Investigations were undertaken to assess the long-term effect of tree planting activities on the amelioration of the highly degraded lands of Auroville, Pondicherry, with particular reference to microclimatic conditions and the status of microbial proliferation. Three different tree stands of 20-year-old were selected for this study, where predominant species were Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Peltophorum pterocarpum and Acacia auriculiformis respectively. Open site adjacent to the tree stands was also studied for comparison. The soil temperature fluctuation was high (12.8⁰C) in the treeless open ground and was only 2.6⁰C under the tree canopies at 5 cm soil depth. Among the tree stands, pure stands of Acacia auriculiformis recorded least daily soil temperature fluctuation both at 5 cm (1.3^oC) and 10 cm (1.2^oC) soil depths. Hence, opting a pioneer species like A. auriculiformis‚ will be a prudent choice where the protective role of trees is the prime objective. Further, the ameliorative effect of tree stands on soil temperature supported proliferation of soil microflora, which serve as an index of soil fertility enhancement. Studies on the microflora revealed that the tree stands harboured more bacterial (from 3.6 to 5.8 x 10⁶ per g of soil), actinomycetes (from 18 to 21 x 10⁵ per g of soil) and fungal (19.6 to 22.4 x 10⁴ per g of soil) population than the barren soil.

The shoot borer, Hypsipyla robusta (Moore) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in India is a serious pest of forest trees such as the exotics, Swietenia macrophylla King and S. mahagoni Jacq. and the native Toona ciliata M. Roem. Studies on the biology, life cycle, generations, and collateral hosts are given in detail. Chemical control of Hypsipyla sp. shoot borers in Meliaceae now spans about eight decades and has involved more then 23 countries, throughout the tropics. Despite this, there is still no chemical or application technology, which will provide reliable, cost effective and environmentally sound protection for any of the high–value tree species from Meliaceae for the period necessary to produce a marketable stems. The future role of chemical pesticides in Hypsipyla sp. control will continue to be in the protection of nursery stock, or a part of integrated pest management, strategies for the use of entomopathogenic microorganisms in the management of Toon shoot borer, include utilization of natural occurring viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa and reckettsiae. The remarkable ability of H. robusta to locate, isolated and distant host trees suggests that chemoreception is probably very well developed and important in the insect behaviour. Possibilities of using sex pheromone in survey and suppression of pest population of H. robusta is also discussed in detail. It is concluded that these microbial pesticides offer a potential as component of integrated forest pest management.

Steam distillate leaf extract of resistant teak clone when sprayed on leaves of susceptible clone and vice-versa respectively, exhibited significant (P<0.01) reduction and enhancement of leaf area consumption and growth rate in last instar larvae of E. machaeralis. The findings indicate the role of leaf volatiles in alteration of feeding potentiality and growth of the insect.

A new species of Rivina bengalensis S.C. Srivastava & T.K. Paul (Phytolaccaceae) from Howrah District, West Bengal state, India, is described.

Chirpine (Pinus roxburghii) is an important conifer species of the Himalayas distributed in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan. The young plantation of chirpine is prone to the attack of stem rust Cronartium himalayense. An assessment of disease intensity has been made in the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal. The role of sporidia in spreading the disease from Swertia spp. to chirpine was evaluated. Attempt to control the disease by lopping of side branches to reduce the initial infection did not yield encouraging results. Use of systemic fungicides to reduce the cankers gave significant results. Bavistin and Bayleton were found to be the best fungicides.

The present study was conducted to know the percentage of occurrence of twisted trees in some natural high resin yielding stands of Himachal Pradesh. Four forest divisions, viz., Solan, Kunihar, Dharamshala and Hamirpur were selected and four sample plots were randomly laid out in each division. Quantitative measurements were made and locality conditions were recorded in the sample plots. Chi-square test was used to study the association of degree of twist with other tree characters. The test revealed that the degree of twist does not influence any characters of tree, viz., height, dbh, clear bole, crown width, bole shape, needle colour, needle length, number, position and size of resin canals in the needle cross section, tracheid length and degree of twist in the tracheids.

In a sub-tropical foot-hill forest of the Uttaranchal (Garhwal) Himalaya growing along the river Ganga near Rishikesh, 45 tree species were identified, out of which the 14 species, viz., Acacia catechu, Albizia julibrissin, A. procera, Bauhinia racemosa, Cordia wallichii, Dalbergia sissoo,  Ehretia  laevis, Emblica officinalis, Gmelina arborea, Holoptelea  integrifolia, Miliusa velutina, Moringa oleifera, Ougeinia oojeinensis  and  Toona ciliata represented  Troll’s model. Like-wise, the trees of Aegle marmelos, Bombax ceiba, Mallotus philippensis, Schleichera  oleosa, Terminalia  alata and Terminalia  bellirica exhibited the Aubreville’s model. Alstonia scholaris and Anogeissus latifolia belonged to Prevost’s model, Cassia fistula and Erythrina glabrescens represented Scarrone’s model and Casearia elliptica, Grewia oppositifolia and Shorea robusta showed the Raux’s model. The trees of Ficus racemosa, F. palmata and F. religiosa represented the Rauh’s model, Adina cordifolia and Mitragyna parvifolia represented Fagerlind’s model and Holarrhena antidysenterica and Syzygium cumini exhibited Mangenot’s model. Champagnot’s model was represented by Lagerstroemia parviflora and Naringi crenulata whereas Sapium insigne has been noted to represent Leeuwenberg’s model.

A study was conducted to estimate the soil organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon contents at various altitudes in a pine forest in the Kumaon hills of the N.W. Himalayas. Soil samples from the surface and sub-surface layers were analyzed for pH, soil organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon contents. The highest soil organic carbon content of 1.42% and microbial biomass carbon content of 128.12 µg g-1 were observed in the surface layers at the lower reaches of the pine forest (1270 m amsl). Within the various altitudes chosen for the study the surface soils of the pine forest had higher content of organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon when compared to the subsurface soil in most cases. This study has clearly proved that variation exists in the organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon at varying altitudes within a pine forest.

Detailed botanical studies conducted in Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCAs) in the Western Ghats of Karnataka resulted in many interesting plant collections. After critical study, six of them namely, Caesalpinia major (Medik.) Dandy & Excell, Casearia wynadensis Bedd., Drypetes venusta (Wight) Pax & Hoffm., Kedrostis courtallensis (Arn.) C. Jeffrey, Smilax wightii A. DC. and Syzygium mundagam (Bourd.) Chithra have turned out to be new reports for the state of Karnataka.

Three mosses, viz., Fissidens kalimpongensis, F. leptopelma and Leucobryum juniperoideum and three liverworts, viz., Leptolejeunea himalayensis, L. sikkimensis and Radula madagascariensis are recorded for peninsular India. Each species is provided with the correct name and basionym/synonym, if any, a detailed description, notes on habitat and distribution and an illustration.

A provenance trial involving 50 provenances of Acacia catechu from the state of Himachal Pradesh was laid out at the Regional Horticultural Research Station at Jachh in the year 1988 to evaluate their performance for further afforestation programmes. The results indicated significant variation in growth performance of different provenances. The 20 best performing provenances were selected in the year 1998 and the above ground biomass was determined by felling sample trees. The height and diameter ranged from 6.02-8.85 cm and 8.45-14.11 cm respectively. The provenances, viz., P₁₅ (Parwanoo-5), P₁₀ (Sadar Bilaspur-4), P₁₃ (Subathu-5) and P₁₄ (Nurpur upper –2) produced the highest above ground biomass.

The forests of Chhattisgarh State have been broadly categorized under tropical moist deciduous forests, tropical dry deciduous forests and montane sub-tropical forests that have been further divided into sub-categories. The data of dominant species of each sub-category and its occurrence in various districts have been provided in the paper. In addition, information on endemic, rare and endangered plants of the state has also been furnished.

Lahaul-Spiti District of Himachal Pradesh is a cold desert. Ferns occur less in dry climate, and are known to flourish in moist humid conditions. However, shaded slopes and moist rocks near water source provide good habitat for some species. Occurrence of nine species of fern are reported here. These species are Athyrium attenuatum (Wallich ex C.B.Clarke) Tagawa, Athyrium flabellulatum (C.B.Clarke) Tardeau-Blot., Athyrium micropterum Fraser-Jenkins, Athyrium rupicola (Edgew. ex Hope) C.Chr., Cystopteris dickeana Sim, Gymnocarpium fedtschenkoanum Pojark, Dryopteris yigongensis Ching, Phegopteris connectilis (Michx.) Watt, and Pseudophegopteris levingei (C.B.Clarke) Ching.

Cinnamomum heyneanum Nees is rediscovered from the Western Ghats, after a lapse of 185 years since its first collection. A detailed description, illustration and relevant notes are provided based on fresh specimens. Its affinity with allied species and phytogeographic significance are also discussed.

The host plants of the parasitic weed Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. were studied in Assam since 1999. Altogether 86 species were recorded, out of which 28 were herbs, 27 shrubs, 20 trees and 11 climbers respectively. It showed severe infestation on Bougainvillea spectabilis, Clerodendrum inerme, Moringa oleifera and Ziziphus mauritiana and moderate to severe parasitism on certain problematic weeds like Chromolaena odorata, Glochidion assamicum, Mikania micrantha and Stachytarpheta dichotoma. Thuja orientale was the only gymnosperm infested by this parasite.

The present paper deals with five new plant records from Gujarat (Kutch), India, considered to be rare or endemic to India.

Acacia catechu Willd. (Mimosaceae) was selected for size correlation studies between cambium and its derivative tissues- the phloem and xylem. In contrast to the earlier report, the cambial organization was found non-storeyed type. The fusiform initials were elongated with tapering and overlapping ends. The ray initials were more or less isodiametric. The fusiform initials experience dimensional changes due to intrusive growth and shifting of their end walls during differentiation into fibres, axial parenchyma strands, and conducting elements like sieve-tube and vessel elements and tracheids to the phloem and xylem side, respectively. Vessel elements were short but broader (6-7 times) as compared to their progenitors. Fibres on both side become 2-3 times longer than their initials. Ray initials did not undergo any marked change during their transformation into phloem and xylem rays. 

Studies were undertaken to assess the pattern of genetic divergence existed in eleven clones using Mahalanobis D² technique. The study resolved the eleven clones into five clusters I to V wherein cluster was the largest with seven clones. The other clusters resolved into one clone each. The maximum intra cluster distance occurred within the cluster I and for other clones it was zero. The inter cluster distance was highest between cluster I and II followed by cluster I and V and I and III. The cluster wise grouping indicated that cluster IV had the maximum value for height, root length, leaf length and leaf breadth.

Conocephalum japonicum (Thunb.) Grolle is described and illustrated for the first time from Sikkim.

Investigations were caried out for in vitro multiplication of matured trees of Bassia latifolia using shoot tips and nodal segments explants. Between the two explants, superiority in terms of per cent cultures with shoot bud proliferation was achieved due to the conjoint addition of BAP and Kinetin. Rhizogenesis of microshoots was achieved by pulse treatment of microshoots in 2000 ppm IBA for one minute and then culturing on MS + IBA 1 mgl^-1 + IAA 3 mgl^-1 resulted in maximum rooting.