Effect of Ploughing Depth on the Growth and Yield of Heracleum candicans： a Threatened Medicinal Herb and a Less-explored Potential Crop of the Himalayan Region

This paper examines the effect of ploughing depths （A -- 60 cm, B -- 45 cm and C -- 30 cm） on the growth and yield of Heracleum candicans Wall （Apiaceae）, a threatened medicinal herb of the Himalayan region. This less-explored plant is being suggested as a potential crop for the mountain agriculture. The study was carried out in an orchard in Himachal Pradesh, India at 2500 m altitude, for two successive growth years. During the first year, all plants remained in juvenile state; in the second year, nearly 65 % plants produced flowers only under 60cm ploughing depth. Among its morphological traits, plant height, collar diameter and aboveground flesh weight were found to be strongly correlated （P 〈 0.01） with the belowground biomass during the first year （r =0.968, 0.925 and 0.973, respectively） and during the second year （r=0.945, 0.928 and 0.775, respectively）. Increase in the ploughing depth was significantly correlated （P〈0.01） with all growth parameters, including the belowground dry weight, marketable portion of the produce. The belowground biomass （commercial yield; 16.28 Qt/hec） at depth A was about 2.6 and 4.7 times higher than those recorded at depths B and C, respectively. The results clearly justify the importance of deep ploughing and this paper strongly recommends it for economically sustainable cropping.     

The Role of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Rural Development in the Karakorum, Hindu Kush ＆ Himalayan Region： Examples from the Northern Mountainous Belt of Pakistan

Pakistan is predominantly a mountainous country where rural development activities are characterised by inconsistency, politically motivated short-term projects without proper feedback. Since the inception of the country, the top-down approach has been followed, and the same development plans that were formulated for the plain areas have been extended to the mountains without any modification. In doing so, neither the participation of the local communities was cared for, nor the mountain specificities were considered in the planning process. Moreover, the representation of the local inhabitants was improper and contradictory to the facts. This biased approach has been one of the main causes for the failure of development projects carried out by different agencies of the Government. Contrary to the perception of the state authorities, the mountain communities proved to be more open to accept new approaches and demonstrated the capacity and capability of being a dependable development partner. In this paper, a detailed account of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme （AKRSP） has been presented to assess and evaluate the approach followed by this non-governmental organisation （NGO）, and the response of the local inhabitants as collaborators in the development process. The achievements of the AKRSP from project planning, implementation and monitoring can be adopted as a model for rural development not only in the plains, but also in the mountainous areas of the developing countries in the world.     

我国周边国家的矿业立法大扫描

概况我国周边大多数国家属于发展中国家,与矿业有关的法律体系建立的比较晚,且不完善。20世纪90年代以来,各国为了促进矿业的健康发展,纷纷开始制定或修改矿业法。除泰国、巴基斯坦等国外,周边大多数国家出台了新的矿业法,或正在制定或修改矿业法。其目的是要建立和完善本国的矿业法律体     

Development-Conservation Dilemma in the NilgiriMountains of South India

The Nilgiri Mountains of south India is considered unique by anthropologists, geologists, climatologists, botanists as well as tourists. It has remained a subject of constant study and research over the last two centuries. Man-nature balance had continued undisturbed in the Nilgiris for thousands of years until the early 19th century when it became a British colony attracting, in due course, various developmental activities. Subsequently, the Nilgiris and its popular hill stations emerged as favourite places for the British population in India for rest and recuperation, game and for raising commercial plantations. In the process, the traditional indigenous crops were replaced by “English“ vegetables and the natural forests gave way to commercial plantations of coffee, tea and other exotic species of trees.     

嫦娥计划及其意义

神州六号的顺利升空，无疑是近段时间大家讨论的热点。自20世纪60年代美国和苏联发射载人宇宙飞船后，中国和印度竞争的焦点则集中于发射无人宇宙飞船。中国和印度分别启动了名为“嫦娥工程”和“无人月球探测计划”的月球探测计划，其目标均为2007—2008年进入月球轨道。其实中国并不满足于仅仅进入月球轨道，其计划是在2012年前，向月球表面发射无人宇宙飞船，获取含有14种有用元素的月球岩石标本，     

Extreme Rainfall Events and Associated Natural Hazards in Alaknanda Valley, Indian Himalayan Region

Introduction The Himalaya is considered to be the youngest mountains on the earth, and is tectonically very active, and hence inherently (geologically) vulnerable to hazards. Extreme rainfall events, landslides, debris flows, torrents and flash floods due…     

南海天然气水合物的形成和分布

从物理海洋、古气候、沉积环境和构造环境分析入手，研究了南海天然气水合物的形成条件。研究结果表明，在整个南海海域，天然气水合物生成的条件是存在差别的。南海，东北部，在氧同位素2、4、6期，由于菲律宾海的高盐度海水的注入，使这里的生物生产率特别高，陆坡上沉积了丰富的有机物质，加上此期间该处的沉积速率高，为天然气水合物的生成提供了物质条件；另外，自中新世末以来，由于菲律宾海板块与欧亚板块在台湾地区发生碰撞，对南海北部产生北西向挤压，加快了流体在沉积物中的活动，为天然气水合物的生成提供了良好的构造环境。因此认为南海东北部陆坡应是南海天然气水合物最丰富的地区。