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Background: Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit., native to the American tropics, is a pantropical annual plant and a major invasive species throughout India. It was anticipated that the availability of sunlight, coupled with its superior reproductive potential, persistent propagule bank, and dispersal ability, could lead to an increase in the growth and spread of this invader, thus potentially impeding herbaceous growth and diversity in non-native areas. Clarifying its ecological fitness and competitive performance will be useful to manage the spread of H. suaveolens in natural ecosystems that are facing a wide range of anthropogenic pressures. Methods: The present study is a three-tier experiment. In the first tier, a field study was conducted to assess the patterns of H. suaveolens abundance and herbaceous species diversity in response to light availability (sun, 842–1072 µmol m–2 s−1 and shade 253–341 µmol m–2 s−1) in the tropical dry deciduous ecosystems in the Vindhyan highlands, India. Furthermore, the impact of H. suaveolens abundance on the resident native and non-native species abundance and diversity was also studied. In the second tier, a randomized common garden experiment was conducted to understand the trait fitness of H. suaveolens in sun (940 µmol m–2 s−1) and shade (300 µmol m–2 s−1) conditions. In the third tier, a plant growth chamber experiment with high-light (940 µmol m–2 s−1) and low-light (300 µmol m–2 s−1) treatments was done to learn how H. suaveolens partitions its biomass between aboveground and belowground plant parts. Results: The field study indicated that the sunlit areas had a higher abundance of H. suaveolens and a lower diversity of resident herbaceous species than the shaded areas. The common garden experiment showed that sun-dwelling H. suaveolens individuals performed better in germinative, vegetative, eco-physiological, and reproductive traits than the shade-dwelling individuals. The growth chamber experiment exhibited that plants grown in high-light environment had greater seed germination, seedling recruitment, and aboveground biomass than those grown in low-light environment, whereas plants grown in low-light environment exhibited a higher root mass ratio than the high-light individuals. These results suggest that H. suaveolens individuals mask the understory vegetation owing to higher seedling recruitment, relative growth rate, photosynthetic performance, resource acquisition-allocation, and reproductive output in response to high-light conditions. Conclusions: The study concludes that light significantly controls the invasive population dynamics of H. suaveolens in dry deciduous forests. In high-light areas, H. suaveolens populations dominate the forest understory with suboptimal shade tolerance. In shade environment, H. suaveolens maintains a persistent soil seed bank along with 'Oskar individuals' that become active in response to high-light availability. The modus operandi is a 'sit and wait' strategy. The current study provides insights on prioritizing areas for H. suaveolens management that will potentially reduce the risk of biological invasions on the native species diversity of tropical regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities in mesic savanna ecosystems have resulted in plant communities that are heavily dominated by fire‐tolerant grass species, are less diverse, and offer fewer ecosystem services such as palatable plant biomass. Experimental studies manipulating fire and grass presence have mostly been conducted in ecosystems invaded by exotic grass species. However, these experiments are also relevant to ecosystems that have become dominated by native grass species due to changes in human activities. Our study compared three different management treatments in the Eastern Ghats of India, where mesic savanna ecosystems are highly dominated by the unpalatable native Cymbopogon grasses, specifically: (1) control (both Cymbopogon grasses and fire are present), (2) fire exclusion, and (3) manual removal of Cymbopogon grasses and fire exclusion. We found that both grass removal and fire exclusion were necessary to significantly increase palatable herbaceous plant biomass and species diversity, and that species diversity responses were only significant at larger spatial grains of investigation. High site‐to‐site variation in the grass removal and fire exclusion treatment prevented us from detecting significant differences in species composition across treatments, even though particular palatable grass species benefited from the treatment. Our study is in line with research from other mesic savanna systems showing that fire management alone is not sufficient to transition ecosystems to a desired or historical state. We demonstrate how normally costly management practices, such as manual removal of dominant grasses, can be reasonably achieved through collaboration between scientists, community governed village institutions, and government and nongovernment agencies in socioecological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Turmeric is an age old herbaceous plant belonging to the family Zingiberaceae growing in Tropical Africa and India with huge national and international demands. Conventionally, turmeric accessions are characterized using morphological and agronomical traits but less work is done in molecular characterization which is needed for thorough trait identification. Methods: The investigation was carried out during Kharif 2016-17 and comprised of thirty diverse genotypes of turmeric analyzed for genetic variability and molecular diversity which were evaluated in randomized block design with two replications. Fresh tender leaves were used to isolate DNA and PCR was performed with 9 SSR markers. Result: The values of phenotypic coefficient of variation were slightly higher than genotypic coefficient of variation. Highest heritability was observed for days to maturity, genetic advance was observed highest for green rhizome yield. Out of 9 SSR markers, primer pair 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 were reported to exhibit 100% polymorphism, whereas; in terms of PIC, primer pairs 6 and 9 were found to be highly efficient ones. The similarity coefficient ranged from 0.44 to 1.00 and dendogram categorized the 30 genotypes into two main clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The foremost role of forest vegetation in storing biomass and carbon (C) stock constitutes one of the main nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change. In this study, we aimed to quantify biomass and C stock partitioning in multiple vegetation strata (tree, shrub, herb, and ground floor layers) of major forest types in Jammu and Kashmir, Western Himalaya, India. We used a stratified random cluster sampling strategy to collect field data in 96 forest stands of 12 forest types (altitudinal range: 350 to 3450 m) in the study region. We evaluated the degree to which the carbon stock of the entire ecosystem was dependent on the multiple vegetation strata using the Pearson method. Across all the forest types, the average total ecosystem-level biomass was estimated to be 181.95 Mgha−1 (range: 60.64–528.98). Forest strata-wise, the maximum biomass of 172.92 Mgha−1 (range: 50.64-514.97) was found in the tree vegetation, followed by 5.58 Mgha−1 (range: 2.59–8.93) in understory vegetation (shrubs and herbaceous), and 3.44 Mgha−1 (range: 0.97 and 9.14) in the forest floor. The total ecosystem-level biomass showed a peak at mid-elevation coniferous forest types, whereas the lowest was observed in low-elevation broad leaved forest types. At the ecosystem-level, on average, the understory contributed 3% and the forest floor 2% to the total C stock across the forest types. The shrub layer contributed up to 80% of total understory C, with the herbaceous layer accounting for the remaining 20%. The ordination analysis clearly shows that anthropogenic and environmental variables significantly (p ≤ 0.002) influence the forest types' C stock in the region. Our findings have significant implications for conserving natural forest ecosystems and restoring degraded forest landscapes in this Himalayan region, which in turn can lead to better carbon sequestration and climate mitigation outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In tropical forests, understory herbaceous angiosperms (herbs), which can comprise up to 40% of plant species richness, have received relatively little attention compared with trees, and their diversity patterns and drivers remain poorly understood. While tropical tree diversity has been shown to be driven primarily by water availability, we hypothesized that herb diversity may be equally or more limited by light availability.To test the importance of water and light in shaping herb diversity, we surveyed herb communities in 13 one‐ha plots along a rainfall gradient in a seasonally dry tropical forest landscape in India. In each plot, herbs were censused thrice during the year in 47–50 one‐m2 subplots. We examined drivers of herb diversity and ground cover at the landscape scale (across plots) and local scale (among subplots) using simple linear regression and linear mixed models, respectively.At the landscape scale, herb diversity and ground cover were negatively related to rainfall and soil moisture, in contrast with previous studies of tropical forest trees. This indicates that water was not limiting for herbs. Instead, light availability, which was negatively correlated with rainfall, appears to drive patterns of herb diversity and ground cover across the gradient. Herb diversity and ground cover were uniformly low across the gradient during the dry season, indicating that water limitation does have a seasonal impact. When water was abundant (rainy season), herbs took advantage of higher light availability at more open (lower‐rainfall) plots.Consistent with landscape‐scale patterns, herb richness at the subplot level was positively related to light availability, with its effect stronger at higher‐rainfall (more closed‐canopy) sites. Herb species richness declined with increasing subplot soil moisture in all sites and seasons, suggesting negative impacts of water logging and high moisture.Synthesis. Diversity of understory herbs is limited by light availability at both local and landscape scales in this region, with the impact of water limitation restricted to the dry season. Our study shows that tree diversity patterns cannot be assumed to hold for other plant lifeforms, and conservation and restoration efforts must consider unique strategies for different lifeforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ethno-medicinal survey was carried out to collect information and its documentation of the folk knowledge and diversity of uses of ethno-medicinal herbaceous plants from the tribal and rural inhabitants of the Cachar district of Assam during the period of 2018-2021. The area comprises of diverse medicinal herbs as well as diversity in ethnic groups and culture practices associated with plant diversity. The indigenous knowledge of folk medicinal herbs was collected from the field through personal communication with the inhabitants of the remote villages of the district and through repeated enquiries from local folk. In the present survey, a total of 112 species under 101 genera of herbaceous plants belongs to 60 families were collected, identified and documented. The study reveals that the ethnic and rural peoples of the survey area are depending on traditional medicinal plants for many of their primary health care. During the survey, it was found that due to anthropogenic activities (i.e., deforestation, construction of roads, urbanization and modernization, etc.) many of the important medicinal herbs used by the tribal and ethnic groups became rare, endangered and threatened. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the conservation and propagation activities of these ethno-medicinal herbs for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer and cancer-related diseases are a global health concern in the present scenario. Functional food and nutraceuticals are considered as a boon towards cancer management. Amorphophallus commutatus var. wayanadensis (ACW) is an herbaceous plant used by the local communities of Wayanad, India, for food and primary healthcare. Various radical scavenging and reducing power assays were undertaken to evaluate the antioxidant activity of methanolic extract of ACW (MEAC). In vitro anticancer activity was evaluated against HT-29 cell line by MTT assay, morphological analysis, DNA fragmentation assay and cell cycle analysis. Caspase and COX-2 enzyme assays were conducted to examine the underlying mechanism. Studies on Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) transplanted mice models was carried out to evaluate the in-vivo antioxidant and anticancer potential of MEAC. The major bioactive nutraceutical compound present in MEAC was isolated by bioactivity-guided fractionation. MEAC showed significant in vitro antioxidant activity. Further, MEAC promoted cytotoxicity against HT-29 cells by activating caspase-3 dependent apoptotic pathway with a cell cycle arrest at the G1/S phase and subsequent down regulation of COX-2 pathway. The potential antitumor activity of MEAC was further confirmed in EAC tumor bearing mice models in which treatment with MEAC increased the levels of antioxidant enzymes, improved the hematological profile towards normal and also augmented the life span of tumor bearing mice. β-sitosterol isolated from ACW induces anticancer activity via caspase-dependent pathway. Our study confirmed the antioxidant and anticancer activities of ACW, which proposes the medicinal importance of this plant as a preventive and supportive therapy for arising tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental factors that influence tree–grass abundances in tropical savanna and grasslands are not well understood, particularly for woodland–grassland mosaics in humid zones. We studied the effects of abiotic and spatial variables on woody and herbaceous species distributions in a Terai ecosystem of northeastern India. We evaluated the importance of climatic and non-climatic factors that maintain variable tree–grass ratios across the landscape, and also accounted for spatial connectivity and dispersal. We measured species abundances of woody and herbaceous plant species in 134 plots with each 30 m × 30 m in a 519 km2 protected Terai habitat, and derived several climatic and non-climatic environmental factors. We constructed variables based on different models of spatial connectivity among sites, to test their influence on species abundances. We then used redundancy analyses and variation partitioning to quantify the importance of environmental variables and spatial structure on variation in tree–grass abundances. We found that environmental variables including rainfall, fire, water stress, topography and soil nutrients had statistically significant effects on species abundance and tree–grass ratios. Spatial structure was significant, and the best spatial model was an inverse distance-weighted model with linkage extending to 23.5 km, indicating weak dispersal limitation. About 21% of the variation in species abundance was explained by the selected environmental and spatial factors. The results indicate that dynamic plant communities in which spatial–temporal variation in environmental factors may drive stochasticity in species distribution and abundance, thus dominantly influencing on the vegetation mosaic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Woody plant encroachment is a pervasive global driver impacting grassland structure and functioning, and we know very little about efficacies of management techniques for restoring woody plant‐encroached tropical grasslands. In the Banni grasslands of India, which are extensively encroached by an invasive woody legume, Prosopis juliflora, we test the efficacies of two Prosopis management methods—mechanical removal and lopping—to restore native grasslands. Across eight sites in the Banni, using a randomized block design, we monitored herbaceous plant recovery in the two Prosopis management treatments, and an unmanipulated control for 4 years. We also sampled four reference grasslands. We found native herbaceous plant richness and cover to be threefold (mean = 6 species) and sixfold (mean = 18% cover) higher, respectively, in the mechanical‐removal treatment compared to the control (mean richness = 2 species, cover = 3%), but found no significant differences between the lopping treatment (mean richness = 5 species, cover = 11%) and the control. While mechanical‐removal increased plant diversity, neither management treatment changed the species composition, and both of these treatments were still missing perennial grasses that dominate the reference grasslands. Our data highlight the efficacy of mechanical removal over lopping in restoring native grasslands. However, mechanically removing Prosopis is costly, especially at larger scales. Apart from its detrimental impact on grasslands, Prosopis also has benefits varying with stakeholder groups, and its removal involves complex trade‐offs. Until we fully understand the trade‐offs involved, it may therefore be better to manage this social‐ecological landscape as a mosaic of restored grassland and Prosopis‐invaded patches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the change in composition of herbaceous plants with change in season and site in the fallow lands of central districts of Punjab, India. Overall 41 plant species were reported from studied sites. Poaceae and Asteraceae were recorded as dominant families with seven and six plant species, respectively. Density and IVI values of perennial plant species were recorded to be the maximum from July to September and for annuals maximum values were from February to March and from July to September. Diversity indices like Shannon Wiener index, evenness index, Menhinick index, and Simpson diversity index values showed variation with season and site. Similarity index value between studied sites was recorded to be the minimum in July (0.45) which indicates a maximum value of dissimilarity index in this month. The information generated in this study can be exploited by researchers for conservation of natural plant diversity and timely assessments of such areas help to study climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artemisia absinthium is a herbaceous perennial plant with fibrous root and it belongs to the family Asteraceae. Due to having strong fragrance and pungent taste it has ability to defend itself from the herbivore animals. Essential oil extracted from leaves, stem and seeds of A. absinthium were analyzed for termite mortality as well as termite repellency. Chemical constituents of essential oil from all three parts were identified and compared by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Total 16 compounds identified in the essential oil of leaves, stem and seeds in which boronyl acetate was present in major amount 26.59 %, 27.17 % and 26.63 % respectively. L-terpenen-4-ol was also identified in higher amount in leaves, stem and seeds; 18.24 %, 17.07 % and 17.3 % respectively. Leaf, stem and seed essential oil tested for termite mortality and repellency against Microcerotermes beesoni. Leaf essential oil showed significant and seed essential oil all were found to have moderate activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meriandra bengalensis (Konig ex Roxb.) Benth. is an annual herbaceous and aromatic plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family and is scented plant. The leaves of this plant are used to treat lethargy and sore throat in North East, India. Fresh leaves are used to treat high blood pressure and are also used as a tonic, carminative, astringent, and antibacterial. Tonsillitis is treated using an extract from inflorescences. The oil obtained from the leaves comprised mostly (+)-camphor (82%) and 30 minor chemicals. Sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, and flavones have been identified from its aerial portions and roots. The present paper highlights the morphological features and phyto-constituents of the plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adjoining areas of urban environment has undergone rapid alteration in structure, composition and ecological changes, which makes them a dynamic entity. During the present investigation, herbaceous vegetation were studied in east, west, north and south directions of Ambikapur township at various seasons during March 2017 to April 2018. A total of 18 species representing 11 families were recorded at various directions of Ambikapur township in different seasons. Asteraceae was the predominant family in the study area. Highest species counts were recorded during summer season. Among the herbaceous vegetation, more than two-thirds of the herb species were exotic in nature, revealing the anthropogenic role towards loss of indigenous species. Highest species density was recorded in north direction (152,000 herb/ha during rainy, 104,000 herb/ha in winter and 184,000 herb/ha in summer) and lowest in south direction (90,000 herb/ha during rainy, 72,000 herb/ha in winter and 88,000 herb/ha in summer) in all seasons. Higher Shannon diversity (2.71 in rainy, 2.69 in winter and 3.07 in summer) and richness (0.67 in rainy, 0.52 in winter and 0.66 in summer after west direction) were recorded in the north direction. Total biomass, C storage and CO2 mitigation were found to be highest towards north direction in all seasons. Argemone mexicana, Cassia tora, Ocimum tenuiflorum and Sida acuata are the most suitable species in terms of C storage, CO2 mitigation under urban setup. Beside, some weed species also reflected significant potential. CO2 mitigation by herb species can act as complimentary system towards climate cane adaptation beside other vegetal layers. Such studies are also very much effective towards development of greenery in an urban setup leading to climate mitigation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zingiber officinale Roscoe, which belongs to the Zingiberaceae family, is a herbaceous perennial plant. The plant has been used since ancient time traditionally as a spice and as a natural remedy for cough, cold and asthma etc. The various chemical constituents of ginger are responsible for the multiple medicinal properties. Although northeast India is a biodiversity hotspot but so far only morphological data and oil yield has been studied. Very less work has been done on the chemical composition of ginger essential oil from the northeast region of India. In this study sixty germplasm were planted in randomized block design at the experimental farm CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat, Assam (India) during the year 2017-18. After harvesting, essential oil was isolated from the rhizome of each line and replications and average values were taken for measurement of the essential oil yield. Essential oil was analyzed through GC and GC/MS. The study revealed that the major constituent of ginger essential oil was geraniol followed by z-citral, eucalyptol, camphene and other minor constituents were α-pinene, β-myrcene, linalool, e-citral, neryl acetate, α-zingiberene, curcumene, β-sesquiphellandrene, α-amorphene, farnesene, elemol and β-bisbolene. Based on the activities of its chemical constituents, ginger essential oil can be used in various novel medicinal and phytopharmaceutical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim European and North American studies have suggested that nitrogen (N) depositions reduce plant diversity and increase primary productivity due to changes in plant traits. To predict the vegetation response to future global change, experimental validations from other regions are widely needed. We assessed the effects of N treatment by urea fertilization on the diversity and biomass of the herbaceous plant traits (HPTs) in a dry tropical environment of India. Methods Diversity and biomass of different HPTs were determined on the basis of data collected in year 2010, from 135, 1 m × 1 m plots distributed over 15 locations. The plots were treated with urea fertilizer in different doses (Control, 60 kgNha-1 yr-1 and 120 kg N ha-1yr-1) since 1st January 2007. The plots were ordinated and data were subjected to appropriate statistical analyses. Important Findings Correspondence analysis (CA) suggested uniqueness of species composition due to N amendment. Species number and biomass of the trait categories varied due to N fertilization and traits. All studied trait categories (except N-fixers) yielded maximum mean species number at moderate level of N fertilization. Different levels of N fertilization exhibited different species diversity-primary productivity (D-P) relationships. Further, study showed reduction in plant diversity due to increase in biomass at high rates of N addition. Conclusions Tall, erect, non N-fixers, annuals, grasses HPTs were favoured by N enrichment. N dose above 60 kg enhanced the biomass of fast growing, erect, annuals, non N-fixers, nitrophilic HPTs. The changes in traits with N addition, especially the increase in annuals and grasses and decrease in typically N-rich N-fixers, have implications for sustainable cattle production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper focuses on the Contribution to the Flora of Barak Valley and their conservation status and Economic potential of herbaceous plant resources of Cachar district of Assam, India. Using traditional taxonomic techniques species have been collected from the study area during 2009-2012 and an attempt has been made to collect information on the economic uses of this species from the field through personal communications with the inhabitants of the remote villages and also collated from the earlier authentic works and available literature. In this study a total of 465 herbaceous species including cultivated ones under 116 families have been collected. Out of 465 species, about 242 economically important species have been recorded here which are used by the local people in different ways. Various anthropogenic activities and encroachment of forest leading to deforestation was observed frequently in many areas of the district and it is the main cause to destroy the habitat of herbaceous vegetation. Due to lack of accessibility, some of the floristically rich areas of the district remained totally unexplored. It is therefore important that conservation strategies be directed to protect the important forest areas of the district and special measures may be taken to explore the unexplored areas so that the rich herbaceous flora of the district could be documented and preserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nitrogen (N) is an essential element for plant growth, however enriched N deposition may have seriously impacts on air, water, soil and vegetations. In this reference, we assessed the impacts of N applications on the rates of N-mineralization and their counter effects on the composition and diversity of herbaceous vegetation in a seasonally dry tropical environment of India. For this; 135, 1×1m plots distributed in 15 locations were established at the Banaras Hindu University, India. Since 1st January 2007, within each location, equal numbers of 1×1m plots were treated with three doses of N (0kgNha−1 yr−1/control, 60kgNha−1 yr−1 and 120kgNha−1 yr−1). Soil and vegetation samples were collected in year 2010. The data on soil N mineralization, rainfall and species numbers were collected monthly and the data on Shannon diversity index were collected seasonally. The data were subjected to appropriate statistical analyses. The NMS ordination suggested that the sites, N levels and seasons caused substantial differences in the rate of soil N-mineralization, species composition and diversity of herbaceous species. Results showed that moderate levels of rainfall and N applications (60kgNha−1 yr−1) facilitated the accumulation of herbaceous species diversity by accelerating the process of soil N-mineralization due to increased availability of soil–N and decreased C:N ratio of the soil. The study did not support the N-saturation theory for the N-mineralization rates as well as species diversity possibly due to loss of added N through the process of volatization, denitrification and consumed by the nitrophilic species, which warrants in-depth study of microbial dynamics to explore the mechanisms associated with N mineralization in N perturbed ecosystems, particularly from dry tropical environments of India which are nutrient and moisture limited. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The floristic and statistical of medicinal plants of Sadaiyandioothu, Kanjamalai hills of Southern Eastern Ghats was carried in 2010-2011. The systematic studies of study area enlisted 218 species, 148 genera and 63 families. Habit wise analysis show herbaceous domination with 94 species (46.5%). The study area is compared with other local floras of Southern Eastern Ghats of Salem and Namakkal districts. The top 10 dominant families of Sadayandioothu were compared with those families of Indian flora and the world flora. The study area has noticed distinct features depending upon the seasons. In East monsoon Borreria hispida, in post monsoon Crotalaria romosissima dominate. The statistical analysis of medicinal plant revealed 131 species. The statistical approach provide a clue for knowing of new medicinal plant species in the area more over it is an attempt to analyze the status of a medicinal flora of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents data on the impact of biotic pressure in terms of grazing by livestock and wood cutting by humans on the plant community in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve of India. Grass, and herbaceous plant biomass, number of cattle dung piles, number of woody stems available and damaged by human activities and weed biomass were assessed at different proximity along transects radiating from village-forest boundary to forest interior to measure the ecological impact of livestock grazing and fire wood collection. The grass biomass was positively correlated to overgrazing indicating the adverse effect on natural vegetation by cattle. Woodcutting was intense along the forest boundary and significantly declined as distance increased. Similarly, weed biomass and number of thorny species declined positively with proximity from village-forest boundary and the weed biomass was significantly higher in the pastoral sites compared to residential sites. The results suggest that human impact adversely affects natural vegetation and promotes weed proliferation in forest areas adjoining human settlements in the ecologically important Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Continued anthropogenic pressure could cause reduction in fodder availability to large herbivores like elephants, which in turn leads to an increase in human–elephant conflict. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Transfer factors are the most important parameters required for mathematical modeling used for environmental impact assessment of radioactive contamination in the environment. In this paper soil to leaf transfer factor for the radionuclides 40K, 226Ra, 137Cs and 90Sr is estimated for Kaiga region in Karnataka state, India. Among the plants in which study is carried out, 226Ra, 40K, 137Cs and 90Sr activity in leaves of herbaceous plants is higher than that of tree leaves. Soil to leaf transfer factor for 226Ra, 40K, 137Cs and 90Sr was found to be in the range of 0.03–0.65, 0.32–8.04, 0.05–3.03 and 0.42–2.67 respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bhubaneswar popularly known as the Temple City is one of the oldest continuously inhabited regions of the world, and one the most important Lord Shiva, Lord Bhubaneswari, Lord Mahavir and Lord Buddha pilgrimage sites of the country. Despite its importance, very little information is available on the city's herbaceous flora in general, and the medicinal species found within its limit in particular. As traditional medicine plays an important role in Indian society and in Oriya culture, the present study attempts to investigate the availability and their traditional uses. The paper presents information on the traditional uses of seventy-two plant species collected from the campus of Regional Institute of Education (NCERT), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, and highlights the uses of these plants by the local inhabitants for healthcare and the students of the institute for the study of Ethnobotany , Medicinal importance and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of Azadirachta indica A. Juss and nitrogen fertilizer on herbaceous diversity, productivity, and soil improvement were monitored with aims to enhance productivity of desert pasturelands. Fifty four plots of 1 m2 area were laid with lopping of 36-month old Azadirachta indica plants and nitrogen fertilization. Plots without plant (C0), intact plant (C1) and lopped plant (C2) were canopy, whereas plots without nitrogen (N0), 10 mg N kg-1 soil (N10), and 20 mg N kg-1 soil (N20) were nitrogen treatments. Both treatments influenced resource availability and vegetation diversity and biomass. Intact plants reduced photosynthetically active radiations (PAR) by 53-55% more PAR in C0/C2. A. indica plants were associated with 15 herbs/grass species belonging to 7 families. Nitrogen fertilization increased soil nitrogen, species richness, diversity, and biomass but negatively affected soil water and species evenness and dominance. Plots with intact plants showed highest soil available nitrogen, species richness, diversity, and evenness indices. However, soil water and species dominance were highest in the control plots. Herbage biomass increase was 2.0-fold more under intact plants and 1.4-fold more under lopped plants than in the control (C0N0). The highest species diversity and biomass in C1N20 suggest the benefit of tree association and nitrogen fertilization in enhancing rangeland productivity. Conclusively, application of nitrogen fertilizer enhances herbage productivity but retaining/introducing tree component in rangeland improves soil conditions, diversity, and herbage productivity in aridisol. Therefore, woody plants with canopy and addition of nitrogen fertilizer may be a viable option for increasing forage production in the forage-deficient dry lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species richness and density of understory plants were investigated in eight 1 ha plots, distributed one each in undisturbed and disturbed tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, deciduous and littoral forests of Little Andaman island, India, which falls under one of the eight hottest hotspots of Biodiversity in the world viz. the Indo-Burma. One hundred 1 m-2 quadrats were established in each 1 ha plot, in which all the understory plants (that include herbs, undershrubs, shrubs and herbaceous climbers) were enumerated. The total density of understory plants was 6,812 individuals (851 ha-1) and species richness was 108 species, representing 104 genera and 50 families. Across the four forest types and eight study plots, the species richness ranged from 10 to 39 species ha-1. All the disturbed sites harbored greater number of species than their undisturbed counterparts. Herbs dominated by species (63%) and density (4,259 individuals). The grass Eragrostis tenella (1,860 individuals; IVI 40), the invasive climber Mikania cordata (803; IVI 20) and the shrub Anaxagorea luzonensis (481; IVI 17.5) were the most abundant species. Poaceae, Asteraceae, Acanthaceae, Orchidaceae and Euphorbiaceae constituted the species-rich families represented by 6 species each. The species-area curves attained an asymptote at 0.8 ha level except in sites DD and DL, indicating 1 ha plot is not sufficient to capture all the understory species in disturbed forests. The alien weeds formed about one-fourth of the species richness (31 species; 28%) and density (1,926 individuals; 28.3%) in the study sites, indicating the extent of weed invasion and the attention required for effective conservation of the native biodiversity of the fragile island forest ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]