Prussic acid content in some crop plants with reference to its toxicity to grazing animals

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.