The Union Minister for Environment & Forest and Climate Shri Bhupendar Yadav will visit the Central National Herbarium, A J C Bose Indian Botanic Garden tomorrow morning and inaugurate the Aquatic Plant Section of the garden. He will be accompanied by the Union Minister of State for Environment & Forest and Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey. This was stated by Dr S S Dash, In-charge, Technical Wing, Botanical Survey of India (BSI) today in a press conference. He also enumerated the books to be released formally by the Union Minister tomorrow during the later part of the day like Plant Discoveries 2021, Flora of India, Vol.-9, Algal Flora of Jharkhand and Wild Orchids of Goa.
It is to be mentioned in this regard, that the research scholars and academicians have produced an overwhelming addition of 315 taxa to Indian flora during 2021, either discovered as novel species or as new distributional records. As per the current estimates, India has more than 55000 species of plants already identified and documented.
This year’s discoveries include wild relatives of many potential horticultural, agricultural, medicinal and ornamental plants stated Dr Dash.
Dr R K Gupta, an expert on algae described, how with lots of impediments he has documented 744 taxa belonging to 166 genera of Jharkhand and his specialisation on blue-green algae, Spirulina and their discoveries in four thermal springs of the Jharkhand State.
Dr Jeevan Singh Jalal spoke about the 1256 orchid species of India and their horticultural and medicinal values and pointed out that out of the 4,000 sq km area of Goa, 1000 sq km is potential enough for orchid cultivation. He elaborated on the 67 species including 28 endemic species of Orchids documented from Goa.
Dr Devendra Singh spoke on the Shibpur Botanical Garden (A J C Bose Indian Botanic Garden) the living repository of 15,000 plants and how the scientists are working to restructure the Garden after the 2020 Amphan super-cyclone destroyed some 2,000 plants and how the grand Banyan tree have cordoned to save it from being exploited and the introduction of tea, coffee and mahogany section in the garden.
Last, but not the least, Dr Dinesh Agrawala (Publication Section) deliberated upon how the discoveries and documentations are preserved in the form of publications-a hard copy.
