Diversity, Distribution Pattern and Conservation Status of the Plants Used in Liver Diseases/Ailments in Indian Himalayan Region

In the Indian Himalayan Region, th studies focused on diversity of the plants used fo treating liver diseases/ailments have not been carried out so far. Therefore, the present attempt has been made to study the diversity, distribution pattern and conservation status of the plant species used fo treating liver diseases/ailments in that region. A tota of 138 species (35 species of trees, 22 shrubs and 8 herbs) belonging to 98 genera in 60 families hav been recorded. Amongst the families, Euphorbiacea (9 species), and altitudinal zone <1,800 m, (i.e., 11 species) are rich in species. Traditionally, variou plant parts, such as roots/rhizomes/tubers (46 species), leaves (31), whole plants (30), barks (15) fruits (13), seeds and unspecified parts (8 each), and inflorescence (1) are used for the treatment of live diseases/ailments. 34 species are native, 3 ar endemic and 15 near endemic. 7 species ar categorized as Critically Endangered (Betula utilis) Endangered (Podophyllum hexandrum, Ephedra gerardiana, and Nardostachys grandiflora) and Vulnerable (Bergenia ligulata, B. stracheyi, and Hedychium spicatum) using new IUCN criteria Available chemical composition of plant parts used fo the treatment of liver diseases/ailments have beengiven. Assessment of the populations of threatened species, development of an appropriate strategy, action plan for the conservation and sustainable utilization of such components of plant diversity are suggested.

Effect of Ploughing Depth on the Growth and Yield of Heracleum candicans:a Threatened Medicinal Herb and a Less-explored Potential Crop of the Himalayan Region

This paper examines the effect of ploughing depths (A — 60 cm,B — 45 cm and C — 30 cm) on the growth and yield of Heracleum candicans Wall (Apiaceae),a threatened medicinal herb of the Himalayan region. This less-explored plant is being suggested as a potential crop for the mountain agriculture. The study was carried out in an orchard in Himachal Pradesh,India at 2500 m altitude,for two successive growth years. During the first year,all plants remained in juvenile state;in the second year,nearly 65 % plants produced flowers only under 60 cm ploughing depth. Among its morphological traits,plant height,collar diameter and aboveground fresh weight were found to be strongly correlated (P < 0.01) with the belowground biomass during the first year (r =0.968,0.925 and 0.973,respectively) and during the second year (r=0.945,0.928 and 0.775,respectively). Increase in the ploughing depth was significantly correlated (P<0.01) with all growth parameters,including the belowground dry weight,marketable portion of the produce. The belowground biomass (commercial yield;16.28 Qt/hec) at depth A was about 2.6 and 4.7 times higher than those recorded at depths B and C,respectively. The results clearly justify the importance of deep ploughing and this paper strongly recommends it for economically sustainable cropping.

Assessment of Diversity, Distribution, Conservation Status and Preparation of Management Plan for Medicinal Plants in the Catchment Area of Parbati Hydroelectric Project Stage-Ⅲ in Northwestern Himalaya

The developmental activities, particularly the construction of hydroelectric projects are causing a great loss of biodiversity in the Indian Himalayan Region. The Himachal Pradesh, a part of IHR is well known for the development of hydroelectric projects. The Parbati H.E. Project is amongst the major projects of the State. The different stages of the project are all causing loss of biodiversity of the area. Stage Ⅲ of the Parbati H.E. Project is a run of the river scheme on the Sainj River downstream of Power House of Parbati H.E. Project Stage Ⅱ. The project shall utilize regulated discharge of Parbati H.E. Project Stage Ⅱ and inflow of River Sainj for power generation, and has been contemplated as a peaking station operating in tandem with Stage Ⅱ. The present study has been undertaken to see the impact of hydroelectric project on the biodiversity, particularly on medicinal plants. A total of 104 species of medicinal plants, belonging to different life forms, i.e., trees (23 spp.), shrubs (22 spp.), herbs (57 spp.) and ferns (2 spp.) were recorded. The species have been analyzed and studied for their distribution, classification, altitudinal zones, part (s) used, indigenous uses, nativity, endemism and rarity.Different parts of these species, such as whole plants, roots (including rhizomes and tubers), leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, stems, barks, spikes, nuts and insect galls are used by the inhabitants for curing various diseases and ailments. 30 species are native to the Himalayan region, 9 species native to the Himalayan region and adjacent countries also and 65 species are non-natives. 9 species are near endemics. Considering the whole Himalaya as a biogeographic unit (sensu lato), the near endemics are endemic to the Himalaya. Among these species, Zanthoxylum armatum is categorized as Endangered and Valeriana wallichii as Vulnerable. Hedychium spicatum, Rhus javanica, Berberis lycium, Thalictrum foliolossum, Salvia lanata, Rubia cordifolia and Bergenia ligulata may be considered as threatened species due to their over exploitation for trade. 90 species are propagated by seeds, 8 species by seeds and rhizomes/roots/tubers, 4 species by seeds and cuttings, and 2 species by sori. A management plan for the cultivation and conservation of the medicinal plants in the dam submergence area, and the commercially viable medicinal plants with high value in the catchment area is suggested.

Mitigating People-Park Conflicts on Resource Use through Ecotourism:A Case of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve,Indian Himalaya

Ecotourism aims to deliver the philosophy of sustainable development through environmental conservation as well as socio-economic development.Areas with rich biodiversity and scenic beauty,like the Indian Himalayan region,have been one of the major destination centers for nature lovers from historical time.In view of conserving the rich biodiversity and natural heritage of the Himalayan region 92 protected areas have been set aside,of these Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve(NDBR) is a well known world heritage site.Over a period of time establishing NDBR has invited conflicts between the local people and reserve authorities on the management approaches and utilization criteria of the natural resources,especially banning the traditional bio-resource collection rights of local community,expeditions,trekking,and other anthropogenic activities in the core zones.The present study aims to understand and analyze the various people-park conflicts,and also to suggest ways to mitigate such conflicts in view of biodiversity conservation and improvement of economic status of local people by promoting ecotourism.With this view the study further discusses the various aspects of ecotourism,its pros and cons,and the avenues of developing appropriate strategies for promotion of ecotourism in buffer zone areas of NDBR.

Paradigm and Ecological Implication of Changing Agricultural Land-use:A Case Study from Govind Wildlife Sanctuary,Central Himalaya,India

The paper scrutinizes that the changes in any sub-system(i.e.agriculture,livestock and forest) have direct impact on biophysical and social processes in village ecosystem of the central Himalayan region.In view of this,we studied the changes in spatial patterns of agricultural land use and dependency of agroecosystem on forest and animal husbandry over a period of two decades.Based on data analysis it was found that the cultivation of some traditional crops has either been abandoned in the area or declined by 25%-85% due to introduction of cash crops viz.,potato,kidney bean and apple farming with acreage increased up to 51%-72% in the last three decades.Livestock population of different categories has declined drastically by 17%-75%,and has resulted shortage of farmyard manure,deterioration of soil quality and fertility which leads to un-sustainability of agriculture system.The changes in agrobiodiversity have led to the dramatic increase in soil loss and runoff from the croplands together with the increase pressure on forests.The economic evaluation of each crop showed higher monetary benefit from cash crops as compared to traditional crops.Among all the evaluated crops,the monetary output/input ratio was found highest(3.04) for kidney bean and lowest(1.26) for paddy.Changes in land use and management have improved household income but at the cost of forest degradation,less productive animal husbandry and loss of agrodiversity in the region.Therefore,there is an urgent need to bring desirable changes in agricultural policy,research,land use and efficient management of the resources for maintaining sustainability in agro and Himalayan forest ecosystem.

Characterization of Agro-diversity by Seed Storage Protein Electrophoresis:Focus on Rice Germplasm from Uttarakhand Himalaya,India

The characteristics of 48 rice varieties from Uttarakhand Himalaya, India were detected by morphological and biochemical markers. The grains of the selected rice varieties varied in their morphological （grain length, grain width and grain weight） and biochemical characters （sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, SDS-PAGE）. Based on the presence of 70, 65, 60, 57, 37-39, 22-23, 13 and 10 kDa protein bands in the 48 rice varieties, seven types of profiles were identified. An unweighted pair group average method with arithmetic mean （UPGMA） dendrogram based on cluster analysis of genetic similarity of the protein bands showed two distinct groups with 1%-78% similarity coefficients. The presence of characteristic bands in selected varieties is a useful parameter for identification of rice germplasm.

Land use and land cover changes in Jahlma watershed of the Lahaul valley,cold desert region of the northwestern Himalaya,India

Land use and land cover changes that occurred during the period from 1991 to 2001 in the Jahlma watershed of the Lahaul valley,a cold desert region of the northwestern Himalaya,were evaluated using land use data and visual interpretation of IRS Satellite imageries. The results revealed that out of the six major land use forms within the watershed,land areas under agriculture,kitchen garden and settlement land were found increased,whereas a declining trend was recorded in areas under grassland,barren land and Salix plantation. The cultivated land within the watershed increased from 54.87 % (total of agriculture land,kitchen garden,grassland,barren land,Salix plantation and residential area) in 1991 to 56.89 % in 2001,corresponding to an expansion of 4.41 ha. On the other hand,the areas of grassland decreased from 31.41 % in 1991 to 29.81 % in 2001. Such a dramatic land use and land cover changes taking place within the 33 km2 watershed area in a single decade clearly indicates the prevailing danger of land degradation and environmental deterioration in the region.

Distribution pattern and conservation of threatened medicinal and aromatic plants of Central Himalaya, India

A study was conducted to examine the distribution pattern of four rhizomatous medicinal and aromatic plant species （MAPs） viz., Angelica glauca, Pleurospermum angelicoides, Rheum emodi and Arne- bia benthamii in different forest stands in Central Himalaya. Results show that A. glauca and P. angelicoides had a higher （50%） frequency at Chipkoan, Garpak and Phagati forest, R. emodi had a higher （60%） frequency at Rishikund, Suki and Himtoli, and A. benthamii had a higher （70%） frequency at Suki and Khambdhar The densities of A. glauca （0.6 plants·m -2 ） and P. angelicoides （0.5 plants·m -2 ） were higher at Chipkoan and Garpak sites than at other micro-sites, while densities of R. emodi （0.8 plants·m -2 ） and A. benthamii （1.0 plants·m -2 ） were higher at Suki and Khambdhar sites. A. glauca had highest total basal covers （TBC） （1.2 cm 2 ·m -2 ） at Chipkoan, P. angelicoides had highest TBC （0.92 cm 2 ·m -2） at Lati kharak site, A. benthamii had the highest TBC （6.48 cm 2 ·m -2 ） atKhambdhar, and R. emodi had highest TBC （4.53 cm 2 ·m -2 ） at Rishikund. For the four studied species, A. glauca showed a contagious distribution, P. angelicoides and R. emodi showed the random and A. benthamii showed the regular type of distribution.

Assessing Conservation Values of Forest Communities in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve: Plant Diversity, Species Distribution and Endemicity

Present study has been conducted in a biodiversity rich Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve between 2000-3800 m in two different forest physiognomy holding sites to analyze the structure and composition of the forest communities including richness of native, non native and endemic species,and suggest conservation values at community and reserve level.A total of 60 sites were sampled and grouped in 11 and 8 communities for two representative sites Pindari-Sunderdhunga-Kafni(PSK) and Lata-Tolma-Phagti(LTP) respectively.From the sampled sites, 451 species(11.8%, 53 trees;17.71%, 80 shrubs; and 70.51%, 318 herbs) have been recorded.In general, PSK site represented 73.6% and LTP site represented only 54.9% of the total plant species recorded in the study area.Out of total species in PSK site, native species contributed 59.6%(198spp.) and 24.7% species were endemic and near endemic.In LTP site, 66.5% species were Himalayan natives and 33.5% were endemic and near endemic.The species richness ranged from 4-23 ind ha-1(tree),3-18 ind ha-1(sapling), 5-19 ind ha-1(seedling) in PSK site and 4-18 ind ha-1(tree), 4-11 ind ha-1(sapling), 4-16 ind ha-1(seedling) in LTP site.The density ranged from 260-535 ind ha-1(tree), 145-633 ind ha-1(sapling), 1450-8170 ind ha-1(seedling) in PSK site and 599-1211 ind ha-1(tree), 70-951 ind ha-1(sapling),470-1665 ind ha-1(seedling) in LTP site.Species diversity for trees ranged from 0.73-3.37, saplings,0.64-2.67, seedlings, 0.70-2.51, shrubs, 1-2.34 and herbs, 2.02-3.21 in PSK site and 0.63-1.61, saplings,0.76-1.36, seedlings, 0.35-1.79, shrubs, 0.98-2.73 and herbs, 2.48-3.61 in LTP site.These recorded values were almost comparable with the studies conducted in sub-tropical, temperate and sub-alpine regions of the west Himalaya.In some cases the values were slightly higher than the reported values.The important communities with high conservation values have been identified based on different ecological parameters and species distribution.Among all the prioritized communities, Mixed Silver firRhododendron-Maple community in PSK site and Taxus wallichana- A.pindrow mixed community in LTP site supports maximum richness and density of native and endemic species.This study calls for development of adequate strategy and action plan for the conservation and management of habitats, species,and communities under changing climate and socioeconomic scenarios, so that sustainable utilization of the species could be ensured.

Population structure and regeneration patterns of tree species in climate-sensitive subalpine forests of Indian western Himalaya

The population structure of tree species has been explored in order to elucidate regeneration potential of the subalpine forests of Indian western Himalaya. For this study, the subalpine forest area was divided into three strata, i.e., lower altitude （〈3000 m）; mid-altitude （3000-3200 m）; and high altitude （〉3200m）. Considering the major compositional attributes, an increase in altitude came with a significant decline in tree density and the total basal area for all the sites. However, no such clear trends were observed for recruits （i.e., seedlings and saplings）. Seedling density did not exhibit uniform patterns for sites and altitude strata. In general, overall seedling density was greater at the Pindari site compared to the Lata and Tungnath sites. By comparison, significant variation in seedling density along the altitude strata was recorded for the Tungnath and Pindari sites only. Likewise, sapling density patterns varied across the sites and altitude strata, and significant variation in sapling density along the altitude strata was recorded only for the Lata site. At the Pin- daft site, the continuous increase in sapling density along with increasing altitude was revealing. The Pindari forests of exhibited expanding population structure. In contrast, greater accumulation of individuals in the sapling class and sharp decline toward both higher tree classes and lower seedling classes was generally apparent for the Lata and Tungnath sites. This indicates that the replacement in tree size classes from sapling stage is not proportional and the population may decline in the long-term. Considerable variation in patterns of forest and dominant species popula- tion structure were evident across altitude strata. But in all cases irrespective of sites, we found growth at the high-altitude stratum, in the form of entire forests or dominant species. This trend deserves further investigation to explore its relevance under changing climate scenarios.

Traditional Agrodiversity Management:A Case Study of Central Himalayan Village Ecosystem

Environmental,biological,socio-cultural and economic status variation existing in the Central Himalaya have led to the evolution of diverse and unique traditional agroecosystems,crop species and livestock,which facilitate the traditional mountain farming societies to sustain themselves.Indigenous agroecosystems are highly site specific and differ from place to place,as they have evolved along divergent lines.For maintenance of traditional agrodiversity management the farmers of the Central Himalaya have evolved various types of crop rotations in consonance with the varied environmental conditions and agronomic requirements.In irrigated flat lands two crops are harvested in a year with negligible fallow period but in rainfed conditions if a cropping sequence is presumed to be starting after winter fallow phase then four major cropping seasons can be identified namely first kharif season(first crop season),first rabi season(second crop season),second kharif season(third crop season) and second rabi season(fourth crop season).Highest crop diversity is present in kharif season in comparison to rabi season.Traditionally the fields are left fallow after harvest of the second kharif season crop.Important characteristics of agrodiversity management are the use of bullocks for draughtpower,human energy as labour,crop residues as animal feed and animal waste mixed with forest litter as organic input to restore soil fertility levels.Women provide most of the human labour except for ploughing and threshing grain.The present study deals with assessment of traditional agrodiversity management such as(i) crop diversity,(ii) realized yield under the traditional practices and(iii) assess the differences of realized yields under sole and mixed cropping systems.It indicated that crop rotation is an important feature of the Central Himalayan village ecosystem which helps to continue the diversity of species grown,as are the distribution of crops in the growing period and the management of soil fertility.The cropping diversity existing and the sequences practiced by the traditional farmers seems to have achieved high degree of specialization and thus even when the yield/biomass variations are about 60%,the farmers continue to practice these sequences as they need to maintain diversity and synergistic relationships of crops in addition to manage the food and labour requirements for crop husbandry.Crop yields are generally higher in irrigated systems than rainfed systems and in sole cropping as compared with mixed cropping.However,gross biological and economic yields are higher in mixed cropping than sole cropping systems.

Resource Flows of Villages with Contrasting Lifestyles in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Central Himalaya, India

Resource use efficiency analyses of village ecosystem are necessary for effective and efficient planning of resource utilization. This paper deals with economic and energy input-output analyses of different components of village ecosystem in representative buffer zone villages, which are practicing transhumance and settled way of lifestyles in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) of Garhwal Himalaya. While the villages practicing transhumance used various natural resources spatially segregated,the villages practicing settled way of lifestyle have to manage resources from a limited spatial area through rotation and varied extraction intensities. Forests subsidized the production activity in both type of villages and the per capita resource extractions were found to be greater in transhumance village than settled village. Though crops provided maximum energy, in terms of economic criteria, animal husbandry played important role in both settled and transhumance villages. As villages representing both the situations showed different ways of adjustments to the conservation oriented land use changes, management authority needs to address theeco-development plans fulfilling the aspirations of all people traditionally using the resources of the Reserve to reduce the conflicts and encourage their participation in the conservation of the area.

Assessment of Reproductive Potential of Different Populations of Angelica glauca Edgew.,a Critically Endangered Himalayan Medicinal Herb

Angelica glauca is one of the important medicinal plants and it is widely used by indigenous communities for different purposes. The present study analyzes variability in reproductive characters of A. glauca. The reproductive parts were found having significant positive correlation with altitude (e.g.,number of umbellets /umber r= 0.857,p<0.05; umbel diameter r=0.735,p<0.05).

On-farm Conservation of Landraces of Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) through Cultivation in the Kumaun Region of Indian Central Himalaya

The Himalayan region is a known hot spot of crop diversity. Traditional varieties (usually called primitive cultivars or landraces), having withstood the rigors of time (including harsh climatic conditions as well as attacks of insects, pests and diseases), can still be found in crop fields in rural parts of Indian Central Himalaya (ICH). These landraces harbor many desired traits from which, for example, varieties that are tolerant/resistant to abiotic/biotic stresses could be developed. In addition to the above benefits, landraces provide a basis for food security and a more varied and interesting diet. Some landraces are also known to be of medicinal value. These, along with some lesser known hill crops, are often referred to by different names such as under exploited crops, crops for marginal lands, poor person crops, and neglected mountain crops. The Himalayan region continues to be a reservoir of a large number of landraces and cultivars whose economic and ecological potential is yet to be fully understood and/or exploited. Indians have had a history of rice cultivation since ancient times. Farmers, including tribals inhabiting the IHR, still cultivate a plethora of landraces of rice and thus directly contribute towardson-farm conservation of valuable germplasm and help in the preservation of crop diversity. The present paper looks at the on-farm conservation of rice germplasm, which is still practised in the Kumaun region of ICH.

The present status and future prospects of forest vegetation in part of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve(a World Heritage Site),India

We studied forest vegetation at Lata-Tolma- Phagti, a protected area and part of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve in the western Himalaya. We analyzed community composition, population structure, regeneration patterns, and projected development of future compositional patterns. We sampled ten 10 x 10 m quadrat for tree species in each of 30 forest stands. We sampled shrubs in ten 5 x 5 m quadrat, and herbs in twenty 1 x 1 m quadrat within each forest stand. We recorded 248 plant species from 8 forest communities. Broadly the demographic profiles at study sites exhibited progressive structures suggesting long term persistence of the communities/species. Density--diameter distribution revealed greater proportions of seedlings and a significant decline （P 〈 0.05） in the proportion of trees in older age/size classes. Of the 23 recorded tree species, 13.0 % showed good, 52.2 % fair, 26.1% poor and 8.7 % no regeneration. Differences in regeneration by species are indicative of future foreststructure and dynamics. Assessment of changes in structure of forest types provides baseline data for development of priorities for conservation of other representative land- scapes in the reserve as well as in the Himalaya.

Effect of Application of Vermicompost and Conventional Compost Derived from Different Residues on Pea Crop Production and Soil Faunal Diversity in Agricultural System in Garhwal Himalayas India

Sedentary crop-livestock mixed farming is the predominant agricultural land use in Central Himalaya upland and largely rainfed;agrochemicals are not used at all. Farmers focus on increasing yields with poor soil fertility management practices resulted in sharp decline in production of pea crop in the study site. Therefore in present study options are being looked into devising some conservation strategies that increase yields of pea while reducing harm to soil biodiversity at a local scale here. The present study explores the efficiency of P. excavatus as endemic earthworm species for vermicomposting, the potential utilization of Conventional oak based farmyard manure (FM-O);Conventional pine based farmyard manure(FM-P);Earthworm fed ? Cow dung + oak leaves based vermicompost (VC-O);Earthworm fed ? Cow dung + pine leaves based vermicompost (VC-P);freshly fallen leaf litter (LM) on pea crop productivity and soil faunal diversity in agricultural system, and if the changed soil faunal biodiversity scenario in any way affected the crop production. The higher uptake of nitrogen, higher germination percentage enhanced seedling growth, early emergence flower, increase number of pods, seed, husk , and root biomass was significantly higher in plants which received VC-O followed by VC-P as manure input treatments. The change in the diversity of soil micro arthropods in relation to quality change in organic residues input in experimental plots and expressed as the Simpsons diversity index showed that the diversity of soil fauna is related to improvements in soil conditions resulting from nutrient manipulations through vermicompost and conventional compost treatments. This response of soil biota to increased production most likely represents an increase in the availability of resources through addition of vermicompost when compared to other compost treatments. Alternatively, an increase in predators and therefore predation, could, increase the diversity of its prey, thereby decreasing dominant competitors and reducing the possibility of competitive exclusion, but this needs further studies. Chronosequence study during cropping season indicated that the composition and abundance of soil fauna in agricultural fields changed considerably with time under cultivation. This technology has now been adopted by the farmers in the area once again for growing the pea crop.

Relationship between Selected Physiographic Features and Landslide Occurrence around Four Hydropower Projects in Bhagirathi Valley of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya, India

The Himalayan mountain range is an internationally recognised landscape but one under increasing developmental threat. The lower Himalayan region possesses immense potential for hydropower generation but is also highly susceptible to tectonic deformation and mass wasting, especially landslides. Susceptibility to landslides increases markedly with human activity, especially large scale developmental projects. The impacts of massive hydropower plant construction in the Bhagirathi Valley, Uttarkhand, India on the generation of landslides are the focus of this study. Whilst many positive impacts derive from such projects, devastating negative impacts also accrue. The frequency and characteristics of land sliding within the sphere of influence of the construction sites of the various hydropower plant components were investigated. Landslide frequency was related to parameters of geology, prior land use, drainage density, slope steepness and location in terms of construction aspect. Landslide frequency was found to be greatest in gneissic terrain as well as on previously agricultural and forested lands. Statistical analysis revealed significant relationships between landslide frequency with slope and, frequency with construction aspect, especially the construction of access roads. As with other studies, road construction is the key initiator of land sliding due to slope over steepening and the indiscriminate dumping of debris. The study concludes with recommendations for reducing the frequency and magnitude of mass wasting in this environment.

Variations in seed germination ofHippophae salicifolia with different presoaking treatments

H 的成熟种子。 salicifolia ，从五起源镇定(即 Hanuman Chatti ， Helang ， Lata ， Rambara 和 Janggal Chatti )在西方 Himalaya ，印度，与层化被对待(在为 15 ， 30 和 60 天的 4 °C )并且在 GA 3的不同集中( 5 ， 10 ， 20 公里)， KNO 3( 50 ， 100 ， 200 公里)并且硫脲( 50 ， 100 ， 200 公里)在种子萌芽决定变化的答案。结果表明从在不同预先播种的处理下面的不同起源的种子的萌芽率显著地在控制与那些相比被增加(24%30%) 。与硫脲(100 公里) 对待的种子有最高的萌芽率(76%83% 为不同种子采购原料) ，由那些列在后面(63%71% 为不同种子采购原料) 有层化的 pretreated (4 ° C， 30 天) 。GA3 处理显著地弄短吝啬的萌芽时间(MGT ) 并且改善种子发芽率。考虑实际适用性和费用有效性，硫脲(100 公里) 和层化(在 4 ° C ) 为种子萌芽的处理通过 H 的种子为集体增加被推荐。在西方 Himalaya 的村庄 / 森林托儿所的 salicifolia，印度。

Effects of Disturbance Intensities on Vegetation Patterns in Oak Forests of Kumaun,West Himalaya

In order to realize the significance of oak forests for ecology and economy of the Himalayan region,the present study attempts to objectively characterize disturbance intensities and their impacts on compositional features of identified Oak forests, i.e.Banj-oak(Quercus leucotrichophora A.Camus), Tilonj-oak(Q.floribunda Lindley)and Kharsu-oak(Q. semecarpifolia J.E.Smith)in west Himalaya. Amongst studied forests,Q.leucotrichophora and Q. semecarpifolia forests exhibited high sensitivity towards disturbance intensities.In both forests, increasing level of disturbance significantly lowered tree density,dominance and natural recruitment (seedling and sapling density).Q.floribunda forests, however,appeared relatively more resilient to anthropogenic disturbances.Amongst studied oak forests,Q.semecarpifolia forests with overall poor natural regeneration are in a most critically endangered demographic state.However,a slightly improved regeneration(i.e.,seedling density)in moderately disturbed plots is indicative that such plots may be utilized most suitably for in situ revival of these forests.Effect of disturbance intensities on tree population is an important subject for forest ecology and management and the present study highlights a need for adopting different management strategies across disturbance intensities in diverse oak forests of west Himalaya.

Assessing Anthropogenic Pressure and Its Impact on Hippophae salicifolia Pockets in Central Himalaya,Uttarakhand

Natural habitat of Hippophae salicifolia in Central Himalaya is continuously being degraded due to habitat destruction and harvesting.Although logging is prohibited,habitat destruction has increased because of regular road construction,repairing and broadening activities.In addition,Hippophae resources are continuously being harvested by lopping(both partial and complete) for fuelwood,fodder and fruits in higher Himalayan region.This paper presents a detailed analysis of relationship between density,demographic structure,and harvesting of H.salicifolia growing pockets in the five major valleys(Gangotri,Yamunotri,Niti,Mana and Bhyundhar) of Uttarakhand in Central Himalaya,India.A total of 120 quadrats were laid randomly to study population structure,regeneration,sex ratio and lopping using quadrats of 100 m 2(24 in each valley) in Hippophae growing patches.Our study shows that the density,size distribution,and regeneration of Hippophae vary considerably among the major valleys.Trees in the Yamunotri valley have the highest density of large trees but the lowest density of seedlings.In contrast,there are few large trees but many seedlings in the Mana valley.The number and size of lopped trees also varied among the valleys.Lopping was greatest in Bhyundhar(11.4%) and Yamunotri(19.7%) and least in Niti(3.9%).The size of lopped trees differed substantially as well.In Bhyundhar,the largest trees were taken while saplings were taken in Yamunotri.Our study revealed that unsustainable harvesting from plants for fuel,fencing and fruits along with road broadening activities in Central Himalaya are the main cause of habitat destruction.Our research highlights the urgent need for in-situ and ex-situ conservation of Hippophae salicifolia so that it's potential can be harnessed sustainably by rural hill societies for their socio-economic development.