I am from India. I grew up in Kurukshetra, a city located in the north Indian state of Haryana. My alma mater is Kurukshetra University where I graduated, completed post graduate studies and was awarded my PhD. I must admit here that during my graduate days I was reluctant to study cryptogams, but gradually, I got into the world of bryophytes. This happened during my doctoral research on the in vitro morphogenesis of mosses under the supervision of Prof. B.D. Vashistha, the disciple of Prof. R.N. Chopra of University of Delhi, India. I worked with in vitro moss systems in the semi-arid areas of India, where I felt there was a shortage of this wonderful plant group.
In the year 2000, I went to the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand which abounds in plant wealth. I got involved here in setting up micropropagation protocols of high value subalpine medicinal herbs. But, my first love remained bryophytes, and I went back to them and began working on bryfloristics and bioprospecting of bryophytes of the Kumaun region of Uttarakhand. On this journey, I was fortunate to get the help of highly cooperative Indian bryologists, Dr. S.D. Tewari, moss taxonomist, Dr. A. K. Asthana, a well-known name in hornwort taxonomy and Dr. Vinay Sahu, a fine moss taxonomist.
I have now been working with bryophytes for about 25 years. I find these cryptogams very amazing and extraordinarily smart. Their desiccation resistant structure and disease-free nature made me explore their remarkable phytochemistry and search for antimicrobial properties in them.
Currently, I head the department of Biological Sciences at the Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology and teach post graduate students the diversity of bryophytes. I am also working on lab cultivation of some of the Himalayan liverworts for their utilization in pollution monitoring. Needless to say, I find the bryo-world most captivating and would like to explore this fascinating world more and more. I am looking forward to collaborations to understand the mechanism of disease tolerance in bryophytes in more depth and utilization of this wonderful plant group as plant protectants.
List of my research articles on bryophytes:
1. Chaturvedi, P. and Vashistha, B.D.2007. In vitro responses of the moss Brachymenium bryoides to heavy metals. Ecol. Res. J. of Bio -Sciences 6(1&2):1-9.
2. Chaturvedi, P. and Vashistha, B.D. 2008. Effects of some heavy metals on protonemal growth and bud formation in the moss Bryum capillareL. ex Hedw. Ann. Biol. 24(1):17-24. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282654035
3. Chaturvedi, P. and Mewari, N. 2008. Antifungal activity of Plagiochasma extracts against plant pathogens Crop Prot. Prod. 4(2):13-17.
4. Chaturvedi, P. and Vashistha, B.D. 2009. Effect of some phytohormones on the growth and morphogenesis of the moss Brachymenium bryoides Hook. ex Schwaegr. Proceed. Nat. Acad. Sc. (B) 79(II):161-164.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282653852
5. Gahtori, D and Chaturvedi, P. 2011. Antifungal and antibacterial potential of methanol and chloroform extracts of Marchantia polymorpha L. Arch. Phytopathol. Plant Prot. 44(8):726-731.ISSN1477-2906https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03235408.2010.516083
6. Negi K. and Chaturvedi P. 2015. In vitro antimicrobial efficacy of Rhynchostegium vagans A. Jaeger (moss) against commonly occurring pathogenic microbes of Indian sub- tropics. Asian Pacific J Tropical Disease6(1): 10-14.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2222-1808(15)60977-X
7. Mewari, N., Chaturvedi, P., Rao, P.B. and Kumar, P. 2007. Antimicrobial activity of moss extracts against plant pathogens. J. Mycol. and Plant Pathol. 37(2): 359-360.
8. Gahtori, D, Chaturvedi, P. and Singh, S. 2011. Using bryophytes as a tool to cure European Foul Brood disease of honey bee: an ecofriendly novel approach. Current Sci. 101(3): 420-423. ISSN: 0011-3891https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/101/03/0420.pdf
9. Negi K and Chaturvedi, P. 2016. Antibacterial potential of lesser known Himalayan medicinal plants viz., bryophytes. The Bioscan 11(4):2231-2235.ISSN 0973-7049file:///C:/Users/HP/Downloads/thebioscan.pdf
10. Negi, K., Chaturvedi, P and Tewari, S.D. 2018. Antibacterial activity of Marchantia papillata Raddi subsp. grossibarba (Steph.) Bischl against Staphylococcus aureus. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 17(4):763-769.http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/45056/1/IJTK%2017%284%29%20763-769.pdf
11. Negi, K, Asthana, A.K. and Chaturvedi, P. 2020. GC–MS analysis and antifungal
activity of acetone extract of Conocephalum conicum (L) Underw (Liverwort) against
aflatoxins producing fungi. South African Journal of Botany 131: 384-
390.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0254629919317181
12. Kandpal V, Chaturvedi P, Negi K, Gupta S, and Sharma A. 2016. Evaluation of
antibiotic and biochemical potential of bryophytes from kumaun hills and tarai belt of
Himalayas. Int J Pharm Pharm Sci 8(6): 65-69.ISSN 0975-
1491. https://innovareacademics.in/journals/index.php/ijpps/article/view/10516
13. Gahtori D, Neeraj and Chaturvedi P. 2015. Effect of organic extracts of
Plagiochasma appendiculatum Lehm. And Lindenb. and Dicranum undulatum Schrad ex Brid
on pathogenic microbes. International J Neo Sciences, 2(II): 16-19.ISSN 2394-4846
14. Negi K. and Chaturvedi P. 2014. Antifungal potential of hitherto lesser known
Plants viz., bryophytes against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici causing fusarium wilt
of tomato. Proceedings of National seminar on ‘Innovations in traditional agriculture’
organized by Dept. of Agronomy, GB ant University of Agriculture & Technology.
Pantnagar. w.e.f. Nov.15-16, 2013 pp.191-195.
15. Negi K., Shubhpriya, Sharma, A.K., and Chaturvedi P. 2014. Antimicrobial efficacy of
Hymenostelium recurvirostre (Hedw.)Pottiaceae, a calcicole moss of Kumaun Himalaya.
National workshop on retrospective & prospective analysis of Indian Agriculture: the
roadmap ahead. Organized by DES, G.B.P.U.A & T, Pantnagar w.e.f. Nov 17-18, 2014.
pp.374-376.
16. Negi, K., Chaturvedi, P., and Negi V. 2015. Biomonitoring of atmospheric heavy metal
pollution employing mosses. Ecology, Environment and Agriculture. Negi,V, Singh V,
and Kushwaha G.S. ed. Biotech Books, New Delhi. pp. 252-260. ISBN 978-81-7622-
339-3
17. Gahtori, D and Chaturvedi, P. 2019. Bryophytes: A Potential Source of antioxidants.
Intech Publications DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.84587
18. Negi K. and Chaturvedi P. 2015. Bryophytes: A potent source of novel antibiotics of
plant origin. Indian Farmers’ Digest, 48(08): 34-35. ISSN 0537-1589
19. Raturi, A, Neeraj and Chaturvedi P. 2020. Phytochemical Characterization and
Antioxidant Profiling of Mosses from Pithoragarh, Kumaun Himalaya Challenges to
biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Singh, R.P., Yadav, K., Rathi, M. and Jaggi, S. Ed. Daya Publishinhg House, New Delhi. Pp. 71-79