This study investigates the ethnobotanical knowledge of the Siddi tribal community inhabiting the Western Ghats region of Karnataka, India, a distinct Afro-Indian group with ancestral roots in East Africa.Field documentation across four settlements such as Kerehosalli, Bilki, Hunsemane and Kotemane in Yellapur taluk were conducted.Data were collected from 28 families using semi-structured interviews, participatory observations and focus group discussions.This resulted in the identification of 60 plant species, of which 56 were used for medicinal purposes and 11 as food.The leaves are the most commonly utilized plant part, with pastes, decoctions and juices being the primary methods of preparation.Remedies were administered either orally or externally, based on the type of ailment.The Siddi community exhibits a practical, non-ritualistic approach to healing, with knowledge widely shared and passed down orally.Many plants serve dual functions as food and medicine, illustrating a holistic understanding of health where diet and treatment are interconnected.This practice underscores a sustainable relationship with the surrounding forest ecosystem, promoting both biodiversity conservation and cultural resilience.However, threats such as environmental degradation, habitat loss and cultural assimilation pose risks to the preservation of this traditional knowledge.The study highlights the urgency of documenting and protecting such indigenous knowledge systems through collaborative efforts, ethical research practices and policy interventions guided by frameworks like the Nagoya Protocol.Overall, research underscores the significance of traditional ethnomedicinal and ethnofood practices in ensuring sustainable development, public health and the continuity of tribal heritage.

The present study aimed to find out the variation in seed oil content across different landscapes (L & L -arboreal; Sterculia foetidaL -agricultural and L -L -city avenue plantations) of South Gujarat, India and its oil phytochemical and fatty acid composition.The sampling 2 3 7 locations were comprised of eight landscapes falling in three districts namely Narmada (lies in the Satpura mountain ranges and the Narmada River basin), Navsari and Valsad (Arabian Sea coast).Findings deduced significant ( ) variation in P 0.05 S. foetida seed oil content among the landscapes and it ranged from 38.43 to 53.23% with overall average of 44.16%.Further, the gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry analysis revealed 11 volatile compounds in oil.Based on relative percentage most abundant were 9-Octadecanone (88.67), stigmasterol (78.74), 2-Decanone (78.02) and nonanoic acid (76.55).Gass chromatography analysis of Total Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) of S. foetida seed oil revealed 6 compounds.Among them maximum amount (57.06%) was of palmitoleic acid.The total saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and poly unsaturated acids were 19.48%, 18.37% and 62.13%, respectively.Corroboration of detected kernel oil phytochemicals and fatty acids, in the present study, with available literature expressed that these compounds have many biological properties indicating it beneficial for human being.

This study was conducted at Bhubaneswar, Odisha to evaluate the effect of girdling on (Neem) fruit yield and Azadirachta indica quality.A five-year-old neem tree was subjected to 25, 50, 75 and 100%, girdlingof branch circumference, with ungirdled branches as a control.Observations included fruit morphology and the time taken to reach maturity fruit drop percentage.Among the treatments, 50% girdling yielded the best results, with maximum fruit diameter (11.66 mm), length(16.37mm), weight (1.34g/fruit), and seed dry weight(0.35g/fruit).It also reduced fruit drop and shortened the maturity period.In contrast, complete girdling causes excessive fruit drop and reduced seed weight.Wound healing was slower in thicker branches, requiring more than 60 days.The study concluded that 50% girdling in neem trees would be useful for increasing the fruit parameters and yield.

The increasing atmospheric pollution have become a global problem threatening both human and ecosystems health.Therefore, the air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and the anticipated performance index (API) are evaluated in order to determine both the degree of tolerance or sensitivity of medicinal and aromatic plants to pollutants in mid hill subhumid zone of Himachal Pradesh.The commonly occurring thirty medicinal and aromatic plants comprised of seventeen herbs, six shrubs, three climbers and four trees were selected for the study.All the herbs, shrubs and trees under study behaved similar, whereas significant variation was observed in climbers for the APTI.The highest APTI was in (10.40), (7.735), (8.530) and (5.770) with respect to herbs, Spilanthes acmella Murraya koenigii Tinospora cordifolia Terminalia arjuna shrubs, climbers and trees.The anticipated performance index of the selected medicinal and aromatic plants ranged from very poor to very good.Among the herbs, with the highest tolerance index and with very good and Spilanthes acmella Cymbopogon citratus Acorus calamus and with good performance score and among the shrubs, with the highest tolerance index and Valeriana jatamansi Murraya koenigii Vitex negundo Tinospora cordifolia with a moderate performance score and among the climbers, with the highest tolerance index and moderate performance score and among the trees,with the highest tolerance index and moderate performance score can be Terminalia arjuna suggested for plantations to manage the harmful effect of air pollution in the mid hill sub humid zone in particular and in Himachal Pradesh in general.

The current study was conducted to determine the potential impact roosting ecology of short-nosed fruit bat, of microclimate on the Cynopterus sphinx, between plants and building roosts in the Lucknow region.The microclimatic parameters, population, roost preference and roost shifting in both the roosting habitats at regular intervals were analysed.The roost preference was severely affected by extreme summer (46.70 C) and the population of plant-roosting bats declined from 46.8 in April to 29.4 in June.The building roosting bat average population remained unaffected by the same weather conditions from April (11.1) to June (13.6).However, the population of building-roosting bats increased due to newborn pups.The extreme summer temperature forced the tent-roosting bats to vacate and shift to safer locations such as abandoned buildings/heat-tolerant plant roosts that were not normally inhabited by this species.Thus, is likely to respond to C. sphinx climate changes at plant roosts by migrating to more suitable areas.Therefore, the current study identified the habitat risks associated with roost selection of at high temperatures, and this study suggests further research is required on fruit-bat roost management.

The present study investigates the variation in carbon stock distribution across different carbon pools along elevational gradients in community-managed forests (Van Panchayats) of the Kumaun Central Himalaya.The forests were categorized into three altitudinal zones: low, mid, and high-elevation sites.Among the various pools, tree biomass carbon accounted for more than 80 percent of the total carbon stock, highlighting its dominant role in carbon sequestration.Soil organic carbon contributed between 14.06 and 17.58 percent, whereas forest floor carbon contributed between 1.19 and 1.81 percent to the total carbon pool.The herb layer biomass carbon showed the least contribution.The strong positive correlation was observed between tree and shrub carbon stocks and elevation (R > 0.84), suggesting an elevation-driven pattern in above-ground carbon accumulation.The overall total carbon stock ranged from 169.51 to 185.62 Mg C ha .This study emphasizes the necessity of adopting site-specific conservation and management practices to sustain and enhance the carbon stock potential of these forests across elevational gradients.

The experiment on mulching practices for the better use of soil moisture for the growth of dragon fruit which is a hardy Cactaceae family was conducted at sub-tropical climate of Lucknow region.There were 8 treatments (mulching with sugarcane trash, paddy straw, wheat straw, dry leaves, saw dust, black and transparent ).Mulching was done round the base of plants on 60 cm radius.polyethylene polyethylene The mulching with transparent polyethylene showed better growth in terms of plant length, number of segment, distance between areole, number of new branches as well as chlorophyll content.However, among the organic mulches saw dust, dry leaves and wheat straw beneficial for improving vegetative growth of dragon fruit.

Minimising agrochemical dependency to maintain soil fertility and productivity in broccoli ( L. var.Plenck), Brassica oleracea italica an integrated nutrient management approach is a prerequisite.Standardizing doses, including inorganic fertilizers and native fermented concoctions, needs to be established for better results.Application of 90% of the recommended dose of nutrients (RDN) as 112.5 N:67.5 P:46.8K kg ha + cow manure of 20 t ha + 5% jeevamrit [10 kg of cow dung, 10 L of cow urine, 2 kg chickpea flour, handful of soil, 2 kg of -1 -1 jaggery (made by boiling, filtering, and condensing sugarcane juice to prepare blocks) in 200 L of water and fermented for 7 days] @ 1.5 Lm -2 biweekly and 5% jeevamrit foliar application at a 20-day interval produced tallest plants (58.58 cm), number of leaves per plant (17.86), days to the formation of 50% marketable heads (86.00), number of secondary heads per plant (12.93), weight of the central head per plant (417.55 g), head size (130.88cm ), marketable yield per plot (12.61 kg) and per hectare (18.67 Mt) and harvest duration (41.17 days).Black rot incidence 2 was least due to treatment with 100% RDN [(125N: 75P: 52K kg ha ) + cow manure 20 t ha ] + Beejamrit (mixed 5 kg cow dung + 5 L cow urine -1 -1+ 250 g lime + handful soil in 20 L water) (20.68 %) used for seed treatment.All native fermented concoctions proved to be beneficial for sustainable vegetable production.