Evaluation of Hepatoprotective Activity of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Onion Peels Containing Protocatechuic Acid

India is the second largest country for cultivation of onion. 19.90% of onion is cultivated in India. Onion that is Allium cepa family Amaryllidaceae used in daily diet for taste. Onions also have number of medicinal properties, such as hepatoprotection, anticancer, antifungal, antioxidant, antiulcer, anti-agging, anti-inflammatory, anticancer etc.[1-2] The dried scales or peels of onion also have the same medicinal constituents with same activity as raw onions. The onion peels contains flavonoids, such as anthocyanins, flavones (qurcertin and its derivatives), ferulic, Gallic, protocatechuic acids, sulphur, vitamins etc. In the present study determination of protocatechuic acid in onion peels extract has been performed using HPTLC. HPTLC separation was carried out on Merck TLC aluminium sheets precoated with silica gel 60F254 using Toluene: Ethyl acetate: Formic acid (6: 6: 1.2 v/v/v) as mobile phase.[3-11] Quantitative analysis was carried out in the absorbance mode at 258 nm. Hydroalcoholic extract was tested for hepatoprotective activity in wistar rats (either sex) by using CCl4 as hepatotoxicity inducing agent and Silamyrin as standard. Hydroalcoholic extract shows hepatoprotective activity as indicated by decrease in the level of SGOT, SGPT, total protein, billirubin an which hepatotoxicity was induced by CCl4 intraperitonial injection route to animal, from the result it may be concluded that onion peels extract may be used for hepatoprotective activity. Keywords: Onion peel extract, Protocatechuic acid, HPTLC, hepatoprotection

Constraint Faced by Bt Cotton Growers for Control of Pink Bollworm

The present study on knowledge of Bt cotton growers for control of pink bollworm was conducted in Parbhani district of Marathwada region in Maharashtra State. The data were collected through personal interview with the help of interview schedule by contacting 120 respondents. The data was processed by making primary and secondary tables. The distributional analysis pertaining to age of the farmers indicated that (50.00%) of the respondents belonged to middle age category. It was found that, majority (30.00%) of the respondents belonged to primary education category, majority (54.16%) of the respondents had medium level of area under Bt cotton of respondents, 47.50 per cent of the respondents had semi-medium land holding (2.01 to 4.00 ha), 67.50 per cent of the respondents had medium annual income (Rs.98,000 to Rs 2,98,000). While majority (50.00%) of the respondents had medium level of social participation, 50.00 per cent of the respondents had medium economic motivation, larger proportion (50.00%) of the respondents belonged to medium innovativeness, 41.66 per cent of the respondents had medium risk orientation, 55.00 per cent of the respondents had medium level of farming experience, majority (58.33%) of the respondents had medium level of source of information of source of information, 66.68 per cent of the respondents had medium level source of irrigation, 58.33 per cent of the respondents had medium extension contract.</jats:p