The Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Faperta UGM), together with the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), officially concluded the Advanced Training in Plant Health: From Field Surveillance to Molecular Technologies on Friday, June 26, 2026. The final day highlighted crucial topics on Seed Health and Integrated Pest Management (IPM), before closing with evaluation sessions and certificate presentations.

The first session, Seed Health & Diagnostics for Seed Systems, was delivered by Dr. Ram Khadka, Dr. Lourena Maxwell (WorldVeg), and Prof. Ani Widiastuti (UGM). The lecture emphasized the importance of detecting seed-borne pathogens and implementing seed health testing as a foundation for quality assurance in horticultural seed production. Participants then engaged in hands-on practice on seed health testing and disinfection techniques, facilitated by Dr. Khadka and Prof. Widiastuti. read more

The fourth day of the Advanced Training in Plant Health: From Field Surveillance to Molecular Technologies, organized by the Faculty of Agriculture (Faperta) UGM in collaboration with the World Vegetable Center, was held on Thursday, June 25, 2026. This session focused on Breeding & Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS), highlighting the crucial role of disease diagnostics in supporting decision-making for breeding disease-resistant crops, particularly chili.

The program began with a lecture by Dr. Derek Barchenger (WorldVeg) on the linkage between disease diagnostics and breeding pipelines. He explained the role of resistance genes, trait selection, and target disease profiles in chili breeding. This was followed by a lecture on MAS and genotyping approaches, emphasizing the use of molecular markers such as SNPs and SSRs, marker validation, and selection strategies in breeding programs. read more

“Golden,” the viral soundtrack from Netflix’s KPOP Demon Hunters, beautifully captures the richness of Korean culture. Interestingly, that song became the perfect soundtrack for Hanif Falah Nasrulloh’s own journey in South Korea. What once started as countless hours listening to Kpop songs and admiring Korea from a screen eventually became reality through an academic exchange at Gyeongsang National University (GNU) in Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea.

Hanif, an Agronomy student from the 2023 batch at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), has always been passionate about pursuing international opportunities. Among many international programs, the Asian International Mobility for Students (AIMS) Program had always been at the top of the wishlist. Through UGM’s selection process, Hanif was finally chosen to spend one semester at GNU from March to June 2026, during the sixth semester as an ideal period when students could choose an international exposure program over internship. This period is also joined by four IPB University students and three University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) students. read more