E-Paper
Ludhiana: National symposium of plant pathologists begins at PAU
The three-day workshop is being organised by the Indian Society of Plant Pathologists (INSOPP), the Indian Phytopathological Society (IPS), and the ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)
The national symposium of plant pathologists kicked off at Dr Manmohan Singh Auditorium in Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) campus on Tuesday.
The three-day workshop is being organised by the Indian Society of Plant Pathologists (INSOPP), the Indian Phytopathological Society (IPS), and the ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). This collaborative effort brings together plant pathologists, molecular biologists, agri-tech innovators, policy planners, industry leaders, and young researchers from across India and beyond
Former vice-chancellor of PAU, Kirpal Singh Aulakh, attended the inaugural session as the chief guest. The function was presided over by the sitting vice-chancellor of the university, Satbir Singh Gosal.
Former vice-chancellor of Maharana Pratap University of Agricultural Technology, Udaipur, SS Chahal, was the special guest.
Aulakh motivated the young plant pathologists to take up the challenges of the present time. He said that the contribution of disease control experts in the development of agriculture is very important and the contribution of disease experts in the future direction of agriculture cannot be underestimated. He called for adopting innovative technologies and developing plant disease control techniques in a combined manner.
Aulakh, while highlighting the contribution made by PAU in the field of plant disease, said that the university has given high priority to this aspect of agriculture, and due to this, the state’s agriculture has been able to touch new heights.
Vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal said that the present is about maintaining agricultural production as well as awareness about environmental conservation. He also talked about taking help from environment-friendly technologies like AI and remote sensing, etc. for the prevention of crop diseases. Gosal expressed hope that the conference will be successful in marking new steps in this direction.
R Viswanathan, president-elect of the Indian Society of Plant Pathologists, shed light on the activities of the society and the work being done to motivate new scientists.
SS Chahal spoke about the use of new technologies being introduced every day in the field of plant pathology, as well as giving importance to indigenous methods of controlling crop diseases.
Director research Ajmer Singh Dhatt, in his address, made special reference to the integrated techniques in the field of crop disease control by PAU.
Jagjit Singh Lore addressed the experts on behalf of the Indian Society of Plant Pathologists.
