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Need to revive traditional crops, tackle climate-induced plant stress: Experts
The conference, being organised at CSIR-NBRI, brings together scientists and scholars to discuss a wide range of topics, featuring scientific exchanges enriched by international participation.
Plants use a variety of molecules to boost their immunity, and both healthy and those already assimilated plants continue to adapt and thrive in their ecology, said CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) director Ajit Kumar Shashnay while delivering a lecture at the 7th international conference on plants and environmental pollution (ICPEP-7) on Monday.
The conference, being organised at CSIR-NBRI, brings together scientists and scholars to discuss a wide range of topics, featuring scientific exchanges enriched by international participation.
Shashnay said that although crop yields rose significantly during the Green Revolution, it is now essential to revisit traditional plant varieties and cultivation practices.
“While we focussed on increasing yield through breeding and the use of nitrogen and fertilizers, over time we forgot many traditional plants and their classifications. We need to bring them back,” he said. He added that genome editing is also emerging as a key technique, helping enhance resilience and eliminate negative traits that affect plant health.
Prof Rishikesh Bhalerao of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Sweden, noted in his lecture that temperate forests are experiencing significant temperature shifts.
“Because of rising temperatures, the growing season has extended by about 10.8 days since the 1960s, causing issues such as irregular flowering. Additionally, 35–36% of temperate forests in Europe and Asia are now at risk of frost damage,” Bhalerao said.
Other notable speakers included Jason C White, director of The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (USA); Prof Puneet K Dwivedi of Clemson University (USA); Ayyanadar Arunachalam, director of the ICAR–Central Agroforestry Research Institute; and Mahesh G Thakkar, director of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences.
The conference will conclude on Tuesday.
