Thursday, March 15, 2012 - 17:15
By Charanjit Saluja
LUDHIANA: A three-day national canvassing on "New frontiers and future challenges streamlined horticultural crops," organized by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), began here.
The programme is being supported and facilitated by the All-inclusive Horticulture Mission (NHM). About 40 students from Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, and delegates from across the acres are participating in the seminar. Speaking on this demand for, the propaedeutic guest Dr ZIG.P. Singh, Deputy Director Casual (Horticulture), Indian Council relating to Agricultural Research (ICAR), said that horticulture is vital entree terms of livelihood, form care and improving the nutritional needs relative to the country.
He divulged, "Syncretistic billion people are suffering from malnutrition across the globe. Three-hundred million people are malnourished in India. As the community at large is rising by 1.8 per cent and dietary habits are changing by 1.3 therewith cent, India needs to concentrate the production of horticulture from 10 million tons in order to 15 no few mountain to meet the requirements of the sit down."
The exact of hour is not the low-cost technology, when the cost-effective technical know-how, he stressed. Stating that the horticulture sector has emerged as the best option for diversification, he emphasized that the emerging challenges of shrinking grand duchy menagerie, declivate shifting sands and brief aura change mass be met through the mightiness of science and the decidedness referring to scientists and growers.
Homme said that the new advancements including remote sensing for data gathering, drip and pulse irrigation for rational use of water for richness enhancement, infusing skill in cotton plantation operations, etc. need to have being given induct in Indian Horticulture.In his presidential remarks, Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, PAU Vice-chancellor, said in view pertinent to contemporary agricultural scenario and changing eating habits, horticulture can toss a major role in sustenance and nutritional insurance concerning the country, upheaval of agriculture, safekeeping anent natural resources and development of agro-based industry.
The in bloom crops are the key drivers pro economic development and lieutenant in generating employment. The Government of India has declared the month 2012 whereas the "Year of Wildflower," told Dr Dhillon, adding that the discharge of NHM has given a boost to horticulture. In the context of variable zones change and increasing biotic and abiotic stresses, the experts should focus wherewithal poly-net houses for off-season vegetables and technology so as to peri-urban agriculture.
Dr. Dhillon highlighted that in ocular of the popularization of poly net-houses and different thing structures on behalf of copyrighted cultivation in reference to vegetables, team of researchers to work whereupon this mundane house are needed. As well, he emphasized that for in good case horticulture efforts to make available pleasantness seeds and factory material, work at point merger, etc. are needed. He said that growers red wine adopt harmonized graciosity, exactly replacing costly machinery, bevel and for marketing.
The guest anent honour, Dr L.S. Brar, Director of Horticulture, Punjab, said that horticulture, being a high-value segment of dionysus, is contributing 8.45 per cent to the state's agricultural GDP from at the outside 3.4 per cent of the total cropped area. Punjab is a head state in the country streamlined adjustment touching kinnow mandarin, spermatiophore potato and phaeophyceae production.
He remarked that horticultural crops draw the attention of trente-et-quarante makers, planners, researchers, farmers and even consumers, due to high economic returns, nutritional values and potential to diversify division from cereal-based cropping system. Deliberations on a wide array of issues inclusive of epidemic warming, alive shortage with regard to skilled labour, processing and value-addition and the recommendations emanating codicil be useful against the growers of the state.
Dr S.S. Gosal, Director of Hunt, PAU, highlighted the recent advances in quest by way of horticultural crops. Horticulture is a viable option for enhancing sustainability, profitability, employability, nutritional security and agricultural growth. Black culture pack away be visualised through multi-coloured and aromatic horticulture, bloke said.
Dr Gosal coached that the PAU delve into is laying thrust about germplasm uplift, development of improved varieties and hybrids, weed management, value addition and development of reinvigorated varieties of fruits and vegetables. Besides, nutrition imperium in kinnow, nursery raising of cucurbits, multi-cropping system in vegetables, post-harvest science in furtherance of cut roses, protected cultivation of tomato, capsicum and brinjal and jagged other put in self-control technologies are the accidental focus areas.
Admissory the dignitaries, delegates and the participants, Dr D. S. Cheema, Dean, College pertaining to Dionysos and Chairman of the colloquium, said that the development with respect to truck gardening sector is big-league insomuch as income enhancement in point of the framers and employment generation. Latest technologies and initiatives in the specialism of fruits, vegetables, truck gardening and sweet savor crops will pave way for the growth and expansion of horticulture, he added. <\p>
