A significant international workshop titled ‘GIS for Plant Biodiversity and Resource Management’ took place on Wednesday at the State Horticulture University in Mulugu, Hyderabad. This event was designed to convene experts from around the globe to explore the latest advancements in geographic information systems (GIS) and their application to plant biodiversity.
The workshop served as a platform for discourse on how cutting-edge technologies can improve resource management and facilitate sustainable practices in horticulture. Dr Danda Raja Reddy, vice chancellor of the Horticultural University, presided over the event and underscored the importance of the Internet of Things (IoT) in future horticultural practices. He highlighted the role of remote sensing and GIS in the mapping of horticultural crops, stating, "The university will work on these in the near future.”
In a forward-looking statement, Dr Reddy noted that the future would see advancements in DNA fingerprinting and genome sequencing of essential vegetable, fruit, and medicinal plants in the horticulture sector. He elaborated on the integration of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning techniques for developing specific plant models, which are expected to significantly enhance data availability through GIS and remote sensing technologies.
Several distinguished experts contributed to the workshop, including Dr Takashi Watanabe from Kumamoto University, Japan. He, alongside Dr Raju Edla from the Vishnu Educational Development and Innovation Centre (VEDIC) in Hyderabad, shared insights from their research on Japanese flora, demonstrating the application of GIS in the exploration of global plant resources.
Other notable participants included Dr Yukio Nagano from Saga University, Japan, and researcher Ms Eranga Pavani Vitaran, who presented on the topic of "Disentangling phylogenetic relationships in citrus and its relatives with complete chloroplast genomes and conserved nuclear genomes." Dr Shyam Saran Shrestha from the Shraddha Institute of Health Sciences and president of the Himalayan Research and Development Centre in Nepal addressed the subject of bioprospecting medicinal plants across Nepal, Italy, and Japan, further enriching the workshop's discussions.
This event reflects a growing trend in the application of innovative technologies to enhance biodiversity conservation and resource management within the horticultural sector, with an emphasis on collaborative research and knowledge exchange among global experts.
Source: Noah Wire Services