11th - 14th February 2025, Bihar
The XII Group Discussion of the ICAR-All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Fruits was organised from 11th - 14th February 2025, at Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bihar.
In his inaugural address, Chief Guest Prof. (Dr) Sanjay Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General (Horticultural Sciences), emphasized the need for strong partnerships to ensure farmers receive well-packaged, recommended technologies. He highlighted the importance of quality planting materials and suggested that AICRP centers establish model nurseries and demonstration plots.
The Guest of Honour, Dr V.B. Patel, Assistant Director General (Fruits and Plantation Crops), proposed that State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) produce concise technology videos and enhance coordination with state government departments. Additionally, the significance of Bharat GAP certification was underscored.
The Guest of Honour, Dr Kathiria, stressed the necessity of short-, medium--, and long-term strategic planning to address challenges in fruit breeding.
The event was presided over by Dr D.R. Singh, Vice-Chancellor, BAU, Sabour. He highlighted BAU’s contributions and Bihar’s rich natural biodiversity. Dr Singh also emphasized the importance of data integrity in research and proposed the inclusion of new crops under AICRP on Fruits.
Dr A.K. Singh, Director, Research, BAU, briefed the ongoing activities and achievements of the institute.
Seven publications were released, covering topics such as mango and guava technology compendiums, pest fauna in guava, a mango descriptor for Bihar, a policy paper on IPR, a water quality manual, and the BAU Newsletter. Additionally, progressive fruit farmers from Bihar, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Odisha, and West Bengal were felicitated.
Over four days of discussions, several key recommendations were made. The Pummelo variety NRCC-2 was recommended for notification by the Central Variety Release Committee (CVRC). In terms of crop production, seven new technologies were proposed, addressing various agro-climatic regions with a focus on rootstock selection, crop regulation, micronutrient management, and integrated nutrient management.
For crop protection, six new technologies were recommended to manage issues such as Fusarium wilt, stem borer, and fruit fly infestations. Additionally, plans were made for several Multi-Location Trials (MLTs) to support ongoing crop improvement efforts. These included six new MLTs in bananas, two each in mango and grapes, and one in guava. Moreover, two trials under production and one in plant protection were approved for crops like grapes, mango, guava, papaya, and banana.
Farmer Interaction and Valedictory Session
During the farmer interaction session, key concerns were raised, including - Biennial bearing in mango, limited availability of planting materials for non-traditional fruit crops, promotion of lesser-known litchi varieties, insect pest management in mango, judicious agrochemical use during litchi and mango flowering, lack of post-harvest infrastructure and market intelligence
The valedictory session was chaired by Dr Subash Chander, who finalized the recommendations of the technical sessions. Co-chairs included Dr A.K. Singh, Director, Research, BAU, and Dr P.C. Tripathi, PS (Hort. Sci.), ICAR.
The event concluded with a commitment to strengthening research collaborations and enhancing technological advancements in fruit crop production and protection.
A total of 125 delegates were present in the programme.
(Source: ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru)
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