‘Need to develop vegetable crops for dryland conditions’
The changing climatic conditions have necessitated the need to developing new varieties of vegetable crops focusing on the requirements of dryland and water-stressed conditions. Rajeshwar Chandel, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, focused his valedictory address on this key issue on the concluding day of a 21-day advanced training course on Breeding Vegetable Crops for Climate Resilience last evening.
Organised by the Centre for Advanced Faculty Training (CAFT) in Horticulture (Vegetables) within the Department of Vegetable Science, 15 scientists from six states, including Haryana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, representing various agricultural universities and institutes participated in the programme.
Rajeshwar Chandel emphasised the need for more research on farming practices in dryland and water-stressed conditions. He highlighted water as an increasingly precious resource and called for efforts to check its overuse in regions with good irrigation facilities.
The VC urged the scientists to incorporate natural farming principles into their research proposals and consider local ecosystems while designing new research initiatives. Additionally, he encouraged participants to build strong emotional connections with farmers and maintain regular communication with their peers to enhance the relevance and impact of their work.
Happy Dev Sharma, Head of the Department of Vegetable Science and Director of CAFT, provided an overview of the Centre’s long-standing contributions. “Since its inception in 1994, CAFT has organised 33 advanced training programmes, benefiting over 600 scientists and researchers by enhancing their skills in vegetable science.”
Six eminent scientists elaborated on cutting-edge research in vegetable breeding. Twenty-seven lectures were delivered by senior faculty members of the university, covering various aspects of vegetable production, plant protection and general horticulture.
The training emphasised the need for rapid development of new vegetable varieties and innovative technologies besides their effective transfer to farmers. Experts also stressed the importance of increasing productivity and expanding vegetable cultivation to ensure nutritional and health security for India’s growing population. The development of cost-effective technologies for protected vegetable cultivation was also pondered upon.
The participants visited university farms and labs, as well as notable research institutions, including the Directorate of Mushroom Research, Central Potato Research Laboratory, and the university’s Regional Research Stations at Mashobra and Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Kandaghat. The training programme focused on aligning vegetable breeding strategies with the growing food demands of a rapidly increasing population.
