A three-day National Conference on ‘Recent Trends in Plant Biology’ was today inaugurated here at SKICC.

The conference is being conducted by CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Srinagar from September 5 to 7 under the patronage of Director CSIR-IIIM, Dr. D. Srinivasa Reddy, Head RMBD, Er. Abdul Rahim and Head, CSIR-IIIM, Srinagar, Dr. Zabeer Ahmad.

The main aim of the conference is to bring together plant biologists from across the country to deliver inspiring talks and share their latest research experiences.

The speakers spoke about the significance of agri based economy since the economy of Jammu and Kashmir is mostly dependent on agriculture and horticulture and Kashmir Himalaya is home to a wide variety of medicinal plants, it becomes imperative for us that we stay updated with the latest research trends and cutting-edge research techniques and technologies to make the best of our resources.

Therefore, conducting such meetings is essential said Dr. Nasheeman Ashraf, Convenor, and Dr. Nazia Abbas, Co-Convenor of the conference.  

The Inaugural session was attended by Professor Sudhir Kumar Sopory, distinguished Scientist, International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi; Professor Farooq Ahmad Shah, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Kashmir; Dr. Prabodh Kumar Trivedi, Director CSIR-CIMAP; Dr. Ajit Kumar Shashany, ICAR– NIPB; Dr. Muzamil Andrabi, Deputy Head CSIR-IIIM, Srinagar.

The keynote address was delivered by Padma Shri Prof. Sudhir Kumar Sopory, renowned plant physiologist. He talked about the mechanism by which plants can be made climate resilient. The key note address was followed by vote of thanks which was proposed by Dr. Muzamil.

 The inaugural ceremony was followed by talks from eminent scientists who presented their work on recent research in plant sciences.

The conference will continue for three days and different topic related to plant sciences will be talked about.