Agriculture is the basis of any civilization and the ecofriendly practices in agriculture are very essential for the food safety. Microbial role on improving the agricultural productivity is being explored worldwide. Dr. Ranjit Kanjur, a faculty member from the applied biology section of applied sciences department and his students Ms. Jokha Ahmed Yousuf Al-Dughashi, Ms.Laila Rashid Al-Alawi, Ms. Thuraya said Al-Dahmani, Ms. Manal Salim Al-Suleimani and Ms. Rahil Kalfan Al-Hashmi initiated the research work on the effect of indigenous microorganisms available in Omani soil which help the growth of plants in arid conditions. Their research work was presented in an international conference entitled “Current trends in Biosciences (CTBio) – 2017 in India” from August 21-23, 2017 in which many eminent scientists and researchers from various countries across the globe shared their research ideas and findings through poster and oral presentations.

The title of the research paper was “Enumeration and characterization of Indole acetic acid producing bacteria from rhizosphere soil in Oman and its effect on plant growth”. In this research Dr. Ranjit and his students isolated Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) from arid lands of Muscat, Oman as well as farmlands of Rustaq, Oman. They have found that these isolates were found to have many beneficial effects on growth of a plant under varying climatic and edaphic conditions in Oman. Dr. Ranjit was also invited to chair one of the sessions on day 3 of this international conference.

Dr. Ranjit and his students expressed their profound gratitude to the Dean of the College, Dr. Khalid Abdul Aziz Ambusaidi, Head of the Applied Sciences Department, Dr. Mohammed Ali Oueslati, Head of Applied Biology Section, Dr. Afraa Said Al-Adawi, and the Coordinator of the Research & Consultancy Committee, Dr. Suad Al-Kindi for their continuous support, facilities and encouragement.

This activity was encouraged by Department of Applied Sciences in order to meet the partial requirements of Goal-6 of the strategic plan: Support staff participation in research oriented events, such as conferences and workshops

BASIC INFORMATION AND PHOTOS CREDIT:
Dr. Ranjit Kanjur

ENHANCED AND EDITED BY:
Dr. C. Rama Chandra Prabhu