Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 22: Prof Yash Pal Sharma, Dean, Faculty of Life Sciences and Rector, Udhampur Campus, University of Jammu, delivered a keynote lecture on “Insights into the Edible Mushrooms of the Cold Desert of Ladakh, India” at the international conference on “Plant Science: Today and Tomorrow,” which was organised by the Department of Botany, University of Calcutta.
Addressing a galaxy of research scientists, academics, and researchers from both India and outside, Prof Yash highlighted the current state of mushroom diversity worldwide and conservation initiatives in India, particularly in the Indian Himalayan Region of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. He emphasised the role that mountain ecosystems play in fostering the growth of wild mushrooms, stating that these areas are the hot spots of mushroom diversity, sustaining forest ecosystems as well as human ecosystems. “These mushrooms are incredibly involved in nutrient cycling, maintain soil health besides nourishing, offering proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to benefit the mountain communities and contribute significantly for food security,” informed Prof Sharma.
Prof Sharma he urged that in view of some recent reports on the rapid rate of plant and fungal species decline worldwide, policymakers and conservation organizations should include fungi in their goals for global biodiversity conservation and to designate the upcoming decade as the decade of fungal diversity, just as they have done for plants and animals.
More than 400 national and international delegates including Prof Yasuhiko Mukai (Osaka Kyoiku University, Japan), Dr Kaustav Ganguly (Karolinska Institute; Sweden), Prof Maki Yamamoto (Kansai University of Welfare Sciences, Japan), Prof A K Pandey (VC, Mansarovar Global University, Bhopal), Prof U C Lavania (INSA Sr Scientist, Lucknow), Prof Rakesh Maurya (CDRI, Lucknow), Prof Adinpunya Mitra (IIT, Kharagpur), Prof Rajech Tandon (University of Delhi), Prof Ranadhir Chakraborty, Prof Rajib Bandyopadhyay (North Bengal University), faculty and research scholars from various universities and the research institutes participated in the mega scientific event.
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