15 Feb 2012-17 Feb 2012|Noida | Amity University Campus, Sector-125 Noida
Amity Institute of Biotechnology organises International Conference on ‘Perspectives in Phyllosphere Biology’
A three day International Conference on ‘Perspectives in Phyllosphere Biology’ was inaugurated today by Dr. Karl. R. Matthews - Professor, Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, USA & Editor – Journal of Food Safety at Amity Campus, Sector-125, Noida
The three day long conference includes lectures by various renowned Professors and Researchers. The main aim of the conference is to discuss the important researches going on in the area of Phyllosphere Biology along with the importance and scope of the field.
Dr. Karl. R. Matthews presented his study on ‘Human pathogens ability to colonize plants: Induction of plant responses at molecular level’ Dr. Matthews stated that pathogens from human sources can easily get transferred to plant bodies, in turn infecting them. Various forms of pathogens, especially bacteria are found in humans, which gets transferred to plant surfaces and grow on them, making them unhealthy to consume in raw form . He emphatically revealed that there have been over 82 outbreaks of microbes recorded in green leafy vegetbles especially spinach, lettuce, tomatoes all over the world from 1996- 2008, thereby increasing the cases of food borne illnesses which accounts for over 21.9% of all illnesses. The incidences of various microbes especially Pseudomonas, Bacillus and Streptococcus detected in vegetbles grown in Delhi/ NCR is increasing due to increase in the consumption of imported foods and fruits and vegetbles. He advised consumers to pick up fruits and vegetbles without spots, which otherwise could lead to food poisoning “The outbreaks of microbes have risen by 12% from 1990-2007 owing to sharp increase in consumption of fruits and vegetbles and rising Global Trade. 10% of this contamination could be attributed to improper handling of the food stuff and 6% due to improper practices followed during growing, packaging and shipping of fruits and vegetbles”, averred Dr. Karl. R. Matthews.
Speaking during the occasion, Dr. Ashok .K. Chauhan -Founder President, Amity Group expressed his desire to increase the research works being carried out in the area of Phyllosphere Biology so that path breaking results could be achieved. Dr. Chauhan announced the formation of two new Societies in Amity- “ Society for Phyllosphere Biology” and “ Society for Microbial Ecology” which will initiate the research work in these important areas .
Topics such as ‘Elicitor says ’NO’ to pathogen by standing the side of host during molecular battles in the phyllosphere’ by Dr. Krishnendu Acharya and ‘Efficacy of phyllosphere microbes and bacterial endophytes against bacterial blight of cotton caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Malvacearum’ by Dr. Gayathri Subbiah, ‘Success, challenges and constraints of biological control phyllosphere’ by Dr. P.D. Sharma and other topics by Dr. Sapna Sharma, Dr. P. Malathi, Dr. P.K.Paul and Dr. V. Bhuvaneshwari were discussed.