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1. Bioresource of Assam
Medicinal Plants:
Plants Scientific name Family Used part
Cinchona Cinchona
officinalis
Rubiaceae Bark
Use:
1. Bark is the source of 'quinine' and used in Malaria.
2. It is also used in the treatment of whooping cough, fever etc.
Rauwolfia
(Sarpagandha)
Rauvolfia
serpentina
Apocynaceae Roots
Use:
1. Root is used in the treatment of high blood pressure, hypertension.
2. Alkaloid reserpine used in this plant used in the treatment of nervous
breakdown, insomnia.
Aswagandha
(Assamese)
Withania
somnifera
Solanaceae complete plants
Use:
1. Juice of roots and leaves are used in rheumatic pain, swelling.
2. This plant is also used in almost all kinds of nervous disorders.
Neem Azadirachta
indica
Meliaceae mainly leaves,
roots, bark
Use:
1. Used in the treatment of various skin diseases.
2. Juice from the leaves of neem is also used in smallpox.

2. Belladona Atropa
belladonna
Solanaceae Dry leaves and
roots
Use:
1. It is used as painkiller and used in asthma.
2. This plant is also used in cough, rheumatism.
Tulsi Ocimum sanctum Lamiaceae Leaf
Use:
1. Leaves are traditionally used for the treatment of cough.
2. Fresh leaf juice is also used in treatment of Malaria.
Bahaktita Justicia adhatoda Acanthacese leaves, roots etc.
Use:
1. This plant is commonly used in the treatment of respiratory problems
like asthma, cough etc.

3. Timber Yielding Plants:
Plant Botanical name Family
Sal tree Shorea robusta Dipterocarpaceae
Use:
1. The timber is extensively used for railway sleepers, doors, and
window posts of houses.
2. This timber is used for boat making.
Plants Scientific name Family
Teak (Segoon) Tectona grandis Verbenaceae
Use:
1. Used in the preparation of household furniture like sofas, desks etc.
2. It is also used in the construction of ships, plywood etc.
The Sisso tree Dalbergia sissoo Fabaceae
Use:
1. Wood is used in furniture, shoe hells, beams of doors etc.
2. This plant is also used in production of musical instruments, boats.
Gomari (Hill teak) Gmelina arborea Verbenaceae
Use:
1. It is used for match sticks, artificial organs, match boxes, picture
frames etc.
2. Wood is also used in the production of plywood.

4. Hollong Dipterocarpus retusus Dipterocarpaceae
Use:
1. Wood is used in house building, bridge etc. because it can prevent
insects.
2. It is also used in the production of plywood.
Sericogenic Resources:
Muga silkworm:
Muga silkworm, Antherea assama Westwood (syn. Antherea assamensis
Helf., Antherea mejankori Moore) belongs to the Phylum-Arthropoda,
class- Insects, order-Lepidoptera and family-Saturniidae. Family
characters namely, bipectinate antennae, minute labial palpi, short
maxillae, lack of frenulae are prominent in both the sexes.
Muga silkworm rear in out door on tree. One tree can be utilized for two
rearing in a year alternately during spring and autumn, thus one full grown
tree can yield 1000 cocoons in a year and 5 trees are required to produce
5000 cocoons which yield one kg. of muga silk. Muga silkworm is
Semi-domesticated and multivoltine in nature having 5 to 6 generations in
a year.
Scientific Name: Antheraea assamensis.
Habitat: Native to Assam.
Host Plants: Primarily feeds on leaves of Som (Machilus bombycina) and
Soalu (Litsea monopetala) plants.
Silk Production: Muga silk, known for its golden color, is produced by Muga
silkworms. It's exclusive to Assam and holds cultural and economic
significance.
Life Cycle: Similar to other silk-producing silkworms, it undergoes
complete metamorphosis—egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult (moth).

5. Cultural Importance: Muga silk is deeply woven into the cultural heritage of
Assam and is used in traditional attire.
Sericulture Industry: Muga silkworms contribute to Assam's sericulture
industry, promoting economic activities and livelihoods.
Eri silkworm:
Eri culture is mostly confined to the Brahmaputra valley of Assam. It is also
practiced in few district of the neighboring states mainly Arunachal
Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and other non traditional states of
India like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujrat, Jharkhand, Orissa,
Tamilnadu, Utrakhand, West Bengal,
Eri silkworm is multivoltine in nature. It can rear 4-5 times in a year.
There are 26 eco-races of eri silkworm like Borduar, Khanapara, Kokrajhar,
Titabar, Diphu, Genung, Nongpoh etc.
Feeding: 4-5 feeding should be given per day at regular intervals.
Plant species growing in the Centre:
Medicinal Plants 150 species,
Bamboo 20 species,
Cactus 15 species,
Orchids 95 species,
Canes 4 species,
Other trees &
shrubs 320 species.
Q: How can you distinguish a muga cocoon from an eri cocoon ?
Ans:
Eri cocoon
• The cocoons are hanged from the twig by a peduncle.
• The cocoons are formed on the upper portion of the plant.
• The cocoon has an open end through which the moth comes out.
• The eri-cocoon has to be spinned instead of reeling as it is an open
mouthed cocoon.
Muga cocoon
• The cocoons are formed in between two dry leaves. The cocoon has a small
peduncle.
• The fully grown larvae descend to the base of the tree to form the cocoon.

6. • The chrysalid secretes an alkaline solution which dissolves the cocoon
shell to form an aperture for the moth to emerge.
• The cocoons selected for spinning are kept over low fire for killing the
chrysalid present inside the cocoon.
Q: How the muga cocoons are spinned ?
Ans: The cocoon selected for spinning are treated over low fire for a
reasonable period and then kept in sunlight for about 2-3 days. Then the
cocoons are boiled in an alkaline solution made of certain leaves and straw
for about 15 to 30 minutes to remove the glue of the cocoon and to make the
silk filament weak. The reeling of the muga cocoon is carried by keeping the
cocoon in lukewarm water in a basin. The spinning is done by muga reeling
apparatus namely ‘bhir’, ‘muga pedaling bhir’, etc.
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