Visit to Mansa Mata Nursery

 Visit to Mansa Mata Nursery

On 23 September 2014, Tuesday, a trip was organized to Mansa Mata nursery in Amer by the Department of Botany. All the students of M.Sc. and B.Sc. III and V Semesters accompanied by Dr. Shilpi Rijhwani and Dr. Anuja Joshi reached there at 8:30 am. The nursery was well maintained and managed , with a good collection of plant species. It contains an impressive assemblage of various plants and saplings like Kadamb (Anthocephalus kadamba), Gulmohar (Delonix regia), Banana (Musa paradiasica), Plumeria which is also known as wild rose, Cestrum diurnuum, Cestrum nocturnum, , Mehandi (Lawsonia inermis) and Maha neem (Ailanthus excelsa) which has medicinal value. Plant collection in the nursery was dominated by Kadamb (Anthocephalus kadamba) and it was propagated by cuttings made in the nursery itself. There is a mythological story associated with Kadam tree that it was a favourite tree of Lord Krishna and Radha. This nursery contains many different species of flowering plants like Rosa indica, Lilium candidum etc. Students collected various plants of aesthetic and medicinal value like Rosa indica, Ailanthus etc. There is a tree lined avenue between each group of plant that gives comfort to visitors allowing sufficient space for observation and  at the same time safeguarding the plants from damage.

After having a wonderful time at the nursery we also visited Sagar Dam and Jalmahal Lake. All the students witnessed the overview of Dam and enjoyed a lot.

Summary : This field trip was very beneficial for the compilation of information about flora and the climatic conditions in which they exists.

We learnt the technique of vegetative propagation of plants, organization of plants in the garden and how a nursery plays a crucial role in  practical education.