Plant Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge for Food Security

With exponentially increasing population across the globe and shrinking resources, the concern of food security is looming large over the world community. To catch up with the fierce pace of growth in all the sectors of development, ensuring uninhibited availability of food resources is a prime agenda. The growing global demand for food, feed, fiber and bio-based renewable materials, such as bio-fuels, is changing the conditions for genetic resources development and bio-resource production worldwide.

The crucial role in ensuring food security is played by the agro-based industries and enterprises. Advances in plant genetic resources coupled with traditional knowledge of the local tribes and native practices facilitate achievement of food security.

Dr. Romesh Kumar Salgotra is currently working as associate professor cum coordinator in School of Biotechnology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu, India.          

Few of his important selective publications are:    

1. Salgotra, R. K., Gupta, B. B. and Stewart, C. N. (2014). From genomics to functional markers in the era of next-generation sequencing. Biotechnology Letter 36(3): 417–426.     

2. Mehraj-Ud-Din, Salgotra, R.K. and Gupta, B. B. (2013). Interaction of Restorer Genes in ‘WA’-type Cytoplasmic Male Sterility System in Rice (Oryza sativa L.). Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett. 36(3):259–264.      

3. Salgotra, R. K., Gupta, B. B. and Ahmed, M. I. (2012). Characterization of thermo-sensitive genic male sterility (TGMS) rice genotypes (Oryza sativa L.) at different altitudes. Australian Journal of Crop Science 6(6):957-962.   

Dr. Bharat Bhushan Gupta is currently working as professor and registrar at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Jammu, India.  

His research publications are:

1. Bijral, J.S., Singh, B., Kanwal, K.S, Gupta, B.B. and Sharma, T.R. (1990). A new hybrid between Aegilops and Secale. Current Science. 59: 520.

2. Bijral, J.S., Gupta, B.B., Singh, B., Sharma, T. R., Kanwal, K.S. and Gupta, S.C. (1990). Hybrid necrosis in wheat. Indian J. Genet. 5: 189-191.

4. Bijral, J. S., Kanwal, K.S., Gupta, B.B., Singh, Bikram. and Sharma, T. R. (1990). Effect of gib

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