XXVI ANNUAL REPORT GOA UNIVERSITY

Department of Botany
Faculty
D. J. Bhat, Ph. D., Professor -- Mycology, Plant Pathology, Diversity of Fungi.
Prabhat K. Sharma, Ph. D., Professor & Head-- Plant Physiology and Biochemistry
M. K. Janarthanam, Ph. D., Professor -- Plant Taxonomy (Angiosperms).
B. F. Rodrigues, Ph. D., Professor -- Cytogenetics and Plant Breeding, Wasteland
Reclamation, Mycorrhizal Research, Medicinal Plants, Tissue Culture.
Vijaya U. Kerkar, Ph. D., Associate Professor – Algae, Pteridophytes.
S. Krishnan, Ph. D., Assistant Professor -- Plant Histochemistry, Tissue Culture, Molecular
Biology and Genetic Engineering.
Nandkumar M. Kamat, Ph. D., Assistant Professor -- Taxonomy and Biology of
Actinomycetes, Yeasts and Basidiomycetes, Environmental Education, Science
Popularisation.
Major Thrust Areas of Research and Achievements
Biodiversity, morphological and molecular systematic of Algae, Fungi, Pteridophytes and
Angiosperms and their bioprospecting; Inoculation production of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal
(AM) fungi; Biotechnological application of Actinomycetes and macrofungi;
Photosynthesis and productivity, Algal physiology and environmental impact assessment
on productivity; Rice grain quality evaluation and Micropropagation of in-situ
conservation of critically endangered and medicinal plants.
Goa University Fungus Culture Collection:
Activation of about 700 viable cultures, addition of 18 new cultures of aquatic
hyphomycetes, 20 mushroom cultures from terrestrial habitats, 40 halophilic cultures
from salt pans, 31 bacterial and 71 fungal cultures from plant defense organs.
Visiting Scholars
• Arati Ozarkar, University of Pune, Bioinformatics: Tools and Techniques, 15 th and
16 th October, 2010.
• M. Karthikeyan, NCL, Pune, Chemoinformatics: Tools and Techniques, 22 nd and
23 rd October, 2010.
• J. P. Khurana, University of Delhi, Genes controlling reproductive development and
abiotic stress tolerance in rice, 17 th March, 2011.
• Subhas Chandran, IISc Field Station, Kumta, Bearings of Ecological History on
Western Ghat Biodiversity Studies, 17 th March, 2011.
• S. Shishupala, Davanagere University, Davanagere, Bio-diversity assessment using
MALDI-TOF-MS, 17 th March, 2011.
• G. Bagyanarayana, Osmania University Hyderabad, Rusts of India: An Overview,
17 th March, 2011.
• K. Mohanan, Kerala Forest Res., Institute, Peechi, Macro-fungal Diversity in the
forests of Western Ghats, 17 th March, 2011.
37