Pact for commercialisation of muskmelon variety inked

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) entered into a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Generation Seeds Private Limited, Kapurthala, for the commercialisation of a muskmelon variety, Punjab Amrit.

Dr GS Mangat, Additional Director of Research (Agriculture), PAU, and Paramjit Singh from Generation Seeds Private Limited, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations. Dr Mahesh Kumar, Additional Director Research (Agricultural Engineering); Dr Khushdeep Dharni, Associate Director, Technology Marketing and IPR Cell; Dr Sat Pal Sharma, Head and Principal Vegetable Breeder; and Dr Salesh Kumar Jindal, Principal Vegetable Breeder, were present at the MoA signing ceremony.

Giving details about Punjab Amrit, Dr Sharma said its vines were medium long, sturdy and have dark green foliage. “Its fruits are round, netted with greenish yellow rind. It does not attain full-slip stage at ripening. Flesh is creamy white, moderately crisp and medium juicy with 14.7 per cent TSS. With plastic mulch, its average fruit yield is 84.6 q/acre. It has high firmness and a long shelf life. It is an open pollinated variety, thus its seed production is easier as compared with F1 hybrids,” he added.

Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research, congratulated Dr Sharma for the commercialisation of the variety.

Dr Dharni stated that the PAU’s varieties were providing affordable options to the farmers. By means of commercialisation, the university continued to translate its research prowess into impactful solutions for stakeholders, ensuring boost to productivity and profitability, he observed.