Kiran Bargali

Germination and Seedling Growth of Pulse Crop (Vigna Spp.) as Affected by Soil Salt Stress

Vigna is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae with worldwide distribution. In the present study, effect of salt stress was investigated in four species of Vigna viz. V. mungo (urd), V. angularis (rais), V. radiata (moong) and V. aconitifolia (moth) at germination and seedling growth stages in a glasshouse experiment. Seeds of selected crops were surface sterilized and placed under three salt stress levels of 0 (control), 50 and 100 mM using NaCl solutions. Three replicates for each treatment was used for this experiment. The results indicated that increase in salt stress levels caused a reduction in germination percentage, germination rate, shoot length, root length and seedling dry weight of each Vigna species. The overall results indicated that among the four species, V. aconitifolia was the most sensitive, whereas V. mungo was the least sensitive species to the salinity in almost every aspect of growth. keywords: Germination percentage, Salinity, Seed vigour, Seedling growth, Sensitivity.

Agro-Biodiversity of Kumaun Himalaya, India: A Review

Kumaun Himalaya is one of the unique systems, rich in indigenous traditional knowledge and culturally strong. In the present study, qualitative and quantitative data were collected on agrobiodiversity through field and literature survey. Altogether, 161 plant species belonging to 117 genera and 57 families were recorded. In addition, a large number of land races, varieties and wild relatives are also being used. Cultivation of these crops is mainly of subsistence in nature rather than for commercial purposes. Due to a number of reasons, the area under traditional crops is declining in Kumaun Himalayan region but many of the crop varieties are still conserved because of their socio-cultural and religious values. The human population has increased over time forcing farmers to change their cropping patterns, for example, replacement of mixed cropping to mono-cropping and switching over to cash crops. This has adverse implications on traditional agro-biodiversity of the region. There are both local and global advantages in supporting a dynamic traditional system of agro-biodiversity management. Therefore, promotion and conservation of agro-biodiversity should be done through sustainable use and onfarm and offfarm management.

Effect of a Nitrogen-Fixing Actinorhizal Shrub on Herbaceous Vegetation in a Mixed Conifer Forest of Central Himalaya

In this study, we examined the effect of a nitrogen-fixing shrub Coriaria nepalensis Wall on herb species composition, diversity and biomass. The effect was measured in terms of species richness, diversity and biomass of herb species in three sites varying in Coriaria density viz. site 1 (low Coriaria density; 20 ind. ha-1), site-2 (medium Coriaria density; 120 ind. ha-1) and site-3 (high Coriaria density 190 ind. ha -1 ). Species richness was minimum at Site-1 (16 species), and maximum at site-2 (27 species). G. aparine dominated site-1 and Arthraxon sp dominated site-2 and 3. The individual herb density ranged between 0.40 - 42.40 m -2 , and total herb density ranged between 138- 170.4 m -2 and was maximum at site-2. Value for species richness (27) and Shannon Index (3.72) was highest for medium Coriaria density site and lowest for low Coriaria density site. Simpson Index ranged between 0.11 and 0.14 and was lowest for site-2 (medium Coriaria density) indicating that at this the dominance was shared by many species. Along the gradient of Coriaria density, maximum biomass was recorded at site-3 with highest Coriaria density and lowest at site-2 with medium Coriaria density. This may be due to the symbiotic nitrogen fixing ability of Coriaria that improve the habitat quality. The facilitative effect of C. nepalensis in terms of soil amelioration and herb growth can be used to regenerate degraded forest ecosystems.

Floral Composition and Diversity Pattern in Open and Closed Dry Deciduous Forest

Forests are the important source of subsistence, employment, revenue earning and raw material to various industrial uses. Above all they are most important component of life support system on the earth. The present study was conducted to analyze the impact of biotic disturbance on composition and diversity of dry deciduous forests of Barnawapara wild life sanctuary, Chhattisgarh, India. For this, two sites viz. open canopy forest and closed canopy forest were selected. Floristic analysis of tree vegetation was done and density, Important Value Index, diversity index etc. were determined for both the sites. Regeneration status of tree species was analysed by developing population structures. Species number was high in closed canopy forest as compared to open canopy forest. Tree density (1520 trees ha−1) and basal area (50.35 m2ha−1) were higher in closed canopy forest than in open canopy forest (650 trees ha−1 density and 48.29 m2ha−1 basal area). In sapling layer species number (14), density (590 saplings ha−1) and basal area (2.46 m2ha−1) were higher in closed canopy forest as compared to open canopy forest. Seedling layer also follow the similar trend. Generally, Shannon index, species richness and equitability were higher in closed canopy forest than open canopy forest. Thus, it can be concluded that biotic disturbance adversely affect the forest composition and diversity.

Effects of NaCl on Germination and Seedling Growth in Macrotyloma Uniflorum and Vigna mungo

Among abiotic stresses, drought and salinity are two major determinants due to high magnitude of their impact and wide occurrence. Salinity considerably limits the productivity of crops and thus, considered as the most destructive abiotic factor. In the present study, response of Macrotyloma uniflorum and Vigna mungo to salt (NaCl) stress imposed at germination and seedling growth stages was investigated. The aim of the study was identify the physiological and morphological responses of selected leguminous crop. Seeds were obtained from the healthy plants, surface sterilized and placed under six salt stress levels (0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 dsm-1). Complete randomized design with three replicates was used for this experiment and the experiments were conducted during the year 2015 in the glasshouse of Department of Botany, DSB, Campus, Kumaun University, Nainital. In comparison to Macrotyloma uniflorum (77%), higher germination percentage was observed in Vigna mungo (99%) at all salinity levels. In both the species, germination percentage and seedling growth decreased with the increase in salinity stress. Though Vigna mungo showed higher values for root (0.17 g) and shoot dry mass (0.27 g) the dry weight percentage reduction was higher in this species as compared to Macrotyloma uniflorum. Decrease in biomass of seedling with increasing salt stress indicated that the stress not only affected germination but also the growth of seedlings, which indicates that the synthetic ability of seed and biomass of the seedlings was also affected. Seed vigor index declined with the increase in salt concentrations. Outcomes from the study could be helpful in understanding the plant’s nature against different levels of salt stress and that could be economically exploited by various able agencies. At each salinity level, M. uniflorum showed higher salt tolerance index as compared to V. mungo so it can be cultivated in fields with salty soil. Article History Received: 8 July 2017 Accepted: 15 September 2017

Leguminous Plants of the Kumaun Himalaya: Diversity, Distribution, Threats and Management

Legume-rhizobium is the most important symbiotic nitrogen-fixation system which offers a low-input and cost effective tool in ecosystem restoration. In addition, legumes provide timber, ornamental plants, food, fodder, gums, oils and medicine etc. In the present study, diversity, distribution, threats and management of leguminous plants of Kumaun Himalayan region have been described. Frequent surveys of the Kumaun Himalayan region were made to list the leguminous plants. In addition, a literature survey was used for confirmation of the list. Plants were categorized according to their habit and placed in three subfamilies of the family Fabaceae. Distribution, locality, flowering and fruiting time and uses of each species were also recorded. A total of 73 genera of legumes belonging to 255 species distributed in 3 sub families were described. Of these, 59 genera with 204 species belong to the sub-family Papilionaceae, 8 genera with 30 species to the sub-family Caesalpiniaceae and 6 genera with 21 species to the sub-family Mimosacae. The legumes showed a wide range of habit and include trees, shrubs, herbs, twiners, climbers, lianas etc. The maximum number of species were distributed between 500 to 1000 m elevations and decreased with increasing altitude. The maximum number of legumes was herbs (48 %), followed by shrubs (31 %), trees (14 %), and climbers (6 %). These plants can be further screened for their suitability and potential for nitrogen enrichment and amelioration of the degraded sites. At present the legume diversity is declining due to the fragmentation of habitat and over exploitation. This is resulting in the extinction of many legume species from their wild habitat. So, there is an urgent need to take proper steps for the conservation and management of legumes.

Traditional Homegardens as a Sustainable Ecosystem for Maintenance of Biodiversity: A Case Study from Kumaun Himalaya, India

Abstract Homegardens with trees are one of the agroforestry practices known to be ecologically sustainable and diversifies livelihood of local community. The main objective of this study is to understand the home gardening systems as practiced by rural people in the region, and to provide a base for further scientific studies. The study sites were selected in Okhalkanda block of district Nainital in Kumaun Himalayan region of Uttarakhand state, India. After primary survey, ten villages involved in homegarden agroforestry were randomly selected and in each village ten households were randomly selected for the collection of data. The total number of species encountered in the homegardens was 86, with vegetables as the dominant use-component. Fodder, fuel wood, fruits, medicinal, miscellaneous, ornamental, pulses, spices and religious were the major plant use categories. As the highest biodiversity and complexity among man-made agro systems homegarden show diversity of production system and diversity of species, both of which are key aspects that determine ecological sustainability.

Growth Versus Storage in Quercus leucotrichophora and Pinus roxburghii Seedlings in Response to Changes in Nutrient and Water Availability

In this paper, growth and storage of carbon and nitrogen in seedlings of banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus) and chir pine (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.) have been compared across different levels of nutrient and water availabilities. Four nutrient (144, 264, 384 and 504 mg of NPK fertilizer per kg soil) and three watering (21 days, 14 days and 7 days interval) treatments were applied to seedlings. At low watering levels, seedling dry mass of both the species decreased towards higher nutrient level. However, at high watering level, dry mass increased with increasing water availability. When water availability was increased in a constant nutrient environment, dry mass of seedling increased with increase in water availability. Both the species showed a similar pattern of storing nitrogen instead of increasing biomass particularly at low watering levels. However, at each nutrient level, growth and storage increased with increasing moisture availability. As compared to Q. leucotrichophora, seedlings of P. roxburghii favoured growth over storage (according to its more competitive strategy), although this species accumulated more carbon and nitrogen towards the higher nutrient level.

How Seed Size and Wate r Stress Effect the Seed Germination and Seedling Growth in Wheat Varieties

Water stress has adverse impacts on crop growth, yield and quality parameters thus, considered among serious constraints to agriculture production. Under depleting natural resources, environmental fluctuation and increased risk of epidemic outbreak, the task of sufficient wheat production has become a serious problem. In this study, effect of seed size and water stress was analyzed in three wheat varieties (PBW-154, UP-2338, and UP-2425). Three seed size classes (large, medium, small) of each wheat variety were kept under four water stress levels. It was observed that the shoot length and root length were highly sensitive to water stress and showed minimum growth at highest water stress level. The comparison of varieties, seed size classes and water stress levels showed that in terms of seedling growth variety UP-2338 was more resistant to water stress as compared to other varieties, whereas in terms of germination variety PBW-154 was more resistant. Variety UP-2425 showed maximum reduction in seed germination with increasing water stress (33.3% at -15 bar stress level). Among seed size, large sized seeds showed highest seed germination (91.9%) followed by medium (89.7%) and small (82.8%) sized seeds.

Contribution of Rural Women in Vegetable Cultivation in Homegardens of Nainital District, Kumaun Himalaya, India

Homegardens are usually the small piece of land surrounding the house. They are important agroecosystems and are a source of subsistence and cash resources. The aim of present study was to analyse contribution of rural women in homegarden vegetable cultivation in Nainital district of Kumaun Himalaya, India. Data were collected from 100 respondents by using random sampling method. Participatory interview technique was used to collect data. Observation of homegardens revealed that women play a key role in homegarden vegetable cultivation. Majority of rural women were independently participating (60%) in homegarden vegetable cultivation while 40% women participated jointly with men. Characteristics of rural women such as age, level of education, family size, homegarden size, knowledge about homegarden etc vary from place to place and affect contribution of rural women insignificantly. In order to enable women to actively participate in the various activities related to homegarden vegetable cultivation there is a great need to promote change in policies, laws and development programmes.