Wild species of rice (Oryza) have superior agronomic characteristics to be incorporated in rice breeding programs worldwide. Population studies of wild relatives of rice in Sri Lanka has not being well documented despite a few of attempts. In the present study, phenotypic diversity of Oryza rufipogon populations exist in Sri Lanka were characterized based on nine quantitative morphological traits. Populations (P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5) were established in a common-garden and were characterized. The results revealed moderate phenotypic diversity among O. rufipogon populations studied. However, flag leaf length and awn length were the most variable traits while plant height, flag leaf angle, flag leaf panicle neck length and spikelet angle were the least variable traits. O. rufipogon can be simply distinguished using flag leaf length and width, panicle branching type and distance from panicle base to lowest spikelet insertion. The dendrogram results indicated that four main clusters are at a similarity level of 98.73, showing the diversely related populations with a high identity based on higher similarity values. P1 and P2 populations grouped together by forming the first cluster. The second, third and fourth clusters consisted of P3, P5 and P4 populations, respectively. One population from first cluster and P3, P5 and P4 populations can be used for conservation. This study highlights the phenotypic diversity of O. rufipogon populations existing in Sri Lanka across the geographic locations and Knowledge on such morphological diversity provides opportunities to design conservation strategies and the potentials of using particular population based on breeding objectives.

Bougainvillea Comm. ex Juss. attracted much attention all over the world due to its ornamental, medicinal and commercial importance. In India, many national research institutes has carried out research for development of different varieties. As a result, a large number of new cultivars have been developed in India. Hybridization, chemical mutagens and tissue culture are common methods of propagation and variety development in Bougainvillea but unfortunately, scientist have not paid much attention towards grafting methods for multicolour Bougainvillea flowering on a single plant. The author have working since many years on multicolour Bougainvillea with Tender Twig Grafting (TTG) with more than 75% success rate. This paper dealt with the practical approach and technique used for the development of ornamentally much demanded multicolor flowering of Bougainvillea on single stock.

Tribal people are inhabiting indifferent locations of Pilibhit Tiger reserve region of Rohilkhand division of Uttar Pradesh state of India. The study area comprises of second largest forest cover among all the districts of Uttar Pradesh. This manuscript provides information on 21 medicinal plants belonging to 17 angiosperm families which are used by different tribal groups and indigenous people for curing various animal diseases. Few of the important medicinal plants are Achyranthus, Datura, Polygonum, Litsea, Bombax, Azadirachta etc. The use of locally grown, wild medicinal plants for curing different animal ailments was observed to be widespread and prevalent in this area.

The present study has revealed the presence of phytochemicals considered as active medicinal chemical constituents. Important medicinal phytochemicals such as terpenoids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, steroids, glycosides were studied in the collected samples. Plant Aegle marmelos Corr. having all these phytochemicals. Saponin was found only in two plants out of nine plants i.e. Achyranthes aspera Linn. and Semecarpus anacardium Linn. Terpenoids were found in Aegle marmelos Corr., Calotropis gigantea Linn.R.Br., Mimosa pudica Linn. Terpenoids are reported to have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antimalarial, inhibition of cholesterol synthesis and antibacterial. Cardiac glycosides content was found in Achyranthes aspera Linn., Aegle marmelos Corr., Mimosa pudica Linn., Tribulus terrestris Linn., Calotropis gigantea Linn.R.Br., Ricinus communis Linn.. Cardiac glycosides have been used for over two centuries as a stimulant in case of cardiac failure. The flavonoids were found in Achyranthes aspera Linn., Aegle marmelos Corr., Calotropis gigantea Linn., Mimosa pudica Linn., Cissus quadrangularis Linn. Mart., Tribulus terrestris Linn. The biological functions of flavonoids apart from its antioxidant properties include protection against allergies, inflammation, free radicals, platelet aggregation, microbes, ulcers, hepotoxins, viruses and tumors.

The antifungal properties shown by different higher plant extracts are due to the presence of phytochemicals. The activities of Alangium solviifolium (L.f.) Wangerin root in controlling two fungal species that belong to Alternaria spp- Alternaria brassicae and A. brassicicola, the causal organisms of leaf blight of crucifers was evaluated in vitro assay. The aqueous extracts of different parts of the tested plant such as bark, stem, root, leaf and flower were screened against test fungi. Among them, the results of the study revealed that the aqueous extracts of A. solviifolium(L.f.) Wangerin root showed the inhibition of mycelial growth against test fungi completely (100%). The phytochemical analysis of active plant has revealed that the presence of some chemical compounds as alkaloids, terpenoids, phenol/tannins, saponins, flavonoids and glycosides in both aqueous and ethanol extracts is likely to be responsible for the antifungal activity against test fungi. This study confirms the presence of various bioactive compounds of an active plant.

Powdery mildew disease of the Black gram, Mung bean and Pea are a major constraint in the production. The resistance of plants to various pathogens depends on synthesis and level of various defence enzymes like hydrolases; peroxidases and antimicrobial compounds like phytoalexins (Kuc, l991 et al Kauffmann et al. l987; Boiler, l987; Mauch et al., l988; Kale and Choudhary 200l, Koche and Choudhary, 2005). The present study focused on visual screening of selected crop cultivars against the powdery mildew and its biochemical correlation with chlorophyll content, sugars, phenols content, PR-proteins and Phytoalexin activities. From the field studies, it was observed that selected crop was found with powdery mildew incidence. This disease incidence data was correlated with biochemical changes and level of chlorophyll, sugars, phenols, PR-protein and Phytoalexin activities.

Most of the agricultural, forest and field crop litters are consisting lignocelluloses, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Among these cellulose is most predominant constituent followed by hemicellulose and lignin. The lignin together with the hemicellulose, encrust the cellulose chains forming a barrier which prevents wetting and access of cellulose-degrading enzymes therefore, the decomposition of litters can be achieved by breaking this association at first. The biodegradation of lignin of field crop litters representing a key step for carbon recycling in land ecosystem, as well as for industrial utilization of plant biomass, humification of dead organic matter by the application of certain bacterial and fungal species. The present study revealed the process of decomposition of plant litters. The fungal species colonized different types of plant litters on the basis of enzymatic activities and resource specificity. The mixtures of microorganisms could degrade lignocellulosic materials of wheat stubbles more efficiently than any individual species; Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus, Fuserium equiseti, Trichoderma lignorum and Stachybotrys atra. A mixture of fungi and Streptomyces caused 48.0% decomposition while decomposition by an individual species viz. Aspergillus flavus was 36.90% only. It was found that, fungi have better abilities to decompose wheat straw than bacteria and actinomycetes. The mineralisation of plant residues could accelerate the rate of decomposition.