Cold deserts

Collecting samples of ancient nucleic acids is a delicate operation that requires what are basically surgical procedures. It is advantageous, whenever possible, that the samples be collected at excavation sites and precautions taken to ensure that they do not become contaminated with other, particularly more recent, nucleic acids. At high temperatures and humidity, nucleic acids decay quickly. Well-preserved ancient nucleic acids can, therefore, be expected in sites where low temperatures and a dry environment prevail, as, for example, in cold, desert areas of the world. Once collected, the samples need to be isolated from any other remaining materials until they can be amplified by PCR and their chemical composition and structure can then be studied. 

Friedmann, E. I. (1982). Endolithic microorganisms in the Antarctic cold desert. Science, 215, 1045-53. 

Allen, M. F. (1983). Formation of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas in Atriplex gardneri (Chenopodiaceae) seasonal response in a cold desert. Mycologia, 75, 773-6. 

Bischoff A. (2001) Fantastic new chondrites, achondrites, and lunar meteorites as the result of recent meteorite search expeditions in hot and cold deserts. Earth Moon Planet. 85, 87-97. 

Cultivation of Saussurea costus and Inula racemosa in Cold Desert of the Lahaul Valley Revival of Cultivation Needed for their Conservation and Protection... 

Keywords Saussurea costus Inula racemosa endangered medicinal plants cultivation cropping efficiency cold desert agro-ecosystems Lahaul valley Indian Himalaya. 

Figure 1. Map of the study area in the cold desert of the Lahaul valley.

Table 1. Land utilization under agriculture crops (ha) in cold desert in the Lahaul valley...

In other word, kuth cultivation is more profitable than that cultivation of manu in the cold desert of the Lahaul valley. Though, kuth and manu are harvested after three years, their monetary efficiency was more than cumulative monetary efficiency of HYVs of potato, pea and potato or pea, potato, pea as per then prevalent crop rotations in the recent past. The monetary efficiency of 7.5 estimated during present study for kuth is quiet lower than 11.8 monetary efficiency of kuth in 1995-96 (Kuniyal et al., 2004). Lower market rates of roots and increase in market rates of input are the main reasons for the lower monetary efficiency in the present. 

Aswal, B.S. and Mehrotra, B.N. (1994). Flora of Lahaul-Spiti. A Cold desert in North West Himalaya. Bishen Singh, Mahendra Pal Sigh, Dehradun, India. 

Kuniyal, C.P., Rawat, Y.S., Oinam, S.S, Kuniyal J.C. and Vishvakarma, S.C.R. (2005). Kuth (Saussurea lappa) cultivation in the cold desert environment of the Lahaul Valley, northwestern Himalaya, India Arising threats and need to revive socio-economic. Biodiversity and Conservation, 14 (5) 1035-1045. 

Kuniyal, J.C., Vishvakarma, S.C.R. and Singh, G.S. (2004). Changing crop biodiversity and resource use efficiency of traditional versus introduced crops in cold desert of north-... 

Rawat, Y.S. (2006). Vegetational analysis, Socio-economic and Cultural aspects of Salix sp. in Cold Desert Environment, North-Western Himalaya (HP). Ph.D. Thesis, HNB, Garhwal University Srinagar (Garhwal), Uttarakhand, 270+xiii pp. 

Rawat, Y.S., Oinam, S. S., Vishvakarma S.C.R. and Kuniyal, J.C. (2004). Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch a promising medicinal crop under cold desert agro-ecosystem in northwestern Himalaya. Indian Journal of Forestry, 21 (3) 297-303. 

Sharma, R.K., Sharma, S. and Sharma, S.S. (2006). Seed germination behavior of some medicinal plants of Lahaul and Spiti cold desert (Himachal Pradesh) implications for conservation and cultivation. Current Science, 90 (8) 1113-1118. 

Sood, S.K, Nath, R. and Kalia, D.C. (2001). Ethnobotany of Cold Desert Tribes of Lahoul-Spiti (N.W. Himalaya), Deep Publication, New Delhi. 228p. 

Keys, J.R. Williams, K. (1981) Origin of crystalline, cold desert salts in the McMurdo region, Antarctica. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 45, 2299-2309. 

Table I. Numbers of Classifled Non-Antarctic Meteorite Falls and Finds, Including Those from Hot and Cold Deserts...

Algae are found in nearly aU cultivated soils but they are found also in hot deserts as dry as the Negev desert (see also Section 8.1.3) and cold deserts of Antarctica. They are there represented by the coccoid Chlorophyta. The soil floras have been shown to be extensive and the algal biomass on surface soil must be considerable since it is frequently visible to the naked eye. 

Ancient orgins determine giobai biogeography of hot and cold desert cyanobacteria. Nature Communications 2,163. 

Keys JR, Williams K (1981) Origin of crystalline, cold desert salts in the McMurdo region, Antarctica. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 45 2299-2309 Keys JR, Anderton PW, Kyle PR (1977) Tephra and debris layers in the Skelton Neve and Kempe Glacier, south Victoria Land, Antarctica. New Zealand J Geol Geophys 20(5) 971-1002... 

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