Ethnobotanical Notes on Tree Species of Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri, J&K, India

The documentation of traditional knowledge would appear to be the need of the hour in view of the current demand for herb based products. Documentation serves to ensure the preservation of traditional information for future generations. It is also a step forward in the creation of a database on ethnobotanical notes. An attempt therefore, has been made here to document the indigenous uses of tree species of the Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park of BGSB University. A total of 28 species belonging to 24 genera and 19 families were observed being used traditionally to cure various diseases and having other uses. Out of these, only six species were natives and 22 were non-native of the Indian Himalayan Region

Revolutionizing Drug Design with Artificial Intelligence: A Comprehensive Review of Techniques, Applications, and Case Studies

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize drug design and discovery by significantly reducing the time and costs involved in developing new drugs. This literature review aims to explore the use of AI in drug design, focusing on virtual screening, de novo drug design, and prediction of ADME properties. Objective: The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the AI techniques used in drug design and their applications in virtual screening, de novo drug design, and prediction of ADME properties. The review also aims to summarize the advantages and limitations of these approaches and present case studies and examples showcasing their use in drug design. Methodology: A comprehensive search of academic databases was conducted, and 11 relevant articles were selected for inclusion in this review. The selected articles were analyzed to identify the AI techniques used in drug design, their applications, advantages, and limitations. Case studies and examples were also examined to demonstrate the efficacy of AI in drug design. Results: AI techniques such as machine learning, deep learning, and reinforcement learning have been successfully used in virtual screening, de novo drug design, and prediction of ADME properties. Virtual screening involves the use of AI algorithms to identify promising compounds for further testing, while de novo drug design involves the generation of novel compounds using AI techniques. Prediction of ADME properties involves the use of AI to predict the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drug candidates. The case studies and examples presented in this review demonstrate the potential of AI to accelerate drug design and discovery. Conclusion: AI has the potential to revolutionize drug design and discovery by significantly reducing the time and costs involved in developing new drugs. Virtual screening, de novo drug design, and prediction of ADME properties are among the most promising applications of AI in drug design. However, further research is needed to fully explore the potential of AI in drug design and overcome some of the limitations of current approaches. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Drug Design; Virtual Screening; De Novo Drug Design; ADME Predictio

Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soo: A Critically Endangered Perennial Orchid from the North-West Himalayas

Dactylorhiza hatagirea (Orchidaceae) is a perennial herb inhabiting sub-alpine to alpine regions, ranging at elevations between 2500 and 5000 m.a.s.l. With palmately lobed rhizome and lanceolate leaves having a sheathing leaf base, it bears pink flowers with purple-colored notches and a curved spur. It finds wide use in ayurveda, siddha, unani, and folk medicine in curing disorders of the circulatory, respiratory, nervous, digestive, skeletal, and reproductive systems, besides boosting the immune system to fight infectious diseases. Secondary metabolites such as dactylorhins A–E, dactyloses A–B, and others exhibit a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities (antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiseptic, anticancer, and immune enhancing activities). Its use as a dietary supplement was found to be beneficial in increasing testosterone levels, resulting in improved sexual desire and arousal. Incessant overexploitation of this medicinally important herb has resulted in the dwindling of its populations in the wild, which has resulted in its classification as a critically endangered plant species. Efforts involving mass reproduction through in vitro (through tissue culture) and in vivo (by vegetative propagation) means are currently being made to maintain the germplasm of this critically endangered orchid. Holding immense significance in clinical research and drug discovery, work on the genomic front (transcriptomics) has recently been carried out to discover the wealth of unexplored genetic information for this perennial herb. The present study is aimed at reviewing different aspects of the orchid to present collective (summarized) information on this medicinally important herb in the present, particularly its botany, ethnobotanical uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacognosy, along with the strategies that need to be adopted to prevent its overexploitation in natural habitats

Response of Organic Fertilizers on Sorghum: Greengram Intercropping on Yield Attribute, Yield, and Economics at Varying Row Ratios under Rainfed Situations

India is the largest producer of Pulses, however productivity is stills very low, and need of millet is also increasing day by day in this concern to utilize the filed efficiently to get higher millet yield as well as pulses per unit area.  A field experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2017 at Soil Conservation and Water Management Farm of the Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur to find out effect of cropping systems of different row ratio and doses of farm yard manure (FYM) on, yield and economics of crops under rainfed condition. The treatments comprised of 4 cropping systems i.e. (i) sole sorghum, 45 cm apart (ii) sole greengram, 45 cm apart (iii) sorghum + greengram (2:1 row ratio ) (iv) sorghum + greengram (3:1 row ratio) and 3 doses of FYM i.e. (i) without FYM (ii) 10 t/ha (iii) 20 t/ha were tested in Factorial Randomized block design with 3 replications. Results obtained that the yield of sorghum and greengram were highest in their sole stands. The yield of sole and intercropped greengram in terms of sorghum equivalent grain yield showed significantly (p <0.05) variation, whereas sorghum + greengram (2:1 row ratio) brought out significantly (p <0.05) the highest production as compared to other cropping systems. Moreover, the land equivalent ratio, gross return and net return were also found to be the highest. Simultaneously Increasing rates of FYM brought out significant (p <0.05) improvement in vegetative growth, yield attributes and grain/stover yield, where a dose of 10 t FYM/ha gave best performance in respect of vegetative growth, yield attributes and grain/stover yield. In addition, net return was also noticed higher

Modeling of Valeriana wallichii Habitat Suitability and Niche Dynamics in the Himalayan Region under Anticipated Climate Change

An increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases necessitates the use of species distribution models (SDMs) in modeling suitable habitats and projecting the impact of climate change on the future range shifts of the species. The present study is based on the BIOMOD ensemble approach to map the currently suitable habitats and predict the impact of climate change on the niche shift of Valeriana wallichii. We also studied its niche dynamics using the ecospat package in R software. Values of the area under curve (AUC) and true skill statistics (TSS) were highly significant (>0.9), which shows that the model has run better. From 19 different bioclimatic variables, only 8 were retained after correlation, among which bio_17 (precipitation of driest quarter), bio_1 (annual mean temperature), and bio_12 (annual mean precipitation) received the highest gain. Under future climate change, the suitable habitats will be significantly contracted by −94% (under representative concentration pathway RCP 8.5 for 2070) and −80.22% (under RCP 8.5 for 2050). There is a slight increase in habitat suitability by +16.69% (RCP 4.5 for 2050) and +8.9% (RCP 8.5 for 2050) under future climate change scenarios. The equivalency and similarity tests of niche dynamics show that the habitat suitability for current and future climatic scenarios is comparable but not identical. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) analysis shows that climatic conditions will be severely affected between current and future scenarios. From this study, we conclude that the habitats of Valeriana wallichii are highly vulnerable to climate shifts. This study can be used to alleviate the threat to this plant by documenting the unexplored populations, restoring the degraded habitats through rewilding, and launching species recovery plans in the natural habitats

Reproductive Biology and Pollination Ecology of Berberis lycium Royle: A Highly Valued Shrub of Immense Medicinal Significance

Study of reproductive biology and pollination ecology helps in understanding the life history patterns of species. Such a study brings to light the bottlenecks, if any, on account of which the individuals of the species are not able to reproduce in nature and ultimately helps in planning appropriate conservation strategies for the species under threat. The present study was aimed at examining the morphological and reproductive variance in Berberis lycium, a threatened ecological specialist growing within shrubberies and open hillsides of the North-Western Himalayas in India. B. lycium displays three different variants. Flowering period ranges from February to September. Pollen viability as reported on fluorescein diacetate and acetocarmine treatments was highest for variant I, while maximum pollen output was obtained for variant III. Pollen pistil interaction is brought by the movement of anther towards stigma. Fluorescence microscopy of hand pollinated club shaped stigma shows that the germinating pollen form a ring over the receptive adaxial surface. Pollination syndrome is entomophily. Variant II attracts a significantly large number of pollinators from diverse insect families. Breeding experiments reflect that plants are self-compatible and cross fertile. Reproductive output (% fruit set) was highest for variant II followed by III and I, respectively. This investigation helped to understand the effect of different biotic and abiotic constraints on the phenology and reproductive biology of the plant. The information generated so will enable conservationists to design appropriate strategies for its long-term survival and sustenance in nature

Nutrient Analysis and Species Diversity of Alpine Grasslands: A Comparative Analysis of Less Studied Biodiversity Hotspots

The alpine grasslands of Kashmir Himalaya act as a treasure house of floristic biodiversity. They have remained largely unstudied because of their remoteness and inaccessibility. It is imperative to have quantitative studies of these areas to allow the long-term monitoring of flora in these fragile ecosystems. During the present study, nutrient analysis and species diversity of some alpine grasslands were investigated. Electroconductivity (EC) of the soils ranged between 0.12 and 0.33 (dSm−1). With an increase in altitude and precipitation and a decrease in temperature, soil pH and available macro-nutrients (OC, N, P, K) show a considerable decrease. Sixty-six plant species belonging to twenty-nine families and fifty-one genera were reported with members predominantly from the Asteraceae, Rosaceae and Plantaginaceae families. Seven species were common to all study areas and Renyi diversity profiles showed that Kongwattan was the most diverse followed by Poshpathri and Yousmarg. The results of the Sorensen β diversity index showed a relatively lower dissimilarity index among the three studied alpine sites. In the majority of the growth forms, growth initiation was recorded in April, whereas senescence occurred in September. The highest bloom was seen in June-July. The plant species exhibited a greater variability in their phenophases under different environmental conditions and altitudinal gradients. Plants were more vigorous at lower altitudes and showed rapid response to the prevailing conditions. Stoloniferous forbs and tussock forming graminoids such as Sibbaldia cuneata, Trifolium repens, Plantago major, Trifolium pratense, Poa compressa, Poa angustifolia, and Plantago lanceolata showed a greater importance value index (IVI). The sedentary system of livestock rearing at Yousmarg resulted in the decreased density of the palatable species. This study allowed us to conclude that direct knowledge of soil nutrient composition and species diversity in alpine ecosystems can enhance conservation and ensure better management practices over a period of time