The Centre for Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in Coimbatore conducted a short course on “Herbicide Resistance in Tolerant Crops and Weeds” from June 8 to 16, 2023. The course was led by renowned Fulbright scholar Prof. Mithila Jugulam from Kansas State University, USA. The course aimed to address the growing issue of herbicide resistance in crops and weeds, an important concern in agricultural practices.
The course, inaugurated on June 8, saw the participation of 42 selected faculty members and students from diverse backgrounds. Kokiladevi, Professor & Head of the Department of Plant Biotechnology, welcomed the participants, highlighting the significance of the topic. During the sessions, Prof. Mithila Jugulam delivered lectures in the morning, followed by practical sessions.
Various aspects related to herbicide resistance were covered during the course. The Department of Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics explained the role of bioinformatics in molecule discovery and the creation of herbicide-resistant crops. Bharathi from the Department of Soil Science outlined soil residue analysis and instrumentation, while Varanavasiappan from the Department of Plant Biotechnology discussed the use of cutting-edge biotechnological approaches like Gene-Editing.
The valedictory session held on June 16 was chaired by Raveendran, Director of Research at TNAU. Raveendran highlighted TNAU’s contribution to developing herbicide-resistant rice genotypes and encouraged scientists to form a consortium to identify crops in need of herbicide tolerance. He emphasized the importance of increasing crop productivity, especially in light of diminishing manpower. Rajagopal, Associate Professor (Biotech), presented the course report and participant feedback, while Raghu, Assistant Professor (Microbiology), delivered the vote of thanks.
