Home » News

National Seminar on Plant Research begins at KU

The two day national seminar on “Frontiers of Plant Research – Prospects and Challenges”  being organized by the Kakatiya University Department of Botany began here on Thursday in Senate Hall. The Seminar was sponsored by UGC and TPSCHE, Hyderabad.  Inaugurating the Seminar, Chief Guest Prof. A. Seetharam Naik, Member of Parliament and former professor of the department said that with the burgeoning population, a second green revolution is in the offing.  Extensive research is being taken up to provide food security to the people all over the world.  Plant genetic engineering has ushered in the development of transgenic plants. Citing an example he said Vitamin ‘A’ has been  incorporated into rice genome, producing golden rice, which will prevent night blindness in millions of children of third world countries.  He said that plants  ensure the sustenance of environment for survival of man and other life forms. Unfortunately during past decades there is an unprecedented loss of plant diversity and predicted that man is going to face not only food shortage, malnutrition but several other problems including biggest threat of global warming or climate change.   In order to prevent the looming crisis, an inclusive research on various aspects of plant life is the urgent need, he said.  He felt the urgent need to conserve forest plants.  He felt the need to establish a Forest Research Centre look into related issued. He urged the  Universities to educate rural masses about the impact of deforestation, chemical farming and use of plastics. Delivering the keynote address Hungary Scientist Prof. Laszlo Szabados said that India is replete with beautiful biodiversity which is to conserved.  Population growth, Environmental Pollution, use of chemical fertilizers are the major issues of concerns now the world facing.  Green Crusader who planted more than one crore saplings Padmasri Awardee Daripalli Vanajeevi Ramaiah was felicitated in a befitting manner in the seminar for his missionary services to promote conservation of environment by plantation. Prof. Y. Pramila Devi, Prof. A. Ragan, Dr. M. Surekha, Dr. V. Krishna Reddy, Dr. Mohd. Mustafa and other took part in the programme.