2006-07 - Kerala Forest Research Institute

Annual report 2006-07Kerala Forest Research InstituteClerodendron were listed as some common nectarplants. Common mime, common rose, crimsonrose, lime butterfly, blue mormon, Southernbirdwing, glassy blu tiger, blue tiger, dark bluetiger, emigrants and grass yellows are somebutterflies that can be easily sustained in thebutterfly garden.....................................................................................................................................................................................Development of transgenic teak resistantto lepidopteran defoliatorsInvestigator(s): Muralidharan, E.M.,Sudheendrakumar, V.V., Sajeev, T.V.Objectives• To screen Bt strains and endotoxinsagainst Hyblaea puera and other major leaffeeding pests of teak to select suitablegenes for genetic transformation.• Development of efficient protocols forgenetic transformation and regenerationof transgenic plantlets from cells andtissue cultures of teak.• To carry out assays with the transgenicplants in vitro or in lab and controlledgreen house experiments.Date of Commencement : 2004 FebruaryDate of Completion : 2007 JanuaryBudget: Rs. 30.68 lakhsSponsoring Agency : Department ofBiotechnology,Govt. of IndiaBioassay on the teak defoliator - Hyblaea andEutectona using Bt toxins was carried out withprotein extracted from Cry1AC and Cry1C(Cloned in plasmid pUC19) by a 10 hr incubation.It was found that both the toxins wereeffective in Hyblaea and Eutectona.Somatic embryogenesis and repetitive embryogenesiswas induced in immature zygoticembryos of teak cultured on a media containingpicloram and maintained through regularsubcultures. Plantlet regeneration was alsoobtained but at a low frequency by transfer tohormone free media. Genetic transformationof the somatic embryos was attempted bycocultivation with Agroba-cterium containingCry I Ac gene but the putative transformedembryos survived in hygromycin selectionmedia but showed inhibition in growth anddevelopment.Establishment of a Bioresources NatureTrail in the Kerala part of Western GatsInvestigator(s): Chandrashekara, U.M.,Sasidharan, N.Objectives• To establish a live collection of differenttaxonomic groups of plants with specialreference to endemic and RET speciesfor conservation along a BioresourcesNature Trail• To promote nature education and ecotourism• To develop interactive informationsystem for nature education and ecotourismto depict the diversity of bioresourcesin the stateBioresources Nature Park at NilamburDate of Commencement: 2004 MarchDate of Completion : 2007 February36