There is a dire need to incorporate the emerging disciplines such as genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and nano-biology etc in the curriculum of all the Botany departments of the country so that well trained and galvanised manpower could be provided to the country.
This was stated by Professor Muhammad Ashraf, President, Pakistan Botanical Society, Dean, Faculty of Science, UAF while presenting the recommendations of international conference of Plant Scientists during the concluding ceremony of the conference here at old senate hall of the university.
Referring to the UN climate report, Dr Ashraf said that Himalayan glaciers that are the main dry-season water sources of Asia's biggest rivers - Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Yangtze, Mekong, Salween and Yellow - could disappear by 2035 due to the temperatures rise.
Approximately, 2.4 billion people live in the drainage basin of the Himalayan rivers and countries like India, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar could experience floods followed by severe droughts in coming decades.
Thus, it is obligatory for plant scientists to devise some potential policies to counteract such a natural disaster. By adopting these technologies, the universities and research institutes can help the country to come out of the situation of food scarcity and achieve food self sufficiency and food surplus.
Dr Muhammad Ashraf added that increased farming for use in biofuels, global population growth, climate change, loss of agricultural land to residential and industrial development, and growing consumer demand in some largest countries like China and India have been the major factors of food insecurity at a global level.
Food security has become more intensified in our country. The plant scientists should gear up their efforts to resolve this problem at least at the country level. He stressed upon improving the quality and impact factor of Pakistan Journal of Botany.
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