Botany

About

I am very humbled to welcome the students who have opted Botany as one of their core subject for the four year undergraduate (FYUP) B.Sc. programme. Botany is a beautiful science dealing with the diversity of plants ranging from algae through bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms to angiosperms. The Department of Botany was established in 2017 and is housed on the first floor of the science block. The Department has two well equiped labs, HOD room, faculty room, lab assistant room, and a store room. The main thrust area of the department is to teach undergraduate students of botany. The teaching areas include; Plant Physiology, Cytogenetics & Plant Breeding, Plant Anatomy and Embryology, Cell and Molecular biology, Biodiversity, Plant Ecology and Taxonomy, Plant Pathology, Medicinal Botany, etc. The main goal of the department at present is to impart state of the art education and induce the attitude of skill development in the minds of new students. To inculcate skill development in students department has started skill courses like medicinal botany, preservation of fruits and vegetables, commercial medicinal and aromatic plant production. Department has also started offering Add On courses like Commercial mushroom cultivation, Traditional Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Kashmir from last few years. By introducing such courses the main aim of the department is to produce entrepreneurs out of the students, so that they may not become merely employees but employers in future. The number of students enrolled in the department in different semesters is 5th semester (47 Core +55 skill), 4th semester (90), 2nd semester (37 (Major Minor and 67 in the skill course (MAP 222S). The scope of botany as a subject is enormous and after successfully completing the programme the student can become a plant explorer, Conservationist, Ecologist, Environment consultant, Horticulturist, Plant biochemist, Molecular biologist etc. I want to convey the students that the department has a dedicated faculty with strong research background. I advise students to opt for Botany as one of the subjects so as to get knowledge about the huge plant wealth of the region in particular and country in general and contribute towards conservation of flora which will benefit the whole mankind/society.

Vision

Our vision is continued well-being of the girl students through excellence in botanical studies, exploration, conservation and sustainable utilization of the plants.

Mission:

Our mission is to foster an environment of excellence by attracting and supporting the outstanding students, strive hard to impart internationally benchmarked education to students with focus for sustainable management and utilization of our natural resources for the regional development.

Courses Offered:-

Name of the Course	Course Code	Course Type	Semester

BOTANY-1: BIODIVERSITY (MICROBES, ALGAE, FUNGI AND ARCHEGONIATE)	BOT122J	core	1st (NEP-2020)
BOTANY – 2: ANATOMY OF ANGIOSPERMS	BOT222J	core	2nd (NEP-2020)
COMMERCIAL MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS-I: BASICS OF PLANT PRODUCTION IN MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS	MAP122S	Skill	1st (NEP-2020)
COMMERCIAL MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS-II: ROLE OF MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS IN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM	MAP 222 S	Skill	2nd Sem (NEP 2020)
BOTANY - CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY	BOT516DA		5TH (CBCS)
BOTANY: ECONOMIC BOTANY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY	BOT616DA		6TH (CBCS)
PRESERVATION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES	PFV517		5TH (CBCS)

Faculty Profile

1. Dr. Umar Farooq
M.Sc. Botany	University of Kashmir
Ph.D Botany	Punjabi University, Patiala
Email id	darumer786@gmail.com
Mobile	8825031534
Number of research publications:	18
Number of Conferences/seminars/webinars attended:	15
Number of M.Sc. Dissertations Guided	: 02
Number of Workshops/Trainings Attended	: 08
Member of Academic Bodies	: 3
Total impact factor:	20.45
Number of citations:	201
2. Dr Bilal Ahmad
M.Sc Botany	Aligarh Muslim University
Ph.D Botany	Aligarh Muslim University
Number of publications	32
Total impact factor	50
Exams Passed	CSIR NET
Email	Bilalbhat712@gmail.com
Mobile	6005378397

Student Learning Outcomes for the Botany Programme

CORE –I: BOTANY-1: BIODIVERSITY (MICROBES, ALGAE, FUNGI AND ARCHEGONIATE	The students will be able to study the diversity of life on earth and to compare and contrast the characteristics of plants, algae, fungi, viruses and bacteria. Students will be able to understand the morphological diversity in algae, fungi, bryophytes and pteridophytes and also their economic importance
CORE –Plant Ecology and Taxonomy	At the end of the course students will be able to understand the ecological interactions of life on earth. Also they will learn about population, community, ecosystem, food chain, food web, nutrient cycling and flow of energy and nutrients in the ecosystem. After learning the ecological concepts the students will develop the ability to apply ecological knowledge to manage and remediate environmental problems. After going through plant taxonomy students are able to identify, interpret and classify different plants. Students become familiar with different plant families of angiosperms. Students also become aware about herbarium preparations. Herbarium techniques give knowledge to help the identification of plants.
CORE – Plant Anatomy and Embryology	The course of Embryology provides information to students from development of embryo to mature seed and finally the mature plant. Different aspects of pollination are also discussed with the students. Students learn about the structure and properties of different plant tissues and the anatomy of dicot and monocot plants viz. root, stem and leaf. Moreover the students learn the comparative anatomy of hydrophytes, xerophytes and mesophytes.
CORE- IV-Plant Physiology	On completion of the course, students are able to learn and understand about mineral nutrition in plants. Understand the growth and developmental processes in plants. Know about important physiological processes like photosynthesis, respiration, seed germination, vernalization and photoperiodism in plants. Understand the mechanism of water uptake through xylem and translocation of solutes through phloem in vascular plants Know the nitrogen metabolism and its importance.
Cell and Molecular Biology:	Students will learn about structure and function of different cell organelles. Understand the structure and function of nucleic acids including DNA and RNA. Students gain knowledge about tools & technique of recombinant DNA technology, genetic engineering, plant tissue culture and their importance.
Economic Botany and Biotechnology:	Economic botany gives knowledge about economic importance and utilization of different plants in particular medicinal and aromatic plants
Genetics and Plant Breeding:	Students will be able to understand the role of plant breeding for the survival of human beings from starvation and will study various techniques of production of new and improved crop verities. Knowledge about modern strategies applied in Plant Breeding for crop improvement i.e. Mass selection, Pureline Selection and Clonal selection. Students will get aware about exploitation of Heterosis, hybrid and variety development and their release through artificial hybridization.
Skill Commercial Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Production	At the end of the course students will learn about the botany, cultivation, chemical constituents and parts used of different medicinal plants. Also the use of different medicinal plants against different diseases and ailments. Students will be counselled to use the medicinal botany as a skill enhancement tool by using scientific guidelines and principles.
Skill PRESERVATION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES	Students will learn about Nutritional importance of fruits and vegetables and the causes of their spoilage. How to preserve fruits and vegetables and how to prepare different products of fruit like Preparation of fruit candy, chutney, sauces and ketchups; Tomato products-Juice, paste, puree, sauce/ketchup, cocktail; Preparation of jam, jellies, Marmalades (Apple, plum, peach). They will be also acquainted with the drying and dehydration of vegetables, packing and storage of fruits and vegetables. Also students will learn about the requirements for a small scale fruit and vegetable based processing plant.

Ad On Courses Traditional Medicinal and Spice Plants in Kashmir	To acquaint the students with the diversity of local medicinal plants, propagation, traditional medicinal importance, active constituents, essential oils, harvesting and quality improvement methods.
Commercial Mushroom Cultivation	Understand the process and steps involved in Mushroom production, various methods of culture media, spawn and compost preparation. Evaluate the importance of different types of Mushrooms and their cultivation. Analyze the economics of Mushroom Cultivation Apply the knowledge of Mushroom Cultivation and initiate a start-up.