Department of Botany

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/4383

Since establishment in 1984, the department flourished with tireless efforts of faculties, staff and students. The course curriculum of the department has always been strong and forward looking. Syllabi have been revised regularly and the latest version was done with the introduction of semester system offering five special papers, namely Cytogenetics, Microbiology, Molecular Plant pathology and Fungal Biotechnology, Plant Biochemistry and Taxonomy of Angiosperms and Biosystematics.

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 167
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    Experimental Farming of Cucurbita moschata Duchesne – An Exotic pumpkin at NBU Medicinal Plant Garden
    (University of North Bengal, 2023) Mondal, Sujit; Basu, S.K.; Chowdhury, Monoranjan
    Cucurbita moschata Duchesne (Butter Squash) is a high food value exotic vegetable of Cucurbitaceae with its origin in Columbia, South America. It is widely cultivated in South America, Central America and some of the Asian countries and Australia, and consumed as cooked or raw vegetable. This crop is notably promising with high yield and low cost of production. It is close to Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne) which is largely grown in India, particularly in Bengal as an important vegetable for preparing curries. There is no report of introduction and cultivation of Butter Squash in Bengal. An experimental cultivation plot was set up in the nursery of NBU medicinal plant garden when some seeds were obtained from England for experimental cultivation.
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    A Pilot Study of Sun Protective Factor of Selected Lichens from Himalayan Region
    (University of North Bengal, 2023) Majumder, Snigdha; Sinha, Sankar Narayan
    The Sun’s ultraviolet light can causes early aging of the skin, leathery skin, Wrinkles, actinic keratosis and liver spots on our skin. Every plants contain many active constituents that can protect our skin form sun burn. There are many synthetic sunscreen are offered in market, but formulation of natural sunscreen is an important aspect in cosmetic industry. Thus the aim of the present study is to inspect the presence of UV light absorption ability of the selected lichens.
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    Acaricidal and Ovicidal Effects of Vitex negundo, Against Oligonychus coffeae, A Common Pest Found in Tea Gardens of North Bengal, India
    (University of North Bengal, 2023) Ghosh, Sandipan; Sen, Gargi; Ghosh, Chandra; Sen, Arnab
    Tea, a widely consumed and economical beverage across 65 nations, confronts substantial challenges from pests, notably the destructive Red spider mites, which pose significant hurdles for the industry due to their resilient nature and severe impact. Chemical pesticides, while effective against pests in tea production, degrade tea quality, prompting exploration into natural alternatives like floral diversity for pest control. A study in North Bengal, India, aims to the pest-controlling abilities of common weed found in tea gardens in the Terai and Dooars regions.The aqueous extracts of Vitex negundo L. as biocide employed in this study demonstrated substantial acaricidal and oviposition deterrent action against the tea Red Spider Mite Oligonychus coffeae after 48 hours of application. In the future, this aqueous extract could prove to be a fairly priced and efficient acaricide.
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    Unravelling the Roles of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) in Growth Promotion, Phytoremediation and as Biocontrol Agents to Suppress Plant Diseases
    (University of North Bengal, 2023) Swarnakar, Shambhu; Chakraborty, Arka Pratim
    Agriculture in the twenty-first century has several issues, including soil fertility, climate changes, environmental degradation, urbanisation & rising food consumption to feed the world's growing population. Meanwhile, scientists are grappling with major obstacles in expanding food yield from the present land base. Traditional farming has seen increased per-acre crop yields due to the haphazard and injudicious use of agrochemicals, such as pesticides and synthetic fertilisers, but at a significant environmental cost. Crop pests developing pesticide resistance is another big worry in modern agriculture. Therefore, alternative ecologically friendly crop yield-increasing techniques are necessary for the future of sustainable crop production. Scientists are very interested in utility of rhizobacteria, particularly PGPR, as an alternative to pesticides. These rhizobacteria employ a range of tactics to encourage plant growth, thwart plant pests, and foster resilience to abiotic stresses. The mechanisms of rhizobacteria involved in soil bioremediation, pest biocontrol, and plant growth promotion are reviewed in this article. It also looks at how PGPR vaccination affects plant growth and survival in challenging conditions. An in-depth examination is also given of the benefits and drawbacks of rhizobacterial application as well as potential solutions for rhizobacteria's long-term use in agriculture.
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    Underutilized Fruits of Northeast India and its Potential Benefits on Human Health - Review
    (University of North Bengal, 2023) Banerjee, Swarnendra; Sen, Arnab
    The Indian Himalayas, a global biodiversity hotspot, is home to 2532 species from temperate regions of Europe, China, Burma, the Sahara, and Africa. India's plant biodiversity includes 21 agroecosystems, including farmed fruit and wild, under-utilized fruit crops. These underutilized fruit crops have potential but are rarely planted, infrequently available on the market, or not farmed commercially. They are disease-resistant and adapted to heat and cold extremes, blessing tropical nations like India. Underutilized fruit crops have medicinal properties and are often used by Native Americans to heal ailments and for the financial well-being of tribal people in rural regions. The use of wild fruits as nutritional supplements or less expensive alternatives to commercial fruits is growing worldwide. Identifying and utilizing underutilized species is crucial for a diverse and nutritious diet, especially for rural poor and socially vulnerable populations in emerging countries. India's North-Eastern Hill region is an agrobiodiversity hub characterized by diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is rich in wild agricultural plant relatives, particularly underutilized fruit crops, and mixed temperate, tropical, and subtropical fruits from various genera. Fruits, vegetables, and other plants naturally produce important polyphenol metabolites that influence their sensory and nutritive qualities, potentially curing various conditions.
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    Role of Polyamines in the Physiological Responses of Plants
    (University of North Bengal, 2023) Sen, Suman
    Polyamines (PAs) are aliphatic nitrogenous bases containing two or more amino groups. These organic compounds have a low molecular weight and play essential role in the growth and development of plants. They contribute to the tolerance of plants against all abiotic and biotic stresses. They occur in the free form as cations, but are often found in the conjugated form to different macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids and to small molecules like phenolic acids. They are produced by plants during metabolism and are ubiquitous in plant cells. They are considered to be a new kind of plant biostimulant because they are intimately associated with a wide range of metabolic process in plants, ranging from cell division and organogenesis to protection against abiotic and biotic stress. Their chemistry, biosynthetic pathway and metabolism are now well characterized. Their titer varies and depends on the environmental conditions, especially stress. With the development of molecular biotechnology, genes for several key biosynthetic enzymes of the PA pathway have been cloned from different plants species, and antibodies to some of the genes are now available. The antisense transgenic approaches and over-expressed PA biosynthetic genes have given further evidence that PAs are required for plant growth, productivity and development of stress tolerance. This paper aims to review the various physiological responses of plants to PA with special emphasis to abiotic stress response and to provide a basis for future research on the role of polyamines in plant physiology.
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    Physiological Adaptive Capabilities of Fifteen Different Local Rice Cultivars Under Salinity Condition
    (University of North Bengal, 2023) Sarker, Aparna; Roy, Subhas Chandra
    Rice is a major cereal contributing to the world’s calories consumption and staple food crop over for one-third of the world’s population. At present salinity is the second most widespread soil problem after drought and is considered as a serious constraint to increase rice production. Soil salinity affects plants through osmotic effects, ion-specific effects and oxidative stress. The effect of salinity stress in plants is mediated at least in part by an enhanced generation of active oxygen species, especially in chloroplast and in mitochondria which cause lipid peroxidation and membrane injury, protein degradation and enzyme inactivation. Plants have developed a complex anti-oxidant complex which mitigates and repairs the damage initiated by reactive oxygen species, toward enzyme synthesis to protect the cellular and subcellular system degradation. The seedling stage is one of the most sensitive stages to salt stress in rice and studies on salt tolerance during this stage could probably provide insights for enhancing tolerance throughout the plant life cycle. The present investigation was undertaken to examine the influence of NaCl on metabolic status of chlorophyll, protein, starch, soluble sugar and salt-tolerant capabilities among different rice cultivars.
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    Effects of Automobile Emission on Morphology and Anatomy of the Mangifera indica L. Fruit Tree at District Samastipur, Bihar, India
    (University of North Bengal, 2023) Nayab, Naira; Md Anzer Alam
    Automobile transportation has been strongly associated with air pollution throughout various stages, like driving, fueling, production, and disposal. The emissions released from vehicle exhaust contain substantial quantities of detrimental gases, including carbon compounds, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and particulate matter. The reduced fertility of plants is a consequence of intense air pollution. The toxic gases emitted from vehicles endanger plants and cause changes in the physical and structural development of the Mangifera indica L. tree. This study aimed to explore the harmful effects of vehicle emissions on the physical structure and anatomy of Mango trees in the Samastipur district of Bihar, India. The experiment was based on the comparative study of under one year examination (2021-2022). Polluted and non-polluted sites were chosen and study was done. The result indicated that the automobile air pollution was hindering the healthy growth of Mangifera indica L.
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    Antifungal Efficacy of Cu-Based Nano-Chitosan on Rhizopus stolonifer, A Virulent Phytopathogen
    (University of North Bengal, 2022) Chouhan, Divya; Choudhuri, Chandrani; Dutta, Poulami; Mandal, Palash; Mathur, Piyush
    Agro-scientists are giving endless efforts for synthesizing a bio-derived molecule that can act as a promising antifungal agent for combating a large number of phytopathogens. Harmful phytopathogens decrease crop yield and its quality. Rhizopus stolonifer is one such virulent phytopathogen that causes huge losses during the post-harvest period of crops. This pathogen mainly causes rot disease in fruits, crops, and vegetables. The second most abundantly available biological macromolecule, Chitosan and its metal-based nanoparticles stands as a potential antifungal agent for combating Rhizopus stolonifer. This study includes the synthesis of Cu chitosan nanoparticles (Cu-CNPs) and chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) through the ionic gelation method and its characterization based on UV Vis spectrophotometer, FE-SEM, EDXS, and DLS. Cu-CNPs and CNPs were screened from 100-2000 µg/mL concentration against R. stolonifer for the assessment of its antifungal activity. Spore viability assay and lipid peroxidation of the pathogen using Cu-CNPs and CNPs were also determined. Generation of oxidative stress in the mycelium of the pathogen on the application of Cu-CNPs and CNPs was traced by fluorescence microscopy. Changes in the ultra-structure of the sporangium of R. stolonifer after treatment with Cu-CNPs and CNPs were visualized under SEM. Results showed that Cu-CNPs inhibit the growth of R. stolonifer at 2000 µg/mL and elevate malonaldehyde (MDA) content in the pathogen as a result of lipid peroxidation and produces defined damages on the sporangium membrane as observed under electron microscope. Fluorescence microscopy revealed the emission of high intensity of fluorescence due to the generation of oxidative stress in Cu-CNPs treated fungal mycelium.
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    Polyethylene Gycol (PEG) Induced Water Stress in Four Different Genotypes of Pea Seedlings and Evaluation of The Induced Defense Mechanism
    (University of North Bengal, 2022) Bantawa, Pranay; Rai, Ritu
    Present work was undertaken on artificially induced water stress on pea seedlings under in vitro conditions in order to select the drought tolerant line. Artificial water stress was induced with PEG-6000 on 15-day old seedlings of four varieties for 4, 8 and 12 days. The activities of antioxidative enzymes like peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase were assayed in the stressed and control plants. POX activity was increased in the initial stages of stress, but its activity was decreased significantly on the 12th day in all the varieties. APOX also showed a similar trend but the maximum activity was noted in Var 3 on the 8th day. CAT activity decreased in var 1 and var 2 when compared with the control, which, however, increased significantly in var 3 and var 4. A slight increase in the GR activity was observed in var 1 and var 2 at the initial stages of the drought stress but its activity decreased significantly on the 12th day in both these varieties when compared with control plants. However, its activity also increased steadily in var 3 and var 4. Maximum SOD activities were noted on the 4th day of drought stress in all four varieties but its activities decreased steadily on the subsequent 8th and 12th days when compared with control. When antioxidative activities were compared among the four varieties, var 3 and var 4 showed maximum increase in antioxidant activity during the period of drought stress. Among the four varieties, var 3 and var 4 showed greater accumulation of H2O2 during the stress days and were maximum at 12th day. Lipid peroxidation also increased in the same varieties. Maximum proline content was noted in both the root and leaf of var 3, followed by var 4. It was further noted that the chlorophyll content decreased significantly in all four varieties in subsequent longer drought stresses. The accumulation of proline content was steadily higher with an increase in the stress length in all the four varieties. During the drought stress, all the varieties showed an increase in ascorbate content but, it was maximum in var 4 followed by var 3 and the least ascorbate was noted in var 1. The present findings indicate that water stress induces oxidative stress in all the four varieties. However, antioxidative mechanisms were found to be more pronounced in var 4 which, therefore, may be considered as the most tolerant to drought stress.