Agri varsity’s acarology centre bags national award for research

Among nine centres across India, the All India Network Project on Agricultural Acarology of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, was conferred the “Second Best Research Centre Award” by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. This is the first time such an award has been instituted since the inception of the Acarology Project.

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The recognition was based on the PAU centre’s outstanding research contributions and technologies presented during the annual group meeting of ICAR-AINP, held at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, from July 3-4.

The centre has been instrumental in advancing basic and applied acarological research, offering eco-friendly strategies for mite management on vegetable crops, monitoring emerging mite pests in Punjab and neighbouring states and conducting farmer training programmes.

PAU Vice-Chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal congratulated the Department of Entomology and the acarology team, stating, “This award is a testament to the PAU’s commitment to scientific excellence and sustainable agriculture. The acarology team has consistently demonstrated innovation and dedication, and their work is helping shape resilient farming practices for the future. We are proud of their achievements and will continue to support such pioneering research.”

Director of Research Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt and Director of Extension Education said, “At the PAU, we believe in research that reaches the field, and this award validates our commitment to bridging lab innovations with real-world agricultural challenges.”

Manmeet Brar Bhullar, Principal Acarologist–cum–Head, Department of Entomology, is the principal investigator of the project with Dr Paramjit Kaur serving as Co-PI Dr Bhullar credited the award to the unwavering support and mentorship from PAU and ICAR-AINP.