POPULATION DENSITY BACTERIAL EPIPHYTES AND ENDOPHYTES OF DIFFERENT MEDICINAL PLANTS IN SAME ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT

*Rupert Anand Yumlembam and Suresh Govind Borkar

ABSTRACT

Population density of bacterial epiphytes on dorsal as well as on ventral side of the leaves of different medicinal plants were calculated per square centimeter leaf area. On some medicinal plants, the minimum population of bacteria was on the dorsal side, while the maximum on ventral side, whereas in other medicinal plant, it was a vice versa. The minimum population of bacterial epiphytes was found on the leaves of Cymbopogon winterianus, Ocimum canum, Tecomella undulate and Glycyrrhiza glabra, while the maximum population was observed on the leaves of Ocimum kilimand, Holarrenna antidysenterica, Madhuca indica, Piper longum and Tinospora cardifolia. The endophytic bacterial population was enumerated per leaf. The results indicated that in some medicinal plants there was no presence of endophytic bacteria, whereas in other medicinal plants the entophytic bacterial population ranged from 1 to 4 per leaf. Interestingly, three plants viz., Lawsonia inemis, Piper longum Linn. and Tinospora cardifolia (wild) miers, had uncountable bacterial endophytic population. These results indicated that the population density of bacterial leaf epiphytes and leaf endophytes in the same ecological environment was dependent/ govern by the concern plant species.

Keywords: bacterial leaf epiphytes, bacterial leaf endophytes, medicinal plant.