An assessment of avian fauna of Chail Wildlife Sanctuary was carried out during a three year study between 1996-1999. The Sanctuary which is famous for its Cheer Pheasant population is highly disturbed because of the presence of 121 villages with a population of nearly 10,000. Various anthropogenic activities like cattle grazing, collection of timber, firewood, cultivation and fodder extraction etc. have contributed in degrading the Sanctuary. Nevertheless, the Sanctuary harbours a total of 138 species of birds. The list includes three endangered species included in Schedule-I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Majority of birds (66.66%) are resident birds followed by winter migrants (15.20%) and summer migrants (13.76%). Efforts are being made by the Wildlife department to improve the habitat by carrying out plantations and developing water holes. These efforts need to be augmented by management practices like controlling forest fires and initiating eco-development programmes to reduce people’s dependence on Sanctuary resources.

In a forest ecosystem, nutrient storage and cycling are effectively balanced by long-term retention in the bole and short-term retention in the twig and leaf. There is a continuous release of nutrients into the soil by the decomposition of fallen litter. Litter production of forest floor is the result of fall of leaves either seasonally or continuous throughout the annual cycle. Periodic collection and quantification of different litter components of 3 years old (Site I) and 6 years old (Site II) monoculture plantations of Acacia auriculiformis have been carried out at Varanasi for two consecutive years. The litter has been separated into phyllode, twig + wood and fruit + inflorescence. The Site I had 5.27 to 6.80 t ha-1yr-1 of which phyllode contributed 72 to 78% and at Site II it was 9.56 to 11.78t ha-1yr-1 where phyllode account for 75-78%.

For analyzing the effect of biotic disturbances on natural regeneration of Alnus nitida Endl., various locations representing each stratum of the species were surveyed both in disturbed and undisturbed sites across the Solang Nallah- a tributary of river Beas-in the Kullu valley of the Himachal Himalayas. Various parameters considered for the assessment at each site included distribution pattern, species diversity and dominance. Maximum density of trees was recorded on disturbed site compared to the undisturbed site, whereas maximum density of saplings and seedlings was observed in the undisturbed site. The study indicated that the biotic disturbance normally checks/retards the natural regeneration of this fast growing species.

Tarkeshwar a sacred grove in Garhwal Himalaya, is traditionally protected forest with its rich plant diversity. It occupies 825.5 ha area in Pokhra Range in Garhwal Forest Division. The biological spectrum of this sacred grove reveals that the vegetation of this area is thero-phanerophytic.The life-forms observed were Phanerophytes (29.12%), Chamaephytes (13.00%), Hemicryptophytes (9.25%), Cryptophytes (6.07%), Therophytes (42.5%).

Red pumpkin beetle Aulacophora foveicollis is a serious pest of cucurbitaceous vegetables. It feeds on the leaves of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus), Ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula) Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata), Bottlegourd (Langeneria siceraria) etc. Ethanol extract and aqueous extract of Drek (Melia azedarach) seeds was tested against this pest on Cucumber in Punjab. Ethanol extract 1% and aqueous extract 3% were found effective in managing this pest. These were found to be at par with commercial formulations of Neem (Azadirachta indica) viz. Econeem and Nimbecidine in the field trials in managing the insect. In another trial ethanol extract 4ml/l was found to be at par with Econeem against red pumpkin beetle on Cucumber, Ridgegourd and Bottlegourd. As seeds of Melia azedarach are found in considerable quantities, the study has a great scope for promotion of seeds of Melia azedarach as biopesticide.

The middle-aged stem cuttings of Populus deltoides (chromosomes No. 38) were irradiated with different continuous and fractionated doses of gamma rays (500r, 01, 02, 04 krd.) during the month of September to observe sensitivity of sprouting and shoot growth behavior. Some irradiated cuttings were also treated with Stik 500ppm to observe its antagonistic and protagonistic effects on regeneration of cuttings. Maximum sprouting percentage was recorded under the 1KR-C (83.3%) followed by 4KR-F (54.5%) while control sprouted only (43.7%). Continuous doses proved to be most promising for mutation breeding, having abnormal size of leaf, increased number of leaves and enhanced length of the lateral branch. Maximum length of lateral branch was recorded under the treatment of 500 R-F (4.5 cm ± .15). Stik 500ppm, showing protagonistic effects at all the lower continuous and fractionated does while higher C&F doses indicating antagonistic effects on different parameters i.e. sprouting percentage, length of the lateral branch, number of leaves per cutting and size of the leaves. The mortality percentage of sprouted buds was recorded and it was maximum 85.8% in 4 KRC treatment.

A study was conducted to estimate the soil organic carbon pool under Eucalyptus, Poplar, Shisham and Teak plantations in Haridwar and Dehra Dun, districts of Uttarakhand and Yamunanagar District of Haryana State. Over all, SOC pool under Eucalyptus, Shisham and Teak plantations was higher in the study area in Uttarakhand except Poplar plantation where SOC pool, in the study area in Haryana was higher. It indicated that soils under Eucalyptus, Shisham and Teak plantations were better enriched by soil organic carbon in Uttarakhand as compared to Haryana. The SOC pool in all the plantations in Uttarakhand was statistically different while in Haryana SOC pool among Poplar, Eucalyptus and Shisham were non-significant. SOC pool in Shisham, Teak and Eucalyptus grown in Uttarakhand was significantly different from similar plantation grown in Haryana. Variations in SOC pool in plantation and barren land was also statistically significant in study area of both the states.

A severe root and butt rot disease in Acacia mangium plantations caused by Ganoderma lucidum was recorded from different parts of the Kerala State. The disease affected 2 to 5-year-old plantations raised in clear-felled Eucalyptus tereticornis poorly stocked stands in high rainfall areas and caused up to 16 percent tree mortality within a span of one year.

A field study was conducted to find out suitable method to reduce tree - crop competition in Teak based Agroforestry system. The grain yield and yield components of Paddy were significantly higher due to thinning over no thinning. Higher grain yield was recorded in treatment receiving trenching (2819 kg/ha) which was at par with treatment receiving root barrier (2637 kg/ha). Combination of thinning with trenching recorded higher grain yield (3642 kg/ha). After 8 months of imposing the treatments, the main stem volume of Teak increased by 33.3 and 22.2 per cent due to branch pruning and root barrier respectively, over control. Therefore, it is inferred that trenching along Teak row and thinning in combination with branch pruning are useful agro-techniques for improving growth and productivity of both the component crops in Teak based Agroforestry system.

A Nursery study has been done on Cedrus deodara with four containers (normal polybag, bottom perforated polybag, root trainer 150 cc and root trainer 250 cc) and three growing medium (Soil, Sand, FYM- 1 : 2 : 3, Soil, Sand, FYM, Dalweed – 1 : 2 : 3 : 2, and Soil, Sand, FYM, Rice husk- 1 : 2 : 3 : 2). Deodar seedlings raised in bottom perforated polybag recorded best morphological parameters and Dickson quality index. The root trainer raised seedlings depicted better seedling quality parameters viz, sturdiness, root/shoot ratio and ratio of fibrous + lateral root to total root. Among the growing medium tried the best growth and quality parameters of Deodar seedlings were observed in M2 (soil, sand, FYM, Dalweed - 1 : 2 : 3 : 2). The combination of C2M2 (Bottom perforated polybag + Soil, Sand, FYM, Dalweed) resulted in maximum Dickson quality index.

A study of the insects associated with C. equisetifolia in Tamil Nadu revealed that, altogether 40 species of insects infested this tree species of which 28 species of insects were new records. The bark caterpillar, I. quadrinotata Walker was found to be the key pest, while other insects like Icerya purchasi Maskell and Nipaecoccus vastator (Maskell) caused only moderate damage. The need for monitoring the insects associated with Casuarina plantations to identify the emerging pest problems is highlighted.

Study on nursery performance of selected clones of Poplar (Populus deltoids Marsh.) suggested that volume index, leaf area index and percent sprouting should be given greater consideration while carrying out selections amongst clones. Genotypic correlation were, in general higher than phenotypic correlation coefficients.

An experiment was conducted to find out the effect of different soil alkaline pH and organic matter on germination, seedling growth attributes and bio-chemical constituents of Hardwickia binata Roxb. The seeds were sown in soil with different pH (8.1, 9.0, 10.2 and 10.5) mixed with sand + farm yard manure (2:1:1 ratio) and compared with control (red earth + sand + farm yard manure at 2:1:1 ratio). Fourteen days after sowing it was found that the seeds sown in normal nursery soil (mixture of red earth + sand + farm yard manure) showed maximum germination (89.0%) and initial seedling vigour (1568), which was similar with seeds sown in soil with pH 10.2 + sand + farm yard manure. In 180 days old seedlings, the biometric and biochemical constituents recorded were higher in control treatment. From this experiment, it could be concluded that the Hardwickia binata seeds sown in higher soil pH along with sand and farm yard manure mixture showed good germination, seedling growth and biochemical constituents.

The effect of cutting heights viz., 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 m was investigated on biomass productivity and physiological attributes of four fodder trees species i.e. Morus alba, Grewia optiva, Celtis australis and Bauhinia variegata. Morus alba accumulated maximum leaf+branch biomass followed by Grewia optiva, Celtis australis and Bauhinia variegata, respectively. The productivity of leaf, branch and their total improved with increase cutting height up to 2.0 m under all species. The photosynthesis rate and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) showed non-significant effect due to cutting height and significant effect due to species as well as species x cutting height interaction. Transpiration rate manifested significant variation due to species, cutting height and their interaction and tended to depress with increasing cutting height. Simple correlation matrix revealed a significant positive relation between photosynthesis rate and PAR; photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate and PAR and Transpiration rate, respectively.

The fruit is a large (12.90–15.40 cm length x 8.74–10.64 cm diameter, excluding the capsule stalk), erect woody capsule. There are five outer thick and five inner thin valves. There is a central axis, the columella, which is typically 5-angled to which the seeds are attached pendulously by their wings. The mean weight of a capsule was 369.47 (± 54.01) g, ranging between 231.13 (± 25.67) g and 565.55 (± 72.82) g. On average a capsule contains 43 germinable seeds. One thousand fresh seeds (with wings) weigh from 607.06 g to 919.15 g. Significant differences existed between locality. Capsules collected from Karulai were found to be larger in size when compared to those collected from other localities. Seeds are winged and dark brown coloured. Longitudinal section of a seed revealed that the seed consists of a minute embryo embedded peripherally at one side within the massive cotyledons which is surrounded by a white thin testa which is again covered by dark brown coloured spongy tail-like wing. The variation in seed weight, germination percentage and germination period could be due to provenance differences, size of capsules, crown size of parent trees, level of seed maturity, site fertility, health condition of parent trees and environmental factors of a locality. The selection of parent trees having larger capsules appears to be most promising for seed collection.

Source variation study of Albizia lebbeck was undertaken to identify the superior seed sources for production of quality seedling. Twenty nine seed sources sampled from the greater part of its natural range. Variation for most of the studied characters indicated non-clinal pattern. On average, the population of Dehra Dun (Uttarakhand), Kathua (Jammu & Kashmir) and Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) were found to be the best on the basis of weight, germination percent and vigour index of seed as an important criterion for delineating the superior seed source. This preliminary investigation will be useful for further improvement of the species for better productivity.

Magnitude of variability among various traits alongwith their inter-relationship were investigated in 32 genotypes of Morus alba. Moderate to high genetic coefficient of variation (GCV), heritability and genetic gain were noticed for leaf yield, shoot height, shoot diameter and number of leaves indicating that these characters can be reliable for effecting selection in future. Shoot height showed significant and positive correlation with shoot diameter, internodal length, number of leaves, leaf width and leaf yield. Shoot diameter exhibited positive association with internodal length and number of leaves with leaf yield. Leaf length also revealed significant and positive correlation with leaf width and leaf yield whereas leaf width exhibited positive association with leaf yield. Hence at first instance study revealed that shoot height, number of leaves, leaf length and width could be important for selection in White Mulberry.

Two orchid species viz. Tropidia angulosa (Lindl.) Blume and Zeuxine affinis (Lindl.) Benth. ex Hook.f. are reported as new additions to the flora of Andaman Islands.

This paper deals with two mangrove habitats reported for the first time from the East Coast of Andhra Pradesh. Four mangroves species, four mangrove associates and two Seagrasses are reported here for the first time from these habitats. These species form additions to the flora of Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh.

Senna uniflora, a native of tropical South America is newly recorded from the state of Kerala. The plant is already known from Maharashtra and Karnataka in India. Description, nomenclature, illustration etc. are provided to facilitate identification.

The present study is focused on the distribution and taxonomy of beautiful rose moss Rhodobryum roseum (Hedw.) Limpr. and Rhodobryum giganteum (Schwaegr.) Par. from Kumaon and Garhwal hills respectively. These species of moss Rhodobryum grows in the form of green rosette patches on soil of usually reasonable nutrient rich status. The moss species remains green in summer but devoid of moisture. It is also observed that seasonal environmental factors do not much influence distribution of R. roseum however R. giganteum found sensitive as evident by change in colour and its restricted distribution.

A new species of Blumea viz. Blumea sonbhadrensis (Asteraceae) is collected from the Sonbhadra of Uttar Pradesh in India, is described and illustrated.

Pavetta badullensis Ridsd. (Rubiaceae) is, a Sri Lankan element and so far, restricted to Sri Lanka, a new distributional record for India from the Southern Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu. For the easy identity and further collection in field, a short description with an illustration and other details are provided here.

Cyanthillium hookerianum (Arn.) H. Rob. and Vernonia pectiniformis DC. subsp. puncticulata (DC.) Grierson (Asteraceae) are reported for the flora of India from the Southern Western Ghats. Short descriptions with illustrations and other details are provided here.

The paper deals with the status of endemic plants in Madhya Pradesh. An analysis has indicated that 12 taxa are endemic in the state, out of which 4 taxa are endemic in Hoshangabad district, 3 in Betul District, 2 in unreported locality of Central Province and one each in Balaghat, Tikamgarh and Ujjain Districts. The nature and causes of endemism and their conservation have been discussed in the paper.

Oxygonum sinuatum (Hochst. & Steud. ex A. Rich.) Dammer (Polygonaceae), an exotic species so far reported in India only from Kerala, is reported as a new record for Karnataka.

Platygramme wattiana (Müll. Arg.) V. Tewari and Upreti described as new combination and Platygramme australiensis Staiger & Matthes-Leicht is described as new record for Indian lichen flora.

Ambrosia artemissifolia L. (Asteraceae) collected from Velliangiri hills, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India is described with illustrations as a new record for Southern India.

In the present paper 76 exotic angiospermic plant species belonging to 34 families and 67 genera have been enumerated from Baghpat District, with focus on their origin, habit form, distribution, habitat and locality. 9.05% flora is exotic in Baghpat District. 44.74% (34 out of 76 species) exotic plants come from America alone. The maximum number of exotic plants (9 species) belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae.

Two new species, viz., Russula koleggiensis and R. netrabaricus has been proposed in the present communication. Their phylogenetic positions within the genus Russula are supported by macroscopic, microscopic characters and rDNA sequences in the ITS gene region.

Dorstenia bahiensis Klotzsch ex Fisch. & C.A. Mey. introduced in India is recorded in wild for the first time from Kerala. Detailed description along with distribution, ecological observation, illustration, photoplates, etc. are provided herewith to facilitate easy identification of the species in the field.