Five days Orientation Training Programme on Integrated Pest Management held at Horticulture Training Institute, Karnal

Five days Orientation Training Programme on Integrated Pest Management was organized by the Regional Central IPM Centre (RCIPMC), Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, Faridabad from March 1-5, 2021 at Horticulture Training Institute, Uchani, Karnal.

The objective of this training was to train the extension officials of the State department of Agriculture and Horticulture departments of the State of Haryana on various techniques to be adopted for the promotion of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and to promote the IPM among the State farming community through these extension personnel.

The training was inaugurated by Dr. Joginder Singh, Joint Director cum Principal, HTI Karnal on March 1st at the auditorium of Horticulture Training Institute, Uchani, Karnal. Dr. Singh during his inaugural speech expressed hope that by such a training the State Extension Officials will be enriched by the knowledge imparted during the training programme.

In this training programme a total of 40 Extension officials had participated from the Haryana State Agriculture and Horticulture department and the RCIPMC, Faridabad. These extension official represented major districts of the State of Haryana i.e. Karnal, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Sonipat, Ambala, Yamunanagar and Panchkula.

A pre-evaluation test of the participants was conducted on 1st day and a post evaluation test on Day 5 of the training. Wherein it was assessed that the extension officials had reasonably good knowledge on the IPM concepts, however had improved further during the course of the entire 5 day training programme as an impact of the field demonstrations and practical exercises conducted by RCIPMC Faridabad.  The IPM Orientation Training Programme involved interaction among both the participants and the resource trainers during the classroom and field activities.

During the entire training programme conceptualized under the guidance of Dr. Jasvir Singh, Joint Director, RCIPMC, Faridabad covered practically all the major techniques required for the effective implementation in IPM.

Some of the topics covered were related to:

1. Introduction to IPM and its importance

2. Role of Agro-ecosystem analysis in IPM and its practical demonstration in the field and presentations in the field, observations by the participants. The interest shorn by the participants is evident by the charts prepared by them which were also displayed

3. Survey & surveillance methodology

4. Identification of major pests (insects, disease, and weeds) of wheat, mustard and chickpea crops and Rabi vegetables and their management

5. Use of pheromone traps and its practical demonstration in the field

6. Role of biocontrol agents in IPM

a. Demonstration of mass multiplication of egg parasitoids

b. Mass multiplication of bio control agents Baevaria bassiana and Trichogramma spp.

7. Identification of nematodes damage in the fields and their management

8. Identification of weeds and their management

9. Organisation of Farmer Field Schools (FFS) and its importance in demonstrating the various techniques involved in implementing IPM at the farming community

Vipin Saini, CEO of Sunrakshan Foundation, Faridabad had imparted a training lecture on the Safe & Judicious Use of Pesticides. Incidentally, the foundation has been involved with the Horticulture Training Institute, Uchani, Karnal for the past decade in imparting information to the scientific and farming community during various trainings organised by HTI, Karnal.

Sunrakshan Foundation distributed a training manual on 1. Safe and Judicious Use of Pesticides and 2. Crop Protection training guide. Hindi versions of both publications were distributed. Interestingly, both publications have been published along with HTI Karnal, wherein the latter was undertaken under CSR activity of M/s Parijat Industries Ltd. in a  PPP model with the Department of Horticulture, Haryana.

This particular training programme addressed the various concerns over the international exotic pest, i.e. the Fall armyworm (FAW. Its identification and Management were undertaken.

Further, an awareness was also imparted to all the participants regarding the preparedness and cooperation expected by State Extension functionaries regarding the possible attack of the Desert locust and its control preparedness in case of any eventuality this year.

The Valedictory session was graced by the presence of Dr. R.S Pannu (Regional Director, RRS, Karnal) as the Chief Guest along with Dr. Joginder Singh ( JD cum Principal, HTI Karnal), and Dr. Aditya Pratap, DDA Karnal). The Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage was represented by Dr. O.P. Verma (JD IPM, Dt. PPQ&S, Faridabad).

The training programme ended by distribution of participation certificates to all the participants and a group photograph to make the programme memorable.