Exploring flora of RGSC-BHU

It is always considered better to be lived in close association with nature, and Rajiv Gandhi South Campus-BHU is blessed with great flora on campus. Most of them are growing naturally on the campus, while some of them are planted in a strategic way with reference to studies, research work and ornamental sceneries of campus.

Being a student is cognized with the campus environment, almost all of us overlook plant species present nearby us. This article is a minor approach to make all of you more interactive, a bit closer to the richness of flora present within the campus.

Diseases are known to us till date, most of them can be cured by using the ingredients from the plants spread over RGSC. Yes, it is a bit unimaginable, but a very rare fact which you may have not known if you either have not taken yourself with curiosity to explore plant diversity of the campus or have not read this article. Almost all plants have their own medicinal importance.

Let me introduce some of the plants having medicinal properties; viz. Siris (Albizia lebbeck), Arjun (Terminalia arjuna), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Palash (Butea monosperma), Peepal (Ficus religiosa), Khair (Acacia catechu), Amaltas (Cassia fistula), Sheesham (Dalbergia sissoo), Gulmohar (Delonix regia), etc. Only this group of plants, mentioned above do cure the following diseases like gout, abdominal tumours, lung problems, eye infections, STDs, indigestion, gingivitis, cancer, diarrhoea, urinary tract infections (UTIs), stomach ache, pimples, snake and crab poisonings, blood purifiers, heart remedies, swellings, cleaning of ulcers and wounds, skin disorders, etc.

Considering the total area of our campus is about 2763 acres which include 156 ha. (385.484 acres) of farmland. The reason behind the lower area under cultivation is the type of soil identified in the campus. Most of the soil is sandy and rich in Fe and Mn which imparts red colour to the soil, while patches of alluvial, black (k rich) and also salt-affected soil are present.

the pH of soil lies within the range of 6.5 to 8.5, but organic matter content is moderate, while another property that shall be focused more is the deficiency of certain elements such as N, P, S, Zn, B, Cu. This makes soil infertile. Minding the depth of soil and hardpan, more irrigations are scheduled to get a proper satisfying yield. For irrigation purposes, there are 7 check dams built across the campus, in which the water is collected by rainwater harvesting and a number of wells are also dug, but the officials state that groundwater does not recharge into well due to the presence of hardpan in the soil profile.

Still, in the presence of a bit harsh conditions respective officials are able to grow a variety of crops in the field such as during Kharif season:

sesamum, Bajra, Jowar, Maize, Urd-Moong, and Rice (only in about 1 ha.) and during the Rabi season: Chickpea, Fieldpea, Wheat, and Mustard are the major crops cultivated. Practically, many concepts from the syllabus of agriculture science have been significantly used in the plantations done within the campus. Such as avenue cropping of Arjun [Terminalia arjuna] is established on the way from Bunty shop to the library, another of Siris [Albizia lebbeck], is installed on the way from the entrance gate to K.V.K via Admin building, and also on the way from Vindhyachal hostel to Aravali hostel; Cassia fistula is being planted.

Another concept of agroforestry systems is applied under which orchards have been established of custard apple, bael, guava, amla, ber, pomegranate, Karanda, etc. Also, the live fencing of the Subabool tree [Leucaena leucocephala] is done to the farm machinery and seed processing unit present in the field area near the guest house.

The Malviya park, which is manually planned, is home to about 40 different species of ornamental plants. Also, many plants grow wildly i.e. naturally throughout the campus including Palash, Karanja, neem, peepal, chilbil, Karanda, mahua, cheronji, kattha, ber, teak, etc. Inspite of harsh soil conditions, the above-stated species of plants grow in our campus.

Yes, indeed all of us are blessed to be surrounded by these plant species with great importance.

Take your time to explore the bloom of nature, you will definitely enjoy the experience. Very glad to share that being surrounded by nature gives us positive vibes and fills us with intense energy and makes us healthy as well, the things which cannot be under-estimated in life.

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