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Friday, February 22, 2019

Pulwama attack-2019

73 Years Later, the "A-Bomb" Ginkgo Trees Still Grow in Hiroshima

73 Years Later, the "A-Bomb" Ginkgo Trees Still Grow in Hiroshima
"There’s a huge paradox at the heart of this
Buy : Ginkgo biloba tree seed/plants only at : 
Ginkgo trees

On August 6, 1945, an Allied plane dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, creating a fireball 1,200 feet in diameter. Disaster rained down upon the city, killing an estimated 150,000 people and leveling both the biological and man-made landscape. Little was left standing, but somehow the ginkgo trees were able to weather one of the most destructive moments in human history.

Those trees, now dubbed “A-bombed trees,” or hibakujumoku, are still in Hiroshima today, monuments to both humanity’s capacity for destruction and nature’s ability to withstand us at our worst. But while these roughly 170 ginkgo trees are now famous for surviving the Hiroshima blast, ginkgos as a species have persisted through a 200-million-year history of close calls that laid the foundation for its ability to withstand the A-bomb attack, explains Sir Peter Crane, Ph.D., director of Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
“A lot of trees are resilient, but ginkgo seems particularly so,” Crane tells Inverse. “But the thing you have to remember is that there’s a huge paradox at the heart of this ginkgo story, and that is it very nearly went extinct.”

Plants with seeds can be broken down into two categories: angiosperms, also known as flowering plants, and gymnosperms, or “naked seed plants.” Ginkgo trees fall loosely in the category of gymnosperms but make up a subclass called Ginkgoidae. The ginkgos we know today are the only remaining member of that subclass.

In the Jurassic period, Crane explains, ginkgos had diversified and flourished across Laurasia, the precursor to the continent of Asia. But the fossil record shows the ginkgos’ golden days weren’t destined to last. Over the course of several million years, ginkgos begin to slowly disappear from the fossil record. By the Pleistocene, which began roughly 2.5 million years ago, glaciation had killed off nearly all the different ginkgo lineages, leaving only a handful behind in the forests of central China.

“At the end of the last ice age, it was down to a few restricted populations in China, from which all the living ginkgos that we see today are descended, whether they’re in Manhattan or Tokyo or San Francisco or Seoul,” says Crane.

Having survived the mass extinction, this tiny enclave of tough Chinese ginkgos was quiet for a few million years. But eventually, they began to spread once again with a little help from humans. Crane estimates that between 1300 and 1400, the trees made their way to Japan. Once they got there, the evolutionary toughness of these “living fossils” was tested a second time by destructive forces that strangely set the stage for their eventual survival at Hiroshima.

The Great Kanto Earthquake
In 1923, a catastrophic earthquake struck just south of Tokyo with a magnitude of 7.9, setting the city ablaze. Only about 10,000 of the ginkgos that had made their way to Japan 500 years earlier were left standing in the city. But within months, people started to notice something odd. While all the other trees died, the ginkgos had slowly begun to grow again. The bark and outer rings of the trees were scorched, but the living cells within had clung to life.

“The Japanese noted that the ginkgos survived disproportionately from other trees,” Crane says. “The living tissues of the trees were not completely damaged by the fire; the same way they weren’t damaged by the Hiroshima bomb. After the great Kanto fire when they started to replant, they focused on the gingko because they knew it was particularly resistant to fire.”

A replanting effort began, wholly focused on the strange persistence of the ginkgo. Roughly 16,000 new gingko trees were planted across the country by the Japanese government, and a handful of them made their way to Hiroshima, where their will to live was tested once again just over 20 years later.
A “Cylinder of Living Cells”

In August 1945, Hiroshima’s ginkgo trees were in full leaf. When the bomb hit, the heat immediately burned those leaves into nonexistence. The branches were instantaneously stripped away, leaving the outer bark completely scorched.

But, as Crane explains, the tree was still alive on the inside. Somewhere underneath all of the destruction, a tiny cylinder of “living cells” had to have survived. Fortunately for the ginkgo tree, the extreme organization of its cell tissues created a compartment that was immune to destruction. On its very outside is the bark, a shell of hard, dead cells. Inside is the softer phloem, which carries sugars that feed the other cells. Then comes the xylem, a wood-producing layer of the tree. Closest to the core is the cambium, which Crane calls a “cylinder of living cells.”

The A-bomb almost certainly destroyed the dead outer layers, but Crane hypothesizes that the ginkgo bark was just strong enough to protect the life within.

“So now you’ve got a bare tree with no leaves, but come spring, there’s still enough energy there where buds can be developed and new leaves can start to form,” he says.

“It’s those living tissues that would supply the nutrients coming out from the roots that would differentiate into leaves the next season.”

The Process of Rebirth
In the autumn of 1945, the trees would still have been recovering from the enormous shock of the A-bomb. But by then the roots of the ginkgo, deep in the earth, were steadily collecting essential nutrients despite the lasting radiation from the bomb. This durability is another part of the ginkgo’s survival toolkit says Deanna Curtis, curator of Woody Plants and landscape manager at the New York Botanical Garden.

“I would think that the location of the tree and exactly where the tree’s roots were going would have to have played a role in this tree’s survival,” Curtis tells Inverse. “Ginkgo are considered tolerant of a variety of stressful soil conditions, which lead to their use as a common street tree.”

The ginkgo trees that are currently marked at Hiroshima all stand within 2,200 meters of the center of the blast. They would have been exposed to massive amounts of radiation — even strange black rain, dark with ash and other particulates that fell in the days following the explosion. But even after being exposed to what were perhaps the most stressful soil conditions in the history of the planet, the trees survived.

In the spring, the ginkgos bloomed again and continued to do so every spring after that. Today, each tree has a name and is marked by a plaque. They’re now natural memorials, reminders that evolution has equipped life to survive even the greatest catastrophes wrought by humans.


“That’s what caught people’s imaginations,” Crane concludes. “You have this incredible scene of devastation, and it would take months for people to come to grips with it. Just as they had gone through the winter, out pop these new leaves from trees that everyone thought were dead. That’s the power of the ginkgo story.”

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Kashmir terror attack Live : 42 CRPF jawans killed,44 injured....

Adil Ahamad Dar

A CRPF official on the Awantipora attack says there were 70 vehicles in the convoy and one of the vehicles came under attack. The convoy was on its way from Jammu to Srinagar. ANI reports that the Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the IED attack, in a text message to Kashmiri News Agency GNS.

At least 42 CRPF personnel were killed in Pulwama district on Thursday when a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the bus they were travelling in, officials said.


Latest Updates: http://writerasia.blogspot.com/2017/05/pampore.html

Police identified the militant as Adil Ahmad Dar from Kakapora in Pulwama. He joined the Jaish-Mohammed in 2018, they said. The casualties are likely to go up. Several people were injured in the attack, which reduced the bus to a mangled heap of iron.

Body parts could be strewn around the area. The vehicle was blown up on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Awantipora area of the district, a police official said.
2,500 personnel were in the convoy and some shots were also fired at the convoy, DG, CRPF, RR Bhatnagar, said.

Jaish-e-Mohammad militant Adil Ahmad Dar, the suicide bomber who carried out the attack on a CRPF convoy on Thursday. (Screengrab: Twitter)

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Army Questions 3 Jawans Over Killing Of Soldier Aurangzeb In Kashmir


SRINAGAR: 

HIGHLIGHTS

  1. Probe revealed 3 soldiers might've leaked info about Aurangzeb: sources
  2. Aurangzeb was kidnapped and shot dead in Pulwama in June 2018
  3. Nirmala Sitharaman and Armychief had visited his family after his death
The army is questioning three soldiers for their alleged role in the murder of a soldier - who was killed by terrorists - in Jammu and Kashmir in June last year. Sources said the men, all belonging to the 44 Rashtriya Rifles, are reportedly under detention after investigations revealed that they might have leaked the information about the movements of Aurangzeb.
Aurangzeb, a rifleman with 44 Rashtriya Rifles - was kidnapped and shot dead by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama when he was travelling in a private vehicle, on his way home in Poonch to celebrate Eid with his family. 
His bullet-riddled body was found in Pulwama by a team of police and Army. He was shot in the head and neck.
Aurangzeb was part of an officer's team which killed Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sameer Tiger.
He was awarded Shaurya Chakra posthumously. After his death, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Army chief General Bipin Rawat had separately visited the family to express their condolences.
Aurangzeb's father Mohammad Hanief joined the BJP in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba on Sunday. Mr Hanief was a sepoy of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry.
The soldier's killing had led to an outpouring of grief in his village in Mendhar, 250 km from Sirnagar. About fifty men claimed that they left their lucrative jobs in Saudi Arabia to return permanently to Salani village, to join the police force and the army to avenge  the death of their friend and fellow villager.

Soldier Aurangzeb was shot dead in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama in June 2018.


Aurangzeb's murder was followed by the killing of two policemen and a CRPF jawan when they were home on leave.
Sources: https://www.ndtv.com

Saturday, February 2, 2019

Ginkgo tree: Jurassic tree in space age

To the untrained eye, the Ginkgo biloba tree in the industrial area here looks like any other green
Ginkgo trees sale in Kashmir
cover.
To experts, however, it is a relic. The earliest leaf fossil of a Ginkgo biloba has its roots in a once-thriving and dominant race of vegetation. The tree is often referred to as a precious link between the present and a little-known past.
The family tree of the Ginkgo biloba there are only two specimens in this region — can be traced back to 270 million years, before the Jurassic age, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The tree here is more than a century old and as botanists say, it is still “going strong”.
“This tree is the only living representative of the order Ginkgoales, a group of gymnosperms composed of the family Ginkgoaceae of the Triassic period, the era that preceded the Jurassic period. So we can safely say that the tree already existed when dinosaurs walked the planet,” reader of botany of Kalimpong College Ram B. Bhujel said.
“During the Triassic period, the tree was flourishing all over the globe but in the Jurassic age the Ginkgoales order and its family of Ginkgoaceae plants started declining to the extent that it almost became extinct,” he added. “There are very few Ginkgo biloba trees left in the world today and most of the live specimens are found in Japan and China. As far as I know, there are only two such trees in the region. One in Darjeeling and the one in the industrial area where a park is being built.”
The botanist said no one knew how the tree arrived in the region or who planted it. A good guess, however, he said, would be that the British might have planted it when they ruled the country.
“What is sad, however, is that the tree cannot reproduce naturally because the climatic conditions are not suitable for its regeneration,” said Bhujel.
But there is some good news. Nurseries here, trying to grow saplings from cuttings of the parent tree, have met with reasonable success and the prehistoric tree has also been grown on the college campus.
“This species of tree is considered a living fossil and is also highly valued as an ornamental plant. Collectors of plants are ready to pay large amounts of money to procure saplings,” said Bhujel. “Leaves of this species of tree is used by Chinese as a herbal medicine in treating respiratory problems.” 
Buy Seed/plants of GINKGO  
https://jkmpic.blogspot.com/2019/01/ginkgo-biloba-cultivationseeds-of.html
Speaking of the value of the Ginkgo biloba as an ornamental plant, Chandra Rumba, a nursery proprietor from Kalimpong, said: “We have succeeded in culturing saplings from cuttings of branches of the tree at the industrial area. We cannot exactly say what the age of the tree is but it is more than 100 years old and in very healthy condition. Sadly, the saplings grown in the nursery are not as healthy as the parent plant, and only 25 per cent of the plants survive.”(Telegraphindia.com)




Friday, February 1, 2019

Centre for High Altitude Biology-CeHAB-Kahmir



The Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre's  Herb Garden plays a central role in the education of our students. Botanical medicine students study and cultivate a variety of medicinal plants throughout their life cycle. Many of these plants are harvested at their seasonal peak for creating medicinal tinctures and salves. Nutrition classes use the cultivated culinary herbs and organic vegetables in the instition's whole-food kitchen lab. The garden is designed, cultivated and managed by students and volunteers under the guidance of the garden manager and assistant garden manager with a combined total over 21 years of experience.


Availability: Herbs, Crude Drugs, Herbal Seeds, Herbal Roots, Forest Tree seeds, Temperate fruit plants, Medicinal herbs, Flower seeds and much more.....

Centre for High Altitude Biology
POB 667 GPO Srinagar SGR J&K 190001
Ph: 09858986794/09419966983/01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmaiil.com

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Kashmir Forest Tree Seeds

Ginkgo tree Seeds
Ginkgo is easily raised from seeds, which retain their vitality for some months. Female plants may be obtained by grafting. It is easily transplanted, even when of a large size. 

Trees of over 40 feet high have been successfully moved. It thrives in deep, well-drained, rich soil. It is useful for planting in towns, as it is free from the attacks of insects and fungi; and the hard leathery leaves resist the smoke of cities. It may also be freely pruned. 

It is of course best propagated by seed; but layers and cuttings may be employed in certain
cases. 

Ginkgo biloba has been proven to improve short-term memory, alleviate allergies, relieve
depression, alertness and boost circulation.  Ginkgo, which dates back 270 million years, has long been grown for its leaf, which is dried and processed into powders, pills and teas.


Buy Ginkgo plant/seeds
More details: http://jkmpic.blogspot.in
Ph: 09858986794/09419966983
Landline: 01933-223705

Nettle tea kashmir

Nettle tea benefits

Stinging nettle root/leaf is also used for joint ailments, as a diuretic, and as an astringent.  In manufacturing, stinging nettle extract is used as an ingredient in hair and skin products. Stinging nettle leaf has a long history of use. It was used primarily as a diuretic and laxative in ancient Greek times.

Nettle tea has long been touted as great for weight loss and good health. Nettle tea is efficient for the removal of unnecessary toxins from the body. It is also known to feed the cells of the body which results in decreases in cravings.
Nettle tea

Stinging nettle root is also used for joint ailments, as a diuretic, and as an astringent. Stinging nettle above ground parts are used along with large amounts of fluids in so-called “irrigation therapy” for urinary tract infections (UTI), urinary tract inflammation, and kidney stones (nephrolithiasis).

In addition to its anti-inflammatory properties,
stinging nettle is a diuretic, and both of these characteristics make it a good candidate for prostate issues, including prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which share some of the same urinary tract symptoms.

Stinging Nettle, DHT, SHBG and Free Testosterone. ... Yet again though, the studies on humans do not show any increase in free testosterone levels so any effect stinging nettle has on SHBG is too small to see a benefit as far as testosterone goes.

Using stinging nettle is one of the oldest treatments for combating hair loss. Stinging nettle capsules and tea can be consumed to treat hair loss internally while a good scalp massage using nettle oil combats hair loss effectively.

In a scientific study of patients with acute arthritis, stewed stinging nettle leaves enhanced the anti-inflammatory effect of diclofenac, an NSAID. Although this effect can reduce pain, talk to your doctor before taking or using stinging nettle if you also take NSAIDs.

Low blood pressure: Stinging nettle above ground parts might lower blood pressure. In theory, stinging nettle might increase the risk of blood pressure dropping too low in people prone to low blood pressure. If you have low blood pressure, discuss stinging nettle with your healthcare provider before starting it.

Stinging Nettle, DHT, SHBG and Free Testosterone. ... Yet again though, the studies on humans do not show any increase in free testosterone levels so any effect stinging nettle has on SHBG is too small to see a benefit as far as testosterone goes.

Buy Nettle tea
Price Rs. 3500.00 (60 tea bags)
Call us : 09858986794/09419966983
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
More details: https://jkmpic.blogspot.com/2019/01/nettle-tea-benefits.html

Centre for High Altitude Biology,Kashmir

The Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre's  Herb Garden playsa central role in the education of our students. Botanical medicine students study and cultivate a variety of medicinal plants throughout their life cycle. Many of these plants are harvested at their seasonal peak for creating medicinal tinctures and salves. Nutrition classes use the cultivated culinary herbs and organic vegetables in the instition's whole-food kitchen lab. The garden is designed, cultivated and managed by students and volunteers under the guidance of the garden manager and assistant garden manager with a combined total over 21 years of experience.

Availability: Herbs, Crude Drugs, Herbal Seeds, Herbal Roots,Forest Tree seeds, Temperate fruit plants,Medicinal herbs, Flower seeds and much more..... 

Centre for High Altitude Biology
POB 667 GPO Srinagar SGR J&K 190001
Ph: 09858986794/09419966983/01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmaiil.com




Thursday, January 24, 2019

Dr Shahid Choudhary, GM Dar gets National Award

By: Sheikh Gulzar
G.M.Dar-KSA

gulzar@journalist.com
Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama G M Dar and Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora Shahid Iqbal Choudhary have been conferred with prestigious National Award by Ministry of Women and Child Development, Govt of India .

Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary has been conferred National Award for exceptional contribution in Education sector. He along with four other DCs from various states will receive the award in “Enabling Girl Child Education”. Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama G M Dar has been conferred the prestigious award in “Community Outreach” category for organising massive outreach in Pulwama district promoting gender sensitisation , education and women empowerment. Five districts from various states have been selected in this category .

The Awards will be conferred upon 20 Deputy Commissioners of the country for outstanding and exceptional performance, apart from 3 best state awards. Pertinently Shahid Iqbal Choudhary then DC Rajouri was also conferred National Award on women empowerment by the Prime Minister on 8th March 2018.

The awards will be presented at a national function being organized by the ministry at New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam has complemented DC Bandipora Shahid Iqbal Choudhary and DC Pulwama G M Dar for their outstanding performance and recognition conferred by the Government of India on pre-notified indicators. Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir Baseer Ahmed Khan has appreciated the performance of District Administration of Bandipora and Pulwama for excellent performance.

Secretary, Social Welfare Department Dr Farooq Ahmed Lone has also congratulated both the officers for bringing laurels to the state.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Dr Shah Faesal's address

After public resentment, Shah Faesal seeks donations to float a new party

Days after seeking the advice from the youth in joining the politics, the IAS topper Shah Faesal on Wednesday hinted towards floating an independent party by seeking donations from general masses.
Buy : Herbal seeds 
The IAS topper who recently resigned from his service is all set to float an independent party to “highlight the political deadlock in Jammu and Kashmir”. He also wishes to facilitate dialogue between people of various regions of the State – Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Pir Panchal, and Chenab Valley so that an environment of amity and brotherhood can be built.
Taking to a social networking site Facebook, the IAS topper wrote: “I had never imagined that my small act of defiance to highlight political deadlock in Jammu and Kashmir would evoke such a response across the world.
I had never thought that my dream of clean politics and corruption-free administration in J&K would take the shape of a public movement.
Respecting the public sentiment, I have decided to chart my independent political journey.
And now in this new phase of public service, my mission is to support the true cause of humanity, stand up for the poor, marginalized and dispossessed and speak up for injustices, wherever in this world, irrespective of caste, colour, region, and religion.
I imagine a politics where youth can lead the change and take charge of their future; I wish to partner with a new generation of young leaders who can stand up for human rights, environment, free speech and rule of law.
My idea is to seek help from the people of India, build alliances with the Indian civil society and intellectual class to humanize the narrative around Kashmir conflict so that lasting peace can be achieved in J&K State.
My mission is to truthfully represent aspirations, culture, fears, and dreams of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, across the world.
I wish to facilitate dialogue between people of various regions of the State – Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Pir Panchal, and Chenab Valley so that an environment of amity and brotherhood can be built.
I believe that development and dignity must go together, and we have to work together for giving a sense of security, better education, healthcare, livelihoods, electricity and other civic amenities to people of J&K State.
This is a people’s movement and it will be funded by the people. People are the only agencies who will help this succeed.
Believe in me, be patient with me in this long and difficult journey and donate for this cause.
Shah Faesal Ex-IAS,  Jammu and Kashmir, askshahfaesal@gmail.com, Account Number: 0910010100000088, J&K Bank Kanispora Baramula, IFSC Code; JAKA0KANISP, MICR CODE 193051045, Swift SCBLUS33, Paytm. 9622198671, www.shahfaesal.com, Twitter @shahfaesal.”
More details: https://kashmirlife.net/after-public-resentment-shah-faesal-seeks-donations-to-float-a-new-party-199507/

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Hing seeds-Ferula assa-foetida seeds

Scientists sow ‘pure’ heeng seeds to help farmers reap benefits

 |  | New Delhi

For the first time, in high altitudes of Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul & Spiti, Indian scientists have successfully sown high-quality seeds of Asafoetida locally known as heeng (botanical name: Ferula assa-foetida L.), imported from Iran, to help the cold deserts’ farmers to commercially grow the much-sought after high-valued spice.
Given that currently India imports about 1,145 tonnes of raw Heeng annually from Afghanistan (73 per cent), Iran (14 per cent) and Uzbekistan (13 per cent) incurring approximately $77 million per year, all eyes are now on the indigenous project undertaken by the scientists from the CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology (IHBT), Palampur.
Though, some farmers have taken initiative to grow the heeng herb in their land privately, it is of inferior quality or adulterated which are not good for health, said Dr Sanjay Kumar, Director of the IHBT.
Whereas, he pointed out, the heeng seeds procured by our institute (IHBT) have been quarantined by the national authorised body, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), declaring them to be healthy and free of pests.
“The seeds have been quarantined so that they are weed-free. We have sown them in a tract at our Centre for High Altitude Biology (CeHAB) at Ribling, Lahaul & Spiti as well as at our lab in Palampur. “While at the local lab, seeds have been already germinated, we are now waiting for the snow to melt at the CeHAB centre where seeds will germinate in natural cold conditions,” said Dr Sanjay Kumar.
Buy Ferula foetida seeds /Ferula  jaeschkeana seed
In India, it can be cultivated in a wide range of sub-Himalayan region of northern India, viz. Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand, added Dr Ashok Kumar, Scientist, Agrotechnology of Medicinal, Aromatic and Commercially Important Plants Division, IHBT.
Once it is commercially cultivated, the spice has potential to not only provide jobs to unemployed youths, boost the income of the farmers but also offer alternate substitute to regular crops which are facing animal menace or extreme weather conditions.
“Once the heeng project kicks-off, we will also work on improving the technology for extracting resin efficiently as well as conduct experiment if it can be grown in the lower altitudes also,” said Dr Ashok Kumar.
Heeng or Asafoetida is a perennial herb that produces pungently flavoured oleo-gum resin in its fleshy roots which has medicinal properties related to digestive system, cleansing and strengthening the gastro-intestinal tract, Dr Ashok Kumar said.
The international value crop has high demand in the pharmaceutical sector. This plant takes five years for maturing shrubs and producing gum. An average of 30 gm fresh gum can be extracted from a single shrub.

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Ginkgo tree cultivation in India

We have a very expensive tree at our study centre,which is famous the world over,especially in nuclear accidents.This was cutivated after a lot of research.This plant even survieved the neclear bomb that was droped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.It is called Ginkgo biloba.It has medicinal values  in abundance.We have managed to cultivate that here in Kashmir.



Walnut tree cultivation in india

Walnuts are popularly known as “akhroot or akhrot” in India and they are grown in the northwestern  Himalayan belt, expanding up to Sikkim & Darjeeling. In India, commercial farming of walnut is limited and mainly cultivated in Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh.

Buy grafted walnut plants
More details: jkmpic@gmail.com
Ph: 09858986794/09419966983
Walnut trees in kashmir