Search

Vateria indica Linn seeds were found to contain nearly 19% of oil/fat content. This fat is converted into biodiesel by a novel method by the authors at the biodiesel preparation facility at NITK, S...

Pisolithus is cosmopolitan in both tropical and temperate regions and forms ectomycorrhizal as- sociations with a wide range of woody plants. Pisoli- thus indicus, a new species associated with Vateria indica (Dipterocarpaceae) is reported in this study from a dipterocarp native forest in the Western Ghats in India, using both morphological and molecular tools. The length of ITS1 and ITS2 regions of the present collection differed with other sequences of Pisolithus available in the databases. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that this species did not show sig- nificant homology with existing Pisolithus sequences reported previously and formed a separate branch linking with another Pisolithus isolate from diptero- carps. Molecular and morphological evidence showed that P. indicus is a new species associated with dipterocarps in India.

Galangal (Kaempferia galanga L.) is a promising medicinal and aromatic oil-yielding herb grown in the subcanopy of multistrata production systems in the tropics. The effects of differing light transmission levels on its growth, yield, quality and nutrient dynamics under a solitary canopy, six multistrata canopies and ‘no-over-canopy’ were evaluated in a randomized-block experiment. Coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) provided the solitary canopy while coconut+dicot trees (Vateria indica, Ailanthus triphysa or Grevillea robusta grown in two planting geometries-single row and double row) represented the multistrata environment. Stand leaf area index (LAI) and subcanopy photosynthetic photon flux density were measured when the palms were 17 to 18 years of age and other trees, 3 to 4 years old. Understorey photosynthetic photon flux density was controlled by tree species and stand LAI. Ailanthus-based treatments consistently registered lower photon flux densities. Mean daily subcanopy photon flux density ...