Diversity and Plant Growth-Promoting Activities of Culturable Seed Endophytes in Abies pindrow (Royle ex D. Don) Royle: Their Role in Seed Germination and Seedling Growth.

Abies pindrow, a vital conifer in the Kashmir Himalayan forests, faces threats from low regeneration rates, deforestation, grazing, and climate change, highlighting the urgency for restoration efforts. In this context, we investigated the diversity of potential culturable seed endophytes in A. pindrow, assessed their plant growth-promoting (PGP) activities, and their impact on seed germination and seedling growth.

Uncovering the secret weapons of an invasive plant: The endophytic microbes of .

Understanding plant-microbe interaction can be useful in identifying the microbial drivers of plant invasions. It is in this context that we explored the diversity of endophytic microbes from leaves of , an annual plant that is highly invasive in Kashmir Himalaya. We also tried to establish the role of endophytes in the invasiveness of this alien species.

Decline in the suitable habitat of dominant Abies species in response to climate change in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region: insights from species distribution modelling.

Reliable predictions of future distribution ranges of ecologically important species in response to climate change are required for developing effective management strategies. Here we used an ensemble modelling approach to predict the distribution of three important species of Abies namely, Abies pindrow, Abies spectabilis and Abies densa in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region under the current and two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP245 and SSP585) and time periods of 2050 and 2090s. A correlative ensemble model using presence/absence data of the three Abies species and 22 environmental variables, including 19 bioclimatic variables and 3 topographic variables, from known distributions was built to predict the potential current and future distribution of these species.

Phyllosphere microbiome: Diversity and functions.

Phyllosphere or aerial surface of plants represents the globally largest and peculiar microbial habitat that inhabits diverse and rich communities of bacteria, fungi, viruses, cyanobacteria, actinobacteria, nematodes, and protozoans. These hyperdiverse microbial communities are related to the host's specific functional traits and influence the host's physiology and the ecosystem's functioning. In the last few years, significant advances have been made in unravelling several aspects of phyllosphere microbiology, including diversity and microbial community composition, dynamics, and functional interactions.