The Department of Plant Pathology at the GKVK
campus of the University of Agricultural Sciences,
Bangalore is offering various courses to different
undergraduate degree programmes and post graduate programmes
leading to master and doctoral degrees Programmes.
The department is offering advanced courses in biotechnology,
Immunology and serology, physiological plant pathology,
molecular Plant Pathology and advanced courses virology,
bacteriology and nematology. The faculty comprises of experts
in fields of virology, bacteriology, Nematology, seed pathology
and fungal pathology. The department is conducting research both
in basic and need based / problem oriented research pertaining
to the various facets of plant pathogens/plant diseases,
especially in the disease etiology, epidemiology, molecular diagnosis,
identification of races /strains and mapping their prevalence in Karanataka and India,
developing biochemical, molecular, and serological techniques for
detection of seed born bacteria, ecology and development of sustainable/ integrated
management practices with more comprises on biocontrol of plant pathogens apart from
conducting field days to demonstrate the technologies developed by the Department.
The department has received funds and technical assistance
from various international organizations such as Ford foundation, Rockfaller foundation, Pl.480
, UNDP/ICAR. The research grants are also received from the ICAR/ National Horticultural Board/National
Horticultural mission and State Plan grants, and also from the private seed companies. The department
has upgraded laboratory facilities in recent year with the funds provided by DST under FST programme.
The department has developed well equipment plant bacteriology teaching and research laboratories, which
is II nd of its kind in India. Further the department has started exclusive phytopathogenic bacterial
culture collection center and supplying cultures to the research institutes/colleges. The department
is also selling bio pesticides on commercial scales.
Four of the Ph.D students
have received the coveted Jawarahalal Nehru award for outstanding
PG research in Plant Pathology, instituted by Indian Council of Agricultural
Research, New Research New Delhi. The Department of Plant Pathology at GKVK is the
nodal center for co-coordinating and guiding the activities of Plant Health Clinics
and diseases forecasting Units, operation in the 10 centers in the University with
Dr.A.N.A. Khan, Professor & Head as the project leader.
The Department was headed by very
eminent Plant Pathology viz., Dr.H.C. Govindu (Mycologist), Dr.K.G.H. Setty, (Nematologist)
and Dr. V. Muniyappa (Virology), presently,
Dr. A.N.A. Khan, an eminent bacteriologist heading the department.
