Crops2Industry Crops2Industry “Non-food Crops-to-Industry Schemes in EU27” WP 1 Task 1.4 Other specialty crops NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHEMICAL PHARMACEUTICAL R&D BUCHAREST, ROMANIA Other specialty crops SUMMARY 1.Screening on wild and cultivated medicinal plants in EU 27 4 2.Quality characteristics of the raw material - good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) for medicinal plants 103 3.Selection of the most promising medicinal crops 109 Forecast of climate change and impact on crops development 109 Calendula officinalis L. (Asteraceae) Common names 112 Areas of origin and current cultivation 112 Plant anatomy 112 Growing conditions – input requirements 113 Logistics (harvesting – handling) until the industrial plant gate 114 Yields 114 Quality 115 Experimental pharmacology 116 Dosage 117 Other uses 117 Factors restricting growth and yielding potential 118 Research gaps 119 Information resources 119 Echinacea angustifolia DC (Asteraceae) Common names 120 Areas of origin and current cultivation 120 Plant anatomy 121 Growing conditions – input requirements 121 Logistics (harvesting – handling) until the industrial plant gate 123 Yields 124 Quality 124 Experimental pharmacology 126 Other uses 127 Factors restricting growth and yielding potential 128 Research gaps 129 Information resources 129 Lavandula angustifolia Mill. (Lamiaceae) Common names 130 Areas of origin and current cultivation 130 Plant anatomy 131 Growing conditions – input requirements 131 Logistics (harvesting – handling) until the industrial plant gate 133 Yields 134 Quality 134 Pharmacodynamic properties 136 Dosage 139 Other uses 139 Factors restricting growth and yielding potential 140 Research gaps 141 Information resources 141 Mentha x piperita L. (Lamiaceae) Common names 142 2 Other specialty crops Areas of origin and current cultivation 142 Plant anatomy 142 Growing conditions – input requirements 143 Logistics (harvesting – handling) until the industrial plant gate 146 Yields 147 Quality 147 Experimental pharmacology 149 Dosage 152 Other uses 152 Factors restricting growth and yielding potential 152 Research gaps 154 Information resources 154 Plantago lanceolata L. (Plantaginaceae) Common names 155 Areas of origin and current cultivation 155 Plant anatomy 156 Growing conditions – input requirements 156 Logistics (harvesting – handling) until the industrial plant gate 157 Yields 157 Quality 157 Dosage 159 Other uses 159 Research gaps 160 Information resources 160 Conclusions 161 3 Other specialty crops 1.Screening on wild and cultivated medicinal plants in EU 27 Medicinal plants play a central role, not only as traditional medicines used in many cultures but also as trade commodities that meet the demand of often distant markets. Some wild species are being over-exploited it is recommended that wild species be brought into cultivation systems. Cultivation can also have conservation impacts. Medicinal plant production through cultivation, for example, can reduce the extent to which wild populations are harvested, but it also may lead to environmental degradation and loss of genetic diversity. Economical feasibility is the main rationale for a decision to bring a species in cultivation but it is also a substantial limitation as long as sufficient volumes of material can still be obtained at a lower price from wild-harvest. Cultivated material will be competing with material harvested from the wild that is supplied onto the market by commercial gatherers who have incurred no input costs for cultivation. Low prices, whether for local use or for the international pharmaceutical trade, ensure that few species can be marketed at a high enough price to make cultivation profitable. In Europe as a whole, only 130–140 MAP species are cultivated and the number of MAP species currently in formal cultivation for commercial production does not exceed a few hundred worldwide – less than 1% of the total number of medicinal plants used (Shippmann et al, 2006). The situation of wild and cultivated medicinal and aromatic plants across Europe is the following: AUSTRIA Geography of Austria is diverse in nature, comprising all major types of topographical features. Austria is mainly a mountainous country with a central location on the map of Europe. With a total land area of 83,859 kilometer square, it is surrounded by countries on all sides. Climate is quite significant an issue as far as the Geography of Austria is concerned. The climatic condition in Austria is basically moderate, with Mediterranean winds blowing constantly to make the weather temperate in nature. This maritime climate suffers no precipitation, hence devoid of humidity. The Austrian market in regard to plant species used for pharmaceuticals and related uses is not transparent enough to make a detailed description, since extremely concealment exists in the pharmaceutical industry and producers of medicinal plants. Medicinal plants are cultivated all over Austria, however, there are five main regions, in which most of Austrian production is performed. In the Mühlviertel county, province of Upper-Austria, ribwort 4 Other specialty crops plantain, marjoram, common balm, and peppermint are the most important crops, about 65% of the total herb acreage in this region is organic grown. In the Innviertel county (Upper-Austria) mainly caraway, linseed, fennel, aniseed and safflower are cultivated. In the Waldviertel county (Lower- Austria) the cultivation of caraway, milk thistle, chamomile and the production of pollen from rye, timothy grass and maize are prevailing. Linseed and safflower are cultivated in the Weinviertel county (Lower-Austria). In south- eastern Styria cornflower, bee balm and wild plant seeds are cultivated (Franz et al., 1998; Franz & Mathé, 1998). In general, species which are suitable for their cultivation in the more dry and arid eastern part of Austria are fennel, lavender, thyme, marjoram and milk thistle, whereas ribwort plantain, arnica and valerian are grown in the more humid areas. Caraway, the diverse species of mints, arnica, valerian, angelica and yellow gentian can even be grown in subalpine regions. In the following part the most important pharmaceutical crops in Austria are briefly described. Common chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) The cultivation of chamomile has a long tradition in Austria and it is therefore one of the most important pharmaceutical crop. The most important contents of chamomile flowers are essential oils, diverse bisaboloids: bisabolole, bisabololoxide A, bisabololoxide B and bisabololonoxide- types. Some other contents of medical importance are flavanoids, especially apigenine, and spiroether. Much research on chamomile is done by the group of Prof. C. Franz, Institut für Angewandte Botanik of the Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien. One of the greatest success of this research group was the breeding of a tetraploid variety which contains higher amounts of the valuable essential oils and especially pure bisabolole which is the most active compound of all bisaboloids (Novak, pers. comm.). Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) Milk thistle is a spring-sown crop of great importance in the production of pharmaceutical crops in Austria. The active agents are the silymarins which belong to the flavanoids. The cultivation of milk thistle has no negative environmental impact, but, because of it’s high high nutrient uptake and large amount of plant residues remaining on the field, there is a positive impact on the following crop. Yield level of milk thistle varies between 800 – 1200 kg ha-1. Yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea) Yellow Gentian is an economical interesting medicinal plant for alpine farmers. The cultivation in alpine regions presents an alternative income for alpine farmers, especially since the cultivation is done without agrochemicals, which results in higher prices for the product. About one ton of yellow 5 Other specialty crops gentian roots is collected from the wild. Since yellow gentian is protected in natural habitats there are attempts to establish the cultivation of yellow gentian as field crop in alpine regions. The harvested products of yellow gentian are the seeds and the roots (Radix Gentianae). Harvest of the seeds can be started in the 3rd year. The yields of seeds were as follows: 3rd year: 175 kg ha-1; 4th year: 262 kg ha-1; 5th year: 496 kg ha-1, however a loss of about 30% through cleaning must be considered. Harvest of the roots is usually done after 4 or 5 years. Yield is around 30 t fresh roots ha-1. In the meantime 10 – 15 ha of yellow gentian are commercially cultivated in Austria, mainly in the provinces of Vorarlberg and Tyrol. Yellow gentian contains the most bitter plant glycosids so far known, xanthons, some alkaloids and diverse sugars. Besides yellow gentian there are also attempts to reactivate the historically important collection and commercialisation of Valeriana celtica (spike valerian). Another alternative pharmaceutical crop for alpine regions could be Arnica montana (arnica) which is traditionally wild collected. Arnica contains flavanoids, carotinoids and essential oils (sesquiterpens). Over-harvesting in the last years resulted in significant lower incidence in the wild. Therefore the cultivation of arnica is of high interest. The market potential can not be exactly prognosticated but it can be supposed that there will be no increase within the next few years because Austrian drug companies are not very interested in the production of higher-price inland arnica. The only potential market is the European Union,