Siliguri, Jan. 31: North Bengal University will soon start a bio-clinic to diagnose plant diseases.

Vice-chancellor of the university P.K. Saha announced this today at the opening session of the three-day 58th annual meeting of the Indian Phytopathological Society (IPS) here. A national symposium on ?Emerging plant diseases, their diagnosis and management? is also being held along with the meeting, he said.

?As part of our lab-to-land programme, we are planning to come up with a bio-clinic so that farmers are able to seek expert opinion on the nature of diseases and measures to be adopted against their attack on the crops,? Saha said.

The seminar opened on a note of concern over the deteriorating bio-diversity of the region. Phytopathological experts and forest minister, Jogesh Burman, who was chief guest at the inaugural session, focused on the immediate need to initiate measures to protect the rich bio-diversity of the region.

?The extent of the damage has been such that now a plant species like Streptocolon sylvestrin is found only in the campus of North Bengal University and nowhere else,? said A.P. Das, chairman of the organising committee.

President of the IPS Y.S. Ahlawat said the region was an ideal destination for the promotion of bio-research. ?The flora and fauna of this region is unique,? he said.

Among the others who attended the seminar were Roy Kennedy from Warwick Horticultural Research International, UK, S.M. Paul Khurana, the vice-chancellor of Rani Durgavati Viswavidyalay, Jabalpur, and Anupam Verma from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi.