CIMMYT team lauds PAU’s research

A nine-member delegation from International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) lauded the Punjab Agricultural University’s programmes on fruits and vegetables. During their visit to the PAU, the delegation interacted with Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice Chancellor; Dr Balwinder Singh, Director, Research, and Dr RS Sidhu, Director, Extension Education. The delegation, led by Dr Martin Kropff, Director General, CIMMYT, comprised members namely Nynke Kropff, Dr Tom Lumpkin, Dr John Snape, Dr Mariann Banziger, Dr Etienne Duveiller, Dr HS Gupta, Dr ML Jat and Dr HS Sidhu. Dr BS Sidhu, Agriculture Commissioner, Punjab, also accompanied the delegation, which appreciated the ongoing collaboration between CIMMYT and PAU in the areas of wheat, rice and maize research. While welcoming the visiting delegates, PAU VC Dr Dhillon stated that collaboration between PAU and BISA-CIMMYT was proving scientifically advantageous. There was further scope for enhanced cooperation between the two organizations, he suggested. The team, which was shown around various field experiments on rice and resource conservation technologies, evinced keen interest in zero-tillage, use of leaf colour chart for nitrogen saving and biofertilizers in various crops. The PAU’s success in developing less-seeded Kinnow varieties through mutation breeding and its contributions to integrated pest management in different crops, bee-keeping and mushroom growing were greatly lauded by the visiting members.

Training course on mushroom

Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Bathinda, PAU, conducted a five- day training programme on “Mushroom Cultivation and Processing.” Dr Jagdish Grover, associate director, KVK, Bathinda, encouraged the trainees to adopt subsidiary occupations along with farming for livelihood security.

Participants were also taught about the basic concepts of mushroom farming along with the practical demonstrations by the training coordinator, Dr GK Dhillon, assistant professor (Food Technology), KVK, Bathinda. Besides, they visited the Department of Microbiology, PAU, for practical exposure. Dr HS Sodhi, senior microbiologist, delivered a talk on mushroom farming. He addressed all the queries of the trainees and assured them of full support in setting-up their mushroom units. Dr Poonam Sachdev, Senior Vegetable Technologist, PAU, delivered a lecture on processing of mushrooms. She advised the participants to process the surplus crop into powder, pickle etc. to earn more profit.

Course on beekeeping

A five-day “Basic Beekeeping Training Course” began at the Barmi village, Ludhiana, today. The Department of Entomology of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has organised the course under the aegis of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna. The course has been specifically designed for the schedule castes. Dr Balwinder Singh, Director of Research, PAU, and Head of Entomology Department, highlighted, “PAU is pioneer in successful introduction, establishment and spread of Italian honey bee in the country, in general and Punjab, in particular.” The research and extension efforts of PAU’s apiculture scientists have ushered in commercialisation in apiculture in the country and brought in ‘Sweet Revolution,’ he said. This has made possible for the country to export honey to several other countries, he added. Dr Singh said the present basic beekeeping training course aims at providing livelihood to the underprivileged and unemployed rural youth of the state, thus, enabling them to obtain social and economic security. Giving details, Dr Pardeep Kumar Chhuneja, Course Director, said the trainees will be imparted practical knowledge on various aspects of beekeeping through lectures, demonstrations and hands-on-practice. The experts will dwell on seasonal bee management practices; colony management; management of bee enemies and diseases; swarming, robbing and queenlessness problems in honey bee colonies and their remedies; honey and beeswax extraction, processing and marketing, he informed.

Workshop on DSR technology

The 4th National Training Workshop on “Direct Seeded Rice” was jointly organised by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), Hisar; and the University of Adelaide, Australia, at Karnal and Ludhiana. As many as 30 delegates from 13 states participated in the ten-day workshop, organized under the ACIAR funded project “Zero-tillage Rice Establishment and Crop-Weed Dynamics in Rice and Wheat Cropping Systems in India and Australia.” The workshop was held at Karnal and Ludhiana for six and four days, respectively. Dr Gurjeet Gill, ACIAR Project Leader, University of Adelaide, Australia, said the workshop was oriented towards providing hands-on-training on all aspects of production technology of direct-seeded rice (DSR). He told that apart from delivering lectures, the trainees visited long-term farmers’ field sites in Punjab and Haryana and interacted with them. A special farmer-trainee-scientist interaction session was also organized at PAU wherein farmers from Bathinda, Moga, Faridkot and Kapurthala districts participated. Dr HS Dhaliwal, Dean, College of Agriculture, appreciated the model of the training workshop in which the trainers, trainees and farmers had been active partners.

Dr JS Dhiman, Additional Director Research (NR&PHM), observed, “Increase in water scarcity, reduced availability of farm labour and its rising costs, and suitability of DSR to mechanization have been the major drivers of on-farm adoption of DSR.” Dr Thakar Singh, Head, Agronomy highlighted the research activities, being carried out by the department, on resource conservation technologies. Dr MS Bhullar, PI-ACIAR Project from PAU, said, “DSR adoption trends in Punjab are a clear indication of the ready acceptance of this technology by the farmers of the region.” — TNS