ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021 DRAFT COPY, TO BE UPDATED BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change 1 ANNUAL REPORT 2020-21 BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change Govt. of India 2 ANNUAL REPORT 2020-21 Botanical Survey of India Editorial Committee S.S. Dash D.K. Agrawala A. N. Shukla Debasmita Dutta Pramanick Assistance Sinchita Biswas 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 1. BSI organogram 2. Research Programmes A. Annual Research Programme a. AJC Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah b. Andaman & Nicobar Regional Centre, Port Blair c. Arid Zone regional Centre, Jodhpur d. Arunachal Pradesh Regional Centre, Itanagar e. Botanic Garden of Indian Republic, Noida f. Central Botanical Laboratory, Howrah g. Central National Herbarium, Howrah h. Central Regional Centre, Allahabad i. Deccan Regional Centre, Hyderabad j. Headquarter, BSI, Kolkata k. High Altitude Western Himalayan Regional Centre, Solan l. Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong m. Industrial Section Indian Museum, Kolkata n. Northern Regional Centre, Dehradun o. Sikkim Himalayan Regional Centre, Gangtok p. Southern Regional Centre, Coimbatore q. Western Regional Centre, Pune B. Flora of India Programme 3. New Discoveries a. New to science b. New records 4. Ex-situ conservation 5. Publications a. Papers published b. Books published c. Hindi published d. Books published by BSI 6. Training/Workshop/Seminar/Symposium/Conference organized by BSI 7. Participation of BSI Officials In Seminar/Symposium/Conference/Training 8. Activities of Research Scholars 9. Funded/Collaborative project 10. Assistance to Botanic Garden Scheme 11. Herbarium information 12. Awards and Honors 13. Service rendered 14. Events and activities 4 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 (alongwith Dr. M.E. Hembrom and Dr. Arvind Parihar) Duration of the Project: April 2019 – Mar 2021 About the work done: (April 2020 to September 2020) 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. Achievements including : a. Total area covered : NIL b. Number of tours undertaken : NIL c. Number of species collected : NIL d. Number of species identified (with name) : NIL e. Number of species incorporated : NIL 4.7 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. 4.8 Major impacts reported during the financial year: 5 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 4. About the work done:(April 2019 – Mar 2021) 4.5 Methodology adopted: Compilation work with text, illustrations and phylograms was initiated. 4.6 Achievements including : a. Total area covered : NIL b. Number of tours undertaken : NIL c. Number of species collected : NIL d. Number of species identified (with name) : NIL e. Number of species incorporated : NIL 4.7 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. 4.8 Major impacts reported during the financial year : New to Science: Five (5) Sr. No. Name of the species Journal 1. Lactarius brunneoaurantiacus K. Das & I. Bera; Nordic J. Bot. Nordic Journal of Botany doi: 10.1111/njb.02940 2. Lactarius indoscrobiculatus K. Das & I. Bera; Nordic J. Bot. Nordic Journal of Botany doi: 10.1111/njb.02940 3. Russula ashihoi K. Das, A. Ghosh, Buyck & Hembrom; Nordic Nordic Journal J.Bot. doi: 10.1111/njb.02962 of Botany 4. Russula indonigra A. Ghosh, K. Das, Buyck & Hembrom; Nordic Journal NordicJ. Bot. doi: 10.1111/njb.02962 of Botany 5. 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 6 Project - 2 1. Name of the project: Development of Musa section (Ex-situ conservation) in AJC Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah (Completed) 2. Executing Scientist (s) : Dr.S.S. Hameed, Scientist-‘E’, Dr.K. Saravanan, Botanist & Mr. S.K. Arjun, Bot.Asst. 3. Duration of the project: One year 4. About the work done: 4.1. 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. Musa sectional systematics possesses a history dating back to 1887. Earlier classification was based on morphological traits such as Bananas with fleshy fruit; ornamental bananas with upright inflorescences and bracts were vibrantly coloured; and Bananas that were giant in size. During the course of time five sections in Musa came into existence like Eumusa, Rhodochlamys, Callimusa, Australimusa, and Ingentimusa. However, Makku Hakkinen in 2013 reduced these five sections of Musa into Musa and Callimusa based on genetic evidence and markers. 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. 4.2. 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. 4.3. Site of the study: A well-developed Musa section 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 (Images attached). 4.4. 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. a. Nil 4.5. Achievements including: a. Total area covered - NA b. Number of tours undertaken - NIL c. Number of species collected – 3 endemic species from Andaman & Nicobar Island d. Number of species identified - 3 1. Musa acuminata, 2. Musa bulbisiana, 3. Musa indandamanensis e. Number of species incorporated – N.A 4.6. Output indicators for the assessment of the project: Monthly, quarterly and annual reports 4.7. Major impacts reported during the financial year: A Musa section for AJCBIBG developed 7 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) 4. About the work done 4.1 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)