Assam down town University proudly continues its commitment to academic excellence and hands-on learning through the Programme of Botany, which successfully conducted the fourth day of its week-long Faculty Development Program (FDP) titled “Integrative Approach to Plant Taxonomy – Hands-on Training from Field Work to Modern Trends in Taxonomy”.

Day 4 began with a warm felicitation ceremony, where Dr. Anjan Kumar Sharma, Assistant Professor, Programme of Botany, welcomed the esteemed guest speaker Dr. Ashish Kar, Fellow (Scientist) and Area Convenor at TERI (North East Regional Centre). Dr. Kar delivered a deeply insightful lecture on “Identification of Plants in the Field and the Potential of Local Plant Resources for Research and Entrepreneurship.” He emphasized key diagnostic features in plant identification including families with latex, tendrils, interpetiolar stipules, swollen nodes, and fiber-yielding plants and spoke about the entrepreneurial potential of Phrynium species, highlighting his current research.

The second session featured a compelling lecture by Prof. (Dr.) Biswa Prasun Chatterji from the Faculty of Science, Assam down town University. His talk on “Molecular Tools to Detect Plant Variety” focused on the relevance and applications of DNA barcoding in modern taxonomy providing a crucial link between classical identification methods and cutting-edge molecular techniques.

The day concluded with high levels of interaction, thoughtful discussions, and an enthusiastic response from the participants reinforcing the FDP's goal of nurturing a well-rounded, integrative approach to plant taxonomy.