Center for High Altitude Biology (CeHAB)
Objectives:
- To study and predict the impact of climate change in high altitude ecosystems in Himalaya
- Conservation and characterization of genetic resources of high altitude and their bioprospection for value addition
- Study into high altitude biology
Functions:
- Conservatory of high altitude plants of importance (in situ and ex situ)
- Bioprospection
- Climate change impact studies
- Evolving models for high altitude ecology
- Reproductive biology and bioresource generation
Infrastructure:
- Environmental data towers
- Farm and polyhouse facilities
- Plant and microbial labs
- Pilot plants for post harvest management
- Cold conservation facility
- Food processing facility unit
- Essential oil extraction unit
- Plant tissue culture laboratory
- Training center
Achievements of high altitude research:
- Ten Long Term Ecological Research Plots for monitoring vegetation in treeline zone
- Spatio temporal vegetation and biomass maps using RS-GIS
- Impact of altitude and temperature on picroside metabolism in Picrorhiza kurrooa
- Propounded a novel carbon sequestering pathway and nitrogen utilization mechanisms
- Key genes responsible for imparting biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in plants
- Commercial floriculture in Lahaul valley
- Germplasm resource centre of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)
- Demonstration plots of Picrorhiza kurrooa, Aconitum heterophyllum and Crocus sativus (saffron), Ginseng etc.
