International Webinar on “Pomegranate: Ancient Fruit in Modern Horticulture” organized

25 - 27 August, 2021, Solapur

The ICAR-National Research Centre on Pomegranate, Solapur, Maharashtra in collaboration with the Society for Advancement of Research on Pomegranate, Solapur, Maharashtra and ICAR-Central Institute for Arid Horticulture, Bikaner, Rajasthan organized an International Webinar on “Pomegranate: Ancient Fruit in Modern Horticulture” from 25^th to 27^th August, 2021.

In his inaugural address, the Chief Guest, Dr. C.D. Mayee, Former Chairman, Agricultural Scientists’ Recruitment Board, New Delhi stressed on the importance of IDIPM schedule in Pomegranate, elite plant materials, precision horticulture, means of ensuring sustained profitability and mapping for soil suitability region for Pomegranate.

The Guest of Honor, Dr. Anand Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General (Horticultural Science) ICAR emphasized on the problems faced by the Pomegranate farmers and the solutions developed by the Centre to overcome them. The changing Pomegranate market scenario, and accentuated on the use of biofertilizers & biopesticides and possibility to explore the use of gene editing, artificial intelligence, IoT, block chain, etc., in pomegranate were underlined in the DDG’s address.

Dr. R.A. Marathe, Director-ICAR-NRC on Pomegranate, Solapur outlined the Centre’s achievements during the last 15 Years. Dr. Marathe highlighted the developed hybrids - “Solapur Lal” and “Solapur Anaradana”, Tissues Culture and Bio-hardening Protocol, IDIPM Schedule, INM and fertigation schedule, etc.

A total of 47 Invited Speakers including 7 International Speakers and 200 Delegates from 9 Countries - Israel, Iran, Spain, U.S.A., Turkey, Italy, South Africa, Germany, Pakistan and India participated in the Mega Scientific event.

The senior officials of ICAR Institutes and State Agricultural Universities also participated in the Webinar.

(Source: ICAR-National Research Centre on Pomegranate, Solapur, Maharashtra)