Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the management of cancer and diabetes.

Objective: To conduct an ethnobotanical survey and document the traditional anticancer and antidiabetic plants used by the local tribes of Mizoram, Northeast India.

Methods: A systematic survey was conducted in rural and urban areas of Mizoram by interviewing traditional practitioners, and cancer and diabetes patients. A detailed literature search was carried out using MEDLINE and SCOPUS and available literatures were selected and included in the study.

Influence of shifting cultivation practices on soil-plant-beetle interactions.

Shifting cultivation (jhum) is a major land use practice in Mizoram. It was considered as an eco-friendly and efficient method when the cycle duration was long (15-30 years), but it poses the problem of land degradation and threat to ecology when shortened (4-5 years) due to increased intensification of farming systems. Studying beetle community structure is very helpful in understanding how shifting cultivation affects the biodiversity features compared to natural forest system.