Jalandhar, December 10, 2013: Ph.D. student Gurmeen Rakhra working with Dr. Arun Dev Sharma, HOD Department of Biotechnology, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar presented their lab research findings as a research paper in this 7th annual convention of ABAP and international conference being held at Department of Genetics, University of Delhi from pervious day.
Dr. Sharma mentioned that about 500 scholars across the India and world presented their findings in the conference. Dr. Sharma and his team, consisting of 2 Ph.D. students and 3 M.Sc. project students, are constantly working in the area of plant stress biotechnology from last 10 years. His team is working in the area to find some of drought-responsive genes which impart drought stress tolerance. At present water scarcity is the major problem worldwide and constant efforts are being made by the biotechnologists to find out some candidate gens which can provide drought resistance in high yielding drought susceptible cultivars. Added to his research Dr Sharma said that his lab has published various research papers in the journals of international repute. Already Dr Sharma’s lab has presented research findings in the various countries like USA, Poland, Rome and China in the last 8 years. He has been awarded research projects by DST and UGC Govt. of India. Earlier studies carried out in Dr Sharma’s lab indicated that not only drought-responsive genes but PPI-ases (protein folding enzymes) also helps plants to maintain their growth under water drought conditions. These PPIases are also the enzymes which help in plants during protein folding in cells. In human body also these enzymes are present which helps to main body growth under higher temperature conditions, particularly in hot summer. Sharma said that proteins were not only expressed under drought but also under cold and flood stresses. This combined environment generally we can see in farmer’s fields during summer season when temperature of environment goes higher followed by depletion on ground water level. Lastly Sharma said that further studies are in progress to make transgenic plants having the P-ases gene using transgenic approaches. Once the plants will be ready, it will be boon for the farmers. President Balbir Kaur and Principal Dr. G.S. Samra ensured Dr. Sharma constant support in every way to gain heights in the area of biotechnology./jalandhar news, jalandhar current news, jalandhar news live, jalandhar breaking news, jalandhar headlines, jalandhar latest news, india news, punjab news