Possible causes of rarity of sexual reproduction in Pellia endiviifolia (Dicks.) Dumort.

Reproduction in bryophytes is by asexual as well as sexual means. Asexual reproduction is a significant adaptation to special environments and occurs by a large variety of methods. During the last few decades, many of the bryophytes, particularly the dioecious ones are reported to have registered a decline in their fertile populations. There is, therefore, a need to understand the reasons for their disappearance

Anomalies in female receptacle of Plagiochasma appendiculatum Lehm. & Lindenb.- A report from J&K.

The genus Plagiochasma belonging to the order Marchantiales has been very well worked out with respect to the structure and development of male and female receptacles. In the present paper, the author reports abnormalities in archegoniophores along with the anatomical details of the same. This report from J&K is altogether new

Induction and assessment of morpho-biochemical mutants in Artemisia pallens Bess.

Artemisia pallens Bess. is a low volume and high value essential oil plant used in perfumery, cosmetic and flavouring industries. On account of the failure of conventional procedures to induce variability in species, mutation techniques have been tried in our experiments. Dry and viable seeds (moisture content 8%) of homozygous pure breeding lines were subjected to 150–500 Gy doses of gamma rays and 0.01–0.1% ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) for 8 h. Desirable qualitative mutants were recovered from segregating M2 generation (4,283 plants scored) raised as single plant progenies. The spectrum of morphological mutants included late and early flowering types; bushy and high yielding types; tall and more capitula-producing types and high oil and high davanone yielding types. These were raised through M3 families to evaluate stability and transmission of mutant characters. As such out of 15 different types selected in M2, only 11 types bred true to their characteristic variability. Based on their performance, the mutants were characterised depending upon their distinguishing features. Davanone, the main component of oil showed the maximum increase (64.22% against 54.64% in control) in mutant ‘S–5’ recovered from exposure with 250 Gy c-rays. Mutant ‘E-6’ was economically most viable having increased oil biosynthesis (0.36% against 0.22% in control) and hence yields higher oil per unit area than the parental control (isolated from 0.05% EMS treatment)

Intraspecific variability assessment (Ecological and Morpho- anatomical) in Conocephalum conicum (L.) Dumort. in North- West Himalaya (Bhaderwah, J&K), India

The present paper includes information on intraspecific variability (ecological and morpho-anatomical) among 46 accessions of Conocephalum conicum (L.) Dumort. collected from diverse habitats in Bhaderwah (J & K state), India. The study revealed tremendous diversity in almost each studied character

Status of Stephensoniella brevipedunculata in Jammu (NW Himalayas) - India

Stephensoniella brevipedunculata Kash., monotypic Indian liverwort, belonging to Division Marchantiophyta, Class Marchantiopsida, Order Marchantiales and Family Exormothecaceae was initially instituted by Kashyap in 1914, when he collected it for the first time from Mussorrie and later on collected it from other parts of Western Himalayas, such as Kulu and Dulchi pass at an altitude of 2,000 to 2,400m (Kashyap, 1929). Later collections were made from different parts of Western Himalaya by various bryologists like Kanwal (1977), Srivastava (1983), Pant (1983), Pant and Tiwari (1995).Udar et al. (1983) in an attempt to assess reasons for disappearance of this prestigious hepatic undertook studies on its detailed reproductive biology. However, Pant (1983) attributed fast increasing urbanization as the main cause for the disappearance of this liverwort from Nainital area of Western Himalayas. This liverwort was considered to be endemic to Western Himalayas only (IUCN, 2000). Tan et al. 1994a, while compiling first ever red list of bryophytes included 50 species (24 mosses, 25 liverworts and 1 hornwort). Subsequently, the list included another 41 taxa, including S. brevipedunculata, thus increasing the number of most endangered bryophyte species worldwide to 91 (Geissler et al. 1997)

Conocephalum conicum (L.) Dumort: A Case of Unique Reproductive Biology

ABSTRACT This paper reports spore-elater ratio per capsule in three populations of Conocephalum conicum collected from different regions of Jammu and Kashmir (Doda, Ladakh and Bhaderwah). Spore-elater ratio came out to be 0.40-0.43:1, far less than expected for Marchantialian taxa. The ratios thus obtained were compared with that present in herbarium specimen collected in 1958 from Kyushu. The ratios have remained constant since many decades, thereby indicating that the sexual reproduction has lesser role to play in the propagation of this species