Research Projects

Target 3 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) emphasizes the need for developing ex situ conservation models and protocols for practical conservation of endangered plant species. In India, at least 1500 out of 17,000 higher plant species are threatened, and recent estimates suggest that 1,000 out of 4,00,000 plant species are doomed to become extinct within the next 50 years. In situ conservation is ideal but impractical due to various reasons, and in India, only 4.5% of natural forests are under protection. Therefore, there is an urgent need for conserving species of prospective value through ex situ methods, including biotechnological interventions. This investigation focuses on critical appraisal of biotechnological interventions, such as embryo rescue and in vitro regeneration strategies, for the species enhancement and recovery of critically endangered endemic tree Dialium travancoricum Bourd. This evergreen tree, endemic to the southern Western Ghats of Kerala, India, is the sole representative of its genus in India. The species was categorized as Indeterminate and Possibly Extinct in 1990, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 1998, and included in the national priority list of threatened plants in 2005. The objectives of this investigation include screening the population status of D. travancoricum from the southern Western Ghats, adventitious rooting in shoot cuttings, establishment of in vitro regeneration studies, standardization of zygotic embryo cryopreservation procedures, and reinforcement/reintroduction of plants in wild habitats to improve conservation status. Establishing a multi-span green house to save ex situ collections of red listed trees is also integrated as an important module.