SRINAGAR: The University of Kashmir (KU) on Saturday concluded the three-day 43rd Annual National Convention of the Indian Society of Mycology and Plant Pathology (ISMPP), bringing together scientists, researchers and young scholars to discuss emerging crop diseases and strategies to strengthen agricultural resilience to climate change.
Held from October 29 to 31, the convention was organised by KU’s Department of Botany in collaboration with ISMPP and Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur. It was themed “Advances and Challenges in Plant Pathology under Climate Resilient Agriculture”.
The convention focused on research approaches, disease management strategies and scientific interventions to protect crops against emerging threats amid changing climatic conditions.
Speaking at the valedictory ceremony, KU Dean Academic Affairs Prof. Shariefuddin Pirzada stressed the importance of plant pathology research in tackling agricultural challenges. He said research in the field was essential for understanding emerging crop diseases and developing effective measures to safeguard agricultural production under changing climatic conditions.
Dr T. R. Sharma, former Deputy Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and National Fellow at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, highlighted the need for sustained research and scientific collaboration to address crop protection challenges.
Delivering the R. Prasad Memorial Lecture, Sharma spoke about his research spanning more than three decades, particularly his work on rice and rice blast. He was also conferred the Prof. S. S. Chahal Lifetime Achievement Award.
ISMPP President Prof. S. S. Chahal and KU Department of Botany Head and convention convenor Prof. Aijaz Ahmad Wani also addressed the gathering. ISMPP Secretary Prof. Pokhar Rawal announced the society’s awards, including those for presidential and memorial lectures and presentation competitions.
The convention featured invited, memorial and contributed oral presentations, besides around 49 poster presentations by participants from various institutions. Awards were distributed across four oral presentation sessions, two poster presentation sessions and a special category.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Javid Ahmad Dar, Minister for Agriculture Production, Finance, Mining and Cooperatives in the Jammu and Kashmir Government.
In the oral presentation category, Dr Massarat Fatima of the University of Hyderabad secured first place in Session 1, followed by Bharat Raj Meena of ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, and Dr Somshetty Ravali of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University.
In Session 2, Dr Sajeena A. of Kerala Agricultural University won first place, while Mujtaba Abdullah Kumar of SKUAST-K, Shalimar, secured second place and Pardeep Kumar of ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi, finished third.
Zohra Shabir of ICAR-Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH) won first place in Session 3. Suhail Quyoom Wani of SKUAST-K secured second place, followed by Abhay Kumar Panday of TRA Research Association, NBRRDC.
In Session 4, Dr Adnan Shakeel of the Central University of Kashmir secured first place, while Kamran Muneer and Suhaib Shabir Bhat of SKUAST-K secured second and third positions, respectively.
In the poster presentation category, Subaya Manzoor of ICAR-CITH, Srinagar, secured first place in Session 1, followed by Bisma Majid of SKUAST-K and Ojasvini Thakur of Punjab Agricultural University.
In Session 2, Diksha Banal, Saira Banoo and Iram Iqbal, all from SKUAST-K, secured the first, second and third positions, respectively.
Syed Bazila Sameen received the special award for oral presentation, while Pulkit Mittal was presented the special award.
Earlier, Organising Secretary Prof. Mohd. Yaqub welcomed the participants and outlined the objectives of the convention. The proceedings were conducted by Prof. Anzar Khuroo, while Prof. Najeeb Mughal delivered the vote of thanks.
The organising committee, which included Co-convenor Abdul Hamid Wani and Co-organising Secretaries Dr Pokhar Rawal, Dr Mohmad Arief Zargar, Dr Sajad un Nabi and Prof. Mohd. Najeeb Mughal, thanked the participants and delegates for their contribution.
The organisers also acknowledged the participation of the Division of Plant Pathology, SKUAST-K, Wadura, in the successful conduct of the convention.
The event was sponsored by Teknocare Engineers, Next Gen Life Sciences, Frutech Agro Genetix, Unique Scientific, J&K Bank, Hazratbal, and the Jammu and Kashmir Science, Technology and Innovation Council.
