Session III: Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

This theme focuses on the challenges root and tuber crops face from both biotic factors such as pests, pathogens, and weeds, and abiotic factors including drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and nutrient deficiencies. The sessions will explore innovative research, adaptive strategies, and technological advancements aimed at understanding and mitigating these stresses to improve crop resilience, productivity, and sustainability in the face of climate change and evolving agricultural demands with respect to root and tuber crops.

A. Plant Responses and Mechanisms Under Biotic and Abiotic Stress

• Emerging pests & diseases and pathogen / pest diversity
• Impact of changing climate on crop biotic (pests, diseases, nematodes and weeds) and abiotic stresses (drought, heat, salinity, alkalinity, flooding and water logging, cold and freezing and soil nutrient imbalance etc.)
• Molecular, physiological, and biochemical responses in plants to stress
• Signaling and cross-talk under multiple stresses

B. Advances in Omics and Molecular Tools

• Genomic and transcriptomic approaches for stress-related gene discovery
• Proteomics and metabolomics for stress-responsive pathways
• Marker-assisted breeding and QTL mapping for stress traits

C. Crop Improvement Strategies for Stress Resilience

• Development of biotic and abiotic stress-tolerant cultivars
• Pathogen evolution and challenge in varietal resistance
• Genome editing technologies (e.g., CRISPR/Cas) in stress tolerance
• Genetic resource utilization and pre-breeding under stress conditions
• Transgenic approaches for disease, pest, drought, salinity resistance etc

D. Eco-friendly Approaches for Stress Management

• Early diagnosis
• Role of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and other bio-agents in crop stress management
• Sustainable soil and nutrient management practices
• Agro-ecology based approaches for stress management
• Farmers perception and ITK in stress management

E. Climate Change, Smart Agriculture, and Policy Interventions

• Forecasting models and early warning of stress
• Application of AI and machine learning in monitoring biotic and abiotic stress
• Remote sensing, drones, and decision support systems in stress detection
• Socioeconomic and policy frameworks for managing risks due to stresses
• Public-private partnerships in stress management strategies
• Commercialization of plant protection products, problems and challenges
• Quarantine and bio-security