Introduction

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The Department of Botany is one of the oldest departments of GC University Lahore, imparting instructions at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level since 1912. Among the prominent scholars, Prof. Shiv Ram Kashyap, Professors of stature, Prof. S.L. Ghose, Prof. A.C. Joshi, lead this Department. After the Independence of the Subcontinent, Dr. A.A. Qureshi, Dr. Sultan Ahmed, a Mycologist and Taxonomist of international repute, Prof. A.R. Zafar, Prof. A.H. Zafar, Prof. Jawad A. Khan, Prof. Masud-ul-Hasan, Dr. R.A. Mirza and Prof. A. U. Khan promoted the culture of research and development.

The Department of Botany is recognized as a leading provider of quality education supported by relevant experience of staff and the dissemination of leading edge research. Staff members are committed to provide ample opportunities for students to develop those skills that are keenly sought by employers.

The famous saying that "All Flesh is Grass" reflects its significance of Botany in the biosphere. It began with tribal lore, to identify edible, medicinal and poisonous plants for a number of reasons; they generate oxygen and provide food, fibres, fuel and medicine for life forms to exist on earth. An understanding of Botany can help to: 

• Become a researcher or teacher in a research and/or academic institution.

• Understand fundamentals of life processes in living organisms to produce more food and fibre for population using healthier and better hybrid seeds of crops harvested through plant breeding and genetics.

• Depict environmental changes through the use of plants as bioindicators and protect plants and endangered plant species through biodiversity conservation techniques.

• Provide link between academia and industry.

• Manage sustainable agriculture, forestry and horticulture with efficacy.

Facilities

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Horticultural Society

Horticultural Society is exclusively run under the umbrella of Department of Botany. It provides a healthy opportunity for its members to organize and participate in different seasonal flower shows and exhibitions and invite others to its dry and fresh flower arrangement competitions.

Botany Alumni Association

Graduates of the Department are serving humanity throughout the world. The Department of Botany feels its prime duty to gather all the alumni. This will not only facilitate the close contacts among the Botanists but also create a platform for further communication among the experts in the field of Botany, The Botany Alumni Association was established in 2009 with the noble objectives:

1. To establish a link with/among the Ravian Botanists.

2. To honor distinguished alumni of Botany, who have brought national/global acclaim in their respective domains by arranging social I cultural functions and publishing newsletter annually.

Grounds and Gardens

Maintenance of University Grounds and Gardens is another important responsibility of Department of Botany. The present fascinating landscape of the GCU campus is a beautiful contribution of The Department of Botany.

Research Journal

The department, in coordination with Department of Zoology has been publishing its research journal "Biologia" since 1955. This journal is an official organ of the Biological Society of Pakistan which is headquartered here at GC University Lahore.

Collaborations

The Department has built strong collaborations with many national and international institutions, Universities and Organizations like Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England; Gondwana Tree-Ring Laboratory New Zealand; Agriculture University, Peshawar; Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society; BZU, Multan; Dendrochronological Lab., Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences & Technology, Karachi; FC College (Charted University) Lahore; University of Punjab, Lahore; Environmental Protection Department (EPD) Pakistan; Higher Education Commission, Islamabad Pakistan; Karachi University; Ministry of Science and Technology, Pakistan; NIAB, Faisalabad; NIBGE, Faisalabad; NIFA, Peshawar; PCSIR Laboratories, Lahore; PFI, Peshawar; Punjab Small Industries Corporation and University of Agriculture Faisalabad.

Career Scope

Botany as the mother subject provides baseline to progress all the disciplines of plant sciences of conventional as well as modern era. The disciplines of Botany has a broad scope covering so many fields like education, forestry, horticulture, dandrochronology and climatology, research organizations related to agriculture, plant biotechnology, molecular genetics, phycodiversity, lichen biodiversity, plant and microbial genetic engineering, plant metabolic engineering, biopharming etc.

Future Plans

Establishment of Botanic Garden and Herbal Garden cum Biodiversity Park at GC University, New Campus at KSK that will have a state of the art laboratory for plant breeding, compositing unit, etc.

Equipment in Botany LAB

Academic Programmes

The Department offers a popular set of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Graduates from other disciplines are also able to pursue different allied courses to accomplish their intensive programmes of study. At present, following Degrees are being offered by the Department of Botany:

• B.Sc (Hons)

• MPHIL

• Ph.D

Research Groups

At present department is offering research in following areas:

• Biodiversity-I (Thallophyta)

• Biodiversity-II (Tracheophyta-Taxonomy and Chemotaxonomy)

• Biodiversity-III (Ethnobotany)

• Applied Plant Anatomy: Dendrochronology

• Stress Physiology

• Environmental Botany

• Plant Tissue Culture

• Biochemistry

• Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology

• Phycology

Courses

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• B.Sc (Hons) Botany

• MPHIL BOTANY

• Ph.D Botany

B.Sc (Hons) Botany

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Year-1

Year-2

Year-3

Year-4

• Students will select 4 courses from the following list subject to the availability of the faculty

Allied Courses

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MPhil Botany

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Ph.D Botany

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The Department of Botany offers PhD in following disciplines.

Faculty

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Journals & Publications

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Research Journals

The department publishes a scientific journal "Biologia: Pakistan" which is nearly 51 years old. This journal is an organ of Biological Society of Pakistan, with its headquarter at GC University, Lahore. The department has good collection of international journals in the GCU Life Sciences Library.

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