Orchids are the integral parts of India’s wonderful natural heritage. Because of the richness of the orchid flora, Indian subcontinent has long been a source of great attraction to horticulturists, botanists, collectors and connoisseurs. The taxonomical studies conducted long back by few eminent botanists are the only records available on native Indian orchids in the literature. In spite of the importance of orchids in modern floriculture, very little efforts have been made in India to study them from different angles. Thus for quite some time a want is being felt by the floriculturists and botanists for a practical guide on this natural wealth of India. Orchids of India was designed to meet this requirement and was first published in 1980, in about 570 pages with many illustrations. During the past several years, enormous changes in orchidology around the world have taken place and these have markedly influenced the advanced studies on the subject. The authors, therefore, felt the need for a comprehensive publication on Indian orchids, a natural wealth of the country. The authors have tried in this book to include orchid genera and species of India to make it as complete as possible. Many of the orchid species were studied in their natural habitat and also cultured and grown successfully under greenhouse condition. Authors have endeavoured to deal throughly with many of the facets of orchid growing. Apart from description, distribution and cultural notes on vast number of native genera, species and hybrids, chapter on the importance and uses, environment, structure of orchids, housing, potting media, manuring, pests and diseases, pollination, fertilization, hybridization, seed dispersal, propagation, seedlings and their care, etc., have been incorporated in the book. This book has also been profusely illustrated to help the botanists, collectors, and growers in identifying the plants.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR S.K. Bhattacharjee
Prof. Supriya Kumar Bhattacharjee is an eminent scientist in the field of horticulture, retired as Project Coodinator, all India Coordinated Research Project on Floriculture, Indian council of Agricultural Research, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, on January 31, 2003. He obtained his M.Sc. (Ag.) in Horticulture from Calcutta University. He is also a diploma holder in Business Management and Industrial Administration, United Nations studies and Landscape Architecture. He has 38 years research, teaching, management, developmental and administrative experience in private organisations, Indian Botanic Gardens, Botanical Survey of India, State Agricultural Universitites and ICAR Institutes. He was Head of the Division of Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, Indian Institute of Horticulture Research, Bangalore. He has also served as Professor of Horticulture and Professor in charge, North Bengal Campus, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Visvavidyalaya, Cooch-Behar, West Bengal, which has later converted into a full-fledged Agricultural University presently named as Uttar Banga Krishi Visvavidyalaya. While serving in private organisations, he has laid out many landscape gardens in different agro-climatic conditions of the country, collected a wide range of indigenous and exotic plants from India and abroad and propagated tem on a large scale for use in gardens. Prof. Bhattacharjee has visited several foreign countries. He has published about 400 research papers and popular scientific articles in journals of national and international repute. He is the author of seven books among which Advanced commercial Floriculture, Handbook of Medicinal Plants have been widely acclaimed and well-received.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR T.K. Bose
T.K. Bose, Ph.D. from Calcutta University, trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, U.K.; 1960-1972 Horticulturist and Secretary, the Agri-Horticultural Society of India; 1972-76, Reader, Calcutta University; Project Coordinator, Floriculture, Indian Council of Agricultural Research; 1976-1996 Professor and Head Department of Horticulture, Dean Faculty of Agriculture; Director of Research – Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (State Agricultural University) West Bengal, supervised research work of 35 Ph.D. students, published more than 250 scientific and 400 popular articles; author and editor of books – Fruits: Tropical and Subtropical (2 Vols.) Vegetables Crops; Commercial Flowers; Temperate Fruits; Floriculture and Landscaping; Tropical Horticulture (2 Vols.); Biotechnology and Horticultural Crops (3 Vols.); Trees of the World (Vol. 1); Orchids of India; Garden Plants; Gardening in India; Mineral Nutrition of Fruit crops; Nutrition of Vegetable Crops; Propagation of Tropical and Subtropical Horticultural Crops.
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