Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 16: Forest Tree Awareness Week organized by State Forest Research Institute concluded here today.
First session was devoted to visit to E K Janaki Ammal Herbarium with more than 23000 specimens, many dated back to 1940’s. The First Lady PhD who worked on improvement of sugarcane, did monumental work on plant chromosomes, served in Botanical Survey of India and worked in Drug Research Laboratory Jammu as well.
Dr S Natesh, while taking about his mission on Heritage tree documentation, shared that sacred Shami Prosopis cineraria–state tree of Rajasthan has rich antiquity as tree of Shani. He informed that the leaves of the tree are used during Vijaya Dashmi while its roots fix nitrogen and enhance soil fertility. Its pods are consumed as vegetable curry under the name Sangri in Rajasthan .
Director IIIM, Ram Vishwakarma, while highlighting ongoing research under National Aroma Mission, shared that farmers and foresters need to join hands. He said that fruit seed and rhizome root collection of lesser known aromatic and medicinal plants like Cinnamomum, Tagetus, Plectranthus, Hedychium and Origanum, which have remunerative market, can change economy of promising entrepreneurs.
In the 2nd session devoted to Tree phenology, documentaries on carbon sequestration, climate change and forest fire were screened. Scientist Farooq Majid presented power point presentation on climate change and tree studies which can help in changes in climate over time.
In the concluding session, more than 70 participants hailing from Forest Protection Force, Botany Department of University of Jammu (JU) and State Forest Research Institute visited Botanical garden and familiarize themselves with rare threatened endemic medicinal plants.
HoD Botany, Prof Namrata Sharma, Prof Yashpal Sharma, Dr Kiran Sharma, Prof Veenu Kaul, Dr Geeta Sharma and others shared inputs on aromatic and medicinal tree seed collection and ex-situ propagation cum conservation techniques.
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