Working on artificial reproduction of Cycads: CSIR-NBRI experts
Cycads have undergone huge transformations throughout their history and humans may be the only ones who can save them, said SK Barik, director, CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow
Cycads, said to be the oldest living seed plant, are on the verge of extinction, experts at Lucknow’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR–NBRI) said. The institute is working to ensure they survive through artificial reproduction, they said.
“Cycads have undergone huge transformations throughout their history and humans may be the only ones who can save them. They’re on the verge of extinction, so we’re working on artificial reproduction to keep them alive before they go extinct,” said SK Barik, director, CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow.
The NBRI boasts of a vast collection of Cycads.
“We have the most extensive collection of Cycads in South Asia and rank ninth in the world with 71 species,” he said.
“Cycads are mostly seen in gardens and parks to enhance their aesthetics, but few people are aware that they date back to the dinosaur era. They have been around for a long time and are among the oldest living fossils,” Barik said.
“Despite surviving three mass extinctions, many cycad species are now in danger of disappearing because of humans. They are the oldest living seed plants and are the most threatened group of organisms on earth, with almost 64% being on the verge of extinction. They evolved in the late Carboniferous or early Permian around 300 million years ago and then rose to abundance in the Jurassic Period,” said Dr KJ Singh, senior scientist, CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow, who is researching extensively on the rare plant to save it from extinction.
He said four species of cycads were now extinct, including Encephalartos Woodii, Brevifoliolatus, Nubimontanus, and Relictus that can now only be found at Botanical Gardens.
“Cycads are one of the popular plants used in offices, hotels and parks for beautification. It has a multi-million commercial market globally. Most of the demand is fulfilled by importing from Japan. If we can increase the number of Indian species in the market, we would too be able to commercialise it,” Singh added.
It is advisable to leave these plants alone in their natural habitat and not snatch them from the wild. Mass and illegal cutting from the wild needs to be discouraged to protect them, said Barik.