PAU hosts Gill memorial lecture, addresses challenges in rainfed farming
Under the aegis of Hardyal Singh Gill, Professor Chair in Weed Science, Dr Hardyal Singh Gill Memorial Lecture was organised at the Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). SVR Shetty delivered his talk on ‘Sustainable agro-techniques to increase productivity in rainfed agriculture’. Shetty obtained his PhD (Agronomy and Weed Science) in 1973 with a Ford Foundation Fellowship from Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA and Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India under the mentorship of Hardyal Singh Gill. Shetty has devoted his entire professional career of over 45 years in improving the lives of small farmers of Asia and Africa through the development and transfer of improved agricultural technologies and strengthening of the supporting institutions.
The session commenced with a warm welcome by the head, Department of Agronomy, Hari Ram, who introduced the speaker to the audience comprising experiential learning programme and postgraduate students, and agronomy faculty.
Shetty discussed the present landscape of rainfed agriculture in India and the importance of weed management in the farming. He deliberated on sustainable agronomic practices for major cropping systems in India. He stressed on the point that sustainable agronomic practices are crucial because they protect soil health, conserve water, reduce chemical dependency and ensure long-term food security while supporting farmers’ economic stability. In India, where agriculture sustains millions of livelihoods, adopting these practices is vital to balance productivity with environmental preservation, he observed. Shetty provided an in-depth exploration of the research issues and how we can address the challenges faced by modern agriculture and ensuring sustainable weed management.
In this memorial lecture, old stalwarts of agronomy namely Jaspinder Singh Kolar, former Director of Extension Education; Lall Singh Brar, former Director Student Welfare; K S Sandhu and US Walia, former Heads of Department of Agronomy along with Charanjit Singh Aulakh, Dean, College of Agriculture participated and interacted with the audience. Kolar shared that Hardyal Singh Gill was a renowned weed scientist of national repute; he had laid a strong foundation of weed research at PAU. Weed management programmes developed by Gill helped in sustaining the productivity of new genotypes of not only wheat and rice but all other important crops of the state, which made green revolution establish roots in Punjab, he said.
