National Symposium on Omics in Plant Biology Organised

22 May 2025, Kozhikode

ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode, in collaboration with its Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics (BIG) Facility, successfully organized the National Symposium on Recent Trends in Omics in Plant Biology from May 20–22, 2025, as part of the institute’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.

The symposium began with a Pre-Symposium Workshop on May 20, focused on hands-on training in transcriptomics, genome-wide association studies, metagenomics, and machine learning using platforms like Galaxy, R, and Python. Designed for early-career scientists and students, the workshop emphasized the growing demand for bioinformatics skills in agricultural research.

The symposium was formally inaugurated by Dr. Sanjay Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General (Horticultural Science), ICAR, stressed the transformative potential of omics technologies in horticultural science and called for enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration.

Dr. Sudhakar Pandey, Assistant Director General (FVS & MP), ICAR, highlighted ICAR’s support for multi-omics research. 

Dr. R. Dinesh, Director, ICAR-IISR, delivered the Presidential Address, underlining the importance of integrative omics in spice crop improvement. 

Three technical sessions were conducted during the symposium:

• Innovations in Genomics, Genome Editing, Horti-Informatics, and Artificial Intelligence

• Omics Meets Computational Biology

• Proteomics, Metabolomics, and Nutrigenomics in Plant Science

The symposium featured keynote lectures and lead talks from eminent scientists representing leading institutions, including NIPGR, ICAR-IASRI, ICAR-IIRR, IIIT, ICAR-IARI, ICAR-NIPB, ICAR-IIMR, KAU, VIT, and others. An Industry Spotlight Session provided a platform for companies to showcase innovations in sequencing and bioinformatics technologies.

The event brought together over 70 participants, including scientists, academicians, students, and industry professionals from across India, to deliberate on the latest advancements and applications of omics technologies in plant sciences.

(Source: ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode)