INTRODUCTION:

Plants are used as remedies against various diseases in the Unani and other traditional systems of medicine or in ethnomedical practices (Bi et al., 2020). Psoralia corlyfolia Linn is one of the most important medicinal plant of Fabaceae family commonly known as bakuchi, babchi, bavachi (Babasaheb et al., 2023). It is an important herb used in the Indian medicine system.

Bakuchi is leguminous, erect, annual herb that grows 60-100cm tall.

The plant branches profusely and its stem and branches are covered with white hairs. Leaves are simple, 2.5-7.0 cm long, petiolate, rounded, with toothed margin and both sides covered with conspicuous black glandular dots. Flowers are axillary, blue in colour and arranged in 10-30 flowered racemes (NMPB 2008; Alam et al., 2017). The seeds are surrounded by a sticky oily pericarp which contains psoralein (NMPB 2008).

It is sweet and bitter in taste, pungent after digestion, aphrodisiac, relieves constipation and it has cold potency. It is appetizer and used to cure diarrhea, kapha roga and bleeding disorders, It has dry fever and worm infestation. Seeds are used to pacify kapha and vata dosha and have bitter taste, seeds are beneficial for hair and skin and also used in various disorders like worm infestation, asthma, cough, inflammation, indigestion and anemia (Babasaheb et al., 2023). Seeds of bakuchi used in the treatment of leucoderma, leprosy, psoriasis and inflammatory diseases of the skin (Khan et al., 2015; Bi et al., 2020).

Bakuchi is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions throughout world. It is native of china and South Africa. In India this plant is easily available in the plains. Especially it is found in semi-arid regions of India like Rajasthan, eastern part of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. It is also found throughout Himalayan regions. It is sporadically cultivated in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, eastern part of Punjab and Tamil Nadu States.

The crops can be grown well in sub-tropical climate receiving low to medium rainfall over a variety of soils ranging from sandy medium loam to black cotton soils. Red loamy soil with good organic matters and a pH ranging from 6.5 - 7.5 are good for cultivation.The crop is raised through direct sowing of seeds which germinate easily. As a sole crop 8 kg seeds are needed for one hectare area. The crop matures after 200 days of sowing when pods turn purple in colour. The seeds take time to mature, and therefore collection can be rendered 4–5 times from December to March (Alam et al. 2017; NMPB 2008). The seeds are collected after complete drying of the pods. A yield of 1.0-1.2 t/ha of seeds (dry weight) is obtained (NMPB 2008).

METHODS:

The primary data on wholesale market rates were collected from the Market Information Services (MIS) project which undertakes quarterly market surveys in selected markets where Bakuchi occur in good quantity. Quarterly price data was averaged out to analyse the mean rates in different markets (Bhatnagar, 2015). Variations in prices for the period 2010-2021 were also studied.

Price analysis:

The main aim of the study was to analyse price trends and to identify variations and long term market patterns. Market surveys were done at regional and district markets and price data was collected over a period of 12 years. The price trend graphs were drawn for each market. The criteria for assessing the price trend given below-

Annual Price change	Price trend
decrease	Declining
1-15%	low
16-30 %	Moderate
31-51 %	High
above 51 %	Very high

Price trends were analysed with a view to understand the pattern of growth, stability or decline in the species, price growth rate was also calculated in percent.

Simple linear regression analysis was done with one independent variable and one dependent variable to find the direction of trend. In this study, the variables which were taken are the wholesale price of Bakuchi an independent variable ‘x’ and the yearly period as a dependent variable ‘y’. To assess the extent of year to year price variation in different markets, a coefficient of price variation has been calculated. Statistical analysis of results were done using MS excel. A sample of traders were interviewed to understand the present trade of Bakuchi.

Market prices were compiled from 2010 to 2021. This data of regional and district markets was (2010-2021) analysed with the following assumptions.

Prices of medicinal plants have seasonal variations, hence for the purpose of present study the average price prevailing in the market during the year has been taken.

The market prices were deflated using the wholesale Price Index. This adjusted the inflation during the year.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION:

Trend analysis highlights the pattern of fluctuations in wholesale Bakuchi prices in Katni and Dhamtari from 2010 to 2021. In 2010, Katni and Dhamtari prices were Rs. 3160/qtl and Rs. 3620/qtl, respectively. Both markets saw a slight increase in 2011. However, in Katni, prices declined from 2012 to 2014 relative to 2010. Stability was observed in 2015, followed by fluctuating prices that soared to a peak of Rs. 7250 per quintal in 2021. Dhamtari, on the other hand, has seen a upward trend over the years, reaching as high as Rs. 7160 per quintal (fig 1 and 2). Many factors contribute to these price fluctuations, such as demand and supply, market conditions and crop yields.

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Fig.1: Price movement and trend of Bakuchi (Psoralea corylifolia) in regional market Katni (M.P)

Fig.2: Price movement and trend of Bakuchi (Psoralea corylifolia) in regional market Dhamtari (C.G)

Table 1: Statistical analysis of wholesale prices of Bakuchi (Psoralea corylifolia) in regional market Katni (M.P.) and Dhamtari (C.G) from (2010-14).

Analysis	Katni	Dhamtari
Mean (Rs./qtl)	3112	3832
SD (Rs./qtl)	1156	1048
CV(%)	37.15	27.35

During the period of 2010-2014, the average wholesale prices of Bakuchi exhibited variations across the two locations. The mean prices were calculated at Rs. 3112 per quintal in Katni and Rs. 3832 per quintal in Dhamtari. The standard deviation (SD), a measure of price variability, was comparatively higher in Katni (Rs. 1156 per quintal) and lower in Dhamtari (Rs. 1048 per quintal). The coefficient of variation (CV), representing the relative variability in prices, stood at 37.15% for Katni and 27.35% for Dhamtari during this period (Table 1).

Table 2: Statistical analysis of wholesale prices of Bakuchi (Psoralea corylifolia) in regional market Katni (M.P.) and Dhamtari (C.G) from (2015-21).

Analysis	Katni	Dhamtari
Mean (Rs./qtl)	4830	5246
SD (Rs./qtl)	1153	989
CV(%)	23.87	18.86

In the later period of 2015-2021, the average wholesale prices of Bakuchi increase across both locations. The mean prices was Rs. 4830 per quintal in Katni and Rs. 5246 per quintal in Dhamtari. Moreover, there was an observable decrease in price variability, indicated by lower standard deviations: Rs. 1153 per quintal for Dhamtari and Rs. 989 per quintal. The coefficient of variation was less and stable during this period, reaching 23.87% for Katni, 18.86% for Dhamtari (Table 2).

Price growth rate:

The table 3 presents annual percentage changes in Bakuchi prices in two different regions, Katni and Dhamtari, years from 2010 to 2021. These percentage changes represent the fluctuation in prices from one year to the next.

Both regions, Katni and Dhamtari, experienced significant fluctuations annually. For instance, Katni saw a dramatic 61.1% increase in prices from 2010-2011 but a subsequent sharp decline of -48.3% in 2011-2012. Similarly, Dhamtari also exhibited notable fluctuations, albeit with different magnitudes.

Overall, the prices of Bakuchi varied widely, with alternating periods of significant increases and decreases. These fluctuations could be influenced by various factors such as market demand.

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Table – 3: Annual prices changes in Bakuchi (Psoralea corylifolia) (in per cent)

Year	Katni	Dhamtari
2010-2011	61.1	55.5
2011-2012	-48.3	-33.7
2012-2013	-13.3	-15.8
2013-2014	5.3	-3.2
2014-2015	56.3	52.3
2015-2016	28.3	21.6
2016-2017	-19.3	-26.3
2017-2018	21.1	20.5
2018-2019	-0.6	-7.0
2019-2020	1.7	18.3
2020-2021	52.6	30.2

CONCLUSION:

Bakuchi, a legume herb, is prized in traditional Indian medicine for treating skin diseases such as leucoderma, leprosy and psoriasis. Seeds are very use for various medicinal purposes especially in skin dieses. The study explores the wholesale market trends of Bakuchi in two regional markets Katni and Dhamtari, India from 2010 to 2021. The result of the study serves a valuable resource for understanding the economic, pricing patterns and market behaviour of Bakuchi trade to aiding stakeholders, traders and policymakers.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The authors acknowledge with thanks funding support received from Madhya Pradesh Minor Forest Produce (Trade & Development), Bhopal in two phases for Marketing Information Service for medicinal plants from 2011 to 2016 and from 2018 to 2021 from which price data of the species was generated.

REFERENCES:

1. Alam Fiaz, Gul Nawaz Khan and Muhammad Hassham Hassan Bin Asad (2017). Psoralea corylifolia L: Ethnobotanical, biological, and chemical aspects: A review. Phytotherapy Research, 32:597–615.

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Received on 03.03.2024 Modified on 29.03.2024

Res. J. Pharmacognosy and Phytochem. 2024; 16(2):95-98.

DOI: 10.52711/0975-4385.2024.00018