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Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is considered one of the most important sub-tropical fruits of the world. In the western part of Odisha, India, litchi growers are facing problems of unstable and lower marketable yield and inferior quality due to a higher incidence of fruit cracking, fruit drop, low sugar content, and higher fruit acidity. Keeping in mind the positive effects of nutrients and bioregulators, the current study was conducted to elucidate their impact on fruit yield and quality in the farmers’ field of Jamankira block in Sambalpur district of Odisha, which is under the care of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, India. For this study, eight-year-old litchi trees were selected. With 12 treatments, the experiment was set up in a Randomized Block Design replicated thrice, as follows: T₁: spray treatment with Borax—0.5%; T₂: spray treatment with Borax—0.3%; T₃: spray treatment with ZnSO₄—0.75%; T₄: spray treatment with ZnSO₄—0.5%; T₅: spray treatment with CaCl₂—0.5%; T₆: spray treatment with CaCl₂—0.1%; T₇: spray treatment with humic acid—1.5%; T₈: spray treatment with humic acid—1%; T₉: spray treatment with seaweed extract—0.5%; T₁₀: spray treatment with seaweed extract—0.1%; T₁₁: foliar spray with NAA—20 ppm; and T₁₂: control (Water Spray). The current study compared foliar feeding treatments comprising different nutrient and bioregulators, which were applied during the first week of December, just after the completed formation of new leaves and the untreated control. The highest total number of fruits per plant was recorded in plants sprayed with 0.5% ZnSO₄ (T₄) followed by those treated with 1% humic acid (T₈). The highest total fruit yield was recorded in plants subjected to foliar feeding with 0.3% Borax (T₂) which was found to be statistically similar to plants treated with 0.1% seaweed extract (T₁₀) and 0.5% seaweed extract (T₉). Among the treatments, a better response, i.e., a higher number of marketable fruits and marketable yield, was recorded in litchi plants treated with 0.3% Borax (T₂) followed by 0.5% zinc sulphate (T₄), 1% humic acid (T₈), and 0.1% CaCl₂ (T₆). The application of 1% humic acid (T₈) followed by 1.5% humic acid (T₉) enhanced fruit setting (%) and fruit retention rates (%) and reduced the fruit drop rate (%). The enhanced fruit size (fruit length and fruit width) and higher fruit weight was obtained in litchi plants treated with 0.3% Borax. The foliar application of 0.3% Borax (T₂) also resulted in a higher TSS, total sugars, reducing sugar content, lower acidity, the highest aril weight, and lower seed weight in litchi cv. Bombai. In this research, among the five principal components, only PC1 demonstrated approximately 45.14% variability within the influential axes. PC1 contributed the highest proportion (48.9%) to the overall variability, followed by PC2 with 29.1%, PC3 with 11.9%, PC4 with 0.59%, and PC5 with 0.20%. Consequently, the outcomes of the principal component analysis indicate the presence of extensive variability among treatments. Full article

Plant biodiversity data are prerequisites for the sustainable management of a forest. We used quantitative ecological tools to determine the species composition, diversity (richness and evenness), population structure, distribution patterns, and regeneration status of trees in a Tropical Moist Sal Forest of Eastern Ghats, India. For this purpose, a field inventory was conducted during 2020–2022 in sixteen 1.0 ha forest stands along a human-induced disturbance gradient. A total of 161 species (61 trees, 40 shrubs, 60 herbs) belonging to 77 families and 143 genera were recorded in the 16.0 ha of forest area. The results revealed a significant (p < 0.01) decrease in the tree and shrub species density, basal area, species richness, and diversity along the gradient of disturbance. However, in the case of herbs, the Shannon–Weiner diversity index increased significantly (p < 0.01) with increasing disturbance levels. Irrespective of forest types and disturbance levels, the tree diameter class (10–30 cm) accounted for the highest stem density in the forest. A mixed trend was found in the case of the basal area; the >41 cm diameter class constituted the highest basal area in the Pure Sal Forest while the 10–30 cm class was in the Moist Deciduous Forest without Sal. Tree species richness was found higher in lower diameter classes. Disturbances impacted the distribution pattern of trees; in the Pure Sal Forest, the contagious distribution of trees were 61.54%, 40%, and 12.5% in undisturbed, low-disturbed, and moderately disturbed sites, respectively. The percent of trees showing random and regular distribution increased with the increased level of disturbance in all forest types. The number of tree species having good regeneration decreased with the increased disturbance intensity in all forest types. Frequent grazing, repeated forest fires, and poor soil seed banks at the Moderately Disturbed site were the main reasons for the poor/no regeneration of Pterocarpus marsupium, Adina cordifolia, Terminalia bellerica, and some other economical species. Significant changes in structural attributes of the tree community revealed the impact of human-induced disturbances in the Moist Sal Forests of Eastern Ghats. The disturbance mosaics promoted the growth of many invasive weed species and lianas, depleting the number of valuable species in the forest. This study suggests the adaption of sustainable biodiversity conservation approaches through the active participation of the tribal so that the remnants the Moist Sal Forests of Eastern Ghats can be controlled to prevent further degradation. Full article