Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2020 Starts Today

Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2020 starts today (1^st March) at the Mela Ground of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. The Mela will be inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Honorable Minister(s) of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Purshottam Rupala and Kailash Chaudhary will also preside over the inaugural function and Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary, DARE and Director General,-ICAR will be the Guest of Honour. Dr. AK. Singh, Director IARI,  and Dr. J.P. Sharma, Jt. Director (Extension), and many dignitaries from ICAR will also be present during the ceremony.

ICAR-IARI has been known for developing high yielding crop varieties/hybrids with high resistance to many biological and abiotic stresses and with high nutritional quality. The growing seed demand of Pusa varieties is a testimony to their increasing popularity among farmers.

Basmati rice varieties like Pusa Basmati 1121, Pusa Basmati 1509 and other improved Basmati varieties such as Pusa Basmati 1718, Pusa Basmati 1637, etc developed by IARI are grown in nearly 1.5 million ha area and during 2018-19 they helped in securing Rs. 32800 crores of foreign exchange. Wheat varieties HD 2967, HD 3086 and other varieties released by the IARI together contributed about 60 percent of total wheat production of the country worth for Rs. 81000 crores.

During this year 34 varieties/hybrids were released including 9 varieties of wheat, 4 of maize, 2 of chick pea, and one each of lentil, mungbean and soybean. Eleven (11) varieties/hybrids of vegetables (brinjal-1, cucumber-1, summer squash-1, ridge gourd-1, cauliflower-3, tomato-1, spinach-1, and muskmelon-2) for better nutrition as well as higher yield and income.  Four (4) new varieties of fruit crops were released which include two in mango and one each in pummelo and grape. One variety of gladiolus, Pusa Shanti was released for timely sown conditions of NCR, Delhi.

Pusa Pickling Cucumber-8 (DG-8) will secure yield of 80-85 t/ha (800-850 / 100 m²) during winter season (off-season: Nov.-March) under low cost poly-house.PusaShreyash (DS-17) of Summer Squash will provide 20.0-22.0 t/ha in winter season under poly-house. Pusa Snowball Hybrid-2 (KTH-DH-1) is the first doubled haploid based F₁ hybrid. It has more uniformity as compared to the conventionally bred F₁ hybrids

Pusa Purple Cauliflower-1 (KTPCF-1) has intense purple colour and the pigmentation is present deep inside the bracts below the curd. The average anthocyanin concentration in the edible portion is 43.7mg/ 100 g of the edible portion. Average marketable curd weight is 0.76 kg.

PusaRakshit (DTPH-60) of tomato is a first F₁ hybrid of IARI for protected cultivation. Average fruit yield/plant is 15 kg/m² . The ripe red fruits have TSS 5.1^O Brix and lycopene content 6.0 mg/100 g. Spinach variety PusaVilayatiPalak is short in duration and gives two cuttings with yield of 12t/ha. It contains high ascorbic acid, iron and calcium (65, 8 and 186 mg/100g respectively).

PusaSunehari variety of Muskmelon is a first orange fleshed variety of Sarda melon and it will suitable for protected cultivation. Pusa Hybrid-3 (DCH 976) of cauliflower will help farmers to earn more as it will be harvested when demand continues to more but supply is lowered in the market. Its harvesting can be done in 2^nd fortnight of December in Delhi condition with yield. of 37-39 t/ha

PusaManohari (Hybrid 8-11) of mango is a regular bearing a hybrid of Amrapali x LalSundari having field tolerance to mango malformation (10-15%). PusaDeepshikha (Hybrid 11-2) is a hybrid of Amrapali x Sensation having regularity in bearing. Pusa Seedless Pummelo-1 is India’s first seedless white fleshed pummelo mutant having high juice recovery (41.13%). Grape HybridPusa Purple Seedless raised through embryo rescue, is an extra-early berry ripening variety (75-80 DAFB) under sub-tropical region.

An Agricultural Innovation Centre is being established to promote innovation generation. Its Foundation stone was laid by Dr. P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India on 1 April 2019. This will be multidisciplinary centre for novel gene discovery, development of designer crops, bioprospecting of natural molecules to use as plant protection chemicals, biostimulants and nutraceuticals, validation of farmers’ innovation and human resource development in the cutting edge science.

Integrated farming system (IFS) model can be helpful for farmers in enhancing income. IARI’s model helped in securing  net returns of ₹3,78,784/ha/year with an employment generation of 628 man-days. 

Real time monitoring of the paddy residue burning in the three states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh using images from international satellites was undertaken at IARI. The analysis produced daily bulletins which were used by the MoA&FW and State Departments to evaluate the success of “Central Sector Scheme on in-situ management of rice residue”. The analysis clearly brought out 18.8% reduction in rice residue burning in 2019 as compared to 2018 in the three States.

Considering the menace of crop residue burning, IARI has developed Pusa Decomposerfor rapidly degrading paddy straw and different agri-horti-waste management. This technology has been licensed to 7 companies.

The Institute has supplied a total of 1150.2 tonnes of seeds including nucleus, breeder and truthfully seeds of more than 100 varieties of 12 field and 25 vegetable crops for different states. It is heartening to note that in case of wheat, rice and mustard, the IARI varieties have more than 33% share in the total breeder seed production of the country.

The major highlights of the Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2020 (March 1-3, 2020) are as follows:

• Live demonstration of Rabi crops

• Demonstration of protected cultivation of vegetables and flowers

• Exhibition and sale of farm equipment developed by IARI, ICAR institutes and private companies.

• Sale of seeds and plants of improved varieties

• Free testing of soil and water samples

• Demonstration and sale of agricultural products and agrochemicals.

• Demonstration of advanced irrigation methods

• Demonstration and sale of products developed by innovative farmers.

• Farmer scientist interaction

• Women empowerment program

• Free distribution of farm literature

• Free health check up

• Innovative farmers conference

• Flower show

Like every year, 39 innovative farmers and 5 fellow farmers will be awarded during the Mela. This effort of the institute will keep the morale of the Indian farmers very high and they will be able to bear the great responsibility of India's food and nutritional security along with feeling proud in doing agricultural work.