A preliminary examination of the phytochemical profile of Azolla microphylla with respect to Seasons

Azolla is an aquatic pteridophyte widely distributed in the water bodies. It has been traditionally used as a biofertilizer for rice paddy fields owing to its potential to fix atmospheric nitrogen [1]. In addition to this it has several other uses and Wagner [2] referred it as “green gold mine”. The plant system has the inherent capacity to synthesize several biologically active constituents which in turn protect them against the attack of insects and other plant pathogens such as bacteria and fungi. Plant phenolics seems to be one of the important factors that evoke host plant alternation and the flavonoids are reported to exhibit various biological activities, including antioxidative and free radical scavenging activities [3,4]. The traditional folklore medicine in India has exploited many plants as potential sources of drugs because of the presence of several secondary metabolites which are biologically active [5-8]. The excessive use of pesticides and chemicals in agriculture and consequent adverse impact on the health has prompted the scientists to look for newer molecules of plant origin. The Green Chemistry concept is gaining momentum in a big way and several research groups are active in this field of science. There have been several reports on the phytochemical constituents of Azolla and some studies have been conducted on the phytochemical composition of pterodophytes from the Western Ghats of Kerala in the past [9-12]. Mithraja et al [13] characterized the phytochemical composition of Azolla pinnata. The identification and development of phenolic compounds or extracts from different plants has become a major area of healthand medical-related research [14]. The efficacy of plants as antimicrobial agents has been described [15]. Plant extracts can be used as natural fungicides to control pathogenic fungi, thus reducing the dependence on the synthetic fungicides [16]. The present study takes advantage of an observation that the aquatic pteridophyte Azolla microphylla changes its color of the fronds with respect to seasons. In summer the fronds are green in color and subsequently the color changes to red with the onset of winter (Fig 1). Research on the biopotential of Azolla in India is limited despite the antimicrobial potential of these plants and scant information is available on useful compounds. The diversity of the Indian subcontinent with respect to environmental regimes such as light intensity and temperature will also ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT