About Book

Plants are vital to all life on earth. They convert light from the sun into energy we can eat, and even use for fuel. They also release the oxygen we breathe. Plant biology is a branch of biology that deals with plant life and plant development. Botany is another name for this field of biology. It is one of the world's oldest natural sciences. Plants include algae, fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants. It covers a wide range of scientific disciplines that study plants. Some of them include structure, growth, reproduction, metabolism, development, diseases and chemical properties and evolutionary relationships between the different groups. New techniques that have been developed in this field include live cell imaging, electron microscopy, optical microscopy, etc. The book aims to shed light on some of the unexplored aspects of plant biology. It picks up individual topics and explains their need and contribution in the context of the growth of this subject. It explores numerous topics such as botanical interventions, botanical materials, plant biology researches, controlling insects and pharmacobotanical analysis. It presents the complex subject of plant biology in the most comprehensible and easy to understand language. While understanding the long-term perspectives of the topics, the book makes an effort in highlighting their impact as a modern tool for the growth of the discipline. With state-of-the-art inputs by acclaimed experts of this field, this book targets students and professionals.

Preface............................................................................................................v

Chapter 1 Pharmacobotanical Analysis and Regulatory Qualification of Capsicum Fruits and Capsicum Extracts — A Survey........................1

1. Introduction............................................................................................1

2. Structure and biosynthetic pathways of the most important

ingredients of capsicum fruits..............................................................2

3. Quality control.....................................................................................12

4. Pesticide control..................................................................................33

Acknowledgements.............................................................................52

Chapter 2 Antidiabetic Botanicals and their Potential Benefits in the Management of Diabetes Mellitus.......................................................64

1. Introduction..........................................................................................64

2. Prevalence, global burden and increasing incidence of

diabetes..................................................................................................65

3. Pathological complications of diabetes mellitus...........................66

4. Management of diabetes mellitus....................................................72

5. Limitations of orthodox approaches in the treatment of diabetes

mellitus..................................................................................................74

6. Therapeutic and chemoprophylactic potentials of botanicals....75

7. Botanicals and their antidiabetic property.....................................76

8. Mechanisms of action of antidiabetic botanicals..........................80

9. Conclusion............................................................................................81

Chapter 3 Botanical Description...............................................................................96

1. Introduction..........................................................................................96

2. Description of the Olea europaea sub-species.................................99

3. Conclusion..........................................................................................110

4. Acknowledgement.............................................................................111

Chapter 4 The Role of Hydroponics Technique as a Standard Methodology

in Various Aspects of Plant Biology Researches............................115

1. Introduction........................................................................................115

2. Plant nutrition ..................................................................................117

3. Allelopathy in rhizosphere..............................................................122

4. Abiotic stresses..................................................................................125

5. Plant roots...........................................................................................127

6. Heavy metals.....................................................................................129

7. Aluminum toxicity ..........................................................................132

8. Conclusion .........................................................................................133

Chapter 5 Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Plant Biology......................................144

1. Introduction........................................................................................144

2. Types of chlorophyll fluorescence.................................................147

3. Applications of chlorophyll fluorescence measurements in plant

biology.................................................................................................161

4. Acknowledgements...........................................................................162

Chapter 6 New Botanical Materials with Anti-Androgenic Activity............171

1. Introduction........................................................................................171

2. Experimental......................................................................................172

3. Banana peel........................................................................................174

4. Leaf of Houttuynia cordata................................................................178

5. Discussion...........................................................................................182

6. Conclusion .........................................................................................184

Chapter 7 A Review of Clinical Trials in Emerging Botanical Interventions

for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus...............................................................189

1. Introduction........................................................................................189

2. Research methodology.....................................................................190

3. Conclusion..........................................................................................202

4. Acknowledgment..............................................................................203

5. Abbreviations.....................................................................................204

Chapter 8 Use of Botanicals and Safer Insecticides Designed in Controlling

Insects: The African Case.....................................................................210

1. Introduction........................................................................................210

2. Genetically engineered plant insecticides....................................211

3. Synthesis of pesticides from plant botanicals.............................213

4. Stabilization of pyrethrin insecticides with botanical oils........218

5. Acaricidal effect of bee propolis extracts.....................................220

6. Conclusion..........................................................................................221

Citation......................................................................................................225

Index...........................................................................................................227

About Author

I Meyer is a Guest Lecturer at Institute of Technology, Veracruz. He obtained his Ph.D. in Botany and Plant Pathology from Public State University, Oregon. His academic interests are in plant biology, ecosystems and plant diversification. Meyer has produced scientific papers and articles for journals as well as book chapters. He has been presented the "Distinguished Contributions to Lifelong Learning" for his outstanding service and the impact he has made worldwide. He has also organized many international conferences on botany.