Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana successfully concluded the National Symposium on “Frontiers in Plant Health Management: Integrating Research, Technology and Sustainability,” held from 18–20 November 2025. Jointly organized by the Indian Society of Plant Pathologists (INSOPP), the Indian Phytopathological Society (IPS) and ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, the symposium brought together the country’s leading experts in the field of plant protection and set the stage for high-level scientific deliberations on emerging challenges and future directions in plant health management.
The three-day scientific event witnessed a remarkable level of participation of scientists, students, industry leaders and progressive farmers. The event saw an exceptional scientific response with participation from more than forty renowned speakers all over the country representing premier ICAR institutes, State Agricultural Universities, research laboratories and Agri-tech organizations. Their lectures and discussions covered a broad spectrum of contemporary themes including plant disease epidemiology under climate variability, pathogen genomics, artificial intelligence-driven diagnostics, bio-nanotechnology, remote sensing applications in plant health surveillance, technology-enabled crop disease management strategies. Additionally, over one hundred poster presentations highlighted innovative research findings and emerging breakthroughs by young scientists and postgraduate scholars from across the country, adding vibrancy and depth to the scientific discourse.
A major attraction of the symposium was the conferring of distinguished awards recognizing outstanding contributions in plant pathology. Among the honours presented were the Dr. N.K. Patel Memorial Young Scientist Award, Prof. M.J. Narasimhan Academic Award, APS Travel Sponsorship Award, Dr. S.S. Kang Best Ph.D. Thesis Award, Dr. S.S. Chahal Best Master’s Thesis Award and the Dr. T.S. Thind Distinguished Plant Pathologist Award. The enthusiastic participation of early-career researchers in these competitive categories underscored the strong scientific talent pipeline in the country.
PAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr. S.S. Gosal, congratulated the organizers for the seamless conduct of the event and praised the scientific community for their proactive engagement. He highlighted that the symposium aligns closely with the national priorities of climate-resilient agriculture, digital transformation in crop health surveillance, and innovation-driven disease mitigation strategies. He also expressed satisfaction that PAU continues to play a leadership role in AI-based decision support, precision diagnostics and sustainable crop health management technologies.
The symposium concluded with a collective resolution to strengthen national networking, multi-institutional research collaborations and translational outreach for the benefit of farmers and the environment. Participants expressed confidence that the discussions and outcomes of the symposium would significantly contribute to shaping India’s future roadmap for plant health research, capacity building and ecosystem sustainability.