psychological/academic needs. This creates an This kick-off meeting would provide a NATIONAL CONFERENCE informal, close knit, friendly and supportive platform to exchange ideas in the field of plant-insect on environment to encourages hard work and academic biology between various research groups and to st “Insect-Plant Biology in 21 achievement. promote collaborative research among them. Aims/Objectives- Century” About the National Conference: “Insect- Organized by Plant Biology in 21st Century” The key objective of this conference is to Department of Zoology provide an opportunity to young researchers, Deshbandhu College Introduction: proficient teaching faculties and University of Delhi, New Delhi-110019 scientists/academicians to interact and share their Insect-Plant Interactions are crucial for ideas. With this conference, we hope to encourage (UGC Sponsored) maintaining terrestrial biodiversity. Therefore, interdisciplinary discussions in the field of insect- understanding of these ecological interactions is plant sciences, enhance communication and stimulate Venue: Deshbandhu College Auditorium fundamental to biology as it provides insights of future collaborations. Talks during the conference Dates: 4-5 November, 2019 both, antagonistic and mutualistic interactions will emphasis on ecological, molecular, between plants and insects. How plants and insects physiological, biochemical and evolutionary interact in ecological settings? How do they perspectives of plant-insect interactions. Insect-plant About the Deshbandhu College: specifically tailor the molecular response of each biology reveals the greatly elaborated antagonistic as DESHBANDHU COLLEGE was established in the year other? How does this dynamic system changes well as mutualistic interactions evolved during long 1952 by the Ministry of Rehabilitation, in the memory of spatially and temporally? Do these ecological co-evolutionary history of millions of years. It Late Lala Deshbandhu Gupta - a veteran freedom interactions vary with changes in geographic includes a vast array of organisms sharing various fighter. The college made a humble beginning with just gradients such global warming and climate change? types of interactions. It is a very fascinating and ever- 72 students and the courses like Prep(arts), Prep(science) Answers to these questions are very crucial to expanding field. Antagonistic interactions involves and Pre-medical. The college was transferred to ministry understand and maintain ecological organization and herbivory, including vast group of phytophagous of education and later taken over by the University of to utilize this knowledge for serving human needs. insects belonging to different feeding guilds i.e. sap Delhi. suckers, leaf chewers, seed predators, gall inducers Guided by the mantra "Karmanyevadhikaraste" - our Insect-Plant Biology is a very vast and and leaf miners. Phytophagy comprises motto, the college continues to grow both in size and dynamic field. Most of the Conferences/ approximately 43% of all insects, majorly from the stature. Seminar/Symposia/Workshops organized in this field order Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, The college promotes organization of seminars, lectures, were either emphasizing on plant or insect. Very few Orthoptera and Hymenoptera. Approximately 20- workshops, sports activities, N.S.S., N.C.C. and other conferences focused on both plant and insect together 40% of crop yield is lost to pests and diseases. As our co-curricular activities. Deshbandhu College has an and emphasized on integrating them together as demand for food is going to increase in future due to active Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), as a plant-insect interactions. For effective understanding growing population, new sustainable crop mechanism to build and ensure a quality culture at the of ecological systems they have to be integrated and improvement strategies must be explored. Improved college level. The College is well-equipped with all their findings have to be discussed in ecological agricultural production couldn’t be achieved without infra-structural/academic support that a student requires. settings. The main motive of our conference is to gel automation and biotechnological innovations. Insect The College and the faculty offer a holistic environment both plant and insect system together from ecological and plants are also involved in various mutualistic to the student and gives preference to their perspective. interactions. They are the most investigated insect-plant biology. Such intellectual interaction will The corresponding author is responsible for the interactions from various perspectives. First, it helped also promote research temperament among young abstract content. This author is the contact in plant evolution by reproducing various vascular investigators. It will create awareness among the person for submission and communication plants using mutualistic insects. Second, it sheds light participants regarding latest developments in various purposes and is also responsible for on evolution of plant traits and their mating system. fields of insect-plant biology. It will also promote disseminating information related to the Third, it has been involved in configuring scientific reading habits and library culture among abstract to the co-authors. If accepted, the abstract will be included in the abstract book of evolutionary diversification of certain groups of the participants by disseminating scientific and the conference proceedings. plants. Lastly, plant–insect mutualisms particularly technical information relevant to their work. Lastly, it gained importance in the conservation of both, will also provide a platform for exchange scientific • Language of Abstract: English critical mutualists facing threat of extinction and the ideas among fellow scientists. • Number of Submissions: Each author can plants that depend on them. submit maximum two abstracts from Important Dates: different sections. One of the key focuses of this conference is to draw attention of young investigators towards Prepare your abstract in a word processing various plant-insect interactions operating in nature, Theme of the Conference software such as MS Word. For preparation growing food demand and decreasing crop yield due Session 1 Insect Taxonomy & of an abstract, please follow these format to insect pest, crop protection and impact of global Systematics/Reproduction / guidelines: warming and climate change on plant-insect Development/Behaviour interaction and both antagonistic and mutualistic Session 2 Insect Plant Physiology/Insect Pest The abstract text should not exceed 200-250 interaction. Student will be able to translate a management words. biological question into a feasible experimental Session 3 Molecular analysis of Plant-Insect Authors are responsible for the originality and approach. It will also aware them about range of interaction / Insect-Plant Resistance proofreading of the abstract. methods and techniques commonly used in the Session 4 Medical Entomology and Public subject area. Health Abstract should contain the following sections: • Last Date of Submission of This conference is meticulously planned to nd Abstract: 22 October, 2019. 1. Title: Please ensure that the first word of focus on insect-plant biology as a whole instead of your title starts with a Capital Letter and favoring either plant or insect. Their discussion is Selected paper (s) will be published in complete title should be in BOLD font. incomplete without each other. Therefore, we have UGC listed peer-reviewed journal integrated both and emphasized on their relationship published by Elsevier. 2. Authors: Please indicate the presenter with in an ecological setting. an asterisk. If there is more than one author, list the authors with last name and initial. Separate It will nurture a scientific temperament and Guidelines for the Abstract preparation: the authors with a comma. environment among young researchers, teaching faculties and eminent scientists working in the field All abstracts must be submitted online Important: If the presenting author is not of insect-plant biology through direct face to face indicated with an asterisk, the first author will via email to [email protected] interactions with the eminent experts of both national be considered as the presenter and it cannot be and international repute from various disciplines of changed in any situation. • Size of the poster should be 36 inches • Dr. Jyothilaxmi Vadassary 3. Affiliation: Please write the affiliation of the (Width) and 48 inches (Height) in Portrait NIPGR, New Delhi authors in the following order e.g. ": format. • Dr. Jayendra Sukla Department (or hospital), School (or Faculty), • Leave margins of 3 inches from each side. CUR, Ajmer University (or Research Institute), City, Guidelines for oral Presentation: • Country. Example: Department of Zoology, • Oral presentation should be prepared in MS Dr. Anita Kamra Verma Deshbandhu College/School of Medicine, PowerPoint in compatibility mode only. KMC, Delhi University of Delhi, Delhi, India." • Time slots given for each presentation will • Dr. Rajni Kant Dixit 4. Aims and Objectives be 10 minutes for presentation and 2 NIMR, New Delhi 5. Methods minutes for discussion. • Dr. Vikas Kumar 6. Results • A copy of the presentation should be ZSI, Kolkata 7. Conclusions submitted 4 days before the presentation i.e. 8. Keywords 30th October, 2019 by email National Advisory Committee: to [email protected] Abstract submitted in other