i CERTIFICATE I feel great pleasure in certifying that the thesis entitled ‘Ethnobotanical studies of Beer Jhunjhunu Conservation Reserve of Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan and screening of selected plant species for their antibacterial activity’ by Ms. Manju Chaudhary under my guidance. She has completed the following requirements as per Ph.D. regulations of the University. (a) Course work as per the university rules. (b) Residential requirements of the university (200 days). (c) Regularly submitted annual progress report. (d) Presented her work in the departmental committee. (e) Published/accepted minimum of one research paper in a referred research journal. I recommended the submission of thesis. Date: (Dr. S.K. Shringi) PG Department of Botany Govt. College, Kota, Rajasthan ii ABSTRACT Biodiversity is the term given to the variety of life on Earth. Loss of biodiversity may trigger large unpredictable change in an ecosystem. The creation of protected area network helps to reduce biodiversity loss and provides significant contributions to conservation efforts. Based on floristic diversity and existing threats to their conservation, State Government of Rajasthan declared Beer protected forest of district Jhunjhunu as conservation reserve. The present study area Beer Jhunjhunu Conservation Reserve harbors a rich array of floristic diversity with a large number of ethnomedicinal as well as rare, endemic and threatened plants. During the present study, a total of 453 plant taxa (including variety) belonging to 452 species under 289 genera and 79 families have been recorded from the area. Among these, 350 species were dicots and 101 belonging to monocots and only one species of gymnosperm was recorded. Herbs were the most dominant plant form in the study area followed by trees, climbers, shrubs and undershrubs. Poaceae was the most dominating family in the present study followed by Fabaceae and Asteraceae. 35 plant species have been recorded as rare, endemic and threatened in the area, which need effective conservation. In the present study, 120 plant species of ethnomedicinal uses and 64 species of ethnoveterinary uses were recorded which are being exploited by the local people in different ailments. The information recorded about different uses was obtained from local elderly people, shepherds, vaids and herbal healers. The present work also indicates various uses of plant species of material culture. Many plant species were used for construction of shelter, household articles, agriculture implements and musical instruments. The importance of medicinal plants lies in their biological active principles, which are the real healers in the process of medication. In the present investigation, two common ethnomedicinal plant species Aristolochia bracteolata Lam. and Ruellia patula Jacq. which were widely used by the rural and local people to treat various ailments have been selected for further study. TLC and PTLC were carried out to isolate the principal compounds that were present in extracts of plant parts of A. bracteolata and R. patula. The phytochemical screening of different extracts of plant parts indicated that these plants are rich in flavonoids and sterols. The present study further extended to assess the antibacterial activity and to determine the zone of inhibition of various extracts on some bacterial strains using agar well method. The antibacterial activities of extracts were tested against two Gram positive, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptomyces griseus and two gram negative, Escherechia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa human pathogenic bacteria. Zone of inhibition of extracts were compared with standard antibiotic drug streptomycin. The results showed significant antibacterial activity. The present study justified the ethnomedicinal use of both plant species to treat various infectious diseases caused by the microbes. However, further studies are needed to better evaluate the potential effectiveness of the crude extracts as the antimicrobial agents. The present results will form the basis for selection of both plant species for further investigation in the potential discovery of new natural bioactive compounds. iii CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION I, hereby, certify that the work, which is being presented in the thesis, entitled ‘Ethnobotanical Studies of Beer Jhunjhunu Conservation Reserve of Jhunjhunu District of Rajasthan and Screening of Selected Plant Species for their antibacterial activity’ is in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, carried under the supervision of Dr. S.K. Shringi and submitted to the University of Kota, Kota represents my ideas in my own words and where others ideas or words have been included I have adequately cited and referenced the original sources. The work presented in this thesis has not been submitted elsewhere for the award of any other degree or diploma from any institutions. I also declare that I have adhered to all principles of academic honesty and integrity and have not misrepresented or fabricated or falsified any idea/data/fact/source in my submission. I understand that any violation of the above will cause for disciplinary action by the University and can also evoke penal action from the sources which have thus not been properly cited or from whom proper permission has not been taken when needed. Date: (Manju Chaudhary) This is to certify that the above statement made by Ms. Manju Chaudhary (Enrollment No. 2013/000109) is correct to the best of my knowledge. Date: (Dr. S.K. Shringi) Former Head PG Department of Botany Govt. College, Kota, Rajasthan iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS If I have seen further…… It is by standing upon The shoulders of giants - Isaac Newton First and foremost, praises and thanks to the God, the Almighty, for his showers of blessings throughout my research work to complete the research successfully. The thesis appears in it current form due to assistance and guidance of several people. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all of them. At the very outset, I express my deepest sense of gratitude and respect to Dr. S. K. Shringi, my esteemed supervisor for his co-operation and valuable suggestions. His dynamism, vision, sincerety and motivation have deeply inspired me. It was a great privilege and honour to work and study under his guidance. I am extremely thankful for his support, kind behavior and great sense of humour. I am extremely grateful to my parents, late Sh. Hariram Repaswal and late Smt. Soni Devi; my life coach, because I owe it all to you. I will miss your screams of joy whenever a significant momentous was reached and also just your general impudence. I wish to record my sincere thanks to the Principal, Government College, Kota and honourable faculty members of PG Department of Botany, Govt. College, Kota for providing all the facilities and support in carrying out the research work. I am thankful to forest officials of Forest Division, Jhunjhunu permitting me to complete my study in protected forest area of Beer Jhunjhunu Conservation Reserve. I am also thankful to supporting staff members of forest department for timely help and co-operation during my research work. I wish to special thanks to Mr. Bashesar Singh for providing the valuable information regarding study area and helped in selection of study sites. I am indeed very thankful to Heerji Rebari, Nathuji Gurjar (herders), Narendra Budana and Pyrelalji Budana for providing me valuable information regarding traditional uses of plants. v I also express deep sense of gratitude to Dr. Sher Mohammed, HOD, Botany, Govt. Lohia College Churu for providing valuable guidance during the tenure of my research work. I would also like to thank Dr. Ajit Swami and Dr. Manas Mathur (Seminal Applied Sciences, Jaipur) for providing help and guidance, while carrying out my practical work in the laboratory. I am indeed very thankful to Mrs. Rajbala, my collegue for her moral support. I am extending my thanks to Mr. Kuldeep Chaudhary, Mr. Puneet Budania and Mr. Naveen Chaudhary for their help during my research work. I am grateful always to my mother-in-law Mrs. Lad Kaur for ever blessings and encouragement throughout the work and providing knowledge regarding folk culture of the area. A very special gratitude goes out to my brother-in-law Mr. S.C. Singh and his wife Ms. Parmeshwari Devi, who have supported me along the way.I wish to record my special thanks to my brother Mr. Sudershan Repaswal, without his co-operation, it would have become very difficult for me to accomplish my task. And finally, last but by no means least; I greatly appreciate the incredible support of my husband Er. Mahendra Soora, my daughter Dr. Shubhangi and my son Tejas for their moral support and encouragements. Without their motivation, it would not have been possible for me to complete my work. Manju Chaudhary vi INDEX Certificate ................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ...................................................................................................................... iii Declaration ................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgement ....................................................................................................... v Index ........................................................................................................................ vii List of Tables ............................................................................................................