Shyamal Kumar Nandi

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Researcher at GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development

The Himalayan region is a plethora of high-value and important medicinal and aromatic plants. Besides natural hazards, various anthropogenic activities like deforestation, over-exploitation, illegal removal and trading, trampling and grazing by animals and other factors have resulted in placing many of these plant species in decreased status. Conse...

Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soo (Family-Orchidaceae), one of the important threatened species of medicinal value, has huge demand at the national and international market. However, low seed germination, narrow niche, low population size, and overexploitation have restricted its distribution range and availability in the region. The threat statu...

Zanthoxylum armatum DC. (Family Ruta-ceae) is an important species gaining tremendous popularity owing to its multiple uses in diverse medicine systems. The species is harvested from the wild to meet the demand for pharmaceutical and domestic purposes. However, overexploitation of Z. armatum has imposed severe pressure on this species in its natura...

Altitude is a determining factor of vegetation composition, ecosystem properties and processes, and availability of soil nutrients. Present study examined soil nutrients at two depths i.e. 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm along altitudinal gradients (1800–4000 m asl) in the Indian western Himalaya. Results of the study reveals an increase in organic carbon (OC...

The prediction of species distribution is emerging as an important tool for conservation and rehabilitation planning of economically important plant species including medicinal and aromatic plants. Paris polyphylla, an economically and high valued medicinal plant of Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is reported to lose its habitat area due to over-expl...

In the 21st century while there is all-round development in every sphere of science and technology, a major limitation in micropropagation technology still remains; a large number of plantlets of several species die during hardening and ex vitro transfer. In the present study, introducing an in vitro incubation period in plant growth regulator (PGR...

To prevent extinction of threatened species, in vitro regeneration protocols for the propagation of six threatened species were standardized. The regenerated micro-shoots were rooted in nutrient medium supplemented with low concentrations of auxin. The well-developed plantlets were successfully established in field conditions, thus improving the pr...

In vitro establishment of callus suspension culture and incorporation of Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) was studied on the accumulation of polyphenols and other antioxidant activity in Nardostachys jatamansi. The maximum explants establishment (95%) was recorded in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA 21.1 µM) and...

Some alpine Himalayan rosette plants (e.g., Aconitum heterophyllum Wall and Podophyllum hexandrum Royle) exhibit the phenomenon of “pseudomonocotyly”, where the plumule remains in a quiescent stage at the base of cotyledonary tube, due to the inhibitory influence of the cotyledons. This correlative inhibition prevents the formation of true leaves a...

Auxin influences a variety of developmental and physiological processes in plants. Recently, much progress has been made to understand the role of auxin under various abiotic stresses. Rapid alteration in plant root architecture in response to abiotic stress is achieved largely through auxin. Various auxin signaling components exist in plants, whic...

To prevent extinction of threatened species, in vitro regeneration protocols for the propagation of six threatened species were standardized. The regenerated micro-shoots were rooted in nutrient medium supplemented with low concentrations of auxin. The well-developed plantlets were successfully established in field conditions, thus improving the pr...

The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is considered as a rich repository of the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs), and has diverse traditional and modern base of therapeutic knowledge. Inhabitants of the region are traditionally well familiar with the healing properties of the available plants and therefore, dependency on medicinal plants for primar...

Medicinal plants are used as a source of raw drugs, chemical compounds or bioactive metabolites. Many of the medicinal plant species are facing threat of extinction due to indiscriminate harvesting by humans. Conservation of such species is no longer an altruistic choice but a necessity to ensure sustainable supply of bioactive compounds to the dru...

Phenolics and flavonoids contents in methanol extracts of Olea ferruginea Royle seeds, an underutilized fruit tree crop of north western Himalayan were quantified and their antioxidant activities were evaluated at two different stages of seed maturity in this paper. Total phenolics and flavoinoid contents (108 and 20%, respectively) were higher in...

Ethnobotanical knowledge plays a significant role in plant diversity conservation and the curing of various ailments in remote rural areas of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). A total of 53 plant species from 27 families have been documented from the Byans valley and are used traditionally for the treatment of various diseases. Valley inhabitants...

p>A high value medicinal plant W. somnifera L. Indian Ginseng; Ashwagandha investigated for the antioxidant and influence of physico-chemical properties of soil on antioxidant along the topographical gradients in Kullu Valley, North Western Indian Himalaya. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents in methanol extracts of fruits, leaves, stems and root...

Habenaria edgeworthii Hook. f. ex Collett is an important terrestrial orchid used in different Ayurvedic formulations. In the present study, variations among morphological, phytochemical and molecular markers were assessed. A significant difference was observed among populations using morphological traits. Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) data r...

This paper presents study of thin layer drying kinetics of Picrorhiza kurroa, an important Himalayan medicinal herb based on several drying models and experiments conducted under convection or controlled drying conditions to simulate the thin layer drying processes. Eleven thin layer drying models, namely Diffusion, Jena and Das, Henderson and Pabi...

An attempt has been made to influence seed germination in Zanthoxylum armatum DC, a medicinally important plant that produces seeds with hard coat and low natural regeneration. Pre treatment of seeds with concentrated (98 %) or diluted (50 %) sulfuric acid (H2SO4) forvarious time periods (1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 min) andsubsequent sowing in the soi...

Abstract In the recent years medicinal plants are receiving attention due to the presence of therapeutically important active contents; however over exploitation is the major concern for conservation of several medicinal species. An attempt has been made to develop a propagation method through air layering in Zanthoxylum armatum DC, a medicinally i...

Hedychium spicatum is an important medicinal plant, the rhizomes of which are traditionally used for treating several conditions such as fever, diarrhoea, inflammation, pain, asthma, and bronchitis. The medicinal properties of rhizome extracts might be due to the presence of secondary metabolites such as terpenoids, phenolics, flavonoids, and antio...

An attempt has been made to influence seed germination in Zanthoxylum armatum DC, a medicinally important plant that produces seeds with hard coat and low natural regeneration. Pretreatment of seeds with concentrated (98 %) or diluted (50 %) sulfuric acid (H2SO4) for various time periods (1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 min) and subsequent sowing in the so...

The extracts of runners and roots of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth. (family: Scrophulariaceae, local/ trade name: ‘Kutki’), an important endangered medicinal herb endemic to alpine Himalaya, has been used since ancient times to cure various hepatic disorders. Besides the presence of other active constitutents, it contains two iridoid glycosides,...

The rhizomes of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle, a perennial herb found in restricted areas of the Himalayan region, is a commercial source of podophyllotoxin, a highly valued aryltetralin used as precursor of some widely used anticancer drugs. This detailed investigation highlights an alternative source of podophyllotoxin from leaves and stems of thre...

The genetic differentiation and clonal identification of eight tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] clones selected from different agroclimatic zones of India were investigated in the present study using morphological and molecular markers (RAPD; Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA and ISSR; Inter Simple Sequence Repeats). Major morphological parame...

In vitro regeneration through somatic embryogenesis using explants taken from field-grown 10- and 45- year-old elite maggar bamboo (Dendrocalamus hamiltonii) plants has been demonstrated. The concentration of plant growth substances used in the culture medium, and age of the mother plant (MP) were found to significantly influence callus formation,...

In vitro grown microshoots of Picrrhiza kurrooa were encapsulated in the alginate beads. Regrowth of encapsulated microshoots, using alginate encapsulation, of P. kurrooa reached 89.33% following 3months of storage. Amongst developing plantlets, 42.66% exhibited formation of multiple shoots at the onset of regrowth and 21.43% demonstrated simultane...

An efficient in vitro regeneration protocol and field performance of a multipurpose bamboo species Dendrocalamus hamiltonii Nees et Arn. Ex Munro has been demonstrated using single node cuttings taken from the lateral branches of a 20-year-old bush. Axillary buds on the nodal explant sprouted within 10days of culture on Murashige and Skoog (MS) med...

This article was submitted without an abstract, please refer to the full-text PDF file.

This article was submitted without an abstract, please refer to the full-text PDF file.

The unique topography, climatic conditions and large altitudinal range of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) support diverse habitats, species, communities and ecosystems. The region, one of the identified Mega biodiversity Hot Spots and recognized as one of the best habitats for medicinal plants, is known to support representative, natural, unique...

The morphological features of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle, a 'critically endangered' medicinal herb and a source of podophyllotoxin, were studied in populations growing in different parts of the Kumaun region of the Indian Central Himalaya. Plant growth performance in terms of biomass accumulation and podopyllotoxin levels in the rhizomes collected...

Aconitum heterophyllum Wall and A. balfourii Stapf (Ranunculaceae), important medicinal herbs of the alpine and sub alpine belts of the Himalayan region are source of major diterpenoid alkaloids, namely aconitine and pseudoaconitine. Quantification of these alkaloids was carried out in tubers collected from higher altitudes in Kumaun and Garhwal re...

Picrorhiza kurrooa Royle ex Benth., a high value medicinal herb of alpine Himalaya and a source of hepatoprotective picrosides, is listed as ‘endangered’ due to heavy collection from its natural habitat. The present report deals with successful propagation of this species using both conventional and in vitro techniques. Vegetative propagation was a...

Identification of the cytokinin complex of primary crown gall tumours of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has been described. Several cytokinins have been identified which included zeatin, dihydrozeatin, isopentenyladenine, and their respective riboside and nucleotide derivatives. In addition, 6-b...

Abstract The concentration dependence of phosphate uptake was studied using root sections of corn (Zea mays L. cv. Ganga 5). Detailed and wide-range (57 concentrations in the range 1 μmol m−3-75 mol m−3), precise (average SEM < 2.5%, n= 6) and reproducible (similar patterns in three independent experiments and for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C) data r...

The rooting ability of stem cuttings of Quercus glauca Thunb. and Q. floribunda Lindl., multipurpose and difficult to root species, has been examined using different chemicals. Various concentrations of auxins (IBA, NAA and 1AA; 25, 50, 250 & 500 μM), a systemic fungicide Bavistin (containing 50% Carbendazim) and Surtedex (100, 500, 1000 & 1500 ppm...

Shoot multiplication of Picrorhiza kurrooa Royle ex Benth. was achieved using juvenile explants (cotyledonary nodes and shoot tips) taken from in vitro grown seedlings. Best shoot multiplication occurred on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 μM 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) or Kinetin (Kn). Maximum numbers (12) of shoots per explant were obtained when sho...

Small leaf segments, obtained from in vitro sprouted axillary buds, have been used to develop an efficient micropropagation protocol for Aconitum balfourii Stapf., an important medicinal herb of the Indian Himalayan alpines. Following the induction of callus from cultured leaf segments on Murashige and Skoog (1962; MS) medium containing 4.5 μM 6-be...

The rooting ability of air layered shoots of Myrica esculenta Buch. - Ham. ex D. Don, a commercially important and difficult to root species, has been examined using different chemicals. Various concentrations (100, 500 & 1000 ppm) of auxins (IBA and NAA), and a systemic fungicide Bavistin (containing 50% Carbendazim) were applied using a soil past...

The effects of two gelling agents (agar or phytagel) and two light sources (cool fluorescent light or photosynthetically active radiation) on micropropagation of Rosa damascena Mill. and Rhynchostylis retusa (L.) B1. were studied. Enhanced growth and better shoot proliferation was observed in cultures grown on medium gelled with phytagel (0.22%, w/...

The effect of acorn weight on germination and subsequent seedling performance in terms of survival, growth and dry matter accumulation was studied for two important central Himalayan oak species, Quercus leucotrichophora (Banj oak) and Q. semecarpifolia (Kharsu oak). A wide variation in acorn size and fresh weight existed within these species and g...

The effect of auxins [indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and -naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA)], phenolics (phloroglucinol and coumarin), a combination of auxins and phenolics, and a systemic fungicide (Bavistin, containing 50% carbendazim) on adventitious root formation in stem cuttings (current season's growth) of Cedrus deodara L. during winter and monsoon...

A regeneration protocol has been developed for Quercus floribunda Lindl. using cotyledonary nodes (with attached cotyledons but without radicle and primary shoot) as explants. Multiple shoots were induced on woody plant (WP) or MS medium supplemented with 6-benzyladenine (BA), either alone or in combination with gibberellic acid (GA(3)). BA (22.19...

Taxol content in the bark of Taxus baccata trees growing in a homogenous (uniform) environment at Jageshwar, District Almora in Central Himalaya has been quantified. The average taxol concentration in the bark of sampled trees was 0.0558+/-0.008% (of dry wt.) and was about 64% higher for male plants (averaged across tree age) in comparison to femal...

An efficient protocol for in vitro propagation of Thamnocalamus spathiflorus (Trin.) Munro, an evergreen temperate bamboo, through multiple shoot formation from zygotic embryos excised from germinating seeds, as well as from nodal explants taken from a 2-year-old plant has been developed. Multiple shoot formation was standardized in both the cases...

Podophyllum hexandrum Royle, a source of highly valued podophyllotoxin, has been subjected to heavy collection from the wilds due to ever increasing demand. This report deals with the successful propagation of this species using both conventional and in vitro techniques. To improve vegetative multiplication, rhizome segments were treated with α-nap...

Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. and A. balfourii Stapf. are important medicinal herbs of the Himalayan region. The effect of plant growth substances (PGSs, namely, abscisic acid, 6-benzylaminopurine, gibberellic acid and zeatin riboside) and two nitrogenous compounds (thiourea and potassium nitrate) for enhancing and synchronising uniform germination...

Taxus baccata L. subsp. wallichiana (Zucc.) Pilger has come into prominence in recent times due to its uncontrolled harvesting from the Himalayan wilds for the extraction of the anti-cancer drug Taxol (R). It is a very slow growing tree with poor regeneration, and the extent of canopy damage is likely to have serious consequences on biomass yield,...

Genetic tumour tissues of Nicotiana glauca (Grah.) N. langsdorffii (Weinm.), which grow on auxin and cytokinin-free medium, were incubated with [14C]-/[3H]-adenine or [3H]-hypoxanthine to investigate cytokinin biosynthesis. Adenine was supplied to tissues of two different ages (2- and 3.5-week-old) for 8, 24 or 30 h. The uptake was over 91.0 % (of...

The cytokinin content of stem tissues, primary genetic tumours (excised from 2-month-old plants) and 3-week-old in vitro cultured genetic tumour tissues derived from Nicotiana glauca (Grah.) ×langsdorffii (Weinm.) and N. suaveolens (Lehm.) ×langsdorffii (Weinm.) hybrids and stem tissues derived from 2-month-old N. suaveolens and N. langsdorffii pla...

The profile of endogenous cytokinins in a genetic tumor line of tobacco, namely, Nicotiana glauca (Grah.) x Nicotiana langsdorffii (Weinm.), following 1 to 10 weeks of growth on solid medium was determined by radioimmunoassay. ³H-labeled cytokinins of high specific activity were added during tissue extraction to correct for the purification losses...

A critical element in understanding the physiological role of cytokinins is the knowledge of how plants control their cytokinin levels. Therefore, we need to know the pathway(s) and site(s) of cytokinin synthesis, the metabolic fate of cytokinins, and the biochemical mechanisms controlling their biosynthesis and degradation.

The embryonic axis plays a critical role in inducing expansion and chlorophyll formation in cotyledons of germinating yellow lupin seed, and cytokinins would appear to constitute an important part of the stimulus emanating from the axis. Externally applied cytokinins (6-benzylaminopurine >;>; zeatin >; dihydrozeatin) completely replaced the embryon...

Primary crown gall tumours induced on stems on tomato plants by Agrobacterium tumefaciens yielded extracts with pronounced cytokinin activity. By mass spectrometry and other methods, 6-benzylaminopurine and its 9-β-ribofuranoside were identified as cytokinins in the extracts which also contained a 9-hexoside of 6-benzylaminopurine.

[3H]-dihydrozeatin riboside was applied selectively to the embryonic axes or to the cotyledons of germinating lupin (Lupinus luteus L. cv. Weiko III) seeds 6 h following the start of imbibition. There was little transport of dihydrozeatin riboside from embryo to cotyledons up to 6 h after the application, but a substantial amount of radioactivity h...

Imbibed intact seeds, and excised embryos and cotyledons of yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L. cv. Weiko III) have been incubated with [14C]-adenine to investigate cytokinin biosynthesis during the early stages of germination. Following incubation the tissues were extracted and purified by solvent partition and chromatography on cellulose phosphate, d...

A range of endogenous cytokinins have been identified inDatura crown-gall tissue by GC-MS. Incorporation of [3H]adenine into zeatin riboside, zeatin and its nucleotide(s) is also shown. Metabolism studies usingcis- andtrans-isomers of zeatin riboside indicate that interconversion of the two isomers does not occur in this tissue. Data on the identit...