Quick Links
Department of Botany
The Department was established in the year 1961 under the leadership of Prof. S.P. Sen, F.N.A. It started with a limited number of students as a small centre for Graduate (Honours) & Post Graduate studies and research in Botany. But soon it developed into a centre of academic excellence and earned a prominent place in the academic map in India,
which was evident from the facts that the UGC selected the Department for funding in the (i) Departmental Research Support (DRS) Programme with Plant Molecular Biology as the thrust area for the tenure 1978-1984, (ii) the Special Assistance Programme-I (SAP-I), with a thrust area on Developmental Botany, Molecular Taxonomy, Molecular Genetics and Molecular Plant Pathology for the tenure 1985-1990 and (iii) the Special Assistance Programme-II (SAP-II), with Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology as the thrust area for the tenure 1991-1996. The department also earned the privilege of being selected for the UGC-COSIST Programme (1996-2000) for developing its infrastructure and research. In addition, the DBT, Govt. of India selected the Department as a centre for improving standards of teaching and imparting training in Microbiology for a period between 1995-1998. The Department is still maintaining its reputation as a centre with high standard in teaching and research.
Head of the Department
Dr.Sankar Narayan Sinha
Departmental Phone No.
(033) 2582 8378 ,25829356 (Ext. 317-320)
Departmental E-mail Address
bot61_ku@yahoo.co.in
Degree and Course Offered
M.Sc. in 'Botany'- a two-year post-graduate degree.
Specialisations
- Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (Biochemistry and Plant Molecular Biology: Advanced Plant Physiology),
- Cytogenetics & Plant Breeding (Cytogenetics & Plant Biotechnology; Plant Breeding and Biostatistics);
- Mycology and Plant Pathology (Advanced Mycology; Molecular Plant Pathology);
- Pteridology & Paleobotany (Palaeobotany; Reproductive Biology of Pteriodophytes),
- Taxonomy of Angiosperms (Taxonomy of Angiosperms; Biosystematics).
- Microbiology (Environmental Microbiology; Microbial Genetics)
Intake Capacity : 45 students
UGC Refresher Course
7 Refresher courses have been organized by the department till date.
Infra-structural Facilities
Special Equipments
- ELISA - Reader (Denley - WeScan)
- Gas Liquid Chromagram (HP-Series II)
- Ultracentifuge (Beckman)
- Fluroscence Microscope (Olympus)
- Phase Contrast Microscopes (Leitz Laburlax - S & Kruss)
- UV-VIS Spectrophotometer (Shimadzu)
- PCR System (Perkin Elmer)
- Lyophiliser (Heto-Holten) ,Elisa Reader-Denley We-Scan
- Growth Cabinet,Gel Doc System-Ultralum
- Orbital Incubator (Stuart Scientific),Thermo Cycler-gene Amp-Parkin Elmer,Refrigerated Centrifuge REMI, Refrigerated centrifuge J2HS Beckman, Laminar Air Flow Cabinet.
Microscope
a) Leitze Laborlux -S with Phase Contrast
b) Olympus - Fluorescence
c) Kruss – Phase Contrast
Digital Imaging & Analysis System – Ultra cam
LCD projector - 3M
Growth Chamber – SICO
Deep Fridge ( -200C) - Cam Lab ( -400C) - 280 it Densia.
- The Department has Computational facility.
- The Departmental library has 3500 text books and.
Journals in different disciplines on Plant Sciences.
Research Interests of the Department
- Total Number of Scholarships (URS) : 8
- Total number of Ph.Ds awarded : 168 (from 1961 - 2003)
Reseach activities :
- Survival and ecology of soil microbes including their biotic interactions under different soil conditions.
- Isolation. Characterization and utilisation of PGPR from vegetable rhizospheric soil.
- Phytochemistry and bioactive evaluation of natural products in relation to their anti-tumour, antifungal and antibacterial properties.
- Biology, epidemiology and ecology of some major fungal diseases and their biological control.
- Management of plant diseases through systemic acquired resistance and its molecular basis.
- Use of mycorrhiza for plant growth improvement and amelioration of pesticide degraded soil, post harvest fungal associations of fungi of perishables and its management.
- Study of floristic diversity, taxonomic revision, Anatomy, Medicinal Plants, Ethnobotany.
- Development of somaclonal variants to abiotic stress, Micropropagation of floricultural. aromatic and medicinal plants.
- Germplasm analysis of medicinal and aromatic plants using molecular marker. Genetic transformation of rice.
- Cytogenetics of male sterility. Cytogenetics of mutagenesis of crop and ornamental plants. Induced mutagenesis of polyploidy. Interspecific hybridisation. Trisomic analysis.
- Genetic restructuring through diallele cross and combining ability analysis, in vitro regeneration, desired lines.
- Cytogenetical effects of detergents on plant and animal system, in vivo and in vitro, with special reference to cancer.
- Reproductive Biology of ferns; Effect of heavy metal pollution on fern gametophytes and their importance as bioremediator; Diversity and ecology of ferns, Palynology, Palynology in hydrocarbon exploration, Biostratigraphy, Palynotaxonomy and Biodiversity, Ecology and environment, Paleofloristics.
Collaborative Research Organizations :
Botanical Survey of India (Kolkata), Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (Mohanpur), Central Institute of Agriculture (Port Blair, I.C.A.R.), Central Sericulture Institute (Berhampore), National Botanical Research Institute (Lucknow, CSIR) & Bose Institute (Kolkata), Central Research Institute for Jute & Allied Fibres (ICAR) Barrackpore.
Ongoing Research Project of the Department :
- "Evaluation of Neem Germplasms of different Agro-Climatic Regions of Eastern India for Potential Use as Biocide against Phyto-Pathogenic Microbes" funded by NABARD
Principal Investigator : Prof. Amal K Biswas - "Exploitation of growth prompting substances of Lantana camara for improvement in yield and other characters of some important crops" funded by UGC
Principal Investigator : Prof. Sujata Chaudhuri - "Qualitative and quantitative improvement of jute plant by physical treatment" funded by DST & NES, Govt. of West Bengal.
Principal Investigator : Prof. G.G. Maiti
Organisation of Schools / Centres
- The Department is the nodal centre for the M.Sc. course in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.
- The Department is one of the participating units in conducting the M.Sc. Course in Microbiology.
Consultancy Services
The teachers of the department extend non-remunerative consultancy services at a personal level to biotech industries, Environmental Microbiological units, Plant Pathological units and help in identification of plant materials.
Seminars / Conferences organised in last 5 years
- Seminar on Bioreactors and its application in Somatic Embryo-genesis - 2002
- Seminar on Achievements in Medical Plant Research - 2001
- Seminar on PCR techniques - 1999
Alumni
The Department has an active Alumni Association.
Please Click Above.
Professors
• Dr. (Ms.) Tuhinshri Sen
• Dr. A.K. Biswas
• Dr. (Ms.) Sima Bhattacharya
• Dr. P.D. Ghosh
• Dr. (Ms.) Sujata Chaudhuri
• Dr. C. Sengupta
• Dr. S.K. Mukherjee
Readers
• Dr. (Ms.) Bharati Nandi
• Dr. G.G. Maiti
• Dr. (Ms.) P. Chatterjee
• Dr. Animesh Kumar. Datta
Senior Lecturer
• Dr. Samir Kumar Mukherjee
Lecturers
Dr. Malay Kumar Adak,
Dr. Sankar Narayan sinha