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Economic importance of pteridophyte.pptx

Pteridophytes hold significant economic importance in food as various ferns and azolla are utilized as dietary supplements for animals and humans. They also provide medicinal benefits, serving as treatments for various ailments, and play a role in agriculture as biofertilizers. Additionally, pteridophytes contribute to ornamental gardening, industrial uses, and environmental applications such as bioremediation and historical significance in fossil fuel formation.

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Economic importance of Pteridophytes Arooj Zoolgist
Used as a food • Azolla has also been used as food supplement in fresh or dried or silage form for a variety of animals including pigs, cattle, rabbits, ducks, chicken and fish (Ahluwalia et al, 2002). • The young shoots of Lygodium flexuosum, a common climbing fern species, are used as vegetables. • Erect sword fern (Polystichum munitum) or licorice fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza) rhizomes are roasted and steamed to eat. • Fiddleheads of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) and vegetable fern (Diplazium esculentum) are the varieties eaten.
Medicine • The leaf and root decoction Adiantum philippense has been found to be very effective in the treatment of chest complaints (Nair, 1959; Rout et al, 2009). • Rhizomes and petioles of Dryopteris yield an antihelminthic drug. • The decoction of rhizome and fronds of (Pteridium revolutum syn. P. Aquilinum) is given in chronic disorder spleen. • whereas the rhizome of Lygodium flexuosum is boiled with mustard oil and locally applied in rheumatism, sprains, scabies, ulcers, eczema and cuts.
Medicinally important ferns and fern allies in Kolli Hills, India
Commercial and environmental use • Azolla pinnata has a symbiotic association with nitrogen-fixing, blue-green algae namely – Anabaena azollae Strasburger. • Due to this property, the agronomic potential of Azolla as biofertilizer for rice has been recognized in many countries including India, Philippines, USA, Sri Lanka and Thailand (Ahluwalia et al, 2002). • It has been also found that by applying Azolla the soil fertility is improved by increasing total nitrogen, available organic carbon, phosphorous and potassium (Mandal et al, 1999; Sharma et al, 1999)
Commercial and environmental Use • Other uses of Azolla include hydrogen production, biogas production, as an ingredient in soap production. • The ferns have also shown to be having an important role in bioremediation of wastewater. Ma et al. (2001) found the Chinese Bracken fern namely Pteris vittata L. to be a hyperaccumulator of the toxic metal arsenic.
Ornamental value • Ferns are grown as ornamental plants in gardens and homes for their attractive foliage. • Ferns like Asplenium sp., Selaginella sp., Lygodium sp., Pteris sp., etc. are also grown in the gardens or in the pots. • Many nurseries grow these ferns and sell them off for a good price and these ferns are then used as ornamentals either as garden plants or during functions to beautify the place.
Fossil Fuels • Ferns are economically important in an indirect way. Ferns were the dominant plant in the landscape many millions of years ago. When they died, they formed a thick layer of foliage and detritus, along with other trees and foliage. These layers now are deep underground, and have been subjected to heat and pressure for millions of years, eventually becoming coal, which has tremendous economic importance.
Ecological Significance • Pteridophyte species richness in Andean forests in Bolivia • One study suggested the distribution of Pteridophyte species richness on the eastern Andean slope in Bolivia based on 676 study plots of 400 m2 each in forest habitats at 65 study sites. In total 755 species were recorded, including epiphytes and terrestrials (Kessler, 2001)
Horticulture aspect • Pteridophytes are used in the horticulture. The different species of Selaginella are grown as the garden plants. Ruhmora adiantiformis is called the florist’s fern; since their leaf resists wilting they are used in the cut flower arrangements.
Other uses • Some of the ferns are used in handicrafts; petioles of certain ferns are used for making basketry and bracelets. Pteridium leaves are used for making the green dye. Club mosses are used as a dry industrial lubricant since its microscopic spore contains non-volatile oils. The spores are also used as flash powder in photography and also as finger print powder in forensic investigation.