Technologies Assigned to NRDC for Commercialization
VII. Significant Suggestions Given/Decisions Taken at Senior Management Personnel (SMP)
Meetings during the Period January 1,2007 to December 31, 2007
Board of Management
Create a separate pool of residences for lady officers eligible for allotment of residence
accommodation.
Upgrade the existing Unit of Simulation and Informatics to the status of Division of Agri-Informatics.
Change the name of the Auditorium of IARI as Dr. B.P.
Pal Auditorium.
Reduce the basic pay required for the allotment of Type III residences.
Academic Council
Inducted 17 scientists as faculty members and 35 scientists as research guides.
Approved the guidelines for appointment of a Professor in teaching disciplines.
Approved the introduction of a new course on ‘Plant Bio-Security’ in the discipline of plant genetic resources.
Revised three courses in soil science & agricultural chemistry, and one course each in horticulture and post harvest technology.
Executive Council
Institution of Best Worker Award.
Conducting of an economic survey on the contribution of IARI to Indian economy.
Constitution of a committee to examine and recommend the areas where villages may be adopted by KVK for extension activities.
Framing guidelines for the officials working in various research projects running in the Institute.
Extension Council
The IARI website may be linked with TAFE Web-site (website of a private company) on payment basis provided that the latter is technically sound and feasible.
The quality parameters in participatory seed production programme in farmers’ fields must be ensured by all means. A certificate course on Entrepreneurship Development (ED) for rural youths should be organized on PG school certificate course pattern. The ED training modules should have components of technology, processing, marketing, etc.
The field demonstration programmes should have components of technology, processing, marketing, etc.
The field demonstration programmes should clearly define the local check, highlight the ranges of yields/
productivity, maintain uniformity in all trials/
demonstrations and include social and economic parameters of technology.
A model of integrated agriculture should be developed in the context of a backward village in NCR of Delhi.
Consequent upon successful accomplishment the model may be replicated in other regions/states.
The feedback from the farming community received by the ATIC should be constantly processed and followed up.
The KVK (Shikohpur) should organize farmers and conduct tours to identified locations. The feedback generated through impact analysis of KVK interventions should be followed up.
A new village based business oriented extension model of national character should be developed under the ongoing new extension/TOT strategy of IARI.
An annual collaborative plan between IARI and Development Departments should be developed and implemented, wherein the IARI will provide all the needed technical expertise.
Research Advisory Council
The wheat programme at IARI needs major strengthening with additional funding support. The
Institute should strive to regain its position of leadership in wheat research.
The Institute should develop the technology of life saving irrigation by developing suitable reservoir systems on the farm.
The Institute should take the leadership in research in the field of protected horticulture.
The work on fruits and vegetables should aim at nutritional improvement along with high yields. The anti-oxidant properties through selection for pigmentation should receive greater attention.
IARI should collaborate with NBPGR in DNA bar coding of plant genetic resources by the use of molecular techniques.
IARI should organize a major study in collaboration with other ICAR research centers on the extent of yield losses due to pests and diseases at the pre- and post- harvest stages.
IARI should focus on insect pests and diseases of national importance.
IARI should focus on horticultural crops by using bio- control agents.
IARI should standardize a general package of practices for organic farming and should prepare a policy paper on the subject. The Division of Soil Science &
Agricultural Chemistry should take the leadership in this regard.
The issue of contract farming is receiving major attention. IARI should organize a major study on contract farming based on the experience so far in states like Punjab. The opportunities and pitfalls should be clearly defined, and recommendation made so that contract farming can be made more rewarding for the small and marginal farmers in particular.
The Division of Agricultural Extension should come out with new approaches for the transfer of complex technologies like soil and water management to farmers.
The present models of extension services have not worked well for India’s changing agriculture.
IARI should develop a Master’s degree course in agri- business management.
The Institute should carry out a major review of the impact of the work of the Division of Microbiology.
The feeling in the farming community is that they have received little support from microbiologists in improving the soil fertility.
The Division of Biochemistry should redefine its mission and mandate. Working in collaboration with other divisions, the Division of Biochemistry should aim at making an impact in terms of quality and quantity of agriculture produce.
The Division of Agronomy should be reorganized as the Division of New Agronomy and Precision Farming.
The major objective should be more efficient management of natural resources as well as modern farm inputs.
The WTC should review its past work to determine how far it has contributed to irrigation water use efficiency in the country and how far its developed technology can be adopted under rainfed conditions.
The Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, based on soil fertility maps it had prepared, should review India’s present cropping systems and suggest changes for optimum utilization of natural resources. This should be done in collaboration with the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning. Above all, the Division should come out with a strategy for improving India’s degraded and low soil fertility lands.
The Regional Station, Amartara should create a national nursery of temperate fruit crops, specially apple. It should become a national centre of germplasm resources of diverse temperate fruits.
Improvement in fruit size in kiwi is important and the role of plant nutrition and growth regulators should be studied in this regard.
The varieties of apple, which are being developed, should be selected for attractive colour and other traits so as to become competitive in the market.
The Regional Station, Amartara should focus on integrated nutrient management, micro-irrigation, and fertigation in temperate fruit crops.
The diseases of strawberry should be studied in order to increase the yield of this fruit.
The Tutikandi Station should be developed as a Centre of Excellence for wheat research in the hills.
The Institute should distribute much larger quantity of seeds of its improved varieties to the attending farmers in Kisan Melas. A separate programme of seed multiplication should be organised for this purpose.
Staff Research Council School of Crop Improvement
Attempt should be made to popularize/spread IARI varieties with sufficient quantity of nuclear/breeder/
foundation seed. The input output ratio should be analyzed for IARI varieties. Varieties released for Delhi should be extended to/promoted in other states. The variety release and recommendations should be linked with nutrition status quality parameters.
A theoretical design for ideal plant type in different environmental conditions should be defined
Maintenance breeding should be done faithfully.
National/ international certifying agency should certify organic seed production.
While releasing a variety, its nutrient requirement should be recommended.
The pre-breeding activity to develop suitable parental line should be focused.
Agronomy of vegetable needs to be emphasized.
The onion variety should be tried for mechanical grading.
In yellow onion and peel free cucumber, specific size to meet the export market should be developed.
The Division of Vegetable Science should have sufficient land for developing parental lines and seed production.
Utilization of byproduct like leaf of cauliflower and garden pea should be looked into.
Close collaboration be made with hospitals for recommendation of nutritive vegetables.
There has to be a conscious effort to include the nutritional and post-harvest processing quality parameters in the breeding programme. The breeders may take the PHT scientists along with them for better results.
The packages of production practices including good agricultural practices (GAP) need to be developed involving Agronomists.
Root stock research for perennial crop should be carried out.
Utilize available resistant varieties from Lucknow against mango malformation.
Confirm Tea Wed on controlling of mango malformation.
Work on tissue culture/micro-propagation for faster multiplication of fruit crop should be continued.
Breed mango for industry/colour preference for consumer for export purpose.
Reconsider the research on papaya cultivation in north Indian conditions since changes have taken place in the climate.
Nutritional characterization of fruits along with the GAP, and post harvest processing quality issues need to be given greater emphasis.
While attempting to use municipal solid waste based organic matter for soil fertility improvement, data on heavy metal toxicity and other quality issues also need attention.
Attempt should be made to develop hybrid of marigold.
Attention should be given to germplasm collection and utilization for crop improvement with regard to any crop.
Seed production programme at the Institute should be strengthened.
Agrotechnology for protected and open cultivation should be streamlined.
Post harvest technology for flowers, specially cut flowers and dry flowers is to be strengthened.
Cost-benefit ratio of tissue culture plant, and issues on natural colours from flowers for textile industry must be workout.
The Division of Post Harvest Technology should give more emphasis on post harvest engineering aspects of horticultural crops. This will result in development of equipment/tools for post harvest operation of fruits and vegetables.
Programme must be developed to monitor and ensure quality and safety aspects along the post harvest processing chain.
The post harvest management and processing activities should culminate in the development of pilot plants and commercialization of the technology.
Mandate of the Division of Seed Science & Technology should be modified with regard to seed testing in view of the changing need.
Develop a technology for seed testing in transgenic crop, especially in Bt cotton.
Economy of seed production in tomato should be worked out.
Maintenance breeding by the Division of Seed Science
& Technology should be encouraged specially for the varieties developed by the Institute.
The seed developed by private companies should be evaluated for their potentiality.
School of Crop Protection
Disease modeling should have focused approach.
HCIO and ITCC need institutional support to sustain these collections. Database of HCIO and ITCC should be well documented.
The research on mushrooms at the Division of Plant Pathology needs to be collaborated with the national programme at Solan for more productive research output.
The application strategy in biocontrol and biopesticide research can be collaborated with NCIPM for a wider reach.
The research on development of resistant transgenic stocks by plant pathologists should be restricted to the crops wherever regeneration protocols are available or it should be carried out in collaboration with physiology/biochemistry or biotechnology divisions for accelerated output.
Collaboration across disciplines within IARI and institutes across the country is needed.
Application of genomic technologies should be restricted to the areas wherever there is scope for development of applicable markers.
Development of new compounds should be restricted to agrochemicals only.
Multi-residue methods for analysis of pesticides in different commodities should be standardized.
Various research projects of NCIPM differed with respect to the base data considered while IPM protocols were implemented and evaluated. For a scientific appraisal of the technology, a standardized format for the various base data should have been developed including soil type, composition, quality of irrigation water and cropping system, etc. Similarly, while evaluating the efficacy, a set of parameters consistent over locations and crops should be developed for system analysis.
Experiments for IPM strategies for protected cultivation and precision agriculture should be planned more critically, and treatments should be randomized as micro plots and not rows.
The development of database on pests and management practices can be done in collaboration with the regional ICAR institutes or SAU’s wherever available, as it will help in quicker and the authentic compilation.
It gives an impression that the IPM research is being done in a compartmentalized way with reference to the development of strain and protocols by NCIPM and the School of Plant Protection. A coordinated approach may help in accelerating the efforts in this important field of agriculture.
Software developed by the NCIPM should be developed in farmer’s language too.
Ecological aspect should be given area wide consideration emphasis in IPM programme.
In biocontrol programme, make attempts in mandated crops including commercial aspect.
School of Basic Sciences
The focus should be on understanding the biochemical basis of heat tolerance in wheat. For this, studies relating to starch synthetase enzyme in developing grains of heat tolerant and susceptible genotypes of wheat are very necessary.
Synergistic integration of different energies for investigations on agri-products is a very interesting approach. Gama radiation investigations on agri- products should lay stress on energy/dose levels and its effect at molecular level.
The work on the effect on magnetic field on seed is appreciable. Such investigations should also generate
valuable information through instruments like Electro Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), etc.
The cotton fibre quality studies should be extended to include studies on physical and structural analysis of materials in a well-defined manner using various instrumentation techniques.
The report on water quality parameters, certified reference material/reference water standard should be used as check. NRL should also try to develop its own reference standards/materials.
Share and disseminate information with the stakeholders through technical and popular articles.
Instead of number of publications, a complete reference should be provided.
School of Resource Management
A comprehensive review on clay-humus interaction between the soil of organic growing field and soil of vegetable growing field, cropping system, micronutrient status, FLD and aerobic rice should be made.
Effort to reduce losses through conveyance, and seepage through proper management technology should be made.
Aqua-ferti-seed drill should be popularized among the Delhi farmers.
DSS developed by the Division at Agricultural Physics should be evaluated in the farmers’ fields.
The implication of climate change in nutrient uptake/
utilization by the plant needs to be understood.
There is a need to devise soil health index by integrating physical, chemical and biological properties of soil.
The project on “Spatial Modeling of Net Primary Productivity of Indian Agro-system” by using production efficiency modelling approach to be continued.
There is a need to relook the fertilizer recommendation for various crops and refine compost enrichment.
Package and practices for cultivation of Jatropha in wasteland/marginal land to be worked out.
Emission results should not be published hurriedly. It may jeopardize the environmental policy.
Cost of cultivation of growing ginger in Jatropha intercropping needs to be looked into carefully.
Pilot plant for extraction of Jatropha oil should be made after its chemistry is established.
Efforts should be made to develop linkages with ICAR institutes and other non-ICAR organizations for the work on ergonomics where such type of research work is undertaken.
Efforts should be made to develop a continuous type plant instead of batch type pilot plant for bio-fuel (Jatropha oil).
Develop a machine bank emerging out of the survey undertaken by the Division of Agricultural Engineering in U.P.
Work should also be initiated for making briquettes for fuel from agricultural waste.
School of Social Sciences
There is a need to study the ‘contract farming’ as a system under Farming System Research Project.
The extension problems of small and marginal farmers have to be investigated.
The Division of Agricultural Extension should continue to focus on ‘action research’ which will provide practical solutions to extension problems.
Impact analysis of extension programme and policies should include multi-dimensions such as economical, social and environmental components.
Implication of changes in provisions especially those relating to trade in agricultural commodities on consumer, producers and traders needs to be evaluated.
Application of advanced econometric analysis and modeling in the research work needs to be emphasized.
Under the activities of Marketing Intelligence Cell, implications of changed scenario of market and trade in agriculture on research and development agenda need to be examined.
In a study on management of peri-urban agriculture, there is a need to focus on management aspects and expand the study area as well as activities (such as livestock, dairying, poultry, high value commodities, etc.) to provide more holistic findings for policy implications of peri-urban agriculture.
Each and every scientist of the Division of Agricultural extension should strive to publish their work in high standard journals with high impact factor.
TOT programme should be focused as per the need of small and marginal farmers.
Training manuals/capsules should form an integral part of the farmer ’s training under Action Research Programme and a few long-term training programme should also be organized.
Impact analysis of action research programme/TOT programme in terms of economic parameters will be helpful.
