Picrorhiza kurrooa Royle ex Benth., a high value medicinal herb of alpine Himalaya and a source of hepatoprotective picrosides, is listed as 'endangered' due to heavy collection from its natural habitat. The present report deals with successful propagation of this species using both conventional and in vitro techniques. Vegetative propagation was achieved by rooting runner cuttings with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or a-naphtheleneacetic acid (NAA) treatment before planting. Nearly 87% rooting success was achieved by treatment of cuttings with 50.0 lM IBA. Seeds were given a presoaking treatment with gibberellic acid (GA 3 ), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) or a combination of both to influence germination. More than 11-fold improvement in germination was recorded in seeds treated with 250.0 lM GA 3 . In vitro shoot multiplication was achieved through sprouting of axillary buds using nodal segment. Multiple shoots were formed following culture for 3 weeks on Murashige and Skoog (MS; 1962. Physiologia Plantarum 15: 473-497) medium containing 1.0 lM BAP. Cent percent rooting success, without basal callus formation, was observed when individual microshoots were placed in MS medium supplemented with IBA. The plantlets raised using conventional as well as tissue culture methods were hardened and successfully established in the experimental field located at 2450 m elevation. In addition, strategies have been discussed to encourage cultivation and in situ conservation of this highly valued medicinal herb so as to reduce pressure on its natural populations.

A field study was conducted during Kharif, 2017 (July–October) to evaluate seventy-one diverse genotypes for variability with regards to yield, yield components and quality traits in addition to correlation and path studies at Regional Agricultural Research station, Warangal, Telangana State, India. Estimates of variability, heritability and genetic advance as percent of mean were noted for all the traits, which revealed that high PCV (28.56%) and GCV (24.37%) values were recorded by grain yield plant-1, panicle density (28.47% and 20.06%). volume expansion ratio, filled seeds panicle-1. panicle weight, head rice recovery, plant height and days to 50% flowering which indicated selection for these traits will be effective, while high heritability coupled with genetic advance as percent of mean was recorded by days to 50% flowering (97.8% and 23.7%), kernel length after cooking (95% and 32.4%) and test weight (93.0% and 52%) respectively and these characters could be improved through selection. Hulling recovery recorded low genetic advance as percent of mean. Significant positive association was observed for grain yield plant-1 with days to 50% flowering, plant height, effective tillers, panicle density, panicle weight, filled seeds panicle-1, test weight, hulling percent, milling percent, head rice recovery and kernel length suggesting importance should be given to these characters, during selection. Path analysis showed that filled seeds panicle-1 (1.702) followed by kernel elongation ratio, panicle weight, milling percent and water uptake had direct effect of these traits on grain yield indicated their importance in determining the complex character and therefore should be kept in mind while practicing selection aimed at improving the grain yield.

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Nano copper oxide (CuO) was synthesized using different precursors of copper salts such as copper acetate [Cu(CH3COO)2.2H2O] and copper chloride(CuCl2..2H2O) with the same experimental condition. The nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis, FT-IR, XRD, EDX, TEM, SAED, DLS and DSC. The results indicated that the grains of copper oxide were aggregated to formed particle sizes of about 50-100nm, 14.14-17.54nm and 283-449nm from TEM, XRD and DLS, respectively. The DLS analysis of CuONPs was also carried out in the temperature interval from room temperature to 4000C. In the study, the particle size has different sizes, but all the characterization results showed the formation of copper oxide as CuO, which was in agreement with the previously synthesized and reported CuONPs. The method used in the study can be useful for synthesizing other nanoparticles with the desired nanostructure