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Prosopis (Prosopis juliflora) is a xerophyte which, in its native habitats has been a desert plant. As long as it was confined to that habitat, P. juliflora was a great resource, improving the region's micrometeorology, binding its sandy soil, and providing shelter, fuel, feed, food, medicines, and cosmetics to the people of such regions. In particular, for the economically weaker inhabitants, P.juliflora was a lifeline.But when P. juliflora was indiscriminately introduced in other regions of the world in a hope to derive similar benefits from it, things began to go awry. Indeed, among the invasive species of plants which are spreading at an alarming rate in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, P.juliflora is arguably the most hardy and resilient. It is growing so explosively that it even enters roads and homes, driving humans out of their dwellings. The resulting damage to biodiversity is enormous. This book highlights the dual role played so far by P. juliflora and itemizes the facets that make it a blessing in some contexts and a bane in other contexts.Authored by leading experts in the field, Prosopis juliflora: Attributes, Impact, Utilization is the first title of its kind to comprehensively discuss this hardy plant species. It will be an essential read for students, researchers and governmental agencies interested in plant biology, forestry, plant ecology, invasive plant species and environmental science.
List of contents
1. Prosopis: Systematics, origin, and spread
2. The stellar role of Prosopis juliflora in its original habitat
3. Attributes behind the invasiveness and the colonizing ability of Prosopis juliflora
About the author
Pratiksha Patnaik received a 1st class Masters degree in Ecology and Environmental Science in 2006 from Pondicherry University, India. She later received her PhD there in 2018 in Environmental Technology. Dr. Patnaik is currently working as a Research Associate at the Centre for Pollution Control and Environmental Engineering in Pondicherry University.Tabassum-Abbasi has received her BTech, MTech, and PhD degrees in instrumentation and control engineering, environmental engineering, and environmental technology, respectively – all from Pondicherry University. She too has been a class topper throughout, receiving gold medals. She has been working as Assistant Professor at the University of
Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun since January 2019, attaining senior grade (Level 2) in 2022, and selection grade (Level 3) recently. She has spent an year (2023- 24) in post-doctoral research at the University of Edinburgh as a British Council Women in Science Fellow. Besides research papers on bioprocess engineering and sustainability in highly cited journals, she has received three patents, and has registered another two.S. A. Abbasi, presently Distinguished Professor, School of Advanced Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, has earlier been a full university professor and director (1987- 2015), and Emeritus Professor (2015-2024) at the Centre for Pollution Control and Environmental Engineering, Pondicherry University. Prior to it he was the founder Head of the Water Quality & Environment Division at the Centre for Water Resources, Kozhikode (1979-87), and a Visiting-cum-adjunct Professor at California State University (1984- 1987). He has also been a Visiting Professor at the universities of Minnesota, Florida, Nevada, California−Berkeley, Malaya and Al-Ahsa.
Prof Abbasi is considered among the world’s foremost experts in the fields of bioprocess engineering, process safety, and environmental engineering.
Among numerous coveted honours and awards received by Prof Abbasi are the National Design Award in Environmental Engineering, the IPCL award for Safety and Hazard Management in Petroleum Industries, the National Hydrology Award, the International Desalination Association’s prize, The Trever Kletz award, and fellowships of the National Academy of Sciences and the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers.
