Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research

The Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research (DMAPR) is an Indian agricultural research institution operating under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). It is one of ICAR's project directorates and is based at Boriavi in Anand district, Gujarat. The institution was established on 24 November 1992 as the National Research Centre for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, with a mandate centered on improving the quality and productivity of medicinal and aromatic crops, developing improved varieties, and establishing good agricultural practices for their cultivation. DMAPR's research remit covers a defined group of mandate crops. These include Aloe barbadensis, commonly known as aloe; Withania somnifera, or ashwagandha; Plantago ovata, commonly known as psyllium or isabgol; Cymbopogon flexuosus, a lemongrass species; Cymbopogon martinii, commonly associated with palmarosa; Chlorophytum borivilianum, commonly known as safed musli; and Cassia angustifolia, associated with senna. These crops have applications in traditional medicine, herbal products, fragrances, essential oils, food-related ingredients, and other plant-derived products, although DMAPR's role is principally research, development, coordination, and conservation rather than consumer-brand manufacturing. The directorate's work includes crop improvement, quality production, variety development, and the formulation or promotion of agricultural practices suited to medicinal and aromatic plants. It also operates an outreach function and coordinates and monitors research conducted by 23 centres across India that work on additional medicinal and aromatic species. This network gives DMAPR a coordinating role within the national agricultural research system, extending its influence beyond its Gujarat base. Among its reported research outputs are 26 released varieties of medicinal plants and seven released varieties of aromatic plants. The institution also maintains a field gene bank containing 830 medicinal and aromatic plant germplasm accessions. This conservation activity supports the preservation and evaluation of plant genetic resources used in research and breeding. DMAPR also houses the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Association of India. The association publishes the Open Access Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, a scholarly periodical devoted to research concerning medicinal and aromatic plants. Through this research, coordination, germplasm conservation, variety release, and scholarly publishing ecosystem, DMAPR functions as a public agricultural science institution supporting India's medicinal and aromatic plant sector. Publicly available reference material does not identify a separate commercial website, listed status, corporate ownership structure, or named current executives for the directorate.

The institution was established on 24 November 1992 at Boriavi in Anand district, Gujarat, under the name National Research Centre for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. Its creation reflected the need for a dedicated Indian agricultural research body addressing crops used in medicinal, aromatic, herbal, and related plant-based applications. The centre's original and continuing objectives include quality production, development of new varieties, and development of good agricultural practices for medicinal and aromatic plants. The institution subsequently operated as the Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research, or DMAPR, within the Indian Council of Agricultural Research system. As an ICAR project directorate, it has a national rather than purely regional remit. Its mandate crops include Aloe barbadensis, Withania somnifera, Plantago ovata, Cymbopogon flexuosus, Cymbopogon martinii, Chlorophytum borivilianum, and Cassia angustifolia. Research on these crops addresses the agricultural foundation of medicinal and aromatic plant production, including the development and evaluation of varieties and practices intended to improve cultivation quality. DMAPR also developed an outreach and coordination role. It coordinates and monitors research work carried out by 23 centres distributed across India, with those centres working on other medicinal and aromatic plants. This network-based structure enables the directorate to connect national agricultural research activity and to support work on species beyond its principal mandate crops. Its documented outputs include the release of 26 medicinal plant varieties and seven aromatic plant varieties. In parallel with crop improvement, DMAPR maintains a field gene bank containing 830 germplasm accessions of medicinal and aromatic plants. The gene bank provides a conservation and research resource for plant material used in evaluation, breeding, and related scientific work. The directorate's institutional role also extends into scholarly communication. It houses the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Association of India, which publishes the Open Access Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. The journal provides an academic publication channel for research in the field. Available reference material does not provide a detailed chronology of individual variety releases, leadership appointments, campaigns, financial information, or subsequent organizational restructurings. Accordingly, the documented history is best understood as the development of a national public research and coordination institution focused on medicinal and aromatic plant science.

• 1992

  Institution established in Gujarat

  [1]Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Researchen.wikipedia.org

  The National Research Centre for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants was established on 24 November 1992 at Boriavi in Anand district, Gujarat, to support quality production, variety development, and agricultural practices for medicinal and aromatic plants.

• Research directorate develops national coordination role

  [1]Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Researchen.wikipedia.org

  The institution operates as an ICAR project directorate and coordinates and monitors research at 23 centres across India working on medicinal and aromatic plants.

• Variety development and germplasm conservation expanded

  [1]Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Researchen.wikipedia.org

  DMAPR is credited with releasing 26 medicinal plant varieties and seven aromatic plant varieties, while maintaining a field gene bank containing 830 germplasm accessions.

A public-sector agricultural research and coordination institution specializing in the science, improvement, conservation, and cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants in India.

• Agricultural research output

  Medicinal plant varieties

  DMAPR develops and releases improved varieties of medicinal plants as part of its crop-improvement mandate. The documented institutional record credits the directorate with 26 released medicinal plant varieties. The available source does not provide the individual variety names, release dates, or detailed agronomic characteristics.

• Agricultural research output

  Aromatic plant varieties

  The directorate also develops varieties of aromatic plants used in agricultural and plant-derived fragrance or essential-oil contexts. Seven aromatic plant varieties are attributed to DMAPR in the available reference material. Specific names, release dates, and performance data are not identified in that source.

• Plant genetic resource

  Medicinal and aromatic plant germplasm collection

  DMAPR maintains a field gene bank for medicinal and aromatic plants. The collection is reported to contain 830 germplasm accessions, providing material for conservation, characterization, research, and possible crop-improvement work.

• Scholarly publication

  Open Access Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

  The Open Access Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants is a scholarly journal associated with the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Association of India, which is housed at DMAPR. It provides an open-access publication channel for research related to medicinal and aromatic plants.

1. 1Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Researchen.wikipedia.org