ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF PTERIDOPHYTES

Hello Everyone, Welcome back today we will discuss one important topic in Pteridopytes i.e. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF PTERIDOPHYTES AS FOOD Like other plants, pteridophytes con­stitute a good source of food to animals. Diplazium esculentum crozier head is used as vegetable. Sporocarps of Marsilea, a water fern, yield starch that is cooked and eaten by certain tribal. Ampelopteris prolifera, used as food. Osmunda cinnamomea use as vegetable. Azolla also used as food production they have higher carbohydrates and protein values.  The tuber of Isoetes are used as food. Neprolepis biserrata rhizome are edible. ROLE IN SOIL CONSERVATION Usually pteridophytes plants are terrestrial so they protect the upper part of soil. By their growth pteridophytes bind the soil even along hill slopes. The soil is protected from erosion. They protect soil from heavy rainfall. They help in stopping soil erosion. e.g. Pteris, Dryopteris, Nephrolepis etc. ROLE AS BIOFERTILIZER Pteridophytes plants are very helpful for the formation of biofertilisers Azolla (a water fern) has a symbiotic association with nitrogen fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena azollae. It is inoculated to paddy fields to function as bio-fertilizer. AS ORNAMENTAL PLANTS Lycopodium obscurum called “Christmas tree” are used as grassland during Christmas festival and for purpose of decoration. Lycopodium volubile is very commonly used by decoration. Selaginella plant also used during Christmas festival as grassland and various type of table decoration. A few species are grown in pots for their beautiful colored moss like foliage. Many ferns are used as decoretary e.g. Nephrolepis, Pteris and Dryopteris are used as ornamentally in home. Few species of Selaginella such as Selaginella lepdophylla and S.pilifera are called resurrection plant.