Pondicherry University Vice-Chancellor Prof. P. Prakash Babu Releases New Book on Prosopis juliflora
Pondicherry : Prosopis, known locally as seemai karuvelam, has emerged as the world’s most domineering and harmful of weeds. India is among the countries which have been very seriously hit by the prosopis menace, as prosopis is spreading and growing uncontrollably in several states, causing great harm. In the Puducherry-Tamil Nadu region, also, prosopis is seen growing almost everywhere, forever colonizing new areas at the expense of diverse vegetation. Among other attributes of major invasive species, prosopis also possesses negative allelopathy. Due to this, prosopis is able to drive away other species of plants from its vicinity and monopolise the space. So strong has been the negative impact of prosopis that in 2022 writ petitions were filed in the Madras High Court to direct the government to intervene.
In Pondicherry University former Prof S. A. Abbasi and his team has been working on finding economically viable ways and means of utilizing prosopis so that its standing biomass can be turned into a resource. The team has summarized its findings as also the findings of other researchers across the world into a book Prosopis Juliflora: Attributes, Impact, Utilization. The book has been brought out by the renowned publishers Elsevier and Academic Press. Prof P. Prakash Babu, Vice Chancellor, Pondicherry University, formally released the book wishing that the book will stimulate and catalyze global efforts towards controlling and utilizing prosopis.
