| Palynology |
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| DU - 1 |
DP - 1 |
| Group Leader |
Dr. (Mrs.) Kalyani Datta,
Sci 'EII' |
| Contact |
Work |
91-522-2205831-35
Ext. 240 |
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Other Scientists of the
Group
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Dr. Praveen Chandra Verma, Sci 'B'
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Past and Present activities of the
group
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Pollen morphology in relation to
plant taxonomy of the following taxa:
a) Indian Monocotyledons
b) Indian Dicotyledons: Asterales, Geraniales,
Malvales, Ranales, Rosales, Heteromerae, Monochlamydeae
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Melittopalynology:
a) Pollen analysis of Indian honeys
b) Pollen analysis of bee-loads
c) Pollen analysis of seasonal honeys of western Himalayan
regions
d) Pollen analysis of honeys from Gangetic plain
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Aerobiology & Allergy: Conducted
an All India Coordinated Project on Aerobiology for
identification of aeroallergens
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Cytopalynology in relation to biosystematics
in Amaranthus, Arachis, Argemone, Celosia,
Chenopodium, Chorisia, Gloriosa, Sisymbrium irio-complex
and Solanum.
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Crop palynology: Pollen ultrastructure
in crop plants (e.g. Cajanus, Cicer, Oryza,
Sorghum and Saccharum) and their wild
relatives.
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Effect of radiation on pollen features.
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Pollination ecology of agriculture crops and some endangered plants.
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Objectives
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To study the ultrastructure of pollen wall.
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To describe and illustrate pollen
grains and evaluate their taxonomic and phylogenetic
value leading to the preparation of Pollen flora of
India.
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To describe and illustrate the
basic palynological data including ultrastructure
of pollen grains of medicinal plants of India.
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To undertake studies on pollen
morphology in relation to cultivar taxonomy and to
fix morphological parameters of pollen for various
cytotypes of wild and cultivated plants.
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To establish a National Pollen
Herbarium of both wild and cultivated plants of India.
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To undertake studies involving
qualitative and quantitative analysis of airborne
and honey pollen flora of India.
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To assess the pollinator's potentiality
in the yield of some agriculture crops.
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Salient Achievements
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A new concept has been introduced
in plant biosystematics through cytopalynology for
study and identification of cytotypes in nature and
for the assessment of inheritance pattern in pollen
morphology in the hybrids.
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Aeroallergens occurring in various
physiographic zones of India have been identified.
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By honey pollen analysis seasonal
honey flora of the western Himalayan regions and
upper Gangetic plain have
been identified.
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By the analysis of bee collected
pollen loads, bee forage plants of several different
geographic regions
have been identified.
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Through ultrastructural studies
of pollen, interrelationships and affinities have
been established between the cultivated crop plants and
their wild relatives.
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Through ultrastructural studies,
distinguishing exine patterns have been identified
in subgeneric and subspecies level in some important
poaceous crops which was so far undistinguishable.
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Educative Aid
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A standard pollen kit comprising
of an informative booklet and pollen slides containing
various characteristic morphotypes has been prepared
for practical demonstration in teaching Institutes and Universities.
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Publications
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More than 260
research publications have been published, which include several
monographs on various groups of angiosperms on pollen morphology
in relation to plant taxonomy.
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