difficult to think of any human activity in to which plants do not enter in on e way or other. In spite of the vast advance in technology in resins man made fibre detergents, and the rest, this is still true and likely to remain do for many generations. Plants are indispensible for life of man since the history of mankind. Man’s love for plants is in borne quality. Without plants survibility of mankind is impossible.
Economic plant or crops are those which directly used by the man for its economic benefit or come to the direct use in day to day life of main. With the advancement of civilization the needs of man have been widened and man has explained the plants and plant products for purposes.
Economic plants are classified according to their utility for man and the purpose for which the plants are used.
i. Food Plants:
Food is the first basic need of man and plants are the source of food for man. Different categories of food plants are there.
ii. Cereal Crops:
Cereals are those plants which provide staple food for making. It includes the graminaceous plants which produce the grains rich in carbohydrate on starch.
iii. Millets:
These are cultivated grasses which produce low seeds. These are also used as fodder.
iv. Nuts:
These are one celled or two to three celled legumes with one to four seed covered with dry hard pericorp.
Example: Cashewnut, groundnut, etc.
v. Tuber Crops:
These are crops in which stem or root modified into edible fleshy tubers rich is carbohydrate.
vi. Sugar Yielding Plants:
These plant cultivated to harvest sugar or gur from its juices of the sap.
vii. Fruits:
Fruits which pose fleshy edible pericarp or containing juioy or pulpy placenta rich in vitamins and nutrients are included under this category.
Plants Producing Beverages:
Beverages are those which are obtained from plants usually used as stimulants. These may be alcoholic or non-alcoholic.
i. Non-alcoholic:
These are used for stimulat all over the world. They usually contain alkoloid caffeine or allied compounds.
ii. Alcoholic beverages:
They are fermented juiced of fleshy fruits or sap juices of phloem. Like grape, Deteplam etc.
Medicinal Plants:
Plant are important sources of medicines. From the time immemorial man has used plants to cure different diseases. Medicines or crude drug have been obtained from all parts of plant body. Medicinal value of a plant depends on the nature of biochemical content in its body parts.
a) Medicines from Roots:
a. Aconite – (Homeopathic) – Root aconitum napellus of Rannuculaceae family.
b. A satoetide – (Homeo) – Rhizome and root of ferula foetidia.
c. Berberinine – (Allopathic) – Berberies vulgaris.
d. Rauwlfia – Roots and seed estracts of colchicum autumnole used as carminative, laxative etc.
e. Colchicum – Roots and seed extracts of colchicum autumnole used as carminative, laxative etc.
f. Jalap – Roots of exogonium purga used as purgative.
b) Durgs obtained from bark:
a. Shaitan (Alastonia Scholaris) – Used in dysentry.
b. Quinine (cinchona calisaya or cinchona officinalis_ Produce quinine, antemalarial.
c. Cinamon – (C.Zeylanicum) – Bank is astringent, stimulant and carminate.
c) Drugs obtained from stem:
a. Ephedrine: (Ephedragerabiana). A gymnospermous plant contains alkaloid ephedeine, asthmatic, analgesic.
b. Quassia: tonic, treatment of dyspesia.
d) Drugs from leaves:
a. Santonin – Anithelmintic obtained fromleaves artemisia.
b. Bellodona – Atropa bellodona (Solanaceae )
c. Digitalis – (Digitalis purpure) – Belongs scorphulariaceae family contain digitoxin.
d. Cocaine – (Erythroxylon cocoa) – Astringent.
e. Evcalyptus – (Eucalyptus -citriodora) of mytracese antiseptic, anti-asthamatic, brionchitis, rubefacier.
f. Cimum (Tulsi) – Lanoline obtained from leaves used anti pyretices analgesies expetorant.
e) Drugs from flowers & seeds:
a. Santonin – (Artemisa sina) – Remedies for intestinal norms.
b. Saffron – (crocus sativus) Anti pyretices liver tonic stomachic.
c. Opium – ([a[aver somniferum) – sedative painclear anti-spasmodic.
d. Nux-vomica – (stryhnoys nuxvamica) – Family loganiaceae – Tonic, stimulant used in paralysis rhematism.
Plant Yielding Fibres:
Fibre yeilding plants yeilds fibres which extensively used in textiles and solve the second basic need of man i.e clothing.
a. Taxtile fibre: Cotton (gossipium ), juie (Corcorus), flax coir (coconut)
b. Brush fibres: Boroomcorn, palmyrapalm, agave.
c. Rough waiving fibre: Mat-grass, screwpine, canes bamboo.
d. Filling fibres: simili red silk cotton, calotropis etc.
e. Seed oil crops: Essential oils edible oils ae obtained from the oily seeded plnats.
Like libseed saffower, candlenut, soyabeen, mustad sunflower caster, groundnut, cocoanut oil , palmoil etc.
f. Spice and Condements: These are flavouring mateials used in cooking.
a. Root & rhizome ginger rurmeric.
b. Bark of cinnamomum.
c. Flower of clove, saffron, copers.
d. Flower of colve saffron, copers.
e. Seed of cardomom, fenugreek, mustard.
f. Leaves of basil, mentha etc. coriandeon.
g. Fruits of chillies, vanilla, cuminet.
g. Rubber yeilding plant: Rubber extracted from the latex of havea ficus manihot panama etc.
Timber yielding plants:
The plants posses durable and strengthly would make up our third basic neednthat is shelter. It also helps in furnityring.