Professor M. Krishnan, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Tiruvarur, honouring S. Karutha Pandian, Visiting Professor, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, in Madurai on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: G. MOORTHY
The two‑day international conference on “Microbial Innovations for Sustainable Agriculture and Medical Applications” began at the Madurai Kamaraj University on Tuesday with experts stressing that scientific research must directly benefit society, especially rural communities.
The hybrid event, organised by the Department of Microbial Technology, School of Biological Sciences, in association with the Mycological Society of India and the Microbiologist Society of India, drew around 400 participants, including scientists, faculty, students, and industry representatives from India and abroad.
In his inaugural address, Professor M. Krishnan, Vice‑Chancellor of the Central University of Tamil Nadu, said research funded by public money should translate into technologies and products that reached farmers and ordinary citizens. He urged young researchers to take up need‑based projects, protect the environment, and harness beneficial microbes for the welfare of humans and animals.
Dr. N. Thajuddin Pro Vice-Chancellor of B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, said India had achieved self‑sufficiency in food grain and was exporting agricultural products due to advances in biological and agricultural sciences. However, he warned that population growth and unchecked pollution were impeding progress towards developed‑nation status and called for cleaner, greener development. He listed pollution, malnutrition, energy shortages, and infectious diseases as major current threats, pointing out that vaccines and other biological interventions had saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A book of abstracts bearing the same title as the conference was released on the occasion. Senior academics from Crescent University, Alagappa University, the University of Madras, and Madurai Kamaraj University spoke.
Over the two days, the meet will feature plenary lectures, oral and poster presentations on bio‑fertilizers, bio‑pesticides, climate‑resilient agriculture, and medical applications of microbes, with selected papers to be published in Plant Science Today.
Published – December 16, 2025 10:28 pm IST
