The study deals with the distribution pattern and morphology of stomata and cystoliths in the lea... more The study deals with the distribution pattern and morphology of stomata and cystoliths in the leaves of six taxa of the genus Ficus of the family Moraceae in Arunachal Pradesh. All the plant species studied contained stomata and cystoliths, which vary in shape and size. Actinocytic stomata type was present in only one species (Ficus sp. 1). Anomocytic type in three, and paracytic in four species. Stomatal frequency calculation revealed that the highest frequency was reported in F. hispida and the lowest in F. rumphii. There is also an indication that semi-coriaceous and coriaceous glabrous leaved species of Ficus are linked to the stomatal characters. The results have shown the presence of stalks in all the cystoliths of various sizes. Different shapes such as star-shaped, bean-shaped, solitary, round, and oblong cystoliths are recorded during the study. The largest cystoliths were found in F. rumphii, where its spinous surface is quite distinct from all other species and can be rec...
Environmental Concerns and Sustainable Development, 2019
The ethnomedicinal use of plants is one of the most successful criteria used by the pharmaceutica... more The ethnomedicinal use of plants is one of the most successful criteria used by the pharmaceutical industry in finding new therapeutic agents for the various fields of biomedicine. There are more than one-tenth of plant species used in drugs and health products, with more than 50,000 species being used worldwide. Arunachal Pradesh alone has recorded more than 500 species of medicinal plants used by traditional herbal practitioners. These knowledge are generally passed down orally. About 70% of the herbalists are from old generation, which shows that this wisdom in the young generation is degrading fast due to rapid modernization. Unfortunately, medicinal plant resources are being harvested haphazardly in increasing volumes from its native habitat. Recently, various sets of recommendations relating to the conservation of medicinal plants have been developed, such as providing both in situ and ex situ conservation. Also, the policymaker of the state has come up with several plans with an idea of conservation of these plants, such as Herbal Garden, State CAMPA, Demonstration plot, Demonstration plot cum Nursery and MPCA (Medicinal Plants Conservation Area). The plants used in traditional medicines are potential source of therapeutics aids and have significant role in rural healthcare system all over the world. There is a vast scope for Arunachal Pradesh to emerge as a major player in the global herbal product-based medicine, owing to its rich biological resources. Therefore, it requires urgent systematic investigation using biotechnological tools to authenticate and develop new novel drugs from the rich bio-resources of the region.
Eastern Himalaya is still unexplored in terms of the traditional rice, a reservoir of qualitative... more Eastern Himalaya is still unexplored in terms of the traditional rice, a reservoir of qualitative traits. The traditional rice is in serious threats from the social diversion and reduction in agricultural practices. The study was conducted to evaluate the status of the genetic resource of indigenous Rice (Oryza sativa L.) landraces and its diversity. Forty-one rice varieties were reported from diverse elevation exposures. Both univariate and multivariate statistical analysis had provided plenty of evidence on existence of polymorphism. Pearson’s correlation of traits revealed1.8 % of the trait combinations correlated strongly (r = 0.68–1.00), 2.23 % correlated weakly (r ≤ 0.35), while 5.69% correlated moderately (r = 0.36–0.67). The dendrogram obtained from Euclidian distance and UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean), revealed three distinct clusters. The cluster analysis using the UPGMA and Euclidean distance revealed the range of genetic distance to be 10 to 75...
Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability, 2013
ABSTRACT Management of crop residues can have important implications apart from the desired maint... more ABSTRACT Management of crop residues can have important implications apart from the desired maintenance of soil organic matter and improving plant growth. In order to test this hypothesis, field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of plant residues, FYM and inorganic fertilizers on soil N and P mineralization and growth of Abelmoschus esculentus Linn. A randomized complete block design consisting of nine treatments including the control was usedwith three replications each. 'Okra' was selected as the test crop. The source of N, P and K was urea (containing 45% N), superphosphate (16% P), muriate of potash (60% K). The application of full NPKand half NPK doses recorded 72 and 84 germination percentage. Nevertheless, the plots amended with half NPK and full NPK doses did not significantly (F= 0.067, ñ< 0.05) increase the growth of crop. The regression analysis of shoot and root biomass shows positive correlation in each treatments.The study revealed that NPK amended soils showed two times more fruit biomass production than the plant residue amended soils. Net N mineralization in different treatments ranged from 0.112 to 0.410 mg g -1 day -1 .N mineralization significantly varied among the plots with inorganic fertilizers having the highest mineralized N followed by residues applied soils and controls the least. On the other hand, phosphorous mineralization was higher in fertilizer amended soils. Over all, crop residue management with supplementary chemical fertilizer loading could help have better yield response under business as usual' climate scenario.
The Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh, India has rich traditional knowledge on traditional medicines, w... more The Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh, India has rich traditional knowledge on traditional medicines, while, the current study attempts to document the traditional knowledge on the medicinal plants used by them. The field and herbarium techniques were followed to obtain the essential information on the use of medicinal plants. The collected plant species were identified with the consultation of taxonomic literature Floras and Herbaria. Altogether 16 medicinal plant species belonging to 13 families were reported to be used by the Monpa community of this region. Leaves (32%) were the most frequently used plant part, while the flowers (5%) were the least. A total of 16 different medical conditions were reported to be neutralized using these plants. As it was claimed by the locals, these medicinal plants are considered to have no side effects and have multiple health benefits. The plant species Oenanthe javanica, with the highest CIs (Cultural Importance Index) and URs (Use Report) score was ...
Jhum agriculture is widely practiced on Arunachal Pradesh’s hill slopes, and it is more than just... more Jhum agriculture is widely practiced on Arunachal Pradesh’s hill slopes, and it is more than just a means of subsistence; it is a way of life that has symbolic connotations for the socio-cultural life and natural landscapes, and it is an essential component of survival and economic existence. An attempt was made to study the soil characterization associated with pre-and post- burned jhum cultivation practiced by the ethnic Nocte and Tutsa tribes of Tirap district, Arunachal Pradesh. The soil samples were collected from the same location at the pre-and post-burnt fields from the various depth of soil profile A (0-20) cm, B (20-40) cm, and C (40-60) cm. The present study reveals an overall increase in porosity, temp, pH, Moisture, and bulk density because of the burning of the jhum field. In post-burned jhum fields of all the locations, there was an overall increase in the percentage of Sodium and Calcium in soil collected and a decrease in the percentage of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and ...
Increasing human population and various developmental activities in the Indian state of Arunachal... more Increasing human population and various developmental activities in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which lies in one of the most bio-diverse regions of the world, has caused large-scale deforestation, pushing a large number of native tree species to the serious verge of elimination from their native forest. In such tribal-dominated landscapes around the world, myriads of studies have emphasized the potential of homegardens as a site for local biodiversity conservation as they are known to have a huge Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) on the use of diverse native floras. The present study was, therefore, undertaken to investigate if the native communities of the Mishmi tribe conserved native indigenous tree species in their homegardens and if they are grown then what is the future of these tree species? It was hypothesized that harbouring greater indigenous knowledge implies greater domestication of tree species in their homegardens. Altogether, 103 species of trees were reco...
Medicinal plants extend to show an imperative role in the rural healthcare system of developing c... more Medicinal plants extend to show an imperative role in the rural healthcare system of developing countries, where herbal medicine has a continuous history of long use. Field studies were conducted following standard ethnobotanical techniques to collect information on the use of toxic and medicinal plants used by the Wancho tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. Vigna radiata was used as a plant model in this study to investigate the antiproliferative property of selected medicinal plant extracts. Green gram seedling root apical meristem cells were used to determine the inhibition of germination and slow growth. Different concentrations of plant extract (20, 50, 250 and 500 µg/ml) were treated in a test tube containing the green gram seeds (n=5) on time dependent manner. Colchicine (20 mg/ml) was used as a standard drug for the growth retardation of green gram seedlings, while the distilled water group served as negative control. Germination test of Vigna radiata L. was performed according to IS...
Abstract. Borah D, Gogoi T, Sarma J, Borah PJ, Gohain B, Mili C, Upadhyaya A, Basumatary J, Neog ... more Abstract. Borah D, Gogoi T, Sarma J, Borah PJ, Gohain B, Mili C, Upadhyaya A, Basumatary J, Neog K, Wangpan T, Tangjang S. 2021. Compendium of plants used for preparation of traditional alcoholic beverages by different major ethnic communities of Assam, Northeast India. Biodiversitas 22: 2019-2031. This paper deals with the ethnobotanical research on the preparation of traditional alcoholic beverages by Ahom, Bodo, Karbi and Mishing ethnic communities of Assam, India. Along with the information on preparation, the plant species associated with the preparation of alcoholic beverages are also recorded. Field investigations were conducted to cover 32 villages of six districts of Assam, India. The data was generated from 202 respondents using participatory rural appraisal tools including semi-structured questionnaires and personal interviews. The plant species were collected, identified and submitted in the Herbarium of Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The study record...
The study deals with the distribution pattern and morphology of stomata and cystoliths in the lea... more The study deals with the distribution pattern and morphology of stomata and cystoliths in the leaves of six taxa of the genus Ficus of the family Moraceae in Arunachal Pradesh. All the plant species studied contained stomata and cystoliths, which vary in shape and size. Actinocytic stomata type was present in only one species (Ficus sp. 1). Anomocytic type in three, and paracytic in four species. Stomatal frequency calculation revealed that the highest frequency was reported in F. hispida and the lowest in F. rumphii. There is also an indication that semi-coriaceous and coriaceous glabrous leaved species of Ficus are linked to the stomatal characters. The results have shown the presence of stalks in all the cystoliths of various sizes. Different shapes such as star-shaped, bean-shaped, solitary, round, and oblong cystoliths are recorded during the study. The largest cystoliths were found in F. rumphii, where its spinous surface is quite distinct from all other species and can be rec...
Environmental Concerns and Sustainable Development, 2019
The ethnomedicinal use of plants is one of the most successful criteria used by the pharmaceutica... more The ethnomedicinal use of plants is one of the most successful criteria used by the pharmaceutical industry in finding new therapeutic agents for the various fields of biomedicine. There are more than one-tenth of plant species used in drugs and health products, with more than 50,000 species being used worldwide. Arunachal Pradesh alone has recorded more than 500 species of medicinal plants used by traditional herbal practitioners. These knowledge are generally passed down orally. About 70% of the herbalists are from old generation, which shows that this wisdom in the young generation is degrading fast due to rapid modernization. Unfortunately, medicinal plant resources are being harvested haphazardly in increasing volumes from its native habitat. Recently, various sets of recommendations relating to the conservation of medicinal plants have been developed, such as providing both in situ and ex situ conservation. Also, the policymaker of the state has come up with several plans with an idea of conservation of these plants, such as Herbal Garden, State CAMPA, Demonstration plot, Demonstration plot cum Nursery and MPCA (Medicinal Plants Conservation Area). The plants used in traditional medicines are potential source of therapeutics aids and have significant role in rural healthcare system all over the world. There is a vast scope for Arunachal Pradesh to emerge as a major player in the global herbal product-based medicine, owing to its rich biological resources. Therefore, it requires urgent systematic investigation using biotechnological tools to authenticate and develop new novel drugs from the rich bio-resources of the region.
Eastern Himalaya is still unexplored in terms of the traditional rice, a reservoir of qualitative... more Eastern Himalaya is still unexplored in terms of the traditional rice, a reservoir of qualitative traits. The traditional rice is in serious threats from the social diversion and reduction in agricultural practices. The study was conducted to evaluate the status of the genetic resource of indigenous Rice (Oryza sativa L.) landraces and its diversity. Forty-one rice varieties were reported from diverse elevation exposures. Both univariate and multivariate statistical analysis had provided plenty of evidence on existence of polymorphism. Pearson’s correlation of traits revealed1.8 % of the trait combinations correlated strongly (r = 0.68–1.00), 2.23 % correlated weakly (r ≤ 0.35), while 5.69% correlated moderately (r = 0.36–0.67). The dendrogram obtained from Euclidian distance and UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean), revealed three distinct clusters. The cluster analysis using the UPGMA and Euclidean distance revealed the range of genetic distance to be 10 to 75...
Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability, 2013
ABSTRACT Management of crop residues can have important implications apart from the desired maint... more ABSTRACT Management of crop residues can have important implications apart from the desired maintenance of soil organic matter and improving plant growth. In order to test this hypothesis, field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of plant residues, FYM and inorganic fertilizers on soil N and P mineralization and growth of Abelmoschus esculentus Linn. A randomized complete block design consisting of nine treatments including the control was usedwith three replications each. 'Okra' was selected as the test crop. The source of N, P and K was urea (containing 45% N), superphosphate (16% P), muriate of potash (60% K). The application of full NPKand half NPK doses recorded 72 and 84 germination percentage. Nevertheless, the plots amended with half NPK and full NPK doses did not significantly (F= 0.067, ñ< 0.05) increase the growth of crop. The regression analysis of shoot and root biomass shows positive correlation in each treatments.The study revealed that NPK amended soils showed two times more fruit biomass production than the plant residue amended soils. Net N mineralization in different treatments ranged from 0.112 to 0.410 mg g -1 day -1 .N mineralization significantly varied among the plots with inorganic fertilizers having the highest mineralized N followed by residues applied soils and controls the least. On the other hand, phosphorous mineralization was higher in fertilizer amended soils. Over all, crop residue management with supplementary chemical fertilizer loading could help have better yield response under business as usual' climate scenario.
The Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh, India has rich traditional knowledge on traditional medicines, w... more The Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh, India has rich traditional knowledge on traditional medicines, while, the current study attempts to document the traditional knowledge on the medicinal plants used by them. The field and herbarium techniques were followed to obtain the essential information on the use of medicinal plants. The collected plant species were identified with the consultation of taxonomic literature Floras and Herbaria. Altogether 16 medicinal plant species belonging to 13 families were reported to be used by the Monpa community of this region. Leaves (32%) were the most frequently used plant part, while the flowers (5%) were the least. A total of 16 different medical conditions were reported to be neutralized using these plants. As it was claimed by the locals, these medicinal plants are considered to have no side effects and have multiple health benefits. The plant species Oenanthe javanica, with the highest CIs (Cultural Importance Index) and URs (Use Report) score was ...
Jhum agriculture is widely practiced on Arunachal Pradesh’s hill slopes, and it is more than just... more Jhum agriculture is widely practiced on Arunachal Pradesh’s hill slopes, and it is more than just a means of subsistence; it is a way of life that has symbolic connotations for the socio-cultural life and natural landscapes, and it is an essential component of survival and economic existence. An attempt was made to study the soil characterization associated with pre-and post- burned jhum cultivation practiced by the ethnic Nocte and Tutsa tribes of Tirap district, Arunachal Pradesh. The soil samples were collected from the same location at the pre-and post-burnt fields from the various depth of soil profile A (0-20) cm, B (20-40) cm, and C (40-60) cm. The present study reveals an overall increase in porosity, temp, pH, Moisture, and bulk density because of the burning of the jhum field. In post-burned jhum fields of all the locations, there was an overall increase in the percentage of Sodium and Calcium in soil collected and a decrease in the percentage of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and ...
Increasing human population and various developmental activities in the Indian state of Arunachal... more Increasing human population and various developmental activities in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which lies in one of the most bio-diverse regions of the world, has caused large-scale deforestation, pushing a large number of native tree species to the serious verge of elimination from their native forest. In such tribal-dominated landscapes around the world, myriads of studies have emphasized the potential of homegardens as a site for local biodiversity conservation as they are known to have a huge Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) on the use of diverse native floras. The present study was, therefore, undertaken to investigate if the native communities of the Mishmi tribe conserved native indigenous tree species in their homegardens and if they are grown then what is the future of these tree species? It was hypothesized that harbouring greater indigenous knowledge implies greater domestication of tree species in their homegardens. Altogether, 103 species of trees were reco...
Medicinal plants extend to show an imperative role in the rural healthcare system of developing c... more Medicinal plants extend to show an imperative role in the rural healthcare system of developing countries, where herbal medicine has a continuous history of long use. Field studies were conducted following standard ethnobotanical techniques to collect information on the use of toxic and medicinal plants used by the Wancho tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. Vigna radiata was used as a plant model in this study to investigate the antiproliferative property of selected medicinal plant extracts. Green gram seedling root apical meristem cells were used to determine the inhibition of germination and slow growth. Different concentrations of plant extract (20, 50, 250 and 500 µg/ml) were treated in a test tube containing the green gram seeds (n=5) on time dependent manner. Colchicine (20 mg/ml) was used as a standard drug for the growth retardation of green gram seedlings, while the distilled water group served as negative control. Germination test of Vigna radiata L. was performed according to IS...
Abstract. Borah D, Gogoi T, Sarma J, Borah PJ, Gohain B, Mili C, Upadhyaya A, Basumatary J, Neog ... more Abstract. Borah D, Gogoi T, Sarma J, Borah PJ, Gohain B, Mili C, Upadhyaya A, Basumatary J, Neog K, Wangpan T, Tangjang S. 2021. Compendium of plants used for preparation of traditional alcoholic beverages by different major ethnic communities of Assam, Northeast India. Biodiversitas 22: 2019-2031. This paper deals with the ethnobotanical research on the preparation of traditional alcoholic beverages by Ahom, Bodo, Karbi and Mishing ethnic communities of Assam, India. Along with the information on preparation, the plant species associated with the preparation of alcoholic beverages are also recorded. Field investigations were conducted to cover 32 villages of six districts of Assam, India. The data was generated from 202 respondents using participatory rural appraisal tools including semi-structured questionnaires and personal interviews. The plant species were collected, identified and submitted in the Herbarium of Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The study record...
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