MAJOR INFRASTUCTURAL FACILITIES

• Central Instrumentation Facility
• Central Computer Laboratory
• Central Internet Facility
• Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory
• Botanical Garden
• Herbarium & Phyto-resource Center
• Animal House
• Dark room facility for Photography

Major facilities of equipments available in the central Instrumentation Facility
1. Axiomat Research Microscope
: To carry out microscopic observations of plant and animal tissues
: Reichert (Austria) Ultramicrotome OMU3
: To cut ultrathin sections of biological specimens for observations under EM

2. Epifluorescence Microscope
: To localize various metabolites in plant and animal tissues

3. Ultracentrifuge (DuPont)
: To separate and characterize various macromolecules
: To separate and characterize various macromolecules

4. Atomic absorption Spectrophotometer
: To carryout qualitative and quantitative analysis of various biological samples

5. Gas chromatography
: To analyze various biological samples for their composition

6. Drust Enlarger (Ag. Italy)
: To enlarge the image of electron micrographs

7. Carl-Zeiss Axioplan Cytophotometric Microscope procured under UGC-SAP on Morphogenesis and Plant Anatomy from 1994.

HPLC
: For analytical studies of Biomolecules

HPTLC
: For characterization of Biomolecules

TOC Analyzer
: for analysis of Total Organic Carbon

Thermocycler
: To amplify DNA

Cryocut
: For in site localization of enzymes and metabolite & in tissues

Image analyzer
: For capturing images of micro morphological features of cells, tissues and organism.

Lyophilizer
: For preserving cells, and culture, metabolites.

Fermentor New Brunswick Scientific.
: For microbial/cellular production of important metabolites.

Elisa Microplate Reader
Multimedia Projector

Central Computer Laboratory:
The Central computer laboratory established from DST-FIST grant is equipped with:
12 Client Computers (Pentium III) with UPS
1 Server
HP Color Laser Printer
Scanners
CD Writers

HERBARIUM AND BOTANICAL GARDEN
The Herbarium of Sardar Patel University, perhaps, is the largest herbarium in Gujarat having more than 50,000 specimens collected from different corners of Gujarat State as well as North-West parts of Maharashtra State. Majority of these collections belongs to the flowering plants. Though few specimens of non flowering plants belonging to Algae, Pteridophytes and gymnosperms are present, much attention was not paid to these groups. This Herbarium was established in late 1950s. Since its establishment, a number of floristic investigations were carried out by late Prof. G.L. Shah and his associates in different districts. The Flora of Gujarat State (Shah 1978), the first of its kind in India, is the outcome of these constant efforts. The herbarium collection is being enhanced year by year because of the continuity of floristic, phytosociological and ethnobotanical investigations in different geographical areas. There is one full time herbarium keeper to maintain this herbarium. Our herbarium serves the post-graduate and Ph.D. students mainly of the Botany faculty of this university and scientists of other organizations as a reference center for plant identification. The scientists of Gujarat Agriculture University, National Research Centre for Medicinal &Aromatic Plants, Boriavi; regularly visit this herbarium or send their plant specimens to this herbarium for identification. Other NGOs such as Honey Bee Network, Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI), Ahmedabad; Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, Bhuj etc. also frequently rely upon this herbarium for the identification of their plant samples. Many of the collections of this house have been studied by different expert-scientists at various Regional Herbaria for confirmation of the identity. The scientists of Botanical Survey of India borrowed many of the specimens from this herbarium for the revisionary or monographic work of different taxa. The duplicates of number of specimens of this herbarium have been deposited in different regional herbaria of Botanical Survey of India.

Though the herbarium is not situated in botanical garden, it is not possible to consider the former to be apart from the latter. The Botanical garden of Sardar Patel University was established long ago in late 1950s as a component of the post graduate department of Biosciences in about 3.2 acres of land in Vallabh Vidyanagar, mainly to serve the P.G. and Ph.D. students of Bioscience faculty of this university. Since then it has been serving as a living laboratory. The P.G. students rely upon this green resource for the required plant material for their practical courses. They get the opportunity to study different kinds of wild as well as cultivated trees, shrubs, climbers and herbs, all at one place which otherwise are found in varied geographical and climatic regions. The research students grow and use different types of annual and perennial plants in this open laboratory to carry out various experiments for which time to time observations are to be recorded.

Altogether there are about 200 plant species, excluding the natural herbacious flora, growing in this garden, out of which 60 species belong to trees. The germplasm of some rare, endangered and threatened wild plants and other academically important species from various parts of Gujarat State and India are collected and conserved here with proper care. Some of such interesting and rare collections are:

Hyphaenae dichotoma, Adenanthera pavonina, Collvellea racemosa, Cochlospermum religiosum, Ficus krishnae, Michelia champaca, Couroupita guianensis, Saraca indica, Commiphora wightii, Solanum macrophyllum, Chlorophytum borivilianum, Dendrobium microbulbon etc. Different kinds of Bignonias, Bauhinias, palms, Bougainvillaeas and many gymnosperms are some assets of this garden to mention.

This garden also serves the other students of local colleges and schools by means of living resource of reference. Looking at the needs of present day, our botanical garden has been reorganized with allocation of specific sections for different kinds of plants such as medicinal plants, horticultural plants, experimental plots and a nursery. Considerable size of a separate section is allocated for the natural vegetation to grow in wilder condition. To fulfil the expectations of the visitors for non-botanical purpose, a separate plot has been developed with a large lawn boarded with live hedge and ornamental herbs and shrubs. There are two ponds available one in a closed fern house and another one in open place. The aquatic plants and animals that are required for the academic and research purpose are grown in these ponds. There exist a cactorium but it requires more infrastructure facilities for functioning. There are three fern houses/shade houses to grow the shade-loving plants important, from the point of both academic and ornamental value. Garden is well linked by the paths, illuminated with electric lights, leading to all sections. Though a separate bore-well is not available, 24 hours water supply from the university staff colony's over-head tank is available. The garden has got a separate office of Garden Supervisor housed in it. The Supervisor is supported with a well-trained and experienced Mali. The maintenance of the garden is done by the daily wagers under the supervision of its permanent staff including the faculty members of Biosciences department of this university. The postgraduate and Ph.D. students of this department also extend their voluntary services as and when required. The total annual budget available for this botanical garden, herbarium and animal house is Rs. 2,00,000 (Rupees Two Lakhs).

Considering our constant and successful efforts and shortage of funds for maintenance, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India has very recently sanctioned an amount of Rs. 8.2 lakh by means of one time grant for strengthening the facilities such as compound wall, irrigation, greenhouse etc. in the garden.