This document discusses the economic importance of bryophytes. It outlines their direct uses, which include using sphagnum moss and peat as fuel, in horticulture, and to make alcohol. Some bryophytes also have medicinal properties. Their indirect uses involve assisting with soil conservation, formation, and development of vegetation. Bryophytes play an important role in bog succession and can indicate pollution levels.

1. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF
BRYOPHYTA
Presented by : Panchal Ritaben C.
M.SC. : Sem - 1
CBO - 402

2.  Introduction
 Direct use of Bryophytes
 Indirect use of Bryophytes
CONTENT

3. INTRODUCTION
• Bryophytes is traditional name used to
refer to all embryophutes that do not have
true and are therefore call vascular plants.

4. A. Direct use of Bryophytes
• Sphagnum and the peat
• Medicinal use of Bryophytes
• Antibiotic activities of Bryophytes
• Use of bryophytes in experimental Botany
• Bryophytes as a source of food
• Bryophytes as pollution indicators

5. • Sphagnum and the Peat
• The pieces of dead vegetable matter
partially decomposed by water in the bog
and gradually compressed and carbonized
under pressure of the overlapping late
deposits and water is called the peat.
• Some peats however consist mainly of the
remains of Sphagnum.

6. • The compacted, partially decomposed and
carbonized dead plant deposits are called
the peat.
• Peat used as a fuel.The thick deposits of
peat are cut into bloks and dried.
• Being rich in carbon the dried peat are used
as fuel.

7. • Preparation of ethyl alcohol. Odell and
Hood(1926) reported that by chemical
treatment cellulose in peat is broken down
into sugar which through fermentation is
converted into alcohol.
• The other products of industrial use of peat
are peat tar ammonia and paraffin.

8. • Sphagnum and peat are also of great use in
horticulture.
• Peat is added to heavy soils to improve their
texture as it keeps them porous and prevents
caking.
• Davis(1910) suggested that peat has a certain food
value and thus has been used as a stock food in
mixture with molasses.

9. • Medicinal use of Bryophytes
• Information on medicinal use of bryophytes is
scanty.
• Watt(1891) had reported to the medicinal use of
Marchantia polymorpha, Anthoceros and Riccia.

10. • However, the use of mosses in the treatment of
ailments is more pronounced.
• Shiu - ying (1945) reported that dried Sphagnum is
boiled in water.The decoction is used in the
treatment of acute haemorrhage and disease of
the eye.
• The use of Sphagnum for making absorbent
bandages in the treatment of boils and
discharging wounds has been described above.

11. • Antibiotic activities of Bryophyta.
• There is scanty information about the
occurrence of antibiotics substance in the
bryophytes.
• Pates and Madsen(1955) tested the antibiotic
activities of four species namely
Conocephalum conicum, Sphagnum strictum.

12. • Atrichium , Mnium , Polytrichum and Sphagnum
showed pronounced antibiotic activity , 18 species
were moderate to strongly active against one or
both bacteria.
• Gupta and Singh (1971) reported that the
petroleum ether extracts of two species of mosses
namely Barbula and Timely are antibiotically
active against 33 bacterial species which include
gram negative, gram positive and fast bacteria.

13. • Use of
bryophytes in
experimental
Botany
• The liverworts and
mosses have played an
important role as
research tools in the
various phase of botany
such as genetics
,experimental ,
morphology and
physiology.
• The mechanism of sex
determination in plants
was discovered for the
first time in a liverwort
Sphaerocarpos.

14. • Bryophytes as a source of food
• Bryophytes are not directly used as human
food.
• Haines(1877) recorded Laplanders having
made use of Sphagnum as an ingredient in
the preparation of bread.
• There are however examples of animals
useful to man which use bryophytes as a
food source.

15. • Bryophytes as pollution indicators.
• Rubling and Tyler (1979) Ferguson et al
(1978) showed that both alive and air dried
mosses particularly Sphagnum can absorb
metals.
• The accumulation of heavy metal cations
mosses enable them to be used as
atmospheric and aquatic pollution indicators
and in mineralogical surveys.

16. B. Indirect use of Bryophytes.
1. As aids in soil conservation.
2.Formation of soil and development
of vegetation cover.
3.Bog succession.
4.Role as rock builders.

17. • As aids in soil conservation.
• The mosses prevent sheet erosion of
soil.they grow in dence stands forming a
mat or carpet like structure.
• Firstly it bears the impact of the falling rains
drops and secondly it holds much of the
water that falls.
• Grout(1912) held that even the moss
protonema mat checks soil erosion.

18. • Formation of soil development of
vegetation cover.
• The lichen and mosses play an important
role in soil formation.Both are slow but
efficient soil formers.
• The lichen thallus secrete organic acids
which gradually dissolve and disintegrate
the rocks to which they cling.
• The rock particle together with the dead
and decaying older parts of the lichen
thallus form fertile soil.

19. • Bog succession.
• Weaver and Clements remarked that mosses
play an important role in bog succession from
open water to climax forest.
• The mosses especially the peat mosses
established on the banks of lakes and other
shallow bodies of water extend inwards and
grow over the surface of water with their stems
intertwined to form thick mats.

20. • Role as rock builders.
• These plants grow in shall waters of lakes
streams and springs which contain a large
amount of calcium bicarbonate.
• The plants bring about decomposition of
bicarbonic ions by abstracting free carbon
dioxide.

21. Reference
Botany For Degree Students Bryophytes by :-
B. R. Vashistha
A. K. Sinha
V. P. Singh
 https://en.m.wikipedia.org
https://www.slideshare.net

22. Thank You