Research Scholars from the School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Mr. Shanu Magotra and Ms. Sakshi Sharma, visited Department of Plant-Microbe Interactions, University of Bremen, Germany for one month under the Indo-German Joint research collaboration sponsored by    German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Germany and Ministry of Science and Technology, Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India. 

The project is in collaboration between Prof. Jyoti Vakhlu, Director School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu and Prof. Barbara Hurek, Head Department of Plant-Microbe interaction, University of Bremen, Germany. The basic aim of the program is to strengthen the collaboration between Indian and German research institutes, which are working on similar/complimentary scientific project. Prof Barbara Hurek and Thomas Hurek had also visited the University of Jammu in connection with this project in August 2017 and interacted with Prof. R. D. Sharma, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu with regard to the role of Research and Higher Education in growing economies.

The main aim of the project is to study the plant-microbe interaction in Saffron, which is also called as “Red Gold” and is an economically important crop of J&K State. According to J&K State Agriculture Department, the production has declined from 15.95 MTs in 1997 to 9.6 MTs in 2015 due to the corm rot disease caused by fungal pathogen. Students worked under the supervision of Prof. Barbara Hurek who has vast experience in the field of plant-microbe interaction from the last 30 years. This study will help to develop sustainable disease management system against the corm rot causing pathogen for better and disease free saffron cultivation in the state.