Forestry Bioinformatics

Neelesh Yadav, Forest Research Institute-Dehradun, India


Bioinformatics derives knowledge from computer analysis of biological data. These can consist of the information stored in the genetic code, but also experimental results from various sources, statistics, and scientific literature. Research in bioinformatics includes method development for storage, retrieval, and analysis of the data. Bioinformatics is a rapidly developing branch of biology and is highly interdisciplinary, using techniques and concepts from informatics, statistics, mathematics, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and linguistics. It has many practical applications in different areas of biology and medicine.

Bioinformatics and computational biology are rooted in life sciences as well as computer and information sciences and technologies. Many research institutions in India those are working in Biotechnology, Agriculture, Life Science, and Genetic Engineering etc. have been adapted the usability of Bio-Informatics in present scenario. So we should also adapt 'Bio-Informatics' in forestry research also for better and early desirable results or state of the art research in forestry. 

We can develop some value added software tools for forestry research in the following branches of forestry viz,
1. Forest Pathology
2. Forest Genetics & Tree propagation,
3. Forest Entomology
4. Botany and Systematic Botany
5. Wood Anatomy
6. Forest Products and associated disciplines
7. Environment impact assessment division
8. Biodiversity informatics
9. Analysis of various forest tree/plant species through analytical softwares.
10. General example is like; information on plant gene activity is used to understand the functions of genes and their effect on a plant. Plant industry does lots of research that seeks to identify key genes controlling important traits to improve the quality, growth characteristics and sustainable production of crop plants like teak, bamboo, wheat, rice and cotton etc.


Keywords: forestry, biodiversity, bioinformatics