The Institute BioInformatics Library BTISnet ICAR Official Forms Personnel Directory Contact Home
 

Bioinformatics Centre, CPCRI

 

The Distributed Information Sub Centre (Sub-DIC) under the Biotechnology Information System Network (BTISnet) programme of the Department of Biotechnology, Governement of India, New Delhi, was established at CPCRI in December 2000. The Bioinformatics Centre, CPCRI has taken up creation of databases on biotechnological aspects of coconut, cocoa and arecanut and provide information retrieval services in Biotechnology topics.

Objectives:

  
  • Provide up to date information in the field of biotechnology to plantation crops research workers.
  • Make available latest softwares and databases in the field of biotechnology.
  • Conduct training on topics related to computer application in Biotechnology and information retrieval.
  • Establish linkages with other organisations working on similar topics and make arrangements for sharing of information and resources.
  • Develop bibliographical databases, gene data banks and molecular data banks related to plantation crops.
  • Develop a putative gene database for coconut, cocoa and oilpalm and functional genomics.

Achievements:

  

This Centre has developed the following database/ Protocols and conducted 11 training programme for the year 2001 to 2007.

Training Programmes Conducted
1. "Online and Offline Information Retrieval" - 2001
2. " Bioinformatics in Biological Research" - 2002
3. "Bioinformatics and its application in plantation crops research" - 2003
4. "Bioinformatics resources and databases" - 2003
5. "Linux Applications in Bioinformatics" - 2004.
6. "Recent trends in Bioinformatics" - 2004
7. " Advances in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics for palntation crops" - 2005.
8." Genomics and molecular modeling in Plantation Crops" - 2005.
9." In silico analysis and wet lab experiments in plantation crops" - 2006.
10." Molecular Docking and Functional Genomics." - 2006.
11. "Applications of Bioinformatics & Biotechnology in Plantation Crops" - 2007
 One day Brainstroming Session on "Database for the Management of Genetic Resources of Horticultural Crops".

Developed Databases:

  

1. Coconut Cultivar Identification (web based).
2. Coconut Disease Database (web based).
3. Vegetable Oil Database (web based)
4. Microbial Information Systems on Plantations crops.
5. Pest Control Management System
6. Coconut Microsatellite Database.
7. Mining EST Libraries for Molecular Markers in Cacao & Oil Palm (MEMCO)
8. Phytoplasma database.
9. Palm Database
10. Copgene Database
11. Stress Gene Database
12. Coconut Germplasm Database.
13. Arecanut Germplasm Database
14. Coco Germplasm Database
15. Dspace - Full text Literature Database.

Web based protocols for coconut tissue culture studies and molecular markers studies.

R&D activities on Bioinformatics

  
  • Development of molecular (RAPD, AFLP, DAF, SSR) markers to fingerprint coconut accessions.
  • Molecular studies for tagging of root (wilt) resistance genes in coconut.
  • In vitro multiplication of coconut and arecanut.
  • Allozyme variation in coconut cultivars and hybrids- the data which is generated from this allozyme studies were used to create COCONUT CULTIVAR IDENTIFICATION (A Web enabled database)
  • Linux based programming tools, such as Biojava, Bioperl, Biophython were initiated to meet the research need of plantation crops.
  • Coconut and cocoa related gene sequence analyses is being carried out with Emboss, Jemboss and GDE packages and efforts are on to annotate these sequences.

Website Development

  

This Centre has developed and ubdated website which is accessible at www.bioinfcpcri.org.

Services

  
  • Online access to databases through www.bioinfcpcri.orgm (IP restricted)
  • Web access for coconut tissue culture and molecular markers protocols.
  • Web access for other institute services.
  • Limited access to full text literature databases at intranet
  • Services provided for 10 nearby Research Institutes & Universities.
  • Shared resources among bioinformatics centres of CPCRI and IISR
  • Conducted three training programmes.

Library Resources on Bioinformatics

  

The Centre is subscribing to three journal viz. AgBiotech News and Information, Bioinformatics and The Electronic Library. The centre also have a good reference collection on bioinformatics.

The Bioinformatics Centre has developed literature databases on various aspects of coconut, Arecanut, Cocoa. The Coconut, Cocoa and Arecanut Literature Database is accessible online. The full text databases developed by the centre are available only for the institute and nearby institutes.