Vice Chancellor: Prof. Dr. Khalid Aftab

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Since 13-10-07

Departments of Botany

 

Introduction

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The Department of Botany is one of the oldest Departments of GC University Lahore, imparting instructions at both the Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels. The Department was established in 1902. Among the many prominent scholars associated with the Department, Prof. Shiv Ram Kashyap joined the then Government College Lahore in 1912 and served as Chairperson of the Department till 1934. Professors of stature, Prof. S.L. Goose and Prof. A.C. Joshi, lead the Department after him. After the Independence of the Subcontinent, Dr. A.A. Qureshi was appointed as the first Pakistani Professor of Botany and served as Chairperson, Department of Botany till 1959. Dr. Sultan Ahmed, a mycologist and taxonomist of international repute, chaired the Department till 1970. Classes for the MSc Botany Programme of the University of the Punjab and Government College Lahore were held under the same roof here at the Botany Department till 1962. It was during the chairpersonship of Dr. Sultan Ahmed that the University of the Punjab took its Botany Programme to its own campus. Other prominent Chairpersons of the Department over the decades have been Prof. A.R. Zafar, Prof. A.H. Zafar, Prof. Jawad A. Khan, Prof. Masud-ul-Hasan, Dr. R.A. Mirza and Dr. A. U. Khan. Prof. A.R. Zafar deserves special mention for he introduced a culture of inquiry and original research which continues to burgeon here at the Department.

 

Prof. Zaheer-ud-Din Khan is the present Chairperson of the Department. His areas of research interest are Plant Taxonomy, Anatomy and Ethnobotany. He is also involved in screening out local flora for their use as possible sources of antibiotics, antifungal and anticancer medicines.

 

The Department of Botany offers a wide range of opportunities to all those who are affiliated with it. GCU’s botanists have contributed immensely towards the progress and development of the country. Old Ravians from the Department have served as administrative heads and researchers in various national and international research organisations such as the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), the National Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE) and the Organisation for Islamic Conference (OIC). In consideration of these achievements, the Department is recognised as a centre of excellence. The Department is striving hard to meet the challenges of the modern era and offers all the facilities at its disposal to its students to enhance their knowledge and polish their skills.

 

Facilities

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Library

 

The Library at the Department of Botany has a collection of 5, 022 books, in addition to research journals including several volumes of the Linnasan Society. The Library holds a rich collection of research material on various subjects like Plant Morphology (bryophytes and angiosperms), Genetic Engineering, Crop Improvement and Environmental Studies, etc. In the Central Library of the University, networked PCs are linked to a wide range of software, communication and print services. There is speedy access to the Internet that links us to information networks connecting national and international universities.

 

Dr. Sultan Ahmad Herbarium

 

The Herbarium was established under the aegis of Prof. S.R. Kashyap in the early 1900s. Under the chairpersonship of Dr. A. U. Khan, the Herbarium was officially inaugurated as “Dr. Sultan Ahmed Herbarium” in 2003. Naming the Herbarium after Dr. Sultan Ahmed is GCU’s way of honouring one of its fervent scholars. The plant collection at the Herbarium includes a wide range of fungi, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms. Specimens have been brought from various geographical regions of the country in particular by the present Chairperson of the Department, Prof. Zaheer-ud-Din Khan. The collection at the Herbarium is notable for it holds specimen dating back to 1912. Recently, 100 plants were brought to the Herbarium by Prof. Shabbir Ahmad from Singapore. Scientists often visit the Herbarium for examining specimen significant to their research. The Herbarium offers support to institutions and organisations in the field of Botany by making its treasure trove of plant material and specimens available to all researchers. Presently, the Herbarium has more than 1,000 identified plants mounted on sheets.

 

Kashyap Museum

 

Another one of Prof. Kashyap’s contributions to GCU was the establishment of a Museum in the Department. Prof. Kashyap took keen interest in the collection of plant specimens, not only from the Subcontinent, but also from China, Indonesia, the UK and the Philippines. A large number of specimens have been added to the Museum’s collection. Now, the Museum has almost 400 different plant specimens. These specimens cover all the disciplines of Botany ranging from Mycology, Phycology, Bryology and Pteridology. There are also specimens of Conifers and Angiosperms. Recently, some fruits and tropical plants collected from Singapore by Prof. Shabbir Ahmad have also been preserved in the Kashyap Museum. A complete list of entries has been prepared and the data is being computerised for reference purposes.

 

GCU Botanic Garden

 

The GCU Botanic Garden is being managed by the Department since 1912. It covers an area of seven acres. Since its establishment, the Botanic Garden has been appropriately looked after and well kept. It includes a number of wild flora as well as exotic and rare species. Presently, the Botanic Garden is home to 700 species. Dr. A. U. Khan has made a noteworthy contribution to the Department by publishing an index of the plant species present in the Garden entitled "Catalogue of Plants of GC University Lahore Botanic Garden" (1996). Another concise booklet entitled "A Brief Guide to Government College Lahore Botanic Garden" (2002) provides a historical overview of the Garden.

 

GCU Botanic Garden is holding a 2nd Pakistan Botanic Gardens Conference on "Botanic Garden: A Vehicle to Strengthen the Public/private/NGO partnership for plant conservation" from February 02 to 04, 2009 Click Here for details.

 

Herbal Plot

 

The establishment of the Herbal Plot in the Garden is another step towards improving and increasing the collection at the Botanic Garden. A Green House, Experimental Fields, Plant Breeding Enclosures and an Open-Top Chamber System are also present at the Botanic Garden to facilitate research activities. We also have a seed bank where we conserve germplasm of economically important plant species.

 

Biological Society

 

The Biological Society was established in 1954. The founding members of the Society were Dr. Sultan Ahmad, Dr. Muzzafar Ahmed, Dr. Abu-Baker, Prof. Ahsan-ul-Islam and Prof. Wais Hussain Bokhari. The Society launched what was later to become an international research journal – "The Biologia” – in June, 1955. Today, the journal is subscribed to by libraries in the UK, the US, Canada, Indonesia, Brazil, Jordan, Sudan, France, Saudi Arabia, India and the Netherlands.

 

The Biological Society arranges seminars and lectures on a wide variety of topics. It often asks scholars to present their scientific works before students. The Biological Society has published many monographs which serve as reference material for students and researchers.

 

Research

 

The Department of Botany initiated research in two major research fields in 2001 at the Postgraduate level:

  • Environmental Science

  • Industrial Biotechnology

Research Journal

 

The Department has been publishing its research journal The Biologia for 51 years. This journal is an organ of the Biological Society of Pakistan which is headquartered here at GC University Lahore.

 

Equipment in Botany LAB

 

Sr. No.

Description

1

Incubator

2

Oven

3

Muffle Furnace 

4

Multiguard BM 22 (Gas Analyser) 

5

pH Meter

6

Digital Balance 

7

Water Bath

8

Spectrophotometer

9

Air Pump 

10

Hot Plat e Stirrer

11

Centrifuge Machine

12

BOD

13

COD

14

IRGA

15

Area Meter

16

Grinder

17

Lux Meter

18

Gas Analyzers

19

Conductivity Meter

20

Light Chambers

21

Laminar airflow cabinet

22

Autoclave (small)

23

Deep Freezer

24

Sanyo incubator

25

Sanyo Gallenkamp incubator shaker

26

Deep freezer

27

Microwave oven 

28

Hotair oven

29

Water baths

30

Local incubator shaker

31

Laminar air flow cabinet

32

UV-lamp

33

pH meter

34

Microscope

35

Physical balance

36

Digital balance

37

Colony counter

38

Colorimeter

39

Spectrophotometer

40

Centrifuge

41

Temperature control centrifuge

42

Hot Plate

43

hotplate magnetic stirrer

44

Shaker

45

Incubators (Gallenkamp & Griffin)

46

Fermentor 7.5L

47

Fermentor 15L

48

Fermentor 25L

49

Spray drier

50

Minicold lab

51

Autoclaves (small)

52

Autoclave (japanses / large)

53

Thermocycler

54

Gel documentation system

55

HPLC (UV-detector)+PC

56

Ultrasonic water bath

57

Membrane filter

58

Electric stirrer

59

Camera Fitted Microscope

 

Academic Programmes

 

The Department of Botany offers BSc (Hons.), MPhil and PhD Degree Programmes.

 

 

Courses

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B.Sc (Hons) Botany

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Year – 1

Course Code

Course Title

Credit Hours

Semester

BOT – 1101

Diversity of Plants

3

I

BOT – 1201

Systematic, Anatomy and Development

3

II

 

Year – 2

Course Code

Course Title

Credit Hours

Semester

BOT – 2101

Cell Biology, Genetics and Evolution

3

III

BOT – 2201

Biodiversity and Conservation

3

IV

BOT – 2202

Plant Physiology and Ecology

3

IV

BOT – 2202P

Plant Physiology and Ecology

1

IV

 

Year – 3

Course Code

Course Title

Credit Hours

Semester

BOT – 3101

Plant Ecology I