Advances in Orchid Biology, Biotechnology and Omics

Dr. Pragya Tiwari is working as Research Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Republic of Korea. She possesses research/teaching experience of more than 8 years in national/international institutions in the field of plant sciences, with research experience in areas of phytomolecules from medicinal plants, plant-associated endophytes, plant-microbe interactions and computational biology in drug designing. She has been a recipient of various research fellowships/recognitions from CSIR and ICAR, Govt. of India and gained scientific recognitions for her work in inter-disciplinary areas of plant sciences. She has been an active participant/presenter in more than 30 symposiums/conferences on international/national platforms and holds life memberships of scientific societies including Korean Society of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Indian Science Congress Association and The Society of Biological Chemist, India. Her research work has gained broad interest through highly-cited publications, book chapters and invited lectures. Her area of research comprises plant-endophyte interactions in Panax ginseng and the significance of bioactive metabolite (ginsenoside) in promoting plant growth and as bio-stimulants in sustainable agriculture.Dr. Jen-Tsung Chen is currently a professor at the National University of Kaohsiung in Taiwan. He teaches cell biology, genomics, proteomics, medicinal plant biotechnology, and plant tissue culture. His research interests include bioactive compounds, chromatography techniques, in vitro culture, medicinal plants, phytochemicals, plant physiology, and plant biotechnology. He has published over 100 scientific papers and serves as an editorial board member for Plant Methods and Plant Nano Biology.

• 1. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of orchid mycorrhizal symbiosis from genetic information.- 2. Breeding of orchids using conventional and biotechnological methods: Advances and future prospects.- 3. Biotechnological interventions and societal impacts of some medicinal orchids.- 4. Gene expression profiling in orchid mycorrhizae to decipher the molecular mechanisms of plant-fungus interactions.- 5. Exploring the potential of in vitro cultures as an aid to production of secondary metabolites in medicinal orchids.- 6. Ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, medicinal potential and biotechnology strategies for the conservation of orchids from the Catasetum genus.- 7. Diversity and antimicrobial potential of Orchidaceae-associated fungal endophytes.- 8. Asymbiotic seed germination in terrestrial orchids: Problems, progress and prospects.- 9. Progress and prospect of orchid breeding: An overview.