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Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, Solan
Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, was established on 1st December, 1985 with the objective to promote education, research and extension education in the fields of Horticulture, Forestry and allied disciplines. Late Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar, the first Chief Minister and the architect of Himachal Pradesh perceived the importance of Horticulture and Forestry to develop and improve the State economy which led to the establishment of this University. Its history lies in erstwhile Himachal Agricultural College, Solan, established in 1962 and affiliated to the Panjab University. It became one of the campuses of Agriculture Complex of Himachal Pradesh University on its formation in 1970. Consequent upon the establishment of Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya in 1978, this campus became its Horticulture Complex and finally in 1985, assumed the status of a State University, being the only University in the country engaged exclusively in teaching, research and extension in Horticulture and Forestry.
The University is located at Nauni in Solan District of Himachal Pradesh, 13 km from Solan on Solan-Rajgarh Road, at an elevation of 1300 metres above mean sea level. Solan town is situated on national highway (NH-22) and is well connected by train and bus services.
The University has four constituent colleges, out of which, two are located at the main campus Nauni, one for horticulture and the other for forestry, having 9 and 7 departments, respectively. The third College i.e., College of Horticulture & Forestry is located at Neri in Hamirpur District on Nadaun-Hamirpur state highway, about 6 Km from Hamirpur town and is well connected with bus service. The college offers three Undergraduate Degree Programmes i.e. BSc (Hons.) Horticulture, BSc (Hons.) Forestry and B. Tech. Biotechnology and MSc degree programme in a few subjects. The fourth college i.e. College of Horticulture and Forestry, Thunag (Mandi) is located at Thunag District Mandi. This college offer BSc (Hons.) Horticulture and BSc (Hons.) Forestry degree programme. In addition, there are five Regional Research Stations, 12 Satellite Stations and five Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) situated in different zones of the State.
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ThesisItem Open Access B gASSESSMENT OF AIR AND WATER QUALITY UNDER DOMINANT LANDUSES IN MID HILLS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH(UHF,NAUNI, 2019-11) SHARMA, NITIKA; BHARDWAJ, S KABSTRACT The present investigation entitled “Assessment of Air and Water Quality under Dominant Land Uses in Mid Hills of Himachal Pradesh” was conducted during the years 2017 and 2018 in the Department of Environmental Science, Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh. The study was undertaken to identify the impacts of dominant land uses namely urban, peri urban, agriculture and forest on air and water quality. The impact was studied during pre and post monsoon season for air quality and under three seasons for water quality. The study was conducted throughout the mid hill conditions by taking six locations which were considered as replications. Accordingly, there were eight and twelve treatment combinations in air and water quality monitoring experiments which were replicated six times under Randomized Block Design (factorial). Geospatial mapping of air and water quality status under different land uses was done using ERDAS software. Survey was also conducted to identify the pollution causing practices in mid hills. The study pointed out that the air quality parameters like PM10, VOCs, SO2 and NO2 were significantly influenced by land uses of mid hills which ranged from 61.0 to 93.0 µg m-3, 1.20 to 6.80 µg m-3, 1.45 to 7.57 µg m-3 and 11.68 to 40.43 µg m-3, respectively. However, all the parameters were within the permissible limits. Similarly, land uses also exerted significant influence on surface and ground water quality. The physical parameters like pH, EC, TDS, Turbidity ranged from 6.45 to 6.77, 0.246 to 0.453 dSm-1, 64.0 to 229.17 mg l-1, 2.95 to 6.98 NTU respectively. The chemical parameters like BOD, COD, DO, Ca, Mg, NO3-, Cl-ranged from 0.67 to 3.27 mg l-1, 14.2 to 21.6 mg l-1, 2.48 to 5.75 mg l-1, 32.33 to 139.50 mg l-1, 3.13 to 12.67 mg l-1, 0.64 to 3.67 mg l-1, 8.12 to 32.67 mg l-1, respectively. The trace elements like Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, As ranged from 0.00 to 0.036 mg l-1, 0.001to 0.059 mg l-1, 0.009 to 0.375 mg l-1, 0.002 to 0.325 mg l-1, 0.00 to 0.005 mg l-1 respectively. The physical-chemical parameters of water quality were within the permissible limits prescribed by BIS and CPCB except for calcium, chromium and lead. The air quality index was in the range of 0-50 and considered good. The water quality index computed by considering nine quality parameters was in the range 26-50 under forest land use and was in good category. Whereas, this index was in the range of 51-75 under urban, peri urban and agriculture land use and was in poor category. The water quality index was in the descending qualityorder of: forest> peri urban > urban> agriculture. The air and water quality also varied with the seasons in the region.The deterioration of water quality was more in monsoon season. In mid hills unscientific disposal of waste water and release of untreated sewage was identified as pollution causing practice in surface water sources under urban and peri urban land use. Injudicious use of chemicals was major pollution causing practice under agriculture land use. The increased vehicular activity, road expansion and construction activities in case of urban and peri urban, forest fires and burning of residues under forest and agriculture land use were the major air pollution causing practices in mid hills. The study inferred that dominant land uses of mid hills have started impacting air and water quality due to various wrong practices. However, the effects were more pronounced in case of surface water quality therefore, in order to maintain the quality of these important natural resources within the safe limits there is urgent need to promote eco friendly practices while managing the land uses of this region.ThesisItem Open Access ASSESSMENT OF AIR AND WATER QUALITY UNDER DOMINANT LANDUSES IN LOW HILLS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH(UHF,NAUNI, 2019-10) SUPRIYA, KALYANI; AGGARWAL, R KABSTRACT The present study entitled “Assessment of Air and Water Quality under Dominant Landuses in Low hills of Himachal Pradesh” was conducted in the department of Environmental Science, Dr. Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni-Solan during 2017-2018. The aim of study was to assess the air and water quality status under four dominating landuses in areas of low hills, their geo-spatial mapping and to find out the pollution causing practices. The study was conducted in Bilaspur, Kangra and Hamirpur districts of Himachal Pradesh. Two locations on the basis of MC (municipal committee) in each of three districts have been selected under dominant landuses (urban, peri-urban, agriculture and forest) and periodic sampling has been done during pre and post monsoon seasons in case of air sampling and for water sampling three seasons i.e. pre, monsoon and post-monsoon have been done. The study revealed that the different air qualityparameters PM10, SO2, NO2 and VOCs ranged from 18.17 to 62.00 µ gm-3, 2.61 to 7.17 µ gm-3, 29.00 to 34.75 µ gm-3 and 1.96 to 5.55 µ gm-3respectively, which were found within the permissible limits. The surface water quality parameter like pH, turbidity, EC, TDS, COD, Mg, chlorides, nitrates, heavy metals (Ar, Cd, Pb, Cr, Zn), total coliform ranged from 6.3 to 6.9, 4.0 to 9.9 NTU, 0.224 to 0.496 dS m-1, 34.72 to 170.39 mg l-1, 64.78 to 105.89 mg l-1, 9.88 to 25.05 mg l-1, 17.04 to 87.61 mg l-1, 2.22 to 15.56 mg l-1, 0 to 0.006 mg l-1, 0 to 0.004 mg l-1, 0 to 0.006 mg l-1, 0 to 0.006 mg l-1 , 0 to 0.004 mg l-1, 22.89 to 196.50 MPN 100 ml-1, which were within the permissible limits whereas, DO, BOD and Ca ranged from 4.09 to 5.67 mg l-1, 2.9 to 6.8 mg l-1 and 35.89 to 87.50 mg l-1 which were above the permissible limits. The ground water quality parameters like pH, turbidity, EC, TDS, COD, Mg, chlorides, nitrates, heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn), total coliform ranged from 6.3-6.9, 5 to 6.1 NTU, 0.25 to 0.52 dS m-1, 69.66 to 410.16 mg l-1 , 65.33 to 106.56 mg l-1, 33.44 to 94.67 mg l-1, 9.78 to 25.24 mg l-1, 15.82 to 60.26 mg l-1, 2.73 to 20.17 mg l-1, 0 to 0.003 mg l-1, 0 to 0.006 mg l-1, 0 to 0.003 mg l-1, from 18.00 to 78.78 MPN 100 ml -1 were within the permissible limits whereas, the parameters like DO, BOD, Ca, Ar, and Cr ranged from 4.62 to 6.62 mg l-1 , 2.7 to 6.6 mg l-1 , 33.44 to 94.67 mg l-1 , 0 to 0.058 mg l-1 , 0 to 0.058 mg l-1 were above the permissible limits. The Hg was not found in both surface and ground water sources. Feedback was ascertained through formal (questionnaire) and informal (meetings/personal interactions) from the inhabitants of the study area for testing their knowledge about pollution causing agents or practices. According to the respondent’s perception anthropogenic activities like excessive use of pesticides/fertilizers, waste disposal methods, mining activities, habitat modification, road construction and demolition, deforestation etc. were responsible for air and water quality deterioration. The air quality index (AQI) of ambient air ranged from 25.76 to 46.57, surface water quality index (WQI) of surface water ranged from 24.47 to 63.24, ground water quality index (WQI) of ground water ranged from 19.78 to 52.15. The AQI and WQI were mapped using ERDAS GIS software.ThesisItem Open Access ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH HUMAN HEALTH IN SOLAN DISTRICT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH(UHF,NAUNI, 2019-05) SINGH, AJAY KUMAR; BHARDWAJ, S KABSTRACT The present investigation entitled “Assessment of water quality and its relationship with human health in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh” was conducted in the year 2017 and 2018 to determine water sanitation and hygiene, diarrhoeal disease, water quality status and its relationship with human health. The study indicated streams as the major water source used for drinking purpose. The practices like washing of farm produce, grazing of animals, dumping of wastes, washing of clothes and open defecation around the water sources have been noticed as the cause of contamination. Solan district has been observed to be prone to the incidence of diarrhoeal disease as evinced by 1353-23791 cases annually. Consequently, the water quality assessment was hypothesized. To conduct the study, the district was divided into seven very high and one low disease burden regions. To assess the seasonal variation the two seasons namely monsoon and post monsoon were selected. Accordingly physical and chemical water quality parameters were assessed by arranging field study in Randomized Block Design (factorial) by taking 16 treatments which were replicated ten times. Out of these, the first five most preferably used water sources from each region, were further selected for the microbiological assessment of the water. The study pointed out that the physical-chemical parameters of the drinking water sources of disease burden regions were within the permissible limits prescribed by BIS and ICMR except for turbidity, BOD and trace elements trace elements like Pb, Hg and Cr. The turbidity, BOD and the contents of Pb, Hg and Cr were in the range of 2.20 - 6.60 mg l-1, 11.00 - 22.52 mg l-1, 0.15 - 0.43 mg l-1), 0.002 to 0.029 mg l-1 and 0.04 - 0.09 mg l-1 respectively. The water quality index computed by considering nine quality parameters indicated that majority of the hand pumps i.e. 62.5% are having good water quality followed by 25% of the bore wells and 35.29% protected springs. The disease burden regions of Solan were having total coliforms in the range of 5-30 MPN per 100 ml water indicating the presence of enteric pathogens. The genus Raoutella was identified as the main fecal indicator organism from contaminated samples. The deterioration of water quality was more in the monsoon season and in the regions having the presence of industries. The positive correlation of contaminated water with diarrhoea during monsoon (r = 0.88) and post monsoon season (r = 0.74) indicated towards unsafe environmental conditions which need to be looked into for maintaining water sanitation and hygiene in the region for sustainable human health management.ThesisItem Open Access STUDIES ON EFFECT OF HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION ON GROWTH, UPTAKE AND QUALITY PARAMETERS OFCapsicum annuum Linn.(UHF, NAUNI, 2018-11) CHAUHAN, SHARMILA; SINGH, MOHINDERABSTRACT The present investigation entitled “Studies on effect of heavy metal contamination on growth, uptake and quality parameters of Capsicum annuum Linn.” was carried out in the Department of Environmental Science, College of Forestry, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh during 2015 and 2016. Highest concentrations of heavy metals (Pb0.651 ppm, Cd-0.678 ppm, Cu-14.06 ppm and Zn-13.01 ppm) were observed in capsicum fruits collected from Chandigarh Sabji Mandi, followed by Solan mandi and local vegetable venders in Nauni. Higher concentrations of these metals were observed in off season as compared to main cropping season. In farmer’s fields, concentrations of Pb (0.583 ppm), Cd (0.587 ppm), Cu (12.91 ppm) and Zn (12.12 ppm) were found highest around Baddi industrial area and lowest in fruits collected from Oachghat and Sultanpur villages of Solan district. In pot experiment, the graded doses of Cd and Pb exerted significant influence on the morphological parameters like leaf area, number of branches, number of leaves, plant height, number of fruits, fruit yield, root dry weight and above ground biomass. Highest dose combination i.e. Cd40Pb200 exerted maximum adverse influences. Highest dose of Cd and Pb (Cd40Pb200) resulted in minimum leaf area (10.35 cm2), number of leaves (190.0), plant height (40.06 cm), mean number of fruits per plant (9.0) and root dry weight (1.39 g/plant). This treatment combination also caused 49.15 per cent reduction in fruit yield and 21.81 per cent decrease in the above ground biomass of capsicum. The chlorophyll contents in leaves of capsicum were found lowest (1.706 mg g-1) in Cd40Pb200ascompared to 2.059 mg g-1 in control.Ascorbic acid content in fruits was increased considerably with increase in levels of Cd and Pb which ranged between 113.19 and 120.31 mg g-1. The accumulation of Cd (17.07 mg kg-1) and Pb (174.75 mg g-1) in soil was also recorded at highest dose combination (Cd40Pb200). The maximum concentrations of Cd and Pb in above ground plant parts of capsicum were found maximum in stems followed by branches and leaves. The accumulation of these metals increased with the increase in doses of these metals used in the experiment. Highest uptake of Cd and Pb by above ground biomass of capsicum was estimated at highest dose combination (Cd40Pb200).Mycorrhizal fungi bioremedified the toxic effect of Cd and Pb in capsicum plants and improved various morphological and biochemical parameters. Mycorrhizal inoculations also resulted in lower build up of Cd and Pb in soil and various plant parts of capsicum.ThesisItem Open Access ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDIES ON EXPANSION OF NATIONAL HIGHWAY-22 IN HIMACHAL PRADESH(UHF,NAUNI, 2018-09) WALIA, KASHISH; AGGARWAL, R.K.ABSTRACT The present investigation entitled “Environmental Impact Assessment Studies on Expansion of National Highway-22 in Himachal Pradesh” was conducted during the years 2015 to 2017 in the Department of Environmental Science, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni-Solan, Himachal Pradesh. The impact of highway expansion on air, water and soil quality and on the socio-economic conditions of habitants was studied. The investigation further aimed to assess the carbon loss and changes in microclimate of the study area and lastly the Air Pollution Tolerance Index of native vegetation was evaluated for green belt establishment and environmental management plan was also developed. In order to study the effect of highway expansion activity on soil, water and air quality, the study area was divided into four equal sites based on distances viz. Site 1, Site 2, Site 3 and Site 4.The observations on different parameters at each site were recorded during pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons and were replicated under randomized block design. The socio-economic impact of highway expansion on the habitants was assessed on the basis of pre-tested questionnaire. The assessment of carbon loss and changes in microclimatic conditions was done by collecting secondary data from the District Forest Office, Solan and weather data for past thirty years from Dr. YSPUHF, Nauni and API and APTI was computed to select most tolerant species for green belt development. The study revealed that SO2, NO2,, VOC’s, PM10, NRSPM and TSPM ranged from 6.41 to 7.98, 31.15 to 44.87, 2.97 to 6.82, 118.42 to 148.87, 183.62 to 231.29 and 3312.26 to 380.16 μg m-3, respectively. The concentration of PM10 was above the permissible limits. The AQI of the study area was categorised as “moderately polluted”. The surface water pH in the study area ranged from 7.04 to 7.61, EC from 0.20 to 0.32 dsm-1, TDS, TSS and TS from 102.04 to 166.58 mg l- 1, 10.58 to 30.12 mg l-1 and 124.25 to 186.54 mg l-1, respectively. BOD and COD of surface water ranged from 1.93 to 3.15 mg l-1 and 26.30 mg l-1 to 64.29 mg l-1, respectively. The concentration of chloride, nitrate, calcium and magnesium varied from 15.49 to 38.44 mg l-1, 3.60 to 6.04 mg l-1, 82.19 to 122.78 mg l-1 and 7.60 to 11.78 mg l-1, respectively. The concentration of heavy metals Cd, Cr, Pb and Fe in surface water ranged from 0.005 to 0.018 mg l-1, 0.021 to 0.049 mg l-1, 0.012 to 0.032mg l-1 and 0.153 to 0.328 mg l-1, respectively. The surface soil pH, EC and OC ranged from 7.19 to 7.62, 0.27 to 0.39dsm-1 and 0.42 to 1.31 per cent, respectively. NPK content in the soil ranged from 261.08 to 325.70 kg ha-1, 26.79 to 50.15 kg ha-1 and 190.27 to 224.34 kg ha-1, respectively. The soil carbon stock ranged from 7.61 to 23.79 Mg C ha-1.The concentration of heavy metals Cd, Cr, Pb and Fe in surface soil ranged from 0.016 to 0.029 mg kg-1, 0.047 to 0.017 mg kg-1, 2.83 to 0.25 mg kg-1 and 42.28 to 20.94 mg kg-1, respectively. The highway expansion significantly affected the residents in proximity of the highways as the total change of 0.013 ha in land holding per household was recorded and 64.70 per cent decrease in the annual income of the small scale entrepreneurs has been found. Loss of 122002.85 tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmospheres was observed due to felling 39049 trees (including sapling, seedlings and poles). The region has experienced a rise of 0.35°C in mean minimum temperature, a fall of 0.03°C in mean maximum temperature and a decrease of 19.21 mm in annual rainfall from over the base years. The APTI of selected plants ranged from 8.50 to 23.50. The API of selected plants was in the order of C. fistula > L. leucocephala > T. ciliata >W. fruticosa > G. optiva > G. robusta. C. fistula with high APTI value and high API score resulted to be most tolerant species to pollution and therefore, can be suggested for green belt development. G.optiva with higher dust accumulation capacity of 0.112gm-2 than the other selected species can be suggested for plantation to lower the levels of dust in the atmosphere generated from expansion activities. A detailed, environmental plan has been suggested to lower the impacts of highway expansion activities on the environment and humans.ThesisItem Open Access IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF NATIONAL HIGHWAY EXPANSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY IN HIMACHAL PRADESH(UHF,NAUNI, 2018-10) SHARMA, ABHAY; BHARDWAJ, S KABSTRACT The investigation entitled “Impact Assessment of National Highway Expansion on Environmental Quality in Himachal Pradesh” was conducted during 2016 and 2017 in the Department of Environmental Science, YSP University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni Solan, Himachal Pradesh. The study aimed at determining the impacts of National Highway expansion activities on ecosystem services like soil, water, air quality, microclimate, soil carbon sequestration as well as on socio economic status of habitants. In order to prepare management plan roadside vegetation distribution and its pollution tolerance potential was also assessed through Air Pollution Tolerance Index. Impact of national highway expansion on soil, water and air quality was evaluated spatially by considering horizontal distances of 0-5, 5-10 and >20 m and seasonally taking summer, monsoon and post monsoon seasons. The study revealed that expansion activities decreased soil organic carbon by 30 per cent in the soils disturbed by expansion activities as compared to control site which resulted in a carbon loss of 1058.82 Mg C ha-1 from the soil. The highly disturbed soil of 0-5 m registered Cd, Pb, Fe of 0.023 mg kg-1, 0.335 mg kg-1, 24.32 mg kg-1, respectively and was above prescribed permissible limit. The soil heavy metal accumulation decreased with increased horizontal distance from point of expansion activity. The highway expansion activities resulted in the felling of 22,332 trees consequently reduced carbon sequestration of 2647.92 t ha-1. In the surface water sources adjoining to highway expansion activities the COD ranged from 14.81 to 20.30 mg l-1 and was 1.5 per cent higher than the prescribed permissible limit. Concentration of heavy metals Cd, Cr and Pb in surface water ranged from 0.004 to 0.018 mg l-1, 0.030 to 0.071 mg l-1, 0.144 to 0.261 mg l-1, respectively. In ground water sources it ranged from 0.004 to 0.010 mg l-1, 0.034 to 0.052 mg l-1 and 0.127 to 0.207 mg l-1, respectively and was above the prescribed permissible limit. Ambient air quality deterioration was observed due to PM10 concentration which ranged from 74.56 to 116.77 μg m-3 and was above permissible limit. The seasons of the year also exerted significant influence on the distribution of air pollutants in the atmosphere. The most of the national highway expansion was on fallow and barren land (94.39 %) and exerted very less impact on cultivated land. The expansion activities have influenced the microclimate of the region with significant rise of 0.30 oC and 0.042 oC mean maximum and minimum temperature as well as decrease in rainfall. Amongst the commonly growing tree and shrub species Toona ciliata as well as Adhatoda vasica and Murraya koenigii emerged as pollution tolerant species which can be selected for revegetating the area around the national highway. The ecologically fragile area of national highway needs to be managed by enhancing carbon sequestration in soil and plant biomass through planting indigenous air pollution tolerant species. The plantation may help in regulating water, air quality in biogeochemical cycles of the affected areas of national highway. Water harvesting structure needs to be installed to collect rain and runoff water to recharge the ground water table. Installation of solar lights in place of electric lights is need of the hour to lessen the CO2 emissions.ThesisItem Open Access IMPACT OF WEATHER AND ORCHARD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON APPLE PRODUCTIVITY AND SOIL HEALTH IN KULLU DISTRICT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH(UHF,NAUNI, 2017-12) SHARMA, PRIYANKA; MOHINDER, SINGHABSTRACT The present investigation entitled “Impact of weather and orchard management practices on apple productivity and soil health in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh” was conducted during the years 2015 and 2016 at four altitudinal gradients/locations, viz. Bajaura (1090m amsl), Seobagh (1189m amsl), Naggar (1880m amsl) and Arsu (2080 m amsl), on three commercial apple varieties viz. Red Delicious, Royal Delicious and Golden Delicious. The different phenological stages (Silver tip, Green tip, Pink bud, Full bloom and Petal fall) in apple were observed at earliest at Bajaura, where the apple crop experienced higher average temperature compared to other locations. Minimum number of days for silver tip stage (54.22 days with 349.22 GDD), green tip stage (71.67 days with 484.00 GDD), pink bud stage (86.94 days with 662.54 GDD), full bloom stage (93.89 days with 749.67 GDD) and for petal fall stage (99.00 days with 807.48 GDD) were observed at Bajaura, followed by Seobagh, Naggar and Arsu. Among different cultivars, Red Delicious cultivar took minimum number of days for silver tip stage (56.58 days and 264.93 GDD), green tip stage (74.92 days with 387.44 GDD), pink bud stage (89.00 days with 526.85 GDD), full bloom stage (95.71 days with 598.33 GDD) and for petal fall stage (101.58 days with 662.14 GDD), followed by Royal Delicious and Golden Delicious. The studies on long term impact of weather parameters on apple productivity revealed that the minimum temperature during dormancy stage (Jan- March) exhibited positive and significant correlation with productivity of apple. Whereas, maximum temperature during April- June (flowering, fruit set and fruit development stage) showed negative and significant impact on apple productivity. The studies on effect of management practices and orchard aspect on soil health at different locations revealed maximum soil pH (6.77) and OC (2.92 %) in low input orchards when compared with high input orchards. Among different locations highest soil pH and EC were found in Arsu, followed by Naggar, Seobagh and Bajaura. High input orchards showed higher values of soil macronutrients, N (330.4 kg/ha), P (36.64 kg/ha) and K (287.4 kg/ha) than low input orchards. Soil micronutrients Fe, Zn and Cu were also found higher in high input orchards. In low input orchards, soil microbial count and biomass were recorded higher than high input orchards. The orchards in south west aspect recorded higher N (309.7 kg/ha) and Mn (27.60 mg/kg) as compared to orchards in north east aspect. Whereas, other soil parameters were found higher in north east than south west aspect.ThesisItem Open Access IMPACT OF WEATHER PARAMETERS ON SEED PRODUCTION OF CAULIFLOWER (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) IN MID HILLS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH(UHF,NAUNI, 2017-11) SHARMA, PRIYANKA; MOHINDER, SINGHABSTRACT The present study entitled “Impact of weather parameters on seed production of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) in mid hills of Himachal Pradesh” was conducted at three locations viz; Nauni, Saproon and Kandaghat during rabi season of 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. The location Nauni was warmest, followed by Kandaghat and Saproon. Significant variations in seed yield and yield contributing characters of cauliflower were observed due to execution of different weather conditions. The minimum number of days to flower initiation, 50 per cent flowering, initiation of seed stalk and seed set in cauliflower were observed at Nauni, followed by Kandaghat and Saproon. Number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod were found highest at Saproon (1055.2pods/plant; 18.4seeds/pod) which is coolest location as compared to other two. The maximum seed yield (239.6 kg/ha) was obtained from this location. Nauni and Kandaghat showed reduced cauliflower seed yield compared to that obtained from Saproon. The lowest seed yield (174.0 kg/ha) was recorded at Nauni. The forenoon humidity during October to December exhibited significant and positive correlation with seed yield. During January to March minimum temperature showed significant and positive correlation with seed yield, whereas during April to June maximum temperature showed significant and positive impact on cauliflower seed production. Four classes of pollinators; honey bees, syrphid flies, other wild bees and other insect pollinators (butterflies, moths and beetles etc.) were recorded on cauliflower seed crop in three study locations. Weather parameters mainly minimum temperature and forenoon humidity influenced the foraging activity of different pollinators. Among different pollinators honey bees were most frequent visitors. The pollinator abundance was highest at Saproon followed by Kandaghat and Nauni. The cabbage aphid, cabbage caterpillar and painted bug were recorded important insect pests on cauliflower seed crop. Highest pest infestation was recorded at Nauni, followed by Kandaghat and lowest at Saproon.ThesisItem Open Access EVALUATION OF ECOSYSTEM RESPONSES TO LAND USE CHANGES IN MID HILLS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH(UHF,NAUNI, 2017) VAIDYA, PRATIMA; BHARDWAJ, S.K.ABSTRACT The present investigation entitled “Evaluation of Ecosystem Responses to Land Use Changes in Mid Hills of Himachal Pradesh” was conducted during the years 2015 and 2016 in the Department of Environmental Science, Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh. The study aimed to identify the land use changes and their impact on ecosystem services such as soil, water quality, soil carbon sequestration and cultural services in mid hills of Himachal Pradesh. The study further investigated the impact of land use changes on the socio-economic status of people and their vulnerability to land use and climate change in the region. The land use changes were determined by using past thirty year primary, secondary and spatial data sets. The climate change study was conducted by taking weather data of past thirty years and was compared with 1985-95, which was taken as base decade. In order to study the impact of land use changes on ecosystem services five dominant land uses namely traditional agriculture, vegetable, orchard, urban and forest were selected in mid hills falling in Kullu and Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. In total there were five treatments, which were replicated four times under randomized block design. To assess the socio-economic impact and vulnerability to land use changes and climate change, 200 household were selected and time series data on their livelihood assets and different vulnerability indicators were collected using semi structured questionnaire. Household level vulnerability was calculated by Principal Component Analysis technique. The study revealed that area under traditional agriculture and forest were decreased by 11.04% and 12.27%, whereas vegetable, orchard and urban land use increased by 400.03%, 103.02% and 105.92%, respectively in mid hills. Increased returns from cash crops and climate change emerged as the main drivers for such changes. The region has experienced a rise of 0.05 and 1.11°C in mean minimum and mean maximum temperature and a decline of 126.47 mm in annual rainfall from over the base decade (1985-1995). Land use changes have ameliorated the socio-economic status by improving the household, farm and social assets of people of the region. Commercial vegetable and orchard land uses exhibited rise in soil bulk density and decline in pH, organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon of surface and subsurface soils as compare to forest. These commercial farming systems have enhanced the available phosphorus and micronutrient availability in soil but side by side also elevated the soil heavy metal content. Heavy metals such as As was within permissible limit; however the concentration of Cd, Cr and Pb was slightly above the permissible limit in surface soils. SQI in the region followed the trend: Forest (0.78) > traditional agriculture (0.64) > vegetable (0.60) > orchard (0.60) > urban (0.59). The dominant land uses such as vegetable, orchard and urban have started influencing the soil quality of the region as indicated by low SQI values of these systems as compare to forest. Surface soil carbon density ranged from 30.48 to 39.13 Mg C ha-1. Total soil carbon stock was in the range of 644.25 to 17940.68 Gg and was highest in forest land use. Surface and ground water EC ranged from 0.21 to 0.38 and 0.20 to 0.42 dSm-1. BOD and COD of surface water ranged from 1.17 to 19.49 and 18.75 to 98.00 mg l-1 and ground water was in the range of 1.52 to 16.03 and 18.75 to 98.00 mg l-1 respectively. Chloride, nitrate and sulfate in surface water ranged from 13.07-29.79, 0.83-2.22, 21.08 -58.62 mg l-1. Fe, Pb, Cd, Zn in surface water ranged from 0.01-0.08, 0.02-0.32, 0.00-0.03 and 0.01-0.38 mg l-1 and in ground water ranged from 0.02-0.47, 0.04-0.39, 0.001-0.04, 0.001- 0.09 and 0.01-0.38 mg l-1. Fe in urban, Pb and Cd in vegetable, orchard and urban and Cr in urban and vegetable land use slightly exceeded the limits prescribed by BIS. Land use changes such as urbanization due to hotel sector growth has positively influenced tourism. Land use changes in the region have ameliorated the cultural service but also deteriorated the valuable provisioning, regulative services provided by these ecosystems. Therefore in order to maintain sustainability in the region eco friendly practices and technologies need to be adopted in the urban land use, whereas in case of commercial vegetable and orchard faming systems the chemical inputs should be used judiciously.