Plants belonging to the genus Curcuma are gaining importance globally as one of the significant ingredients in food and traditional medicines. Apart from being considered as nutritionally rich food products, interest in medicinal properties of Curcuma species has increased due to the discovery of novel bioactive compounds possessing wide bioactivities such as antioxidant, antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammation activities. This article summarizes the literature pertaining to the nutritional values, bioactive compounds, as well as the biological activities of 16 edible Curcuma species. Additionally, the bioavailability, cytotoxicity, and allied health benefits of these species are also discussed and highlighted. The brief information provided in this review will open future perspectives for investigations related to their possible use as functional foods and in pharmaceutical applications. ARTICLE HISTORY

In vitro regeneration from leaf, cotyledon and hypocotyl explants of six cultivars belonging to three species of Capsicum was achieved by direct organogenesis. The cultivar Umorok showed the best response while Meiteimorok, Haomorok, Mashingkha and Uchithi showed intermediate response and the cultivar Chiengpi was the least responsive. Leaf and cotyledon explants regenerated more shoots than hypocotyl explants and the maximum number of shoots were produced on Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium containing 8.8 µM 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) with 11.4 µM indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Elongation of shoot buds derived from different explants was achieved on medium containing 2.8 µM IAA and the elongated shoots were rooted on medium containing 2.8 or 5.7 µM IAA and 2.4 or 4.9 µM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Four-week old rooted plantlets were hardened and transplanted to the soil. The plantlets showed 90 % survival during transplantation.Additional key words: bud induction, Capsicum annuum, C. chinense, C. frutescens, direct organogenesis, micropropagation. ⎯⎯⎯⎯Chillies are the fruits of the genus Capsicum which account for about 22 % of total global spices trade composition. Besides being a source of hot spice and natural plant colour, chillies are also good sources of capsaicin and are used in pharmaceutical industries. In Manipur (23º47΄ -25º41΄ NL; 93º61΄-94º47΄ EL; 750-3 600 m asl; 1 600 -3 430 mm annual rainfall), six cultivars of Capsicum are cultivated in different agroclimatic areas. The fruits of Capsicum annuum L. are generally mild and used in curried dishes while those of C. chinense Jacq. and C. frutescens L. are highly pungent and used in hot sauces. A major constraint facing the crop in the region is its seed storage due to high atmospheric humidity and the high incidence of seed-borne fungal diseases. Propagation of plants through tissue culture offers a unique advantage over conventional propagation methods such as rapid multiplication of valuable genotypes, expeditious release of improved cultivars, production of disease-free plants, non-seasonal production, germplasm conservation and facilitating their easy exchange. In chilli, several procedures are available for inducing in vitro plant regeneration using leaf, cotyledon and hypocotyl explants (Gunay and ,b). However, several of these reports suggest a strong influence of genotype on the regeneration process (Ochoa-Alejo and Ireta-Moreno 1990, Szasz et al. 1995, Christopher and Rajam 1996, Ramirez-Malagon and Ochoa-Alejo 1996. The present research, involving culture of leaf, cotyledon and hypocotyl explants of six chilli cultivars was undertaken to determine the regeneration potential of the genotypes and to develop efficient in vitro plant regeneration protocols for the six economically important cultivars.Seeds of the six cultivars of Capsicum belonging to three species (Capsicum annuum L. cvs. Meiteimorok and Haomorok, Capsicum chinense Jacq. cvs. Umorok and Chiengpi, Capsicum frutescens L. cvs. Mashingkha and Uchithi) were extracted from fresh ripe...

An efficient micropropagation protocol was established for Capsicum chinense Jacq. cv. Umorok, a pungent chilli cultivar. Shoot-tip explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing cytokinins (22.2 -88.8 µM 6-benzylaminopurine, BAP, 23.2 -93.0 µM kinetin, Kin, or 22.8 -91.2 µM zeatin, Z) alone or in combination with 5.7 µM indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Maximum number of shoots were induced on medium containing 91.2 µM Z or 31.1 µM BAP with 4.7 µM Kin. The separated shoots rooted and elongated on medium containing 2.5 or 4.9 µM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Axillary shoots were induced from in vitro raised plantlets by decapitating them. The axillary shoot-tip explants were used for further multiple shoot buds induction. A maximum of about 150 plantlets were obtained from a single seedling. Hardened and acclimatized plantlets were successfully established in the soil.Additional key words: axillary shoot induction, chillies, decapitation, multiple shoot induction. ⎯⎯⎯⎯Capsicum chinense Jacq. cv. Umorok is an indigenous ⎯⎯⎯⎯

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