Rita Gupta

‘Drumstick tree’ (Moringa oleifera Lam.): a multipurpose potential species in India

Moringa oleifera Lam., a medium sized tree species has gained importance due to its multipurpose usage and well adaptability to dry and hot climates of north-western plains, central India and dry regions of peninsular India. This species is reported in this paper for distribution of diversity and genetic resources value in different parts of the country. Information on diversification in use viz. regional importance has been included to broaden the scope for value addition, identification of potential value and use in plant genetic resource programmes.

Chinese chives (Allium tuberosum Rottler ex Sprengel): a home garden species or a commercial crop in India

Chinese chives (Allium tuberosum Rottler ex Sprengel) is a less known cultivated vegetable in western and eastern Himalayan regions of India. This species is reported here for its potential for commercialization to supplement the onion and garlic production in different parts of India especially under the present unpredictable climatic conditions. Due to multipurpose use and wider adaptability of the species future thrust is laid on collection and conservation programmes in India.

Methodology for Collecting and Preparing Herbarium Specimen of Allium

Taxa belonging to the genus Allium are bulbous or rhizomatous with hollow or flat leaves and small delicate flowers, therefore preparing an ideal herbarium specimen is difficult. Quite often some of the characters are not well preserved while processing for herbarium specimen; occasionally they are misunderstood for characters therefore defeat the very purpose of their use as source for taxonomic study. In this paper the authors have made an attempt to provide methodology on collection and preparation of herbarium specimens of different species of Allium. Information provided herein is primarily based on the authors’ field experience and experimental and herbarium study on the genus in the Indian context. Most significant observations to be recorded in field during collecting include characters of root and bulb/rhizome, leaf, scape and flower. The paper also includes modified procedures for ‘difficult to preserve herbarium specimens’ with special notes on plant odour, flower colour and leaf colour. This can be broadly applied to taxa belonging to other bulbous groups with appropriate modification. Illustrations provided in this paper depict the representative types to facilitate better understanding by the readers.

A new report on cultivation of “Sukhlai” (Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik. subsp. tetraphyllus (Roxb. ex Hornem.) Borss. Waalk.): a species used as organic clearant in jaggery industry in India

During survey and exploration undertaken for collection of germplasm of crop wild relatives from terai region (foothills) of Uttarakhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh, a wild species of okra [Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik. subsp. tetraphyllus (Roxb. ex Hornem.) Borss. Waalk.] locally called “Sukhlai” being used as organic clearant in small scale jaggery industry was reported for the first time under cultivation in farmers’ field. There is no specific documentation on its commercial cultivation for the above use. Variability study was undertaken for cultivated and wild types in areas of exploration to work out trends of domestication. Brief information on botany, distribution, genetic resource value and methodology of use of the species in jaggery industry has been discussed.

National Herbarium of Cultivated Plants (NHCP): Importance of Voucher Specimens of Introduced Germplasm

Herbarium specimens representing plant genetic resources introduced from abroad, are a distinctive component of the National Herbarium of Cultivated Plants (NHCP). These specimens represent diversity augmented in crops and wild species mostly not native to the Indian region. Herbarium specimens, bearing the unique identity number assigned to germplasm introduced into the Indian region, were screened, checked with primary and secondary data records for identity, source locality/area, and its availability as ex situ germplasm. Additional data on area of origin/diversity of species was used to delineate specimens of value in PGR and represented as cultigens, cultivars, both popular and historic, as well as local morphotypes and ecotypes of crops, as well as wild relatives of crops.