3.Gastrodia indica

Why in the news?

• A unique orchid species, Gastrodia indica, was recently discovered in Fambonglho Wildlife Sanctuary, Sikkim, which never opens its flower. 
• This discovery was made during a botanical expedition by botanist Madhusudan Khanal from the G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Sikkim Regional Centre.

About Gastrodia indica: 

• It is the first orchid from India that never opens its flower.
• It was found at an elevation of 1,950–2,100 m. above sea level.
• This is the first cleistogamous species of the genus Gastrodia discovered from India.
  • The Gastrodia genus is known for terrestrial, herbaceous, and holomycotrophic orchids.
  • Cleistogamous plants are highly specialized, as they do not depend on external pollinators like insects or wind for reproduction.
  • Holomycotrophic species like Gastrodia indica rely entirely on a fungal host for sustenance, lacking chlorophyll and drawing carbon from underground fungi.
• It is morphologically allied to G. exilis & G.dyeriana but critical examination revealed considerable differences in floral morphological characters.
• It thrives in dense, rotten leaf litter and is associated with trees such as Magnolia doltsopa, Acer campbelli, and Quercus lamellose.
• Its discovery adds to India's botanical diversity, bringing the total number of Gastrodia species in the country to 10.
• It faces potential threats due to its limited population and specific habitat requirements.

5.Pigeon pea

Why in the news?

• Producers of Geographical Indication (GI) tagged tur dal (pigeon pea) in Karnataka’s Kalaburgi district have urged the Centre to fix a separate minimum support price for the pulses variety. 
• A premium of about 20 per cent over the MSP for the general tur dal would give the GI-tagged produce its due recognition and help them incentivise to produce more, growers said.

About Pigeon pea:

• It is also called as arhar and tur in India.
• It is an important legume crop and protein-rich food which is primarily consumed as dal in India.
• It is predominantly a crop of tropical areas mainly cultivated in semi-arid regions of India.
• Climatic conditions
  • Rain: It requires 600-650mm of annual rainfall along with moist conditions for the initial eight weeks and dry conditions during its flowering and pod development phase.
  • Temperature: It can be grown with a temperature ranging from 260C to 300C in the rainy season and 170C to 220C in the post rainy (November to March) season.
  • Soil: It can be grown on all types of soil, however, sandy loam or loam soil is most suitable for its cultivation.
  • It is very sensitive to low radiation at pod development, therefore flowering during the monsoon and cloudy weather, leads to poor pod formation.
• It is commonly intercropped with a wide range of crops. In India, it was estimated that 80 - 90 % of the pigeonpea were intercropped.
• The important diseases of Pigeon pea are Wilt, Sterility mosaic disease, Phytophthora blight, Alternaria blight and Powdery mildew etc.
• Its long growth cycle and sensitivity to day length have hindered breeding efforts, with only about 250 varieties released globally over six decades.
• It has low glycaemic index and is rich in thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin A, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.
• Major Pigeon pea producing states include Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand.