INDIAN JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 297 Indian Journal of Forestry, Vol. 27(3): 297-303, 2004 SAUSSUREA COSTUS (FALC.) LIPSCH.: A PROMISING MEDICINAL CROP UNDER COLD DESERT AGROECOSYSTEM IN NORTH WESTERN HIMALAYA Yashwant S. Rawat, Santaram S. Oinam, Subhash C.R. Vishvakarma and Jagdish C. Kuniyal G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Himachal Unit, Mohal-Kullu - 175 126 (Himachal Pradesh). Abstract: The present study was conducted in the cold desert region of the Lahaul valley in Himachal Pradesh. Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch. an endangered medicinal herb, was studied in terms of its distribution pattern, cultivation practices and problems in cultivation. Seed germination showed better results in hot chamber in the month of May, June and July. Seeds sown in hot chamber at 30 o C showed better germination (99±1.33%) in the month of June in comparison with cold chamber at 20 o C. Energy and monetary efficiencies revealed output/ input ratio of 7.5 and 0.8, respectively. Introducing of seasonal cash crops like Pea, Potato and Hop, need for a mandatory permit for cultivation and export, longer cultivation cycle (3 years), lower and continuously fluctuating market rates were found to be the main causes of discarding kuth cultivation in the valley. The possibilities for its revival and popularising kuth cultivation have been discussed in the present study. INTRODUCTION G enus Saussurea DC. (Asteraceae) has 300 species (Bremer, 1994), of which nearly 61 species are distributed in India (Hajra, 1995, 1988). Aswal and Mehrotra (1994) reported 46 species in India and among these, 10 species namely S. albescens (DC.) Sch.-Bip., S. atkinsoni Clarke, Comp., S. bracteata Decne., S. glanduligera Sch.- Bip., S. gnaphalodes (Royle) Sch.-Bip., S. gossypiphora D. Don, S. jacea (Klotz.) Clarke, Comp., S. costus (Falc.) Lipsch. syn. S. lappa (Decne.) Sch.-Bip., S. piptathera Edgew. and S. taraxacifolia Wall. occur in Lahaul and Spiti. The genus is distributed in temperate Asia, Europe, Australia and North and West America (Saklani et al., 2000). Saussurea costus locally called kuth is an endangered perennial/biannual, endemic species. Saussurea costus is an erect pubescent perennial herb, grows up to 2 m height. Basal leaves are long triangular and stalked. Upper leaves are large clasping pubescent, toothed with long petioles, base auricled. Flowers are in heads, purple, sessile, axillary or terminal clusters. Involucral bracts are ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, recurved. Fruit achene, compressed, curved upwards and greyish in colour. Seeds are 9.01 mm long and 2.85 mm wide (Aswal and Mehrotra, 1994). Saussurea costus (Kuth, Kostus, Kut root, Kut, Kstha) is an endemic to North Western Himalaya and its neighbouring area and an endangered medicinal plant (Siddique et al., 2001). In nature, it is found in Pithoragarh, Bhilangana valley, Bhagirathi valley of Uttaranchal, Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir (Aswal and Mehrotra, 1994; Oleg and Adum, 1997; Chauhan et al., 1998; Uniyal, 1998). Due to continuous ruthless extraction of these plants from its natural habitat, it is on the verge of extinction. Kuth has been listed in the Red Data Book of Indian Plants as endangered ones (Nayar and Sastry, 1988; Samant et al., 1998). Using new IUCN criteria, this species has been categorized as critically endangered species (Samant and Pal, 2003). The plant is cultivated in the North Western Himalaya, particularly in the Lahaul valley of Himachal Pradesh between 2600-3300 m altitudes. This species is cultivated in this cold desert area of the Lahaul valley since the beginning of twentieth century along with traditional food crops like Buckwheat, Maize, several varieties of Pulses and few medicinal plants. Kuth was as a traditional cash crop of the Lahaul valley in the past, contributed