JAMMU:: Ms. Sweta Rajput, Ph.D. Research Scholar in the Department of Botany, University of Jammu, has brought laurels to the University by receiving the prestigious Dr. M.J. Thirumalachar Memorial Merit Award for Young Mycologists for her oral presentation in the Young Mycologists category at the National Conference of the Mycological Society of India.
The award was presented during the National Conference on âHarnessing Fungal Diversity for Agriculture, Biotechnology, Industry and One Healthâ and the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of India, organised by the Department of Microbial Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamil Nadu, from October 21 to 23, 2026.
On the occasion, Ms. Rajput delivered an award lecture titled âDecoding the Orange-Red Pored Boletes: Integrating Classical Taxonomy and Molecular Phylogeny.â Her research underscores the significance of integrating classical taxonomy with advanced molecular techniques and phylogenetic analyses for accurate identification and resolution of taxonomic complexities, particularly in cryptic fungal species.
The research is being carried out under the joint supervision of Dr. Kanad Das, Director, Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Government of India, and Prof. Yash Pal Sharma, Dean, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Jammu.
The University of Jammu congratulated Ms. Sweta Rajput and the Department of Botany on this remarkable achievement, describing it as a reflection of the University's commitment to research excellence and a significant recognition of its academic and scientific contributions at the national level.


