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Subject: Physics × End date: 2013 × Start date: 2013 × Type: Thesis ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Determination of leaf water parameters of sarpgandha (Rauwolfia serpentina L.) plant using beta gauging technique
    (G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand), 2013-07) Tiwari, Bhoopendra Chandra; Joshi, G.C.
    The present study is concerned with the determination of the physiological parameters such as fresh leaf thickness and water content (actual and relative) of a medicinal herb Sarpgandha (Rauwolfia serpentina L.) leaves. We have measured the changes in these physiological parameters as a function of height of leaves from ground level. These parameters were calculated by beta gauging method by using 204Tl and 90Sr- 90Y beta sources of energy 0.77 MeV and 2.28 MeV respectively. The results were also compared with weighing method. The observations showed that the fresh leaf thickness decreased exponentially with the height of plant leaves from ground level. However, the actual water content and relative water content increased exponentially with the distance of leaves from ground level. The actual water content and the relative water content showed the linear relationship. The mass absorption coefficient ( ) was also determined by the beta gauging method and compared with the empirical relation. The observations showed that the mass absorption coefficient depend only on the end point energy of beta particle. The study further suggests that the beta gauging method is a rapid, effective, non-destructive and powerful tool to follow the changes in physiological parameters of plant leaves.