The Department of Botany was established under the University of Calicut in 1968. It is one of the leading University Botany Departments of India in the field of teaching and research in plant sciences, especially Angiosperm Taxonomy. The principal aim of the department was to promote higher education by improving human resources of the Malabar region of the Country.
It is a DST-FIST (completed IInd stage and in the process of applying for Stage III) and SARD funded Department and recently the University of Calicut has raised this Department as a Centre with Potential for Excellence, during the Golden Jubilee year, 2018.
The Department is proud to have the largest university botanical garden in India with an area of 19.5 acres and a Touch & Feel garden for the visually-challenged people. It is the headquarters of the Indian Association of Angiosperm Taxonomy and Gregor Mendel Foundation. Rheedea and Eco-chronicle are the two journals published from the Department. The State Goverment-funded Interuniversity Centre for Plant Biotechnology is also associated with the Department.
The Department has academic autonomy and has been revising the syllabi of courses every four years. The Department has also implemented the Choice-based Credit-based Semester System (CCSS) for the M. Sc. programme, which offers flexibility in the structuring and assessment of courses.
The Department has undertaken research projects in all major areas of plant science for which it has received generous funding from the Government funding agencies such as UGC, DBT, DST, CSIR, MOEF, NMPB and KSCSTE. Many of the faculty members have active collaborations with scientists of other Institutes in or outside India.
Currently, the Department encompasses nine divisions:
- Angiosperm Taxonomy
- Bryology
- Cell and Molecular Biology
- Cyanobacterial Diversity
- Environmental Science
- Fungal Diversity
- Genetics and Plant Breeding
- Plant Biotechnology
- Plant Physiology and Biochemistry