ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021 DRAFT COPY, TO BE UPDATED BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change 1 ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021 BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change Government of India 2 ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021 Botanical Survey of India Editorial Committee A.A. Mao S.S. Dash D.K. Agrawala A. N. Shukla Debasmita Dutta Pramanick Published by The Director Botanical Survey of India CGO Complex, 3rd MSO Building Wing-F, 5th& 6th Floor DF- Block, Sector-1, Salt Lake City Kolkata-700 064 (West Bengal) Website: http//bsi.gov.in Acknowledgements All Regional Centres of Botanical Survey of India 3 CONTENT Research Programmes Annual Research Programme 1. AJC Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah 2. Andaman & Nicobar Regional Centre, Port Blair 3. Arid Zone Regional Centre, Jodhpur 4. Arunachal Pradesh Regional Centre, Itanagar 5. Botanic Garden of Indian Republic, Noida 6. Central Botanical Laboratory, Howrah 7. Central National Herbarium, Howrah 8. Central Regional Centre, Allahabad 9. Deccan Regional Centre, Hyderabad 10. Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong 11. Headquarter, BSI, Kolkata 12. High Altitude Western Himalayan Regional Centre, Solan 13. Industrial Section Indian Museum, Kolkata 14. Northern Regional Centre, Dehradun 15. Sikkim Himalayan Regional Centre, Gangtok 16. Southern Regional Centre, Coimbatore 17. Western Regional Centre, Pune 4 1. AJC BOSE INDIAN BOTANIC GARDEN, BSI, HOWRAH I. COMPLETED PROJECTS Project - 1 Exploration of Caterpillar fungi in Himalaya: Morpho-taxonomy, Molecular phylogeny, Chemical & nutraceutical properties. Name of the Executing officer: Dr. Kanad Das, Scientist E, AJCBIBG, BSI, Howrah (With Dr. M.E. Hembrom and Dr. Arvind Parihar) Duration of the Project: April 2019 – March 2021 Introduction: Himalayan Caterpillar fungi belonging to the genus Ophiocordyceps and its allies are highly prized and most exploited among all the macrofungi. Ophiocordyceps sinensis, the most appreciated one, has a long history of being used in Chinese Traditional Medicine. Because of its diversified medicinal properties demand for O. sinensis has significantly increased in recent years. Subsequently, to meet the demand of fruiting bodies the entire alpine Himalayan stretch has come under huge pressure of exploitation. In this Himalayan stretch these fungi are collected in Nepal, Bhutan and India (especially Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh). It is distributed in grass- and shrub-lands that receive a minimum of 350 mm average annual precipitation. It is found at an altitude of 3000–5000 meters above sea level. It is worth mentioning that several species under same or different genera of these caterpillar fungi are lookalikes i.e. morphologically similar. Caterpillar fungi distributed in different parts of Indian Himalaya are to be investigated for identification. Methodology adopted: LSU and SSU genes were isolated from samples collected in 2019 from Eastern to North- West Himalaya. These genes were amplified and sequenced. Datasets were prepared with the sequences of allied samples/species and our isolated genes. These sequences were aligned mostly with mafft alignment tool. Maximum likelihood analyses were conducted with the aligned sequences through raxmlGUI 2.0 to get phylograms. SSU- and LSU-based phylograms were constructed separately to get the phylogenetic estimation. Compilation work with text, illustrations and phylograms was initiated. Field tours could not be conducted because of COVID-19 pandemic related restrictions and non-availability of enough budget. Output indicators for the assessment of the project: Phylogenetic inferences and data interpretation; Result of HPLC; Comparison of Nutraceutical Properties in different samples located in different parts of Indian Himalaya. Major impacts reported during the financial year: The results of this study would definitely enhance our understandings of this highly economically important group of fungi. It would not only open up new vistas for its economic utilization but also the morphological and phytochemical standards would help in preventing adulteration and biopiracy. It would again help in developing methods for its conservation and sustainable utilization. New to Science: Two (2) Sr. No. Name of the species Journal 1. Russula lakhanpalii A. Ghosh, K. Das & R.P. Bhatt; Nova Nova Hedwigia Hedwigia111(1-2): 118, 2020 2. Russula indocatillus A. Ghosh, K. Das & R.P. Bhatt; Nova Nova Hedwigia Hedwigia111(1-2): 124, 2020 5 3. Lactarius brunneoaurantiacus K. Das & I. Bera; Nordic J. Bot. Nordic Journal of Botany doi: 10.1111/njb.02940 4. Lactarius indoscrobiculatus K. Das & I. Bera; Nordic J. Bot. Nordic Journal of Botany doi: 10.1111/njb.02940 5. Russula ashihoi K. Das, A. Ghosh, Buyck & Hembrom; Nordic Nordic Journal J.Bot. doi: 10.1111/njb.02962 of Botany 6. Russula indonigra A. Ghosh, K. Das, Buyck & Hembrom; Nordic Journal NordicJ. Bot. doi: 10.1111/njb.02962 of Botany 7. Russula baniyakundensis A. Ghosh, K. Das & D. Chakr.; Phytotaxa Phytotaxa483(3): 249, 2020 New record to India: One (1) Sr. No. Name of the species Journal 1. Lactarius abieticola X.H. Wang Nelumbo Project - 2 Name of the project: Development of Musa section (Ex-situ conservation) in AJC Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah (Completed) Executing Scientist (s): Dr. S.S. Hameed, Scientist-‘E’, Dr. K. Saravanan, Botanist & Mr. S.K. Arjun, Bot. Asst. Duration of the project: 2020-2021 Introduction: Musa is one of two or three genera in the family Musaceae; consists of bananas and plantains. Around 70 species of Musa are known, with broad variety of uses. In India more than 120 varieties of banana are being cultivated, however our main objective to introduce all the endemic and wild Musa and Callimusa varieties. Objectives: To introduce and cultivate wild, endemic and exotic Musa and Callimusa varieties occurring in India through collection and exchange and develop a Musa section in AJCBIBG, Howrah. Location: A well-developed Musa section spread in 2 acres land developed in AJCBIBG near to the Rosarium (adjacent to the Great Banyan Tree) becomes the integral part of Botanic Gardens in terms of conservation of germplasm as well as for educational purpose and curiosity. This would serve a long way in conserving wild and cultivated Musa varieties in AJCBIBG. The site is well demarcated and the land levelling has been made suitably. Hence, such sections would act as a gene pool of Musas’s for future breeding programmes. Methodology adopted: The germplasm of different Musa and Callimusa varieties and the germ plasm of the wild and cultivated varieties were obtained from the regional Centres of BSI where the particular species occurs. Further, different varieties of Musa growing in AJCBIBG has also been brought to the site and planted systematically at a place for developing the section. Field tours could not be conducted because of COVID-19 pandemic related restrictions and non-availability of enough budget. Germplasm received from Andaman & Nicobar Islands were identified and transplanted. The seedlings of Musa available scattered in different parts of IBG were also transplanted at the Musa section and maintained. Work done: 150 saplings of Musa spp. were introduced and maintained. Three endemic species viz Musa acuminata, Musa bulbisiana, and Musa indandamanensis received from BSI, Andaman and Nicobar Islands were identified and introduced. Germplasm of other Musa spp. already available in the garden were transferred and transplanted in the Musa section. 6 Output indicators for the assessment of the project: Number of saplings introduced and maintained. Major impacts reported during the financial year: The Musa section in the AJCBIBG displays the germplasm of different varieties of wild bananas collected from different phytogeographic regions of India. It not only serves an ex-situ site for germplasm conservation, but also provides awareness and education to the large number of visitors, students and researchers. Project - 3 1. Name of the Project: Wood rotting fungi of Valmiki National Park. 2. Executing Scientist (s) : MANOJ EMANUEL HEMBROM, Botanist, BSI, AJCBIBG, Howrah 3. Duration of the project : 2019(October) – 2021(November). Introduction: Wood-rotting macrofungi are highly artificial in terms of taxonomy and mostly belong to two well-known advance fungal phyla of ‘Ascomycota’ and ‘Basidiomycota’. Their primary role is to cause rot on dead and decaying woods either by ‘White rot’ (mostly) or Brown rot (rarely) in ecosystem and hence degrading cellulose hemicelluloses and lignin into their primary Carbon molecules; taking part in natural process of Carbon cycle on earth. On the other hand they are pathogenic to important trees and timbers of forests causing severe economic loss by destroying them. Spalting of wood by these organisms are beneficial for preparation of several decorative artefacts, whereas, various enzymes produced by these fungi could be important in wood and paper processing industries by using biotechnological approaches. Some of these fungi are cultivated for nutracitical and pharmaceutical purposes in wide scale. Many are providing home and food to small organisms and their loss may cause severe hazardous effects to the environment due to their specific relationships with the environment. Above all, these fungi form micro-environment along with host trees which are supposed to be explored by applying ecological and botanical methods, a potential thrust area of future research. Present