Dear Sir,

It will depends upon the environmental factors  and climatic conditions of the area. It is desirable to cultivate these plants in forests and simultaneously farmers also be promoted to cultivate in their fields. The farmers should be trained about the cultivation and seeds with funds  should be provided to the farmers free of cost.

Sir

Obviously, cultivation of medicinal plants in its natural habitat (forest) will be the best option due to the prevalence of ideal climatic and soil conditions, which will certainly provide high yield with original quality. Field cultivation may give better yield but the same quality can't be assured because quality traits are highly environment sensitive.  

In forest area we can't take commercial cultivation because for large scale/ commercial cultivation in forest area necessary infrastructure has to be created. During this process, such as clearing of trees (for making cultivable land), preparation of the land (using tractor or JCB for leveling or ploughing), etc will disturb the originality of the forest environment and we will be back to the square.

Final conclusion is medicinal plants can be commercially cultivated in farmers field with a compromise on quality.

But in farmer's field we should avoid the use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides etc. They can change the medicinal properties of the plant. So the medicinal plant should be cultivated in their natural habitat.

In the Brazilian Amazon I think that must be cultivated in amended areas, putting together the reuse of areas, creating and employment income reducing the pressure in the natural systems. Of course that the structure of commercial plantations cam be a lot of different when we compare agroforestry systems with plantations that use only one specie and others comparisons.

Dear All

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Best wishes.

Cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants is important at both areas:

1. As natural in/as forests

2. By farmers

--- We have herbal and medicinal plants in maintained Herbal Park in our University. 

Dear Dr. Subhash

Thank you for your contribution. Can you please name some of the important species maintained in your university for the benefit of all interested RG members particularly research scholars.

Best wishes.

It depends. Commercially, cultivated land is better because you could control the condition toward hug yields. In addition, there are some agricultural procedures to increase specific components in essential oils. For example, menthol is an important compound is the mint oil. And the oil quality and price depends on the percentage of such compound in the oil. However, in some cases, we couldn't meet the suitable atmosphere(weather, soil fertility, duration of day light, ......etc) for such plant for commercial yields. Therefore, planting in the native or original region is much better. Best wishes

I think cultivation of medicinal plant is better but we not expect that medicinal plant replace with other strategic crops and we should doing more research about domestication of medicinal and aromatic plants . we can produce many of med and aroma plants in poor lands, On the other hand, manage of collection of wild medicinal plant with observe principles of ISSC_ MAP and GMP can help me to sustainable harvesting.

Dear Shehata

It is true that yield and quality can be monitored or manipulated under commercial cultivation and it is equally true that it is not possible to replicate natural conditions under which wild medicinal and aromatic plants grow. Organic farming methods and cultivation closer to natural habitats of these plants can solve the problem to a certain extent.

Thanks for your participation and valuable thoughts.

best wishes.

Dear Abdul Kayum

There is a dilemma whether to cultivate or continue to collect wild-plants, because many people think that wild-collected plants are more potent than cultivated plants though research has shown that under cultivation it is possible to get quality products. Organic cultivation methods and cultivating in areas closer to natural habitats of these plants are possible answers for such paradigms.

Thanks for expressing your views.

Good luck.

Dear Ghasem Esmaeili

It is a good idea to utilize poor, marginal wastelands for the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants and leave good arable lands for the cultivation of agricultural/ horticultural crops. There is also another possibility of including these crops in existing cropping systems like intercropping, crop rotation, agro-forestry, home herbal gardens etc.

Thank you for your contributions.

In my opinion natural form is best.We have to protect them.Cultivating them in fields idea is not bad.It is correct that wild plants most effective in competition to cultivated one but cultivated plants has some less potential so this idea must encouraged.

Thanks.

Dear Aparna

Both scenarios exist today in both developing and developed nations. The choice depends on the demand and supply of the specific species.

Conservation of medicinal and aromatic plants in natural habitat is fruitful.

Thanks,Respected Rao.

Dr.Arpana

Cultivation of commonly used medicinal and aromatic plants on private land by farmers should be encouraged to minimise the rate at which depletion of such resources from the forest. However, provision of planting material is essential since most ethnobotanical surveys report failure to embrace medicinal plant gardens due to lack of planting material. This calls for use of new technologies like tissue culture techniques.

Was accepted and will be published soon our most recent article titled: "Changes in rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora Ducke) essential oil in response to management of commercial plantations in Central Amazonia."

The article will be published in Forest Ecology and Management and could enrich the already rich discussion.

Congratulations! Keep the good work going.

Good wishes

Here is the link: Article Changes in the rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora Ducke) essential o...

Here in Brazil, a technology that has developed successfully, is the integration of agriculture, livestock, forest. Perhaps an alternative to the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants in a sustainable way, without losing natural characteristics, is the integration of crops with forests. They could be planted forests or even natural forests. In this case allowing an economic gain and stimulating its preservation.

The two forms of cultivation may be used depending on the species to be cultivated. For example here in the Amazon: the species Carapichea ipecacuanha and Pilocarpus microphyllus can be grown in agroforestry systems with Swietenia macrophylla, Schizolobium amazonicum, Theobroma grandiflorum and Theobroma cacao or alone stimulating the conservation of these species.