Tea is second largest beverage after water and Pakistan imports tea with a huge cost of Rs 3,203 million in a year.This was stated by a speaker, Sahib Gul of Hazara University on the second day of international conference of plant scientists here at new senate hall of the university on Tuesday morning.
Gul told the audience that today per capita tea consumption is more than one kg. He said that in northern areas of the country, huge potential for tea cultivation is available, which needs due attention.
Presenting a paper on rice, another speaker Inam Ullah termed the rice as second largest human food after wheat and told that an average rice production is about 50 tons/ha and Pakistani Super Basmati is the variety with remarkable potential.
While presenting a paper on DNA based genetic variation for 'red rot' resistance in sugarcane, Miss AK Alvi revealed that about 29 to 38 percent sugarcane production is badly affected by 'red rot' diseases. She maintained that 'red rot' is not the local diseases but a significant ratio of sugarcane being cultivated in USA, India, China, and Taiwan is also affected by 'red rot'.
Earlier on the first day of the conference, chief guest of the inaugural session Professor Dr Muhammad Ashfaq acting VC UAF said that current era is full of multifaceted challenges confronting the human life demands integration of all disciplines of plant biology with unique and practicable ideas.
He termed the conference very timely and said that our soil, environment and human health is suffering from various hazards of pesticide residuals in agricultural plants. Dr Ashfaq said that the seekers of scientific and vocational excellence and efficient educators of youth are held in high esteem. He said that such interaction offers exciting opportunities to see and hear grand individuals and reputed specialists.
Pakistan Botanical Society, President and Dean Faculty of Sciences, Professor Dr Ashraf in his keynote address stressed that integrated and result oriented approach towards addressing the plant sciences would be the way forward as the disciplines such as agronomy, forestry, soil science, plant pathology, horticulture and biochemistry are very much co-related with plant biology.
He said that according to Word Health Organisation (WHO) about 25 percent of modern drugs in the US have been derived from plants and this potential area needs to be focused by the plant scientists in the region. Dr Ashraf maintained that although a number of new institutions/departments have emerged from the conventional botany department in different universities of the country, and this practice has brought about many advantages and disadvantages.
He said that while diverting to advanced fields, we are certainly weakening our conventional disciplines with a few exceptions. He urged the scientists to come forward and play their major role in conserving plant resources.Secretary/Treasurer of the Society, Dr Muhammad Yasin Ashraf thanked participants of the conference.