Avik Ray

Center for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity, and Sustainability (CEiBa)

Agricultural intensification riding on the Green Revolution ushered bountiful production of selected staples (rice, wheat, maize) in the developing nations and caused a significant economic growth. It showered a new hope through a package of high-yielding seeds of rice and wheat, laying networks of irrigation and facilitating ground-water usage, ov...

Food embodies our cultural identity, sense of taste, social status, and the extent of dependence on resources. It has been the most crucial element in establishing a liaison between humans and their environment. As hunter-gathers, the human race has depended on a diverse resource base procured from the environment from the early dawn of their evolu...

The cultivation of cotton and production of cotton textiles have been a well-entrenched culture and it has supported the economy of the Indian subcontinent since historic times. The subcontinent attained excellence in textile production relying on high-quality and decentralized cotton production, elegant workmanship, efficient and locally-evolved t...

Domestication and diversification of Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) is contentious and over- whelmed by research on two subpopulations, indica and japonica; while aus group remains relatively under-explored. Recent studies have uncovered the genetic legacy of aus and its unrealized potential in breeding through discovery of novel genes for...

The rapid and expansive decline of agrobiodiversity has become a global concern now. With the new research pouring in, the description of the problem, its scale and magnitude has been well documented and analyzed. So are suggested mitigation measures that include ex situ or in situ conservation measures. However, oftentimes the causal processes pro...

A periodical newsletter (3 issues in a year) published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-...

A periodical newsletter (3 issues in a year) published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) focuses on a diverse array of topics, mainly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a wider g...

#Apiculture #Sustainable_Agriculture. #Natural_farming. #Bee_flora #Apis_mellifera. #Apis_cerana #Pollination_service

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

A relook into Hayao Miyazaki's much-loved movie, 'My Neighbour Totoro', and its wide and clear message on environmentalism wrapped in childhood fantasy.

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

Green leafy shoots are important components of the food culture of many Asian and African countries. We examined this aspect in India where a living tradition of consuming leafy green is ubiquitous. We investigated a database drawn from 105 studies to analyze the edible species diversity, spatial distribution, culinary diversity as a measure of acc...

Irrigated, rainfed, deepwater rice agro-ecosystems of Asia replete with a suite of edible flora and fauna have provided an alternate and affordable source of essential nutrients apart from the sta- ple. This diverse edible biota once constituted a viable means to supplement the staple and sus- tained large populations of the rice growing countries...

The apparent absence of Himalayan low-elevation taxa in the central Indian region and resumption of their distribution in the high elevation of Western Ghats has puzzled biogeographers for several decades. Many theories have been proposed to explain this but attempts remain futile owing to insufficient empirical support. Here, we have employed a mo...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

Cropping pattern is the spatial arrangement and temporal sequence of crops in agricultural fields and is a key attribute of any farming system. Traditional cropping patterns have largely disappeared from Indian agriculture following the Green Revolution that has promoted rice-wheat based cropping systems. Whereas crop diversification through multip...

Biofortification refers to the increase in the amount of essential vitamins or provitamins or minerals in crops to improve the nutritional status of the people. The article argues that biofortification may not be an effective weapon to fight against the hidden hunger since it demonstrates limited capacity for nutritional enhancement and suggests a...

Biofortification refers to the increase in the amount of essential vitamins or provitamins or minerals in crops to improve the nutritional status of the people, which is largely intended to alleviate the problem of micronutrient malnutrition. I argue that biofortification may not be an effective weapon to fight against the hidden hunger since it de...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

In this chapter, I shall review the diversity of historical shifting cultivation in the highlands of India and synthesize the its implications it held for on the domestication, evolution, and diversification of major crops. Situating it within the wider realms of human-environment interaction, I shall also call on past human niche-constructing beha...

Background: Sacred groves are model systems that have the potential to contribute to rural healthcare owing to their medicinal floral diversity and strong social acceptance. Methods: We examined this idea employing ethnomedicinal plants and their application documented from sacred groves across India. A total of 65 published documents were shortli...

We have evaluated the proto-indica model that is the proponent of multiple domestication of rice but a single origin of the key genes in japonica. Attainment of non-shattering, a marker; appeared least integral to the initial phases of domestication. The other archeological determinants were less discernible in specimens. Existence of the key domes...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

Zero Budget Natural Farming or ZBNF is a newly hatched baby aka agricultural practice that has become enormously popular in recent decades and embraced by a million farmers till now. It is currently taking shape of a much larger-scale agricultural mass movement, perhaps on the way to become an institution (Khadse et al. 2017). Even it has received...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for Studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of the natural or semi-natural world to...

Wild edible plants are still eaten by a large section of the global population and ensure both affordable food and nutritional security. We tested this in an Indian context, where an enormous diversity of such plants constitutes a significant part of the rural diet and their acceptance has been high. In this study, we assessed the diversity of wild...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

Gondwana break-up is one of the key sculptors of the global biogeographic pattern including Indian subcontinent. Myrtaceae, a Gondwana family, demonstrates a high diversity across Indian Western Ghats. A rich paleo-records in Deccan Intertrappean bed in India strive to reconcile two contending hypothesis of origin and diversification of Myrtaceae i...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

Mosses (now termed "Bryophyta") occupy a unique niche in the plant kingdom as intermediates between the non-vascular and vascular cryptogams, and also, for being among the pioneers that adapted to the terrestrial habitat from an aquatic environment. Mosses are the major contributors of forest ecosystems of the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot...

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

The rice-based agriculture of the Indian subcontinent has been interwoven in the rich socio-cultural fabric of the country. Of which, bio-culturally diverse North-Eastern states nurture thousands of landraces with poorly tapped agronomic traits. In the present study, 27 standard microsatellite data from 171 rice landraces from six states were analy...

Although wild progenitors of Asian cultivated rice have long awns, they are shorter or absent in domesticated landraces and cultivars. Then, one may wonder when and why such transition from awned to awnless has occurred, i.e., is the reduction of awns a syndrome trait or a trait emerged during crop improvement? The proponents of evolutionary model...

Awn Reduction and the Domestication of Asian Rice: A Syndrome or Crop Improvement Trait? Although wild progenitors of Asian cultivated rice have long awns, they are shorter or absent in domesticated landraces and cultivars. Thus, one may wonder when and why such transition from awned to awnless has occurred, i.e., is the reduction of awns a domesti...

Sickle economy, Agrobiodiversity and consumer choice, Tropical forest, Wild and uncultivated food, Floating Guava market, Bible super food, City Snack, Airport for feathery flyers, Dark Diversity

A tri-monthly newsletter published by Centre for studies in Ethnobiology, Biodiversity and Sustainability (CEiBa) that focusses on a diverse array of topics, mostly covering ecology and environment, natural and cultural history to oral history and conservation. The purpose is to introduce awe-inspiring facets of natural or semi-natural world to a w...

The aromatic group of Asian cultivated rice is a distinct population with considerable genetic diversity on the Indian subcontinent and includes the popular Basmati types characterized by pleasant fragrance. Genetic and phenotypic associations with other cultivated groups are ambiguous, obscuring the origin of the aromatic population. From analysis...

The climatic shifts in the Quaternary Period acted as an important driving force for evolution of the world's biodiversity. In this study, responses to the ice age of a rare and endangered tree of Indian Western Ghats, Syzygium travancoricum, was investigated through a combination of molecular data and ecological niche modeling.Results indicate the...

wild uncultivated food, agricultural field weed, food security, leafy green, bioculture, nutrition

Abstract: Access to nutritious food to an ever-growing global population becoming a challenge and the situation might worsen in the face of climate change and environmental degradation. It is largely agreed that modern agriculture requires a major overhaul in its strategy, that should tap the technological innovations from the traditional agricultu...

This issue has interesting observations on termites, mud-dauber, and bats. In tropical countries like India, termite hillocks have socio-religious relevance but hardly considered as a subject of detailed investigation to understand the social life of insects. Nikita Zachariah in her illustrious article describes this fascinating architectural wonde...

The climatic shifts in the Quaternary Period acted as an important driving force for evolution of the world's biodiversity. In this study, responses to the ice age of a rare and endangered tree of Indian Western Ghats, Syzygium travancoricum, was investigated through a combination of molecular data and ecological niche modeling.Results indicate the...

Away from the Ganges valley, the south-eastern highlands of India is recognized as the region of origin of upland or aus rice. In this narrative, we attempt to reconstruct its origin synthesizing inklings from genetics, prehistory, and anthropology, and to find out the putative paleo-ecological, environmental, and cultural context that provided the...

Basudha began its journey in 1997 with the pledge to conserve the nation’s heritage of biological diversity and to protect this heritage from biopiracy. To comply with this pledge, a demonstration and conservation farm was founded in 2001, where hundreds of indigenous varieties of rice, and other crops were cultivated in situ, and seeds were distri...

We have identified a hitherto undescribed tree, locally known as Sitapatra, which has never been mentioned in any publication of the region’s flora. However, by using morphological and molecular analyses, we identified it as Cordia macleodii (Cordiaceae). Several novel traits, never mentioned in previous taxonomic works, were observed and added to...

The loss of shattering of rice has long been acknowledged as a crucial step sweeping the path of domestication. Here, we collated evidence from genetics, and anthropology to challenge this long-held view. Our discussion dwelt on arguments that (1) undermined the effect of a mutation in the key locus (sh4) which does not always confer non-shattering...

Cordia macleodii voucher BAF2008_spatra small subunit ribosomal RNA gene, partial sequence; internal transcribed spacer 1, complete sequence; and 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene, partial sequence.

Using archives to reconstruct the past !

Using archives to reconstruct the past !

The candidature of 8-bp deletion in badh2 gene as the predominant cause for aroma development in rice was investigated in 84 subsp. indica rice landraces. Presence of this functional mutation was detected in 80 % of aromatic samples and in three non-aromatic landraces which were found to be heterozygous at this locus. However, 11 landraces did not...

Syzygium Gaertn. is the largest woody genus of flowering plants in the world. Unpublished but extensive recent herbarium surveys suggest 1200?1800 species distributed throughout the Old World tropics and subtropics (Table 1). Until recently, Syzygium exemplified a recurring taxonomic impediment among megadiverse genera, wherein few taxonomists work...

Syzygium Gaertn. is the largest woody genus of flowering plants in the world. Unpublished but extensive recent herbarium surveys suggest 1200‒1800 species distributed throughout the Old World tropics and subtropics (Table 1). Until recently, Syzygium exemplified a recurring taxonomic impediment among megadiverse genera, wherein few taxonomists work...

Invasive species demonstrate rapid evolution within a very short period of time allowing one to understand the underlying mechanism(s). Lantana camara, a highly invasive plant of the tropics and subtropics, has expanded its range and successfully established almost throughout India. In order to uncover the processes governing the invasion dynamics,...

Lantana camara is a highly invasive plant, which has spread over 60 countries and island groups of Asia, Africa and Australia. In India, it was introduced in the early nineteenth century, since when it has expanded and gradually established itself in almost every available ecosystem. We investigated the genetic diversity and population structure of...

Lantana camara is a highly invasive plant, which has spread over 60 countries and island groups of Asia, Africa and Australia. In India, it was introduced in the early nineteenth century, since when it has expanded and gradually established itself in almost every available ecosystem. We investigated the genetic diversity and population structure of...

Rice landraces are lineages developed by farmers through artificial selection during the long-term domestication process. Despite huge potential for crop improvement, they are largely understudied in India. Here, we analyse a suite of phenotypic characters from large numbers of Indian landraces comprised of both aromatic and non-aromatic varieties....

Lantana camara is a highly invasive plant that has established itself in at least 60 different countries across the world. Here, we report development of ten microsatellite markers for this species. These microsatellite loci have 2–15 alleles per locus; with observed and expected heterozygosity of 0.022–0.833 and 0.336–0.848, respectively. These ma...