Telangana State Agricultural University creates a gene bank to preserve local wild plant varieties

Hyderabad: By redeveloping the botanical garden on the campus, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) aims to create a gene bank of local varieties of wild fruits and flowers.

Officials said they are planting many local varieties, including ‘jitregi’ (Bombay blackwood), ‘bandaru’ (hop bush tree), ‘somi’ (‘Prosopis cineraria’), ‘kanuka’ (Indian beech or pongamia), which are close to extinction or not easily available even in the forests of Telangana. They said the project has been taken up to ensure that all these seeds will be available at one place even after hundreds of years.

“Many of these forest plants are not easily available. Further, it is very difficult to grow these plants in nurseries. So, there is a chance that seeds of these plants, which are already close to extinction, might not be available at all in the future. To make sure that such a situation does not arise, we are creating a gene bank or germplasm bank,” Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), director (urban forestry) VSNV Prasad told TOI.

He said that once a gene bank is created, they would be able to propagate a plant either by using its seed or through tissue culture after 10, 15 or even a 100 years down the line.

On Monday, as part of the inaugural of Vana Mahotsavam at PJTSAU campus, 2,200 trees were planted on five acres at the botanical garden of the agriculture university. While the chief minister, who inaugurated the programme, planted a rudraksha tree, ‘marri’ (banyan), ‘raavi’ (peepul or sacred fig), ‘juvvi’ (white fig tree), and ‘pogada’ (Spanish cherry tree) among other saplings were planted on the campus.

Officials said HMDA would be planting local saplings in 150 acres on the campus. The project would be carried out throughout the year.

“The varsity has already given a contract to cut down eucalyptus and subabul trees on campus, spread over 150 acres of land. As and when they hand over a parcel of land to us, we will be planting saplings. However, we have to start planting from interiors to peripheral land so that saplings are not disturbed by the movement of trucks or other vehicles once they are planted,” Prasad added.

PJTSAU vice-chancellor Aldas Janaiah said that efforts were on to give a new lease of life to the botanical garden on the campus, which has been neglected in the last 10 to 15 years.