ANNUAL REPORT - Department of Biotechnology

Eastern Ghats: Diversity of metallophiles in Eastern
Ghats is being studied for exploration and exploitation
in metal prospecting and bioremediation. Open cast
and underground chromite mines in Sukinda valley of
Jajpur district and Baula-Nuasahi belt of Bhadrak
district have been surveyed and a total of 22 samples
from mining environment were collected and
analyzed for physico-chemical characteristics. The
samples were more or less acidic to neutral in nature
and contain significant amount of chromium (1.6 3%)
and nickel (0.3 0.8%) in addition to cobalt, cadmium,
Delphinium malabaricum a. cultivation in open area, b. flowering,
c. cultivation in polyhouse, d. cultivation in pots, e. entire plant, f, g, h, i, j,
range of flower colour
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and zinc. Microbial density, diversity and activity of
these metalliferous environmental samples were in
general relatively low. Aspergillus niger SUK101, the
most potent strain has been found to solubilize 52.8%
nickel, 28.7% chromium and 20% iron from the mine
overburden. Optimization of conditions for better
nickel leaching is in progress.
Western Ghats: In the project entitled “Evaluation of
Viscaceae Members of Western Ghats Region for
Prospecting of Ribosome Inactivating Proteins”, field
surveys of Western ghats regions (Puna, Kolhapur,
Belgaum-Amboli) were carried out. Different
populations of Viscum spp. distributed in the region
were mapped and diversity documented, distribution
was found to be associated with the type of forest and
host species.
Using immuno-probe developed, different Viscum
spp. were evaluated for the presence of ribosome
inactivating proteins (RIPs). Domestication of
potential ornamental plants from the wild
bioresources of the Western Ghats is being
attempted for Delphinium malabaricum, Impatiens
pulcherrrima, Senecio bombayensis, S.
belgaumensis, Pogostemon deccanesis, collected
from various localities of the Western Ghats.
Reproductive ecology and population enrichment of
endemic and critically endangered plant species of
Western Ghats is also being worked out.
Considerable work has been carried out on
reproductive ecology of two of the target species -
Dysoxylum malabaricum and Garcinia indica in the
Uttara Kanda district of Karnataka.
Himalayan Region: IHBT, Palampur, produced
65480 plants of Phyllostachys pubescens (Moso
bamboo) and 82805 plants of other species of edible
bamboo provided them to R&D institutions and State
Forest Departments. An elite cultivar of Curcuma
aromatica “Himhaldi” was released. A multipurpose
herbal pain ointment, herbal toothpicks having
antibacterial properties and an anti-inflammatory skin
cream with anti-oxidant, venotonic and vascular
protective properties were developed. Mapping of
Solang nala in Kullu Dist. of Himachal Pradesh was
completed and total 12 vegetation types were
identified in the area. Complete genome of chilli vein
mottle virus was amplified and cloned. Radioactive
Research and Development