Brown Planthopper Outbreak in Rice Crop - Indian Agricultural ...

Dr. R.S. Paroda, Chairman, Research Advisory Council(RAC) of IARI (first from right) speaking at the meeting ofRACPratap University of Agriculture& Technology, Udaipur; Dr.J.C. Katyal, Vice-Chancellor,Chaudhary Charan Singh HaryanaAgricultural University, Hissar;Dr. R.K. Pathak, former Director,Central Institute for Sub-tropicalHorticulture, Lucknow; Dr. S.N.Shukla, Assistant Director-General(Food & Forage Crops), ICAR;Prof. H.S. Dhaliwal, Professor,Department of Biotechnology, IIT,Roorkee; Dr. S.A. Patil, Director,IARI; and Dr. K.R. Koundal,Joint Director (Research), IARI& Member-Secretary (RAC). TheJoint Director (Extension), projectdirectors, heads of divisions andregional stations, scientists - inchargeof Units, the PrincipalScientist (PPI), the Chief Finance& Accounts Officer, the ChiefAdministrative Officer, and theSenior Scientist (Research ProjectCell) also participated.The Chairman in hisintroductory remarks emphasizedthat IARI should maintain itsleadership role in meeting the newand emerging challenges at thenational level. A special mentionwas made by him of the burningissues like global climate change inrelation to sustainable agriculture,food security, protein malnutrition,natural resource management,environmental protection, useof bio-fuels as energysource, public-privatepartnership and linkingfarmers to market.He emphasized theneed for collaborativeand interdisciplinaryapproaches in the majorresearch programmesand the need fordemonstrating thetechnologies developedat IARI in farmers’ fields.Dr. Patil, made acomprehensive presentation of theIARI Vision 2025 and highlightedsome of the major researchaccomplishments of theInstitute, and the futureresearch agendas that need tobe targeted on a time scale. Dr.Koundal, while welcoming thechairman and members, gavean overview of the SRC 2007-08 and presented the actiontaken report (ATR) of thelast RAC meeting. Dr. Mehtasuggested that ATR shouldexplicitly reflect the nonachievablerecommendationsgiving constraints, if any, interms of manpower, resources andfunds. He also emphasized that thefive schools at IARI need to interactmore with each other. Thereafter,detailed school-wise presentationswere made on crop improvement,plant protection, resourcemanagement, basic sciences, andsocial sciences. The RAC madeseveral observations at the end ofeach presentation.The Chief Finance &Accounts Officer and the ChiefAdministrative Officer gaveoverviews of the progress madein financial and administrativematters, respectively. Dr. Koundalproposed a vote of thanks onthe conclusion of the RACmeeting.Parliamentary Official LanguageCommittee Inspectsthe Use of Hindi at IARIParliamentary OfficialLanguage Committee inspectedthe use of official language (Hindi)at IARI on October 7, 2008 in ameeting held at Ashoka Hotel. TheDirector, IARI, the joint directorsand the Chief Finance & AccountsOfficer were present at themeeting. Dr. S.N. Shukla, AssistantDirector-General and Shri H.C.Joshi, Director (Hindi) representedthe ICAR headquarters. Hon’blemembers of the ParliamentaryParliamentary Committee on Official Language in ameeting at Ashoka Hotel, New DelhiCommittee reviewed theprogressive use of Hindi in differentfields of work at the Institute.They suggested the increaseduse of Hindi in correspondence,introduction of Hindi as a mediumof teaching, increase in budgetfor purchase of Hindi books inthe Library, and the increased useof Hindi on computers, etc. TheCommittee was satisfied as theInstitute was meeting the targetsfor implementation of the officiallanguage.World Food DayThe Centre for AgriculturalTechnology Assessment andTransfer (CATAT) celebratedthe World Food Day on October16, 2008 in collaboration with4IARI News

the Development Department,Government of Delhi. The extensionpersonnel of Delhi DevelopmentDepartment and farmers in largenumbers from different blocksof Delhi participated. Fivetechnical sessions followed bykisan goshthis on different topicsof current agricultural importancewere conducted where IARIscientists made the participantsaware of the latest agriculturaldevelopments.The Krishi Vigyan Kendra(KVK), Shikohpur also celebratedthe World Food Day on October 16,2008 in Teekli village of Gurgaondistrict. Improved technologies forcrop production and safe storageof food grains were highlightedduring the programme, which wasattended by 63 farmers.Field DaysThe KVK, Shikohpur organizeda field day on arhar on October22, 2008 and a field day on moongon December 4, 2008 in Teeklivillage, and a field day on arharon November 12, 2008 in Kakrolavillage of Gurgaon district.Animal Health DayThe KVK, Shikohpur organizeda day-long Animal Health Dayeach on November 4, 2008 andDecember 4, 2008 in Abhaypur andTeekli villages of Gurgaon district,respectively. In these villages, 135and 78 animals, respectively, werediagnosed and treated for differentailments free of cost.SeminarThe Nuclear ResearchLaboratory (NRL) of IARIorganized a one-day seminaron “Nuclear Technology forEcological Sustenance and FoodSecurity Research and HumanResource Development” onIARI NewsDecember 2, 2008 to commemorateits Foundation Day.Prof. M.G.K. Menon, FRS andAdvisor, Indian Space ResearchOrganization (ISRO) inauguratedthe event as chief guest. Prof. P. L.Gautam, Deputy Director-General(Crop Science) presided over thefunction.In his address, Prof.Menon spoke at length on theevolutionary thesis, genetics ofmutation and process of selectionand highlighted the usefulness ofionizing radiations in industry,medicine and agriculture.The highlight of the seminarwas a panel discussion on “Scientist,Farmer and Industry Interface forFood Security”, which was chairedby Dr. S.A. Patil, Director, IARI, andmoderated by Dr. P.S. Datta, ProjectDirector, NRL. Dr. BhupinderSingh, Organizing Secretary,proposed a vote of thanks.Women in Agriculture DayThe KVK, Shikohpurcelebrated “Women in AgricultureDay” on December 4, 2008 inTeekli village of Gurgaon district.Self-employment and alternativevocation for livelihood forrural women were emphasizedduring the programme, whichwas attended by about 140 ruralwomen.Free Medical Camp andAwareness Lecture on BreastCancerThe Women Welfare Cell ofIARI organized a free medicalcamp for the employees of theInstitute on December 12, 2008 atNRL Auditorium. Doctors andtechnicians of Apex DiagnosticsCentre, Nariana conducted testsfor blood sugar, blood pressure(BP), and electrocardiogram (ECG)among other general tests. In theafternoon, an awareness lectureon breast cancer was delivered byDr. S. Geeta, Senior Oncologist ofRajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital.National AgriculturalSeminar in HindiThe Institute organized anational agricultural seminarin Hindi on the topic ‘BehtarParyavaran ke liye Bhartiya Krishi’from December 16 to 17, 2008 atthe Dr. B.P. Pal Auditorium. In thisseminar, about 250 participantsfrom ICAR institutes, SAUs andother organizations took part.Speakers made all the deliberationsin Hindi for all six technicalsessions. These sessions were onthe topics: Environmental Securityin Conventional Agriculture;Management of Natural Resourcesfor Better Environment; CropImprovement and EnvironmentBalance; Crops Safety andEnvironment Conservation;Commercialization of Agriculture;and Role of Official Language inAgricultural Extension. Dr. R.B.Singh, former Member, NationalCommission on Farmers andformer Director, IARI was the chiefguest at the inaugural session.Dr. R.S. Paroda, former Secretary,DARE & Director-General, ICARDr. R.B. Singh, former Member, NationalCommission on Farmers and former Director,IARI (second from right) speaking at theinaugural function of the National AgriculturalSeminar in Hindi held at IARI. Also seatedon the dais (from left) are: Dr. S.K. Adlakha,Principal Scientist & Head, Division ofAgricultural Engineering; Dr. S.A. Patil,Director and Dr. K.R. Koundal, Joint Director(Research) of IARI5

and presently Chairman, TAAS wasthe chief guest at the valedictorysession. Dr. S.A. Patil, Director,IARI was the chairperson at boththese sessions. Dr. K.R. Koundal,Joint Director (Research), IARI wasthe convener of the seminar.Winter SchoolThe Division of Post HarvestTechnology organized a WinterSchool on “Application of Qualityand Safety Assurance Systems forSupply Chain and Agri-businessDevelopment” from September 30to October 20, 2008. The trainingprogramme was attended byfaculty members from 14 stateagricultural universities and 3ICAR institutes.Trainings• The Centre for AgriculturalTechnology Assessment andTransfer (CATAT) and theAgricultural TechnologyInformation Centre (ATIC)organized six on-campustraining programmes foragricultural officials andprogressive farmers ofdifferent states. These wereon: (i) “Training of AchieverFarmers (under ATMA)” fromOctober 13 to 22, 2008, whichwas attended by 8 participantsfrom Ghaziabad (U.P.);(ii) “Training of AchieverFarmers on Crop Production(under ATMA)” from October16 to 20, 2008, which wasattended by 11 participants fromBijnaur (U.P.); (iii) “Basmati/Paddy and its CultivationTechniques & Allied Subject ofAgriculture” from October 20to 29, 2008, which was attendedby 38 participants from MadhyaPradesh; (iv) “IntegratedNutrient Management” onNovember 21, 2008 which wasattended by 16 participantsfrom Delhi; (v) “Production ofRabi and Horticultural Cropsand Post Harvest Technology”from November 29 to December5, 2008, which was attendedby 25 participants from WestChamparan and Nalanda(Bihar); and (vi) “Post HarvestTechnology” on December 30,2008, which was attended by 23participants from Delhi.• The KVK, Shikohpur organizedthree vocational trainingcourses on: (i) ”Dress Designing& Tailoring” from October 17to December 14, 2008 for 33rural girls and women at Teeklivillage of Gurgaon district;(ii) “Fruits & VegetablesPreservation” from December4 to 15, 2008 for 15 rural girls;and (iii) “Protected VegetableCultivation” from December 17to 27, 2008 for 10 progressivefarmers of the area.• The Division of Seed Scienceand Technology organizeda comprehensive 15-daytraining programme on “SeedTechnology” from October21 to November 4, 2008. Theprogramme was attendedby 15 participants fromdifferent SAARC countries.• The Division of Floricultureand Landscapingorganized a seven-daytraining programme (inHindi) on “Advances inResearch and Developmentof Flower Crops –Gladiolus, Marigold,Tuberose, Gerbera andRose”, sponsored by theDirectorate of Horticultureand Food Processing, UttarPradesh under the NationalHorticulture MissionScheme from November4 to 10, 2008. The trainingprogramme was attended by12 resource persons of theDirectorate of Horticultureand Food Processing, UttarPradesh.• The KVK, Shikohpur organizedan in-service trainingprogramme on “Live StockManagement” on December6, 2008 for 12 extensionfunctionaries of Navjyoti IndiaFoundation, and a 4-day inservicetraining programmeon “Protected VegetableCultivation” from December24 to 27, 2008 for 10 extensionpersonnel.• The Division of Post HarvestTechnology organized atraining course on “SynergisticImpact of Pre- and PostharvestPractices on Qualityand Shelf Life of Fruits andVegetables” sponsored by theICAR from December 15 to24, 2008. Twenty-two facultymembers from 10 different stateagricultural universities andICAR institutes participated inthe training course.Dr. Kheya Bhattacharya, Joint Secretary (SAARC),Ministry of External Affairs, Government of Indiaspeaking at the inaugural function of the trainingprogramme on “Seed Technology” conductedat the Institute. Seated on the dais (from left) are:Dr. H.S. Gaur, Dean & Joint Director (Education),IARI; Dr. S.A. Patil, Director, IARI; Dr. P.L. Gautam,Deputy Director-General (Crop Science), ICAR; andDr. (Mrs.) Malavika Dadlani, Head, Division of SeedScience and Technology6IARI News

New Projects Sanctioned• “Construction of a NovelInsecticidal cry Gene of Bacillusthuringiensis (Bt) for EnhancedPod Borer (Helicoverpa armigera)Resistance in Transgenic Crops”funded by the Department ofBiotechnology (DBT). Amount:Rs. 46.18 lakhs. PrincipalInvestigators: Dr. SarvjeetKaur, National Research Centreon Plant Biotechnology; andDr. G.T. Gujar, Division ofEntomology.• “Functional Genomics of YellowMosaic Viruses of Soybean andDevelopment of TransgenicResistance in Soybean” fundedby the DBT. Amount: Rs. 52.71lakhs. Principal Investigator:Dr. V.G. Malathi, Division ofPlant Pathology.• “Technology of Plant and DairyIngredients Based Formulatedand Functional Foods UsingExtrusion Technology” fundedby the Indo-US AgriculturalKnowledge Initiative. Amount:Rs. 6.30 lakhs. PrincipalInvestigator: Dr. S.K. Jha,Division of Post HarvestTechnology.• “Sustainability of PyramidedBt Genes in Crop Plants forInsect Control” funded bythe DBT. Amount: Rs. 33.00lakhs. Principal Investigator:Dr. G.T. Gujar, Division ofEntomology.• “Identification of QTLs for SeedWeight and Seed Number inChickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)”funded by the DBT. Amount:Rs. 50.19 lakhs. PrincipalInvestigator: Dr. ChellapillaBharadwaj, Division ofGenetics.• “Developing a DecisionSupport System for AgriculturalCommodity Market Outlooks”IARI Newsfunded by the NationalAgricultural Innovation Project.Amount: Rs. 31.97 lakhs.Principal Investigator: Dr. V.C.Mathur, Division of AgriculturalEconomics.Patent Filed• Methodology and compositionof artificial diet for mass rearingof Lepidopteran pests (inparticular, Helicoverpa armigera,Spodoptera litura and Eariasvittella).MoUs Signed• A memorandum ofunderstanding between IARIand Bhawani Seeds & Biotech,Mathura on commercializationof wheat, mustard & ricevarieties.• Memorandum of understandingbetween IARI and AmareswaraAgri-tech Ltd., Hyderabad oncommercialization of mustardand rice varieties.• Two memoranda of understandingon commercializationof rice hybrid Pusa RH 10 betweenIARI and Rasi Seeds (P)Ltd., Attur; and Andhra PradeshState Seeds Development CorporationLtd., Hyderabad.Awards/Honours• The Krishi Vigyan Kendra,Shikohpur, Gurgaon wasDr. Anjani Kumar, Programme Coordinator,KVK, Shikohpur (right) receiving the BestKVK National Award for the year 2005-06 fromShri Sharad Pawar, Hon’ble Union Minister ofAgricultureadjudged the best KVK of Indiaamong 562 KVKs of India, andreceived the Best KVK NationalAward for the year 2005-06 forits outstanding contribution toextension.• Dr. Amrik Singh Sidhu, Head,Division of Vegetable Sciencewas selected for the Shri L.C.Sikka Endowment Awardof the National Academy ofAgricultural Sciences (NAAS)for the year 2007-2008 for hisoutstanding contributionstowards food and nutritionalsecurity.• Dr. A.K. Singh, Head, Divisionof Fruits and HorticulturalTechnology received the ShriGirdhari Lal Chadha MemorialGold Medal of the HorticulturalSociety of India for the year 2008for his significant contributionsto horticulture and fruitsciences. He also received thefellowship of the HorticulturalSociety of India for the year 2007for his significant contributionsto horticulture.• Dr. H.G. Kamble, Head, FOSUwas elected Honorary Secretaryof the Institution of Engineers(I), Delhi State Centre for theperiod, 2008-2010.• Dr. K.V. Prasad, Senior Scientist,Division of Floriculture andLandscaping received the BestResearch Paper Award – 2006for the research paper entitled“Molecular Characterizationof Fragrant Rose Cultivars”,authored by him and others andpublished in the Indian Journalof Horticulture, 63(3): 229-234,2008.• Dr. Ram Asrey, Senior Scientist,Division of Post HarvestTechnology was elected Fellowof the Horticultural Society ofIndia.7