Nauni varsity's veggie centre 'best' in country

Solan, June 5

The All-India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, has been adjudged the ‘Best research centre on vegetable crops (2022)’ in the country by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The centre is run by the university’s Department of Vegetable Science.

The centre’s contribution to research on vegetables was lauded among 36 regular AICRP and 24 volunteer centres among the state agricultural universities and ICAR institutes in the country.

The award was given during the 41st Annual Group Meeting of the AICRP at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K), by Vice-Chancellor Prof Nazir Ahmed Ganai on Saturday.

Established in 1972, the centre is engaged in research on basic, strategic and applied aspects of horticulture. Dr Ramesh Bhardwaj, principal investigator of the centre said, “During the past five years, the centre has collected, evaluated and maintained a total of 553 germ plasm of several vegetable crops, including cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum, carrot, radish, beetroot, cucumber, garden pea, beans, lettuce, tomato, cherry tomato and onion. As many as 109 varietal, 38 hybrid, 11 resistant, nine vegetable production and cultivation-related, 68 disease and insect pest management and 31 seed production-trials related to 14 vegetable crops have been conducted successfully by the centre.”

Prof Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, congratulated the team for bringing laurels to the university.