Sacred groves are well-protected areas managed by strong spiritual beliefs by the local communities and often represent the relict climax vegetation the region. The present study was conducted in Dhwaj sacred grove from the Central region of Indian Himalayas, releasing its role in biodiversity conservation through traditional and cultural belief systems. Total 81 species belonging to 67 genera and 50 families of plants were identified; in which 40 species were flowering plants, 23 species were lichens, 7 species bryophytes, 12 species were pteridophytes and only one species was gymnosperm. Rhododendron arboreum and Quercus leuchotricophora is the most dominant tree species in the grove showing highest IVI values. Ethnobotanically, 40 species belonging to 38 genera and 27 families are used by the local communities for the treatment of various ailments. But, due to high anthropogenic pressure, this grove facing several threat of degradation, hence special attention is needed towards its conservation and motivation to promote our traditional knowledge.

Eight families (two liverworts; six mosses) of Bryophytes, with ten representative species viz., Liverworts- Cephaloziellaceae (Cephaloziella kiaeri, Cylindrocolea tagawae), Porellaceae (Porella acutifolia); Mosses- Erpodiaceae (Solmsiella biseriata), Hylocomiaceae (Leptohymenium tenue), Myuriaceae (Myurium perplexum), Pterigynandraceae (Pterigynandrum filiforme), Sematophyllaceae (Sematophyllum humile and Sematophyllum subhumile), and Trachypodaceae (Bryowijkia ambigua) are new distributional records for the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.

The low regeneration potential is one of the main causes of the depleting population of threatened species. Phlomoides superba an endangered species is facing depletion in its natural habitats due to various causes including habitat destruction, low regeneration and exploitation. The ornamental potential of this species makes it suitable for cultivation in gardens for sake of both ex-situ conservation and beautification as well. Because of this, a suitable mass scale propagation protocol is required to prevent wild exploitation of this species for commercial use and also for its reintroduction in suitable habitats.

Selaginella adunca is a quite distinct and rare species of Selaginella found in Western Himalaya. This species is reported only from few populations occurring in India and Nepal. Since most of its reported habitats are under anthropogenic pressure, therefore for proper conservation of this species it is necessary to mark the suitable habitat for its conservation and reintroduction. The present study was aimed to find out the suitable habitat of this species through ecological niche modelling (ENM) technique using Maxent model. This will also help in relocating the species in other preferred habitat type and its reintroduction as well.

The physiocochemical properties of Jatropha curcas kernel oils were characterized as potential biodiesel, including oil yield per plant, seed oil content, kernel oil content, acid value, iodine value, saponification value and cetane number. Twenty-five accessions of Jatropha curcas were used for oil content measurement sranging from 21.14 to 40.66 %with a mean value of 32.85% and Kernels oil 48.59 to 60.45 % with a mean value of 56.28 %. The seed index ranged significantly from a seed weight of 45.45 to 64.45 g. Oil yields per plant ranged from 0.44 to 2.85 kg with a mean value of 1.70 kg per plant, respectively. To understand the properties of acid value, iodine value, saponification and cetane number, experimental physio-chemical studies were performed. Since these properties are critical for determining the current oil condition. The current study confirms that accession seeds performed higher than international saponification value, iodine value and cetane number standards may be an important source for meeting potential energy requirements.

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is a cultivated nutritional cereal, which originated in South Asia and is considered one of the oldest cultivated millets in India. DNA fingerprinting is mandatory for registration of newly developed varieties with National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) and Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority (PPV&FRA). Due to the limited availability of genomic information in foxtail millet, the use of DNA based markers in fingerprinting of crop varieties is also limited. Hence in the present investigation, available RAPD and SSR markers of cereals are used for fingerprinting the foxtail millet varieties. The newly released variety ATL 1 is differentiated from popular variety CO (Te) 7 using SSR and RAPD markers. About 66 maize SSR primers, 16 sorghum SSR primers, and 10 RAPD primers were used in the study. Out of 66 maize SSR markers used for study, one showed polymorphism. The marker umc1704 showed polymorphism between CO (Te) 7 and ATL 1 by the presence of 670 bp allele CO (Te) 7. The RAPD primers OPB4, OPA5, OPA11 and OPB1 also helped for differentiation of the two varieties. The identified makers will help for genetic purity testing of CO (Te) 7 and ATL 1 in the seed chain.

Studies on the phytochemicals of the stem wood of tropical trees are scarce, despite its importance to plant protection and preservation as most researches focused on their leaves and fruits. This research work aimed to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the phytochemicals present in the stem wood of Gmelina arborea, Tectona grandis and Anogeissus leiocarpus. Freshly sawn timbers were collected from a local sawmill and then grounded into finely powdered wood samples. The powdered wood samples and its extracts were screened for the presence or absence of phytochemicals using standard methodologies. The qualitative screening revealed the presence of various secondary metabolites such as tannin, saponin, steroids, flavonoid, alkaoids and terpene in all the three species. The result also showed that Tectona grandis had the highest percentage of Alkaloid (7.5%), Tannin (4.95%), and Flavonoid (4.67%) while Anogeissus leiocarpus had the highest percentage of Saponin (3.06%) and Terpene (1.45%). This study established the fact that the three selected species studied have potentials in the industries for medicinal and anti-pathogenic usages.

Successful production of healthy seedlings in a forest nursery can be ensured through seed treatment to enhance germination. This study assessed the effects of pre-sowing treatments on the germination of Jatropha curcas; to provide the best treatment for enhancing seedling production. The experiment was laid in a completely randomized design with four treatments: (i) control (T1), (ii) soaking in; water at room temperature at room temperature for 16 hours (iii) cow-dung slurry for 16 hours (iv) 98% concentrated sulphuric acid for 5 minutes Each treatment received 10 seeds and was replicated 5 times giving a total of 200 seeds sown in sterilized river bank sand. Germinated seeds were counted, converted to percentages and arsine values. The data were further subjected to analysis of variance and significant means were separated using Duncan multiple range test (DMRT) at 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that seeds with no pre-sowing treatment had the highest mean germination (66%), DMRT revealed that significant difference (P<0.05) existed between seeds with no pre-sowing treatment and other treatments. The study concluded that viable Jatropha curcas seeds have no germination problem; the seeds could be germinated without pre-sowing treatment.

The climate change and carbon mitigation through forest ecosystems play an important role in the global perspective. Soil is a huge carbon reservoir and its storage capacity varied greatly with forest type and altitude. The mountain ecosystem varies in soil organic carbon stock (SOC) due to variations in soil types, climatic conditions, vegetation patterns and elevational gradients. Soil organic carbon stockswere measured at three depths (0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm) in five different forest elevation (200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 m asl) on Courtallam hills, Southern Western Ghats, India. SOC stocks increased significantly with the increase in altitude (P<0.05) at all the three layers (0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm). A total of SOC stocks ranged from 42.79 mg ha-1at 0–30 cm depth were observed in lower altitude (200 m) and the highest value of 50.25 mg ha-1 at 0–30 cm depth was observed in mid-elevation 600 m, while in other elevational showed 46.45, 48.49 and 45.05 mg ha-1 in 400, 800 and 1000 m respectively. SOC ranged from 17.89 to 22.37 mg ha-1 in soil surface layer (0–10 cm), 14.00 to 16.573 mg ha-1 in middle layer (10–20 cm) and 9.08 to 11.35 mg ha-1 in the bottom layer (20–30 cm). These results would also enhance our ability to assesses the role of these forest types in soil carbon sequestration and for developing and validating the SOC models for tropical forest ecosystems.

Three species of red algae belonging to the class Rhodophyceae viz. Amphiroa fragilissima, Centroceras clavulatum and Gracilaria canaliculata were collected from seven localities in the southeast coast of India. The collected red algae were analysed for elemental composition (Al, B, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Fb, Zn) using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP - AES) from May 2018 to April 2019 at three months interval. The seasonal variation in the elemental composition of the three red algae species showed that most of the minerals were found to accumulate during the summer season followed by pre-monsoon season. This could perhaps be due to the ambient concentration of these minerals were high during these seasons; thereby facilitating their uptake by seaweeds. The accumulation factor of certain irons by the algae were also discussed in this paper.

Prevailing climate change is expected due to carbon dioxide emission to the atmosphere through soil respiration and perhaps the alteration in the terrestrial carbon cycle. The measurements to establish the effect and sensitivity of soil temperature, soil water content and plant biomass on soil respiration was performed in the sub-tropical grassland located in Central Nepal. Field measurements of soil respiration was conducted by using the closed-chamber method, and soil temperature, soil water content and plant biomass were monitored in the years 2015 and 2016. The soil respiration showed positive significant exponential function which accounted for 74.6% (R2=0.746, p

The ability to predict the distribution of diameters in a stand is essential for forest managers to make informed management decisions such as prescription of silvicultural treatments and harvesting regimes. Such information is preferably derived from suitable distribution model. This study evaluated the performance of four distribution models in describing the structure of the teak stands in Oluwa Forest Reserve, Nigeria. Data were collected from 12 temporary sample plots of 20 × 20 m size in the teak stand. Maximum likelihood estimator was used to fit the distribution models: beta, gamma, Johnson SB, and Weibull to the diameter data from the teak stand. Relative rank-sum derived from four indices was used to conclude on the most suitable distribution for the stand. The results showed that the Weibull distribution was the most suitable function for the teak stand with a relative rank-sum of 4.0. Application of Weibull distribution together with suitable height-diameter and volume models estimated yield of 136.281 m3 ha-1 within timber size class (diameter ≥30 cm). And a total of 309.640 m3 ha-1 was estimated for the stand. Other product specifications were also provided. This would help in the routine management of the stand.

This study was carried out to aid the prediction of tree slenderness coefficient using non-linear regression models for tree species in Omo Biosphere Reserve, Southwestern Nigeria. Systematic line transect design was adopted for the study. Three transects were laid with four plots on each transect at alternate positions which made a total of 12 sample plots (50 m × 50 m) in the study area. Diameter at breast height (DBH), diameter at the top, diameter at the middle and diameter at the base as well as total height and merchantable height of all trees were measured. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis were adopted for the study. The study showed that about 23.5% of the trees in the study area are susceptible to wind-throw damage. Correlation analysis revealed that DBH is a better predictor of Slenderness coefficient than other tree growth characteristics. Six non-linear models were adopted for the tree slenderness coefficient prediction. The best models were selected based on the highest Adj.R2, lowest AIC and SEE values. Normal logarithmic equation SLC = 30.72 + (-41.21) In(D) was selected as the candidate model for the pooled data. The same candidate model (Natural logarithm) was selected for both the Desplatsia lutea and Strombosia pustulata species with the equation SLC = -0.04 + (-63.82) In(D) and SLC = 22.12 + (-51.40) In(D) respectively while exponential model with equation SLC = 170.94e(-1.93) was selected for Sterculia rhinopetala. These equations were recommended for predicting slenderness coefficient for each of the tree species in Omo Biosphere with apparently valid potentials for enhancing reasonable quantification of the stands’ stability.

The growth and yield characters of chickpea varieties suitable for mechanical harvesting were evaluated through field experiment conducted for three consecutive years (2016__17 to 2018__19) during rabi season on vertisols under rainfed conditions at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh. The investigation was carried out in split plot design with three replications. Two plant geometries (30.0 × 10.0 cm and 22.5 × 10.0 cm) were assigned to main plots and six chickpea varieties (viz., GBM 2, Dheera, CSJ 515, HC 5, Phule G 08108 and BRC 1) were assigned to sub plots. Pooled analysis of experimental results indicated that significantly higher number of branches per plant (8.7) and number of pods per plant (31.1) and test weight (24.3 g) were observed under 30.0 × 10.0 cm when compared to 22.5 × 10.0 cm. Higher plant height (44.8 cm), height of lowest pod bearing branch (30.0 cm), lower days to 50 % flowering (42.1 days) and higher test weight (31.2 g) were observed in Dheera. Higher number of branches per plant (9.2) and number of pods per plant (34.2) were observed in GBM 2. Higher seed yield was observed in Phule G 08108 (1708 kg ha-1) which is followed by GBM 2 (1675 kg ha-1) Dheera (1569 kg ha-1) and BRC 1 (1493 kg ha-1). Higher harvest index (56.4%) was also observed in Phule G 08108. Chickpea varieties GBM2, Dheera and BRC1 were best suitable for mechanical harvesting and higher seed yield due to their excellent morphology.

Zingiberaceae is a family of monocotyledonous plants consisting of about 50 genera with a total of about 1600 known species of perennial herbs with tuberous rhizomes, distributed throughout tropical and sub-tropical forests. India has rich diversity of Zingiberaceae plants with nearly 200 of the world taxa occurring here. In Maharashtra 11 genera and around 40 species under this family are found in wild and cultivated state. Satpuda hills of Khandesh are lesser known for their wild Zingiberaceae members with only 5 species recorded in earlier floristic studies of the region. Present paper deals with the addition of Zingiber roseum to the flora of Jalgaon district and Khandesh region. The present record of Z. roseum is only the second record of this species from Maharashtra. The study provides a detailed taxonomic description, photographs and relevant information of above-mentioned plant species.

Amaryllidaceae plants are collectively called as Amaryllids, majority are ornamentals, beyond beauty they also boon for perfume, vegetables and medicine. They are playing a key role in horticulture as ornamental plants, used for decoration in all kinds of ceremonies and florists often used in bouquets. The present paper deals with 19 species belonging to 10 genera and key to the species, brief description, Flowering and fruiting period, locality, economic importance, photographs etc. were provided.

The lichen genus Dibaeis is currently represented in India by two species, viz., Dibaeis baeomyces and Dibaeis pulogensis reported from the states of Meghalaya, Sikkim and Western Bengal. The present study describes the occurrence of a new record Dibaeis absoluta from the Eastern Himalayan hill tracts of Mizoram, North-East India which is situated in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. The addition of present new record of Dibaeis species further increased the number to three in India. A revised key is also provided.

Mangroves are a diverse group of highly salt-tolerant woody plants, which grow in the inter-tidal zones in tropical and subtropical latitudes. Despite its unique services to the people, coastal and marine systems, mangroves have become one of the most rapidly disappearing ecosystems in the world. This paper reviews the available information on distribution, current status and challenges of mangroves in Sri Lanka. Today, around 160 km2 of mangrove vegetation is available in Sri Lanka and distributed mainly in Jaffna, Batticaloa, Kalpitiya, Rekawa and Trincomalee and is composed of 21 species of true mangroves and 24 species of mangrove associates. Mangroves in the island have been adversely affected due to the numerous anthropogenic activities, including land reclamation, tourism, coastal aquaculture and agriculture and other industrial activities etc. Proper conservations of mangroves are urgently required to the island to avoid further decline of mangrove ecosystem. It is imperative to evaluate policies, legal instruments and development strategies to effectively protect this valuable ecosystem.

The nature of the soil is a very important factor in the growth and development of a crop. Crop plants suffer a decline in growth and yield, when exposed to the saline condition. Pea considers one of the main leguminous crops, due to its ability to produce significant quantities of protein, carbohydrates and nutrient-rich seeds. Plants were subjected to four salt treatments, 4, 8, 12 and 16 mmhos cm-1 of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate and the biomass and biochemical responses were measured. All growth attributes such as stem, root and leaf fresh and dry weight decrease with the increased salinities doses. Salt treatments were no significant effects on the biomass and quantitative changes in starch, protein and soluble sugar in seeds of pea. But it was noted that the starch contents were much reduced in 16 mmhos cm-1, the salinity level of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate as compared to control. The protein content and sugar content value were increased in a higher concentration of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate, when compared to control in Pea, CV. Azad P-1. The proline content increased with salt stress up to 8 mmhos cm-1 in CV-Azad P-1. It was also observed that the high dose of sodium sulfate is declined biomass and quantitative changes in starch, than that of sodium chloride solution in pea seeds.

The specimen was collected during the rainy season in June, 2018 from Botanical garden Rain Forest Research Institute, Jorhat. Morphological characters of the specimen were recorded in the field and micromorphological characters were studied in the laboratory under the optical microscope. After a thorough examination of the specimen and its spores and capillitial threads, it is confirmed that the specimen is wild edible puffball named Calvatia craniiformis belongs to family Agaricaceae. It is also ensured after consultation with available literature that Calvatia craniiformis is the first report in North-East India.

Carbohydrates were analysed in 40 species of marine macroalgae belonging to three classes collected at seasonal intervals between April 2018 to March 2019 from the intertidal habitats in Gulf of manner coastal regions.Among the 40 dominant seaweeds 11 species belonged to Chlorophyceae, 13 species to Phaeophyceae and the remaining 16 species to Rhodophyceae. The carbohydrate content of seaweeds varied from 4.50±0.12 to 72.25±3.15 % of DW during the summer season. The percentage of carbohydrate content was maximum in Gracilaria verrucosa (72.25±3.15 % of DW) during the summer season and minimum in Turbinaria ornata (4.50±0.12 DW) during the summer season. The carbohydrate content of seaweeds varied from 5.50±0.17 to 48.38±3.04 % of DW during the pre-monsoon season. The maximum values were observed in Gracilaria corticata var. corticata the minimum content was observed in Padina pavonica. The carbohydrate content of seaweeds varied from 4.83±0.12 to 58.18±4.56 % of DW during the monsoon season. The maximum value was observed in Gracilaria corticata var corticata and the minimum was in Padina pavonica. The carbohydrate content of seaweeds varied from 7.36±0.16 to 67.25±2.41 % of DW during the post-monsoon season. The maximum value was observed in Acanthophora spicifera and the minimum content was observed in Sargassum ilicifolium.

The roadsides of the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana are lined with the several species of trees, such as, Terminalia catappa, Mangifera indica, Ficus platyphylla and Polyalthia longifolia. The people use them for their health care needs. The vehicle emissions results in oxidative injury in these plants, due to the production of reactive oxygen species. The present study assessed the antioxidant potential of leaves of these tree species subjected to vehicular pollutants. The free radical scavenging activity of leaf extracts of the four tree species were measured using 1, 1- diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH). The total phenolic content (TPC) of the extract was determined by a spectrophotometric assay using the Folin-Ciocalteau’s reagent. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was measured using Phosphomolybdate assay. In this study, the medicinal properties of leaves of Terminalia catappa, Mangifera indica, Ficus platyphylla and Polyalthia longifolia sampled from the control sites showed better medicinal properties. DPPH scavenging activity at concentration 2.7 ug ml-1 was lower at the arterial road sites in all the four tree species. A higher DPPH percentage inhibition was recorded at the control sites. The IC50 values were higher for the leaf sample extracts from the arterial road sites and lower for the Control site. The total phenolic content of leaf samples of all the four tree species at the arterial road sites were lower than and significantly different from those at the Control site (p=0.000). The TAC values were lower at the arterial road sites in comparison to the control sites. There was a significant difference among the arterial road sites and also when compared with the control (P<0.05). It could be suggested from this study that variability exists in the antioxidant activities of plants due to a decrease in the medicinal properties of plants subjected to constant auto vehicular pollution.

Soil nutrient index was developed in mango orchard soils for which a sum of 88 soil samples were recently collected from the root zone depth (0–30 cm) of 22 fixed mango orchards of Lucknow region of Uttar Pradesh, India. Analysis of data indicated orchards had wider contents in nutrients in soil and foliar parts. Developed soil nutrient index concluded that mango orchard soils were categorized as low SOC, N and K, whereas P designated in medium rating. In case of available micronutrients, Zn, Fe and Mn falls under medium rating while Cu in low rating. Productivity analysis showed 4.92 to 8.68 t ha-1 with majority of the orchards had production from 6 to ≤8.0 t ha-1. Such lower productivity is linked to low to medium soil nutrients. The study showed for ensuring better productivity, proper nutrition management systems should be adopted by the growers.

The present paper deals with the addition of 05 new plant species i.e. Tephrosia pumila, Striga asiatica, Tecomella undulata, Orobanche cernua and Sauromatum venosum belonging to 05 different families; from this 01 additional family i.e. Orobanchaceae is reported for the first time to the flora of Yavatmal district. This study provides the correct and updated detail information about morphology, phenology and occurrence of these new additional plant species for the future work.

Yield models are very important to forest management, especially for site quality assessment, subsequent inventories, timber valuation and assessment of stand growth. This study developed yield models for the young Tectona grandis stands in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Southeastern Nigeria. These models were necessary to the guide forest managers in timber valuation as well as monitoring growth of the stand. Data for this study was collected through complete enumeration method, tree height and stem diameters of the 295 Teak stands were measured. Non-destructive method (Newton’s formula) was used in computing individual tree volumes. The tree growth variables data were subjected to descriptive statistics and used for fitting five nonlinear regression functions. The mean stem height, diameter at breast height and volume were 10.6 m, 8.9 cm, 0.032 m3, respectively. Out of the five yield equations fitted; the generalized combined variable model had the best predictive ability; with the lowest root mean square error (0.0084 m3) and Akaike information criterion (-2809). Therefore, the generalized combined variable model was recommended for yield estimation of Tectona grandis.

Firewood serves as the principal source of energy for cooking and heating, for many rural communities, but the impact of firewood extraction on the forest is often undermined. The present study was undertaken to assess the firewood consumption pattern by households living near community forests of East Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya and the impact of such activity on species diversity and population structure on such forests. Data on firewood consumption and preferred firewood species, and impacts of firewood harvesting on species diversity and population structure were collected through household surveys and phytosociological studies respectively. The surveyed households showed high dependency on firewood and the consumption pattern varies with the family size. The preferred firewood species are those of hardwood trees such as Quercus spp., Lithocarpus spp., Castanopsis spp. and Myrica spp. Firewood extraction have negative impact on forests, resulting in decrease in species diversity and population of the preferred firewood species. Statistical analysis revealed that species richness and diversity and density differ significantly in protected and unprotected forests. Despite low per capita consumption of firewood and precautionary measures like regulated harvesting in the study area, firewood harvesting cannot be ignored as an important cause of forest degradation and biodiversity loss. More research into local ecological and cultural contexts and perceptions concerning costs and benefits can help devise sustainable management options, including alternative sources of fuel.