Botany

Five rapeseed genotypes were evaluated for agronomic parameters, yield, oil quantity and quality. Significant differences were observed for all the parameters except oil and protein percentage. The genotype Siren outperformed the rest of genotypes in yield potential (1104 kg/ha), followed by MRS-1 (866.67 kg/ha). For yield contributing characters like length of inflorescence and pods per plant, genotype Siren again showed good results that are, 51.3 cm and 136.5 pods/plant, respectively. The genotype Siren also showed low glucosinolate (44.82 µmol/g), erucic acid (23.67 µmol/g) and higher amounts of oleic acid (59.01%). Due to its high yield and oil quality, the genotype Siren is recommended for general cultivation in the area and further use in breeding programmes for Brassica napus.

To explore and understand the floristic composition of one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the Hindu Kush region of Pakistan, a multivariate analysis of species was carried out using the DCA and CCA ordination methods. Ordination plots were developed to evaluate interaction between tree-tree, tree-herbaceous plants and plants-environmental variables, using Canoco 4.6 for Windows. Results obtained for the DCA analysis of the tree species only indicate that Taxus baccata has the lowest correlation response with the other species and thus forms no association with the other native trees like Picea smithiana, Cedrus deodara and Abies pindrow. The DCA results for the locations-only data indicate that location 18 (Sulatanr and Rodingar) provides distinct microclimatic conditions for the flora and can be termed as the superior biodiversity hotspots of the area. Results also indicate that all the lowland species have positive correlation response to rock, water bodies, field (Farms) and unpaved paths and are closely associated with each other. Different tree species or group of species were found to support specific sub-flora while species i.e. Pinus roxburghii was found to be ecologically associated with no immediate sub-flora. It was observed that this species of Pine is the favourite plant used for re and afforestation purposes in the area. It is recommended that the species selection for the reforestation efforts should be revisited, and the impact of the climate change should be evaluated on these species if the ultimate aim of these projects is to improve the forest services and biodiversity of the area.

The effect of the global climate change was assessed in the Swat Valley of Northern Pakistan, to understand the future of one of the important tree species i.e. Acacia modesta Wall. This species is of a significant ecological and ethnomedicinal importance to the area. The Maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modelling technique of species prediction and distribution was applied, using HADCM3 A2a global climate change scenario. It was concluded that by the 2080 there will be a significant change in the distribution and density of the species. The results obtained show a "good model" for both present and future models, gaining the AUC values 0.989 for training data and 0.969 for test data. The results indicate the highest gain for bioclimatic variable (bio-9, mean temperature of the driest quarter), while the lowest gain was recorded for bio-14. This suggests that in the future, the species will grow in density probably at the expense of other useful plants. The predicted changes in the...

The effect of the global changing climate was assessed in the Swat Valley of Northern Pakistan, to assess the future density and distribution of one of the important tree species i.e. Acacia modesta Wall. The species is ecologically and ethnomedicinally one of the importance tree species. The Maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modelling technique of species prediction and distribution was applied, using HADCM3 A2a global climate change scenario. It was concluded that by the year 2080 there will be a significant change in the distribution and density of the species. The results were validated using the AUC value. Both the present and future models obtained were "good models" having the gain of 0.989 for training and 0.969 for test data of the AUC values. The results also indicate the highest gain for bioclimatic variable (bio-9, mean temperature of the driest quarter), while the lowest gain was recorded for bio-14. This suggests that in the future, the species will grow in density probably at the expense of other useful plants. The predicted changes in the distribution and density of the species in the future prediction model can have immense ecological and socioeconomic impact on the area including direct and indirect impact on the ethnomedicinal flora of the area.

An understory vegetation survey of the Pinus wallichiana-dominated temperate forests of Swat District was carried out to inspect the structure, composition and ecological associations of the forest vegetation. A quadrat method of sampling was used to record the floristic and phytosocio-logical data necessary for the analysis using 300 quadrats of 10 × 10 m each. Some vegetation parameters viz. frequency and density for trees (overstory vegetation) as well as for the understory vegetation were recorded. The results revealed that in total, 92 species belonging to 77 different genera and 45 families existed in the area. The largest families were Asteraceae, Rosaceae and Lamiaceae with 12, ten and nine species, respectively. Ward's agglomerative cluster analysis for tree species resulted in three floristically and ecologically distinct community types along different topographic and soil variables. Importance value indices (IVI) were also calculated for understory vegetation and were subjected to ordination techniques, i.e. canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). DCA bi-plots for stands show that most of the stands were scattered around the centre of the DCA bi-plot, identified by two slightly scattered clusters. DCA for species bi-plot clearly identified three clusters of species revealing three types of understory communities in the study area. Results of the CCA were somewhat different from the DCA showing the impact of environmental variables on the understory species. CCA results reveal that three environmental variables, i.e. altitude, slope and P

Myrtus communis L. is a bushy, aromatic, evergreen shrub, belongs to the family Myrtaceae, commonly found in Bajaur Agency (FATA) Pakistan. The plant has been acknowledged due to the presence of aromatic compounds in the essential oil. The IUCN red list identifies the plant as endangered. To understand the Ethnobotanical and ecological importance of the plant, a questionnaire survey was conducted to collect quantitative and qualitative information from randomly selected 120 local inhabitants of the Bajaur Agency. The results indicate that Myrtle is mostly used as a flavouring agent (46.81%) and as stomachic (10.90%). The plant use was also recorded for blood purification (0.45%), constipation (0.45%) and (31.11%) as herbal tea. We also report on the people perception of the plant conservation status. People consensus recorded clearly shows that Myrtle is mainly eradicated due to over exploitation by humans (42.96%) and if any patches remain conserved is due to inaccessibility to it (30.70%). Geo-references data of the species were collected to identify and extrapolate their present distribution in Bajaur Agency. Cluster analysis was performed to check any similarities in ecological niches of the stands. We conclude from the survey that the species population has been drastically reduced and is under severe anthropogenic pressures including extensive and uncontrolled use of the plant as ethnomedicinal drug and due to its great economic value. However, it is recommended that further investigation into their possible future niche modelling and conservation analysis shall be carried out to save this important plant from extinction in the wild.

To explore and understand the floristic composition of one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the Hindu Kush region of Pakistan, a multivariate analysis of species was carried out using the DCA and CCA ordination methods. Ordination plots were developed to evaluate interaction between tree-tree, tree-herbaceous plants and plants-environmental variables, using Canoco 4.6 for Windows. Results obtained for the DCA analysis of the tree species only indicate that Taxus baccata has the lowest correlation response with the other species and thus forms no association with the other native trees like Picea smithiana, Cedrus deodara and Abies pindrow. The DCA results for the locations-only data indicate that location 18 (Sulatanr and Rodingar) provides distinct microclimatic conditions for the flora and can be termed as the superior biodiversity hotspots of the area. Results also indicate that all the lowland species have positive correlation response to rock, water bodies, field ...

Swat district falls in the Hindu-Kush mountain system of Pakistan, is considered as one of the most important biodiversity hotspots of the country. To explore the present floristic diversity of the region, vegetation sampling was done and field experiments were carried out using geo-referenced data of various species of eco-geological interest. Field data was merged with remotely sensed data, obtained from Landsat and LDR missions and processed in GIS for various geospatial analyses, i.e. Climate Change modelling, were developed hotspot analysis, Digital Elevation Models. Max Ent niche climate change modelling technique was used to predict the present and future potential distribution of some species. The results were obtained in the form of model outputs and GIS choropleth maps. It is evident from the results that Malakand division general and swat in partial area has microclimatic niches in various pockets of Malakand division i.e. District Swat, Dir and Chitral. Some locations were found to be extremely poor in floristic diversity and are extremely vulnerable to minute climatic changes. We conclude that the inevitable climate change is not necessarily an evil but could be looked at as an opportunity in hand which could be used for the socioeconomic development of the country. We recommend initiatives like introduction of GIS and remote sensing technologies to the Universities' curricula and interdisciplinary adaptation approaches in the form of departmental and inter-universities collaboration.

Myrtus communis L. is a bushy, aromatic, evergreen shrub, belongs to the family Myrtaceae, commonly found in Bajaur Agency (FATA) Pakistan. The plant has been acknowledged due to the presence of aromatic compounds in the essential oil. The IUCN red list identifies the plant as endangered. To understand the Ethnobotanical and ecological importance of the plant, a questionnaire survey was conducted to collect quantitative and qualitative information from randomly selected 120 local inhabitants of the Bajaur Agency. The results indicate that Myrtle is mostly used as a flavouring agent (46.81%) and as stomachic (10.90%). The plant use was also recorded for blood purification (0.45%), constipation (0.45%) and (31.11%) as herbal tea. We also report on the people perception of the plant conservation status. People consensus recorded clearly shows that Myrtle is mainly eradicated due to over exploitation by humans (42.96%) and if any patches remain conserved is due to inaccessibility to it (30.70%). Geo-references data of the species were collected to identify and extrapolate their present distribution in Bajaur Agency. Cluster analysis was performed to check any similarities in ecological niches of the stands. We conclude from the survey that the species population has been drastically reduced and is under severe anthropogenic pressures including extensive and uncontrolled use of the plant as ethnomedicinal drug and due to its great economic value. However, it is recommended that further investigation into their possible future niche modelling and conservation analysis shall be carried out to save this important plant from extinction in the wild.

An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in Tirat Valley, Swat District, Pakistan, to document the knowledge of the particular culture and region make use of the indigenous wild medicinal plants, and to create awareness regarding plant conservation and wise use in the area. We report65 species belonging to 35 families, from the Valley coined to the ethnomedical domain of the area. These MAPs prescribed to mainly used to cure ailments like, Hepatitis, diabetes, diarrhoea, fever, asthma etc. Among the most salient plants recorded in the Valley were Ajuga bracteosa, Berberis lyceum Royle and Mentha longifolia (L.).The knowledge of MAPs in Tirat Valley provides a complement to the overall rich ethnomedicinal practices of Swat Valley and is in portentous need of conservation. These plant specimens were collected, identified and conserved in the Botanical Garden and Herbarium (BG&H) of the University of Malakand.

Punica granatum L. (wild) belongs to family Punicaceae, a woody plant, predominantly found on calcareous and
alkaline soils. The species is extensively utilized as food and firewood and for the extraction of various chemicals due to
its therapeutic properties. To understand the ethno-botanical and ecological status of the species on a regional scale, a
questionnaire survey was conducted in the Dir (L) area using close and open-ended questionnaires. Data collected from
124 respondents were analysed quantitatively using statistical analysis to calculate indices like Relative Frequency of
Citation (RFC), Use value (UV) and multivariate analysis. GPS data used for the presence data of the plants were used
to develop GIS thematic maps. Geo-referenced data on P. granatum was collected from the study area, using GPS.
Results suggest that the plant is mostly used as a remedy for dry cough, as an astringent, people used powder form of
fruit peelings. It was documented in the present investigation that P. granatum is mainly eradicated due to its extensive
use as firewood. The study also evaluated on the major aspect of how the P. granatum can be conserved naturally.
It was found out that the plant is conserved in areas inaccessible to humans. The status of the vegetation community
around this plant was also explored, it is found out that specific shrub and tree communities were major flora growing in
proximity to P. granatum. The finding of this survey has concluded that wild P. granatum is an endangered species due
to its extensive and uncontrollable use for firewood, curing diseases and its economic potential. These findings could be
exploited to take necessary steps for the conservation of this species.

The pollen morphology of the genus Sonchus L. reported from Ukraine was studied with a Light and Scanning electron microscope. The samples were collected from the herbarium material of the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The pollen grains of the studied species of genus Sonchus were found to be monads, tricolporate for S. oleraceus, S. palustris, S. arvensisssp. аrvensis, S. arvensis ssp. uliginosis and tetracolporate for (S. asper).The biggest pollen grains among the taxa of the flora of Ukraine are in S. arvensis ssp. uliginosus, the smallest ones are in S. arvensis ssp. аrvensis. Pollen grains of S. palustris are characterized by the largest pores. We conclude that all the pollen grains of studied species are spheroidalor oblate-spheroidal form and medium-sized. They have ridges with spines and are characterized by echinolophate type of ultrasculpture. All pollen grains characterized by rounded or rounded-angular outlines from the equatorial view.

Background: This study contributes to the current ethnomedicinal knowledge of the Swat Valley, Pakistan. District Swat possesses remarkable biodiversity owing to its varied topographical and climatic conditions, prompting a distinct human-plant association. Our hypothesis is that the presence of such a great biodiversity has shaped into a formal ethnobotanical culture in the area transmitted through generations. We suspect that the versatility of some plant species has greater influence on the culture. Therefore, the prime objective of the study is to understand this unique human-plant relationship in the valley and to create scientific roots for the selection and practice of herbs in the ethnobotanical domain of the district. Methods: Primary data were collected using questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with the locals. The data collected were used for calculating some important indices, i.e. relative frequency of citation (RFC), participant agreement ratio (PAR), frequency of citation (FC), Smith's Salience Index (SI), Relative Importance Index (RII), Cultural Value Index (CVI) and a newly proposed, Ali's Conservation Priority Index (CPI). Index scores were used as key identifier of the ethnobotanically important plants of the area. Results: Residents of the Swat Valley have listed plant uses in 15 use categories. Around 9% of the respondents have a common consensus on the selection and use of plants for the treatment of evil eye with similar results for body cuts (8.2%) followed by psychological/neural ailments (8.0%). Respondents agree that Berberis lyceum Royle. dominates in all five indices. Skimmia laureola Franch. also constitutes one of the central plants of the ethnobotanical domain, ranking second in the SI, fifth in the RII, seventh in CVI, and third in the Cultural Importance Index. It holds the thirty-fifth position in the CPI. Over 80% of the population treat different diseases with herbal remedies. In the common ethnobotanical domain of the area, plants like Mentha longifolia L., Berberis lyceum, and Skimmia laureola are very important and have high salience and importance values, thus suggesting these plants are versatile for their uses in the study area. Conclusion: In conclusion, only some plant species are prioritised for their use in the ethnobotanical domain of the community. Medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) usage is widespread in the Swat Valley. The ethnobotanical knowledge could be used as a tool to understand the adaptability of a specific taxon in the area and the possible conservation risk to their existence.

To explore and understand the floristic composition of one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the Hindu Kush region of Pakistan, a multivariate analysis of species was carried out using the DCA and CCA ordination methods. Ordination plots were developed to evaluate interaction between tree-tree, tree-herbaceous plants and plants-environmental variables, using Canoco 4.6 for Windows. Results obtained for the DCA analysis of the tree species only indicate that Taxus baccata has the lowest correlation response with the other species and thus forms no association with the other native trees like Picea smithiana, Cedrus deodara and Abies pindrow. The DCA results for the locations-only data indicate that location 18 (Sulatanr and Rodingar) provides distinct microclimatic conditions for the flora and can be termed as the superior biodiversity hotspots of the area. Results also indicate that all the lowland species have positive correlation response to rock, water bodies, field (Farms) and unpaved paths and are closely associated with each other. Different tree species or group of species were found to support specific sub-flora while species i.e. Pinus roxburghii was found to be ecologically associated with no immediate sub-flora. It was observed that this species of Pine is the favourite plant used for re and afforestation purposes in the area. It is recommended that the species selection for the reforestation efforts should be revisited, and the impact of the climate change should be evaluated on these species if the ultimate aim of these projects is to improve the forest services and biodiversity of the area.

The effect of the global climate change was assessed in the Swat Valley of Northern Pakistan, to understand the future of one of the important tree species i.e. Acacia modesta Wall. This species is of a significant ecological and ethnomedicinal importance to the area. The Maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modelling technique of species prediction and distribution was applied, using HADCM3 A2a global climate change scenario. It was concluded that by the 2080 there will be a significant change in the distribution and density of the species. The results obtained show a "good model" for both present and future models, gaining the AUC values 0.989 for training data and 0.969 for test data. The results indicate the highest gain for bioclimatic variable (bio-9, mean temperature of the driest quarter), while the lowest gain was recorded for bio-14. This suggests that in the future, the species will grow in density probably at the expense of other useful plants. The predicted changes in the...

The effect of the global changing climate was assessed in the Swat Valley of Northern Pakistan, to assess the future density and distribution of one of the important tree species i.e. Acacia modesta Wall. The species is ecologically and ethnomedicinally one of the importance tree species. The Maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modelling technique of species prediction and distribution was applied, using HADCM3 A2a global climate change scenario. It was concluded that by the year 2080 there will be a significant change in the distribution and density of the species. The results were validated using the AUC value. Both the present and future models obtained were "good models" having the gain of 0.989 for training and 0.969 for test data of the AUC values. The results also indicate the highest gain for bioclimatic variable (bio-9, mean temperature of the driest quarter), while the lowest gain was recorded for bio-14. This suggests that in the future, the species will grow in density probably at the expense of other useful plants. The predicted changes in the distribution and density of the species in the future prediction model can have immense ecological and socioeconomic impact on the area including direct and indirect impact on the ethnomedicinal flora of the area.

An understory vegetation survey of the Pinus wallichiana-dominated temperate forests of Swat District was carried out to inspect the structure, composition and ecological associations of the forest vegetation. A quadrat method of sampling was used to record the floristic and phytosocio-logical data necessary for the analysis using 300 quadrats of 10 × 10 m each. Some vegetation parameters viz. frequency and density for trees (overstory vegetation) as well as for the understory vegetation were recorded. The results revealed that in total, 92 species belonging to 77 different genera and 45 families existed in the area. The largest families were Asteraceae, Rosaceae and Lamiaceae with 12, ten and nine species, respectively. Ward's agglomerative cluster analysis for tree species resulted in three floristically and ecologically distinct community types along different topographic and soil variables. Importance value indices (IVI) were also calculated for understory vegetation and were subjected to ordination techniques, i.e. canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). DCA bi-plots for stands show that most of the stands were scattered around the centre of the DCA bi-plot, identified by two slightly scattered clusters. DCA for species bi-plot clearly identified three clusters of species revealing three types of understory communities in the study area. Results of the CCA were somewhat different from the DCA showing the impact of environmental variables on the understory species. CCA results reveal that three environmental variables, i.e. altitude, slope and P