Guwahati: Tezpur University has organised an International Symposium on Plant-Microbe Interactions on 24-25th November 2023 on the occasion of the visit of Prof. Steven E. Lindow, University of California, Berkley USA, a legendary scientist in the field, who is visiting India as B. P. Pal Chair Professor of INSA, New Delhi.
Several eminent scientists affiliated with reputed Institutions such as IMTECH Chandigarh, Delhi University, CCMB Hyderabad, etc. delivered talks at the symposium.
In the inaugural programme, Prof. Sambhu Nath Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Tezpur University appreciated the Dept. of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (MBBT) for organising the event.
He further envisaged that such academic practice could make an immense impact on the agricultural scenario of the country.
He also wished that the symposium would benefit the students at the beginning of their careers. The Dean, School of Sciences, Prof. R. K. Dutta and the Head of the Department, Dr. R. Mukhopadhyay welcomed the guests and expressed their sincere gratitude to the faculty members and scholars for organising this symposium.
In his lecture, Prof. Lindow described how bacterial populations occurring on plant leaf surfaces can play a significant role in plant health and diversity.
The cultivation of a single type of crop in a large area and the lowering of vegetation affect the diversity of these bacterial populations.
Scientists from this field deliberated on how plant-microbe interactions can impact the crop production of the country.
The meeting was sponsored by Tezpur University, INSA and DST-SERB. Prof. S. K. Ray and Dr. Aditya Kumar of the Department of MBBT were the convenor and co-convenor of the event.