The present study highlights the rich species diversity of higher plants in the Bhabha Valley of western Himalaya in India. The analysis of species diversity revealed that a total of 313 species of higher plants inhab...The present study highlights the rich species diversity of higher plants in the Bhabha Valley of western Himalaya in India. The analysis of species diversity revealed that a total of 313 species of higher plants inhabit the valley with a characteristic of moist alpine shrub vegetation. The herbaceous life forms dominate and increase with increasing altitude. The major representations are from the families Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Lamiaceae and Poaceae, suggesting thereby the alpine meadow nature of the study area. The effect of altitude on species diversity displays a hump-shaped curve which may be attributed to increase in habitat diversity at the median ranges and relatively less habitat diversity at higher altitudes. The anthropogenic pressure at lower altitudes results in low plant diversity towards the bottom of the valley with most of the species being exotic in nature. Though the plant diversity is less at higher altitudinal ranges, the uniqueness is relatively high with high species replacement rates. More than 90 % of variability in the species diversity could be explained using appropriate quantitative and statistical analysis along the altitudinal gradient. The valley harbours 18 threatened and 41 endemic species, most of which occur at higher altitudinal gradients due to habitat specificity.展开更多
This paper highlights the quantitative estimates of plant species diversity and ecosystems of the Rohtang Pass,which is one of the most preferred visiting spots by tourists in Himachal Pradesh (H.P.),India. In spite o...This paper highlights the quantitative estimates of plant species diversity and ecosystems of the Rohtang Pass,which is one of the most preferred visiting spots by tourists in Himachal Pradesh (H.P.),India. In spite of high pressure of anthropogenic activities,the Rohtang Pass still harbours a variety of flowering plants with economic value,including various medicinal herbs. In order to observe species diversity in different landscape elements (LSEs),ground surveys were conducted in nine unique LSEs within the elevation range between 3624 m and 4332 m. Plant community structure in each LSE was studied using stratified random sampling where a total 56 quadrats of 1 m2 in size for herbs and 7 quadrats of 25 m2 for shrubs were made. Of the total 50 plant species belonging to 15 families recorded in different random quadrats,24 species were found of medicinal value. Maximum species richness (18) and value of Shannon diversity (H'=2.2648) were observed on northeast-facing slope in Picrorhiza kurrooa dominated LSE in moist area,followed by Rheum emodi LSE (species richness = 17 and H' = 2.4141) distributed on south-facing slope. Maximum values of species richness and Shannon diversity in Rheum emodi LSE were observed between 8 ～ 12 and 1.4797 ～ 2.1911,respectively. Rhododendron anthopogon dominated LSE on northwest-facing slope was found least diverse in terms of species richness where the Simpson index of dominance (D) was 0.4205. The species were equal in abundance in P. kurrooa LSE on east-facing slope and Pleurospermum candollii LSE on north-facing slope,showing the maximum similarity in terms of species distribution between the two LSEs. Low turnover of species across common LSEs gives an idea regarding their limited distribution. Five species of threatened category according to the IUCN criteria were observed in seven LSEs. The largest population of threatened medicinal plants was recorded on northeast and northwest-facing slopes where population density of Bergenia stracheyi (29.25 individuals/m2),Picrorhiza kurrooa (19.83 individuals/m2) and Rhododendron anthopogon (26.23 individuals/25m2) was highest. Aconitum heterophyllum was recorded for the lowest density (1 individual/m2). It was observed that the distribution of medicinal plants was very habitat-specific. Lower soil pH in most of the LSEs reflected its acidic nature. A significant positive correlation of Shannon diversity was found with soil organic matter,carbon content available and total nitrogen. Considering the continuous pressure of anthropogenic activities,this paper suggests effective ecotourism planning and plant conservation mechanisms to protect valuable plant bioresource at the Rohtang Pass.展开更多
Rice varieties having high Fe concentration in the endospermic region can be used as a good source for Fe deficit population.In this study,303 Oryza sativa varieties and 1 Oryza rufipogon accession were assessed for s...Rice varieties having high Fe concentration in the endospermic region can be used as a good source for Fe deficit population.In this study,303 Oryza sativa varieties and 1 Oryza rufipogon accession were assessed for spatial Fe accumulation in grains by Prussian blue staining method.Spatial ferritin protein distribution in grains was visualized by immunohistochemistry,and ferritin expression was assessed in selected rice varieties using semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR.Three popular rice varieties,namely Sarjoo 52,Madhukar and Jalmagna,and the O.rufipogon variety showed Fe in all the regions of grains,and the highest Fe concentration was observed in the embryo region.Some high-yielding varieties like Swarna,Swarna Sub 1,CSR13 and NDRR359 had lower Fe concentration in the embryo region.The highest Fe concentration was detected in O.rufipogon(49.8μg/g),followed by Sarjoo 52(26.1μg/g)and Madhukar(25.7μg/g).Phytic acid concentration was the minimum in O.rufipogon(5.75 mg/g)followed by Sarjoo 52(5.83 mg/g).Western blot and semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR showed higher expression of ferritin gene in O.rufipogon,Sarjoo 52 and Madhukar.In conclusion,O.rufipogon and Sarjoo 52 had higher Fe concentration in the embryo regions as well as endosperm and aleurone layer,whereas the other varieties had lower Fe concentration in the endosperm.Sarjoo 52 could be used as a donor in the rice breeding program for the generation of new varieties with elevated grain Fe concentration.展开更多
Introduction:This study investigated factors affecting farmers’participation in watershed management programs in the Northeastern highlands of Ethiopia by taking the Teleyayen sub-watershed as a case study.Data were ...Introduction:This study investigated factors affecting farmers’participation in watershed management programs in the Northeastern highlands of Ethiopia by taking the Teleyayen sub-watershed as a case study.Data were collected from 215 farm households which were selected from the four villages using a multistage sampling procedure,involving a combination of purposive and random sampling.Data were gathered using a structured survey questionnaire,focus group discussion,and key informant interviews.Descriptive analysis,Pearson correlation analysis,and regression analysis were employed to analyze the data.Results:Findings of this study showed that farmer’s perception has a strong positive correlation(r=0.612,P=0.000)with the farmer’s decision to participate in the watershed management programs followed by government support(r=0.163,P=0.017),while the slope of the farmland and the gender of the household head have shown significant and negative associations.The binary logistic regression analysis also revealed that six independent variables were significant in explaining the factors affecting the farmers’decision to participate in watershed management programs.These variables were land redistribution,gender,agricultural labor force,extension service,farm size,and slope.Of these,land redistribution,gender,agricultural labor force,extension service,and slope of the farmland indicated a negative influence,while farm size of a household exerted a positive impact.The study also examined the role of discrete variables in explaining variations of variables in affecting the farmers’decision to participate in the programs.Thus,two variables found to be significant.These variables are the gender of the household head and land tenure security.Accordingly,the chi-square result of the variable(χ^(2)=9.052)of gender was found to be statistically significant at the 95%level of significance.Similarly,the chi-square result(X^(2)=8.792)of land tenure security was found to be statistically significant at the 95%level of significance.Conclusions:The result of the study suggests to work on raising the awareness of farmers’about the long-term benefits of the watershed programs and to design a strategy to diversify their livelihoods.展开更多
文摘The present study highlights the rich species diversity of higher plants in the Bhabha Valley of western Himalaya in India. The analysis of species diversity revealed that a total of 313 species of higher plants inhabit the valley with a characteristic of moist alpine shrub vegetation. The herbaceous life forms dominate and increase with increasing altitude. The major representations are from the families Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Lamiaceae and Poaceae, suggesting thereby the alpine meadow nature of the study area. The effect of altitude on species diversity displays a hump-shaped curve which may be attributed to increase in habitat diversity at the median ranges and relatively less habitat diversity at higher altitudes. The anthropogenic pressure at lower altitudes results in low plant diversity towards the bottom of the valley with most of the species being exotic in nature. Though the plant diversity is less at higher altitudinal ranges, the uniqueness is relatively high with high species replacement rates. More than 90 % of variability in the species diversity could be explained using appropriate quantitative and statistical analysis along the altitudinal gradient. The valley harbours 18 threatened and 41 endemic species, most of which occur at higher altitudinal gradients due to habitat specificity.
文摘This paper highlights the quantitative estimates of plant species diversity and ecosystems of the Rohtang Pass,which is one of the most preferred visiting spots by tourists in Himachal Pradesh (H.P.),India. In spite of high pressure of anthropogenic activities,the Rohtang Pass still harbours a variety of flowering plants with economic value,including various medicinal herbs. In order to observe species diversity in different landscape elements (LSEs),ground surveys were conducted in nine unique LSEs within the elevation range between 3624 m and 4332 m. Plant community structure in each LSE was studied using stratified random sampling where a total 56 quadrats of 1 m2 in size for herbs and 7 quadrats of 25 m2 for shrubs were made. Of the total 50 plant species belonging to 15 families recorded in different random quadrats,24 species were found of medicinal value. Maximum species richness (18) and value of Shannon diversity (H'=2.2648) were observed on northeast-facing slope in Picrorhiza kurrooa dominated LSE in moist area,followed by Rheum emodi LSE (species richness = 17 and H' = 2.4141) distributed on south-facing slope. Maximum values of species richness and Shannon diversity in Rheum emodi LSE were observed between 8 ～ 12 and 1.4797 ～ 2.1911,respectively. Rhododendron anthopogon dominated LSE on northwest-facing slope was found least diverse in terms of species richness where the Simpson index of dominance (D) was 0.4205. The species were equal in abundance in P. kurrooa LSE on east-facing slope and Pleurospermum candollii LSE on north-facing slope,showing the maximum similarity in terms of species distribution between the two LSEs. Low turnover of species across common LSEs gives an idea regarding their limited distribution. Five species of threatened category according to the IUCN criteria were observed in seven LSEs. The largest population of threatened medicinal plants was recorded on northeast and northwest-facing slopes where population density of Bergenia stracheyi (29.25 individuals/m2),Picrorhiza kurrooa (19.83 individuals/m2) and Rhododendron anthopogon (26.23 individuals/25m2) was highest. Aconitum heterophyllum was recorded for the lowest density (1 individual/m2). It was observed that the distribution of medicinal plants was very habitat-specific. Lower soil pH in most of the LSEs reflected its acidic nature. A significant positive correlation of Shannon diversity was found with soil organic matter,carbon content available and total nitrogen. Considering the continuous pressure of anthropogenic activities,this paper suggests effective ecotourism planning and plant conservation mechanisms to protect valuable plant bioresource at the Rohtang Pass.
基金supported by the Department of Biotechnology,New Delhi,India.
文摘Rice varieties having high Fe concentration in the endospermic region can be used as a good source for Fe deficit population.In this study,303 Oryza sativa varieties and 1 Oryza rufipogon accession were assessed for spatial Fe accumulation in grains by Prussian blue staining method.Spatial ferritin protein distribution in grains was visualized by immunohistochemistry,and ferritin expression was assessed in selected rice varieties using semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR.Three popular rice varieties,namely Sarjoo 52,Madhukar and Jalmagna,and the O.rufipogon variety showed Fe in all the regions of grains,and the highest Fe concentration was observed in the embryo region.Some high-yielding varieties like Swarna,Swarna Sub 1,CSR13 and NDRR359 had lower Fe concentration in the embryo region.The highest Fe concentration was detected in O.rufipogon(49.8μg/g),followed by Sarjoo 52(26.1μg/g)and Madhukar(25.7μg/g).Phytic acid concentration was the minimum in O.rufipogon(5.75 mg/g)followed by Sarjoo 52(5.83 mg/g).Western blot and semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR showed higher expression of ferritin gene in O.rufipogon,Sarjoo 52 and Madhukar.In conclusion,O.rufipogon and Sarjoo 52 had higher Fe concentration in the embryo regions as well as endosperm and aleurone layer,whereas the other varieties had lower Fe concentration in the endosperm.Sarjoo 52 could be used as a donor in the rice breeding program for the generation of new varieties with elevated grain Fe concentration.
基金This study was financially supported by the International Foundation for Science(IFS).
文摘Introduction:This study investigated factors affecting farmers’participation in watershed management programs in the Northeastern highlands of Ethiopia by taking the Teleyayen sub-watershed as a case study.Data were collected from 215 farm households which were selected from the four villages using a multistage sampling procedure,involving a combination of purposive and random sampling.Data were gathered using a structured survey questionnaire,focus group discussion,and key informant interviews.Descriptive analysis,Pearson correlation analysis,and regression analysis were employed to analyze the data.Results:Findings of this study showed that farmer’s perception has a strong positive correlation(r=0.612,P=0.000)with the farmer’s decision to participate in the watershed management programs followed by government support(r=0.163,P=0.017),while the slope of the farmland and the gender of the household head have shown significant and negative associations.The binary logistic regression analysis also revealed that six independent variables were significant in explaining the factors affecting the farmers’decision to participate in watershed management programs.These variables were land redistribution,gender,agricultural labor force,extension service,farm size,and slope.Of these,land redistribution,gender,agricultural labor force,extension service,and slope of the farmland indicated a negative influence,while farm size of a household exerted a positive impact.The study also examined the role of discrete variables in explaining variations of variables in affecting the farmers’decision to participate in the programs.Thus,two variables found to be significant.These variables are the gender of the household head and land tenure security.Accordingly,the chi-square result of the variable(χ^(2)=9.052)of gender was found to be statistically significant at the 95%level of significance.Similarly,the chi-square result(X^(2)=8.792)of land tenure security was found to be statistically significant at the 95%level of significance.Conclusions:The result of the study suggests to work on raising the awareness of farmers’about the long-term benefits of the watershed programs and to design a strategy to diversify their livelihoods.
