1st National Genetics Congress (NGC) held at I.A.R.I Pusa

The Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding (ISGPB) will be organizing a series of Genetics Congress for the geneticists and breeders of India from 14 to 16 December 2018 at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. It’s a three-day programme organized under the following sessions in keeping with the theme of the Congress.  

With the improvement of economic condition of the people and awareness of good health, the quality, taste and nutritional status of the harvests have taken the fore front. The success of genetics in these spheres is remarkable. Although its application in human welfare and breeding has manifested in terms of “Green Revolution” and “Blue Revolution” etc. which have saved millions of people from starving and eventual deaths, yet it is a daunting task for the geneticists to enhance agriculture output quantitatively and qualitatively with limited land, water and other resources by causing the least damage to the fragile environment so as to feed billions of people across the globe. 

The basic and prime purpose of the congress is to offer a platform for the geneticists and breeders to interact and ponder over the spectacular achievements made so far and to aptly design future research outlines to meet the impending challenges. After rediscovery of Mendelian principles (1900 AD), genetics has been applied to manipulate different organisms to perform in desired and targeted direction of higher production and enhanced quality.  

Therefore, it is the need of the hour to chalk out a well-designed strategic plan and execute expeditiously to achieve the desired goal of sustainable crop, animal and fish production and balanced nutrition. Although, the basic principles of genetics are the same, yet their applications and achievements are different in various fields of biology where genetics is applied. It is therefore desirous for the geneticists dealing in plant, animal, microbes as well as human being to share experiences, deliberate and to prepare a frame work document on intelligent application of genetics for making agriculture not only economical but also profitable and friendlier to the nature. Focusing on emerging challenges and new frontiers in genetics, the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding has decided to organize a National Genetics Congress on the theme “Genetics for Sustainable Food Security, Health and Nutrition” to address the current and future problems and formulate a scientific plan covering major areas of research to harness the scientific benefits in the interest of the larger masses of the entire nation. 

The scientific programme consisted of Lead lectures, invited talks and oral/poster presentations on recent advances and highlighting new challenges the three-day programme organized under the following sessions in keeping with the theme of the Congress.  

Tentative themes and sub-themes of the Congress are as follows

• Session I: Comprehending and harnessing biological diversity. 

• Session II: Breeding climate resilient crops: Approaches and challenges  Abiotic stress tolerance, genetics and physiology 

• Session III: Breeding for input use efficiency and nutritional enhancement 

• Session IV: Genetics of nutrition:  Biofortification 

• Session V: Methods and techniques in genetics:  Statistical and biometrical techniques 

• Session VI: Advances in genomics  

• Session V II: New Frontiers in Accelerating Plant Breeding  Speed and precision Breeding 

• Session VIII: Genetics and Society Patenting of genes and ethical issues