Webinar on “Locust swarming in India amidst Covid-19 Pandemic”
Dr. Hojun Song, world-renowned entomologist from A&M University, Texas, USA, delivered an intriguing and fascinating talk
cityairnews
Jun 20, 2020 08:34
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Chandigarh: One day International webinar organized by the Department of Zoology, was inaugurated by Vice Chancellor, Prof. Raj Kumar of Panjab University today. He congratulated the department for organizing a webinar on a very felicitous topic "Locust swarming in India amidst COVID-19 Pandemic "as India is recently battling with the desert locust outbreak in 5 states. He also highlighted the use of drone technology recently was used by India to control these pests and motivated the budding scientists and researchers to collaborate with the engineers, corporates, industries and focus on integrative approach so that the research can be translated and we have better solutions in near future to control such outbreaks and pandemics.
Dr. Hojun Song, world-renowned entomologist from A&M University, Texas, USA, delivered an intriguing and fascinating talk. He portrayed how these solitary grasshoppers transform into gregarious locusts based on behavioural, phylogenetic and transcriptomic studies. He illustrated very interesting facts of how abiotic factors like change in temperature, humidity and habitat triggers the expression of hidden polymorphic phase of grasshoppers into locusts. He elucidated that it's a cascade mechanism which stimulates other individuals to transform into gregarious forms thus causing devastating effect and severe loss to agro-economy.
The other speaker Dhaneesh Bhaskar from Kerala Forest Research Institute explained the diversity, conservation and reasons of locusts migration in India. Dr. Ranjana Jaiswara explained very unique phenomenon of acoustic signals in these insects.
Dr. Harpreet Kaur, Chairperson and Prof. Sukhbir Kaur coordinators of the webinar thanked the speakers and attendees (200 approx.) from different countries like USA, UK, Brazil, Singapore, China, Pakistan and India.
