National symposium on plant protection commences at SKUAST-K

Srinagar, Aug 28: A three-day national symposium on ‘Multidisciplinary Perspectives for Pest and Disease Management in Sustainable Crop Production’ organised by the Division of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K) commenced on Wednesday.

A statement of SKUAST-K issued here said that the event was held in collaboration with the Society of Plant Protection Sciences, New Delhi, and the Association of Plant Pathologists, Department of Plant Pathology, P D K V, Akola, Maharashtra.

The event, sponsored by Dhanuka Agritech Limited, Godrej Agrovet, Mahindra Summit, Bharat Certis, Agrisense, JU Agri Sciences, and Era’s Lucknow Medical College and Hospital, is aimed to bring together experts from various disciplines of plant protection to foster sustainable practices in managing pests and diseases in agricultural and horticultural crops.

Vice Chancellor SKUAST-K Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai was the chief guest on the occasion.

Director Extension and Education SKUAST-K, Prof Dil M Makhdoomi; Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, SKUAST-K, Raihana Habib Kanth, Secretary of the Association of Plant Pathologists and Director at PDKV, Akola; R M Gade, Principal Secretary and Head of the Division of Crop Protection, ICAR-IISR, Lucknow, Dinesh Singh; President of Dhanuka Agritech Limited Ajeet Tomar, and Associate Director of Research at SKUAST-K, Prof Arshad Mughal also spoke on the occasion.

The speakers recognised the efforts of the Head of the Division of Plant Pathology Ali Anwar as a driving force behind organising this event and prayed for his speedy recovery from injuries sustained during a tragic road accident two days ago.

Vice Chancellor SKUAST-K, Prof Ganai stressed the need to integrate artificial intelligence, data sciences, and other new-age sciences to supplement the multidisciplinary approach towards insect pest and disease management.

He said that SKUAST-K had already put in place the necessary wherewithal for integrating new-age technologies with agriculture, particularly concerning plant protection.

The event featured the release of a book, a manual, and a souvenir that was highly appreciated by the Vice Chancellor.

T A Wani, a professor of Plant Pathology welcomed the guest and an assistant professor of Plant Pathology, Asha Nabi proposed the vote of thanks.