A team of researchers and students from School of Biotechnology, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra actively participated at the International Conference on Recent Advances in Plant and Environmental Sciences organized at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar by the Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences with support from RUSA 2.0. The Conference brought together leading academicians, researchers, and industry experts from India and abroad; to deliberate on emerging trends in plant sciences, environmental sustainability, and biotechnological innovations.
The SMVDU team from the Tissue Culture Lab, Biotechnology presented their ongoing research work carried out on selected native medicinal plants of the region. The team shared their recent progress in plant tissue culture, conservation methods, phytochemical studies and reports on novel and memory enhancing properties. The results on estimating and analysing key secondary endophytes carried out under the Research Project granted by Higher Education Department, J&K Govt. entitled: Establishment of Transdisciplinary Research and Innovation Hub (for Jammu Division Colleges), RP-127; which The project supports the research ecosystem in the region, enabling access to advanced resources, coordination across disciplines, and practical outcomes benefiting the higher education institutions in the Jammu Division. The experimental research at the Lab mainly focuses on selected medicinal plants known for their antidiabetic, hepatoprotective metabolites responsible for antidiabetic activity to better understand their therapeutic potential is one of the major finding from the team, besides being actively involved in in vitro regeneration, propagation and devising methods for enhancing the metabolites contents of these medicinal plants under controlled laboratory conditions. They are also exploring how the levels of key secondary metabolites get altered during in vitro growth under the influence of abiotic and biotic elicitors, helping to understand whether such techniques can be scaled up to commercial levels. The team is also conducting studies on molecular aspects of the plant samples collected from different regions of Jammu and Kashmir to explore their diversity and variation in range of metabolite production. Through this work, the team aims to enhance the medicinal value of these plants and promote their sustainable use for future healthcare applications creating an awareness among the local population for taking up cultivation of elite accessions as a source of continued economic income.
The scholars Mr. Abhishek Bokadiya and Ms. Nandita Sharma working under the guidance of Prof. Sharada M. Potukuchi, whose mentorship and academic leadership have been instrumental in advancing high-quality research in medicinal plant biotechnology at SMVDU made Oral Presentations. They were also accompanied Poster Presentations made by budding PG students – Ms. Palveen Kour, Ms. Madhu Sharma, Ms. Vishali and Mr. Vikas Taak (DBT supported student). The participants are deeply indebted to the encouragement and support provided by Prof. (Dr.) Pragati Kumar, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor SMVDU along with Dean, Faculty of Sciences and Head, School of Biotechnology who continuously facilitate research and innovation in areas like plant tissue culture and medicinal plant biotechnology, inspiring the team to present their work at such prestigious platforms. The opportunity is a source of inspiration to the team for striving towards achieving superior lab results and their interaction with eminent experts at the Conference opened up avenues to explore new concepts and techniques in their on-going experiments.
