Coimbatore : Three students of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) here bagged awards at the annual conference and national symposium on ‘plant and soil health management new challenges and opportunities’, held recently in Kanpur.

M Vanthana, a research scholar, was bestowed with the prestigious PR Verma PhD Student Award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 6,000 and a trophy for excellence in research work on management of bud necrosis of tomato.

Similarly, Dr S. Rajamanickam, a post-doctoral fellow, received the PP Singhal Memorial Award with a cash prize of Rs 15,000 and a trophy for his meritorious work on ‘anagement of bacterial soft rot of banana’.

Sushmita Javalagaddi, a scholar in the floriculture and landscaping department, won the first prize for poster presentation and was awarded with a trophy for her outstanding research on the rose variety Taj Mahal, a TNAU statement said on Monday. There were more than 200 participants.

Vice-Chancellor N Kumar congratulated the winners.