PAU Kisan Mela To Highlight New Varieties And Agri-Technologies

Ludhiana, September 24, 2015: The stage is set at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) for the two-day Kisan Mela, slated to kick off tomorrow on September 25. According to Dr R.S.Sidhu, Director of Extension Education, various departments of PAU will put up stalls to educate visiting farmers about latest agricultural technologies, farm innovations, and newly developed and recommended crop varieties. Farmers will be provided technical guidance and expertise through field demonstrations, displays and farm publications, he said.

The Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics will apprise the farmers of newly released varieties of rabi crops namely PBW 677 and HD 3086 of wheat, PMH 10 and DKC 9108 of maize, Canola RLC 3 of raya, and PSH 1962 of sunflower. Farmers will also be told about newly released and recommended varieties of kharif crops.

The Departments of Vegetable Science and Fruit Science will give information about PAU fruit fly trap, drip irrigation in orchards, new propagation techniques of fruit plants and recommended varieties of vegetables including tomato, chilli, broccoli, radish, peas, carrot, garlic, etc.

The Departments of Entomology and Plant Pathology will give field demonstrations on integrated pest management and bio-intensive management in different field and vegetable crops; control of whitefly in cotton with recommended pesticides; beekeeping as an entrepreneurial venture; method of seed treatment for the control of seed borne diseases in rabi crops; management of yellow and brown rusts in wheat, management of brown leaf spot and sheath blight in paddy; and safe use of pesticides.

The Departments of Agronomy and Soil Science will dwell on green manuring in rice and basmati rice; mechanical transplanting of rice; soil testing; leaf colour chart technology; increased water use efficiency in wheat; integrated use of organic, bio and chemical fertilizers for higher productivity; and weed control in rice, direct seeded rice, maize, soybean, groundnut.

The Department of Microbiology will impart scientific knowledge on year round mushroom cultivation technology; use of bio-fertilizers for leguminous crops; and water testing kit for potability of water.

The Departments of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering; and Soil and Water Engineering will delve on the use of drip and sprinkler irrigation system; cultivation of vegetables in poly house and net house; and operation of farm machinery like laser land leveler, paddy and vegetable transplanter, pulverizing roller, sugarcane trench planter etc.

The School of Climate Change and Agricultural Meteorology will create awareness among the farmers about climate change and SMS weather alerts.

The School of Energy Studies for Agriculture will explain about biogas generation from paddy straw and preparation process of bio-diesel.

The School of Agricultural Biotechnology will lay emphasis on developing new lines for direct seeded rice, and breeding citrus rootstocks for salinity and disease tolerance.

The College of Home Science will organize exhibitions and demonstrations on dietary management of hypertension, food hygiene and sanitation, natural dyes, value added products from groundnut cake and eco-friendly cleaning agents. Besides, competitions in preparation of nutritious recipes from peanuts, knitting and essay writing will also be held during the mela.