Significant Achievements

• An important feature of the department is its well laid out 12 hectare Botanical Garden and 10 hectare Plant Conservatory with special features of Tropical House, Cactus House, Fern House, Poly House, Net House and experimental area for growing plants for research being carried in the department.
• Cytomorphological diversity of flowering plants has been explored from the forests of Pachmarhi hills ( Central India ), Nilgiri and Palni hills ( South India ) and N. W. Himalayas including trans-Himalayan cold deserts.
• Exploration and evaluation of phytochemical diversity of some important medicinal plants.
• Cytotaxonomy of ferns has been carried out from Central India, South India and Eastern and Western Himalayas.
• The floras of Patiala, Sirmour, Chamba, Kullu districts have been published.
• Extensive and intensive cytological analysis has been carried out on legumes, composites, trees, weeds, grasses and plants belonging to Labiatae and Acanthaceae.
• Systematics of Basidiomycetes fungi with particular reference to order Agaricales and Aphyllophorales from Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir have been carried out.
• Survey of post harvest diseases of fruits, vegetables and multi-purpose tree species of Punjab.
• Cultivation studies on the agro-waste materials have been carried out on commercially important mushrooms viz. Lentinus squarrosulus, L. conatus, L. torulosus, Calocybe indica and Pleurotus florida.
• Extensive studies on physiology, biochemistry and genetics of cyanobacteria and cyanophages have been made.
• Mechanism of akinete differentiation in cyanobacteria has been studied.
• Phytoremediation potential of Azolla and blue green algae has been studied.
• Biodegradation of Pesticide by cyanobacteria
• Production of Natural colour from Microalgae.
• Production, characterization and applications of exopolysaccharides from cynobacteria.
• Biodegradation of Pesticide by cyanobacteria.

Major Research Projects, Minor Projects

INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES

1. Herbarium and Museum:

   1. Herbarium and Museum: The Herbarium and Museum was established in the Botany Department in 1967 and is presently housed in a separate building adjacent to the department. The ground floor of the building is devoted to the Museum whereas the first floor to the Herbarium. In the museum, the materials are displayed group-wise in museum jars and show-cases numbering more than 2050. In this section large number of specimens of cultivated plants of Punjab showing symptoms of common diseases are preserved. Photographs of Indian medicinal plants, exotic cacti, Indian forest types, mushrooms and individual trees are also displayed. Fossil specimens of Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms are also procured for study purposes. A separate section is made for economic plants. Species of important timbers of Punjab showing annual growth rings are also displayed. Besides, research publications and books published from the department are also displayed for consultation by the researchers. Plants for museum are collected from the Eastern and Western Himalayas, Punjab and adjoining states, Okha Port, Rameshwaram, Kodai Kanal, Ooty, Palghat, Pachmarhi, Mysore, Calicut, Valley of flowers, Darjeeling, Hem Kunt, Badri Nath, Kinnaur, Kedar Nath, Gangotri, Rohtang Pass, Churdhar Peak, Yamunotri, Kashmir Valley, Mt. Abu, Chakrata, etc. The herbarium is considered as one of the best amongst the Indian Universities. It has been recognized by the International Bureau of Plant Taxonomy, Netherlands with PUN as its abbreviation. It has a collection of nearly 65,000 Angiosperms, 5200 Pteridophytes, 12,500 Fungi and 600 Algal specimens which are well preserved/mounted, identified and catalogued. The angiosperm flora is separated into two sections as Monocots and Dicots, and is further arranged according to Bentham and Hooker's system of classification. The herbarium is especially rich in collection of Indian Pteridophytes which are arranged according to Jermey and Crabe's system of classifications.

   
   Click Here to View Online Herbarium
   
   
   

   

   

   

   
   
   

2. Photo Gallery: 1.Herbarium and Museum: The Herbarium and Museum was established in the Botany Department in 1967 and is presently housed in a separate building adjacent to the department. The ground floor of the building is devoted to the Museum whereas the first floor to the Herbarium. In the museum, the materials are displayed group-wise in museum jars and show-cases numbering more than 2050. In this section large number of specimens of cultivated plants of Punjab showing symptoms of common diseases are preserved. Photographs of Indian medicinal plants, exotic cacti, Indian forest types, mushrooms and individual trees are also displayed. Fossil specimens of Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms are also procured for study purposes. A separate section is made for economic plants. Species of important timbers of Punjab showing annual growth rings are also displayed. Besides, research publications and books published from the department are also displayed for consultation by the researchers. Plants for museum are collected from the Eastern and Western Himalayas, Punjab and adjoining states, Okha Port, Rameshwaram, Kodai Kanal, Ooty, Palghat, Pachmarhi, Mysore, Calicut, Valley of flowers, Darjeeling, Hem Kunt, Badri Nath, Kinnaur, Kedar Nath, Gangotri, Rohtang Pass, Churdhar Peak, Yamunotri, Kashmir Valley, Mt. Abu, Chakrata, etc. The herbarium is considered as one of the best amongst the Indian Universities. It has been recognized by the International Bureau of Plant Taxonomy, Netherlands with PUN as its abbreviation. It has a collection of nearly 65,000 Angiosperms, 5200 Pteridophytes, 12,500 Fungi and 600 Algal specimens which are well preserved/mounted, identified and catalogued. The angiosperm flora is separated into two sections as Monocots and Dicots, and is further arranged according to Bentham and Hooker's system of classification. The herbarium is especially rich in collection of Indian Pteridophytes which are arranged according to Jermey and Crabe's system of classifications.

   
   
   
   

   

   
   
   

3. Botanic Garden: The Botanic Garden attached to the department is well laid and spread over an area of 12 hectares of land with sound underground irrigation facilities, concrete roads and zigzag paths. The major plantations in the garden are on the basis of Bentham and Hooker's Natural System of Classification of plants'. About half of the area of garden is under 'Arboretum' where broad-leaved indigenous and exotic trees, high altitudinal conifers and flowering trees of aesthetic and recreational values along with timber trees occupy a place of prominence. The plant wealth of the garden includes 750 species of trees, shrubs and climbers from various regions of Himalayas and other parts of the country. Each plant is provided with a name plate, giving information about the botanical name, family and country of origin. Two green houses, one glass house and a tropical plant house are of special interests which have a fairly good collection of succulents, ferns and other shade-loving plants. The Tropical plant house stands out as good attraction which has facilities for providing artificial rain. The Rosarium has a collection of 48 types of roses and Bougainvillea garden houses 36 types of Bougainvillea. The desert garden has a collection of over 60 cacti and succulents. The Aquatic section has more than 50 aquatic plants..

   
   
   
   

   

   
   
   

4. Plant Conservatory: In order to conserve the vanishing flora of the Punjab State, a plant conservatory was established on September 17th, 1976 in the Botanic gardens which is spread over 10 hectares of land and is a research oriented project. In addition to the conservation of germplasm of indigenous and exotic plant wealth, major emphasis is being given to the collection of economic and timber trees along with introduced flora so that the successfully established species be released for cultivation in the various parts of the state.

5. Poly-House, Net-House: Ministry of Environment & Forests, New Delhi has provided a grant of Rs. 14 lac for the Improvement of Infrastructure facilities existing in the Botanical Gardens of Punjabi University, Patiala. One Poly-House and one Net-House have been developed in the conservatory of the department. Poly house is air-cooled, temperature regulated with mist spray to control and maintain relative humidity. Poly-house is meant for Micro-propagation and conservation of rare and endangered plant species. Net-house is also equipped with automatic mist spray system and is suitable for hardening of plant species.
   
   
   
   

   
   
   
6. Herbal Garden: A well laid out herbal garden has been established in the plant conservatory section with about 250 medicinal plants.
   

   

   

   

   
   
   

7. Departmental Library: About 8,000 books related to different fields related to botany and allied subjects is available in the Departmental library. Nearly 20 journals are available to the researchers. On-line facility for other journals is also available.

8. Central Instrumentation Lab: All the main research equipments are kept in fully Air-Conditioned centralized lab. Entry in the logbooks by the research workers is obligatory. Instruments are used by teachers, research scholars and M. Sc. & M. Phil. students of Botany Department as well as scientists from other departments such as Biotechnology, Zoology, Human Biology and Pharmaceutical Studies of this University, teachers and students of Thapar college of Engineering and Technology, Patiala and various Degree Colleges of Patiala. In another room, the distillation units and instruments to be operated at room temperature are kept (like AAS, Metabolic Shaker, Incubator, etc.).
   
   
   
   

   
   
   
9. Research Labs: Pertaining to Molecular Cytogenetic, Mycology Culture, Algal Physiology and Bioinformatics has been established in the Department.

Photo Gallery

Alumni Association

Department of Botany at Punjabi University, Patiala was established on February 1, 1967. Since its inception, a large number of students have obtained their M.Sc., M.Phil. And Ph.D. degrees in Botany. The department is proud in the sense that most of its students are well settled in India and abroad and are serving the society at different levels. Many of the students of this department have joined administrative services at National and State level and are placed at very high positions. Most of the others have chosen teaching and research as their career and are serving in various Universities, Research Institutes and Colleges. It was felt that to bring alumni of Botany Department at one platform, Alumni Association of Botany Department at Punjabi University, Patiala, India be formed. This will help in igniting the belongingness we have with the Botany Department. Through this forum all alumni of Botany Department will also be in touch with one another and will be able to share their achievements and progress. Alumni Association of Botany Department at Punjabi University was thus formed during 2012. All alumni of Botany Department at Punjabi University are invited to join Alumni Association.