Abstract :
Production of prussic acid is the defense mechanism of plants against microbes and
herbivores. Prussic acid or Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) is known to occur in some 2,700 plants in the
global flora. It is produced after enzymatic hydrolysis. The grazing animals when they consume the
cyanogenic plants in large quantities, they suffer from the cyanide poisoning. The symptoms of
poisoning are anxiety, progressive weakness and labored breathing, followed by death. In the present
study, the author estimated the prussic acid content in some important crop plants of Marathwada
region in the state of Maharashtra, India. The semi-quantitative estimation was done with the help of
a simple kit. The study is crucial to recognize toxicity of crop plants.
Keyword :
Crop plants, Cyanogenesis, Cyanogenic glycosides, Maharashtra, Prussic acid.