Pinus gerardiana is an endemic and threatened pine of northwestern Himalaya. It is the only conifer in India which is traded for its nuts. In addition to subsidiary source of income to Kinnaura tribes, it is an important part of ecology, traditions, and culture of Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh. Kinnaura are one of the largest ethnic groups of Himachal Pradesh famous for their own unique traditions, culture, and lifestyle. In view of this, the present study was conducted to document the indigenous uses and traditional practices of Pinus gerardiana (Chilgoza Pine) by Kinnaura tribes of Himachal Pradesh. At present, destructive harvesting practices of collection of Chilgoza nuts, fuelwood, torchwood, timber, and needles of Chilgoza Pine is not only causing serious damage to trees but also affecting its natural regeneration and future crop production. Thus, this continuous loss of Chilgoza Pine will affect the livelihood of the tribal communities and ecosystem of the area in near future. Hence, population assessment, ecological niche modeling, awareness programmes, and sustainable harvesting of cones are suggested for its conservation.
The seeds of Hedychium spicatum were treated with six different concentrations of Gibberellic Acid (GA3) as pre-sowing treatments viz., GA3 100ppm, GA3 200ppm GA3 300ppm, GA3 400ppm, GA3 500ppm and GA3 600ppm and untreated control to study their effect on germination and seedling vigour index. Significant differences were observed in germination percentage and seedling vigour index of H. spicatum treated with different pre-sowing treatments. Maximum germination of 98 per cent was recorded in seeds treated with GA3 400ppm followed by 91 per cent germination in seeds treated with GA3 300ppm, 90.33 per cent germination in seeds treated with GA3500ppm and 88.00 per cent in seeds treated with GA3 600ppm. Minimum germination of 74.33 per cent was recorded in seeds which were not given pre-sowing treatment. Similarly, maximum seedling vigour index (561.85) was also recorded in seeds treated with GA3 whereas, minimum seedling vigour index (422.40) was recorded in untreated seeds. Therefore, seeds of H. spicatum should be treated with GA3 400ppm before sowing in the nursery for better germination and seedling vigour.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.