ICAR-NBPGR organized multiple events on 5th March 2022 at Experimental Farm, Issapur, New Delhi-110073

The ICAR- National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi organized an Awareness Programme on “PGR for Climate Resilient Agriculture & Nutritional Security” for local farmers under SC Sub Plan on 5th March 2022 at ICAR-NBPGR Experimental Farm, Issapur, New Delhi. Around 100 farmers attended the programme. Farmers were sensitized on importance of Biodiversity and PGR on food and nutritional security. Informative talks were delivered by resource persons of ICAR-NBPGR and KVK, Ujawa on themes related to nutritional security and management of biotic stresses. Dr. Ashok Kumar, Director, ICAR-NBPGR delivered an address on objective of programme and welcomed chief guest and other dignitaries. The Chief Guest, Dr. T Mohapatra, Secretary, DARE and DG, ICAR emphasized on organizing awareness programme regularly to make farmers aware about recent technologies and government schemes for betterment of farming community. Dr. TR Sharma, Deputy Director General (CS), ICAR and Dr SK Chaudhury, Deputy Director General (NRM), ICAR also graced the occasion as the guest of honour. Dr DK Yadava, ADG (Seeds), ICAR was special invitee of function. In this programme, small farm implements, vermicompost kit, and 1 seed packet of kitchen garden were distributed to 100 scheduled caste farmers beneficiary identified with the help of KVK, Ujawa, Delhi. Dr. T Mohapatra, Secretary, DARE and DG, ICAR also inaugurated the “Field Genebank of Multipurpose Tree Species including minor fruits and perennial economic species of semi-arid region” where he suggested to make roadmap of collecting and establishing prioritized tree species in newly established Field Genebank. He also launched the Chip based Technology for monitoring of tree germplasm a pilot project has been developed in collaboration with ICRAF and two other ICAR institutes, IIHR, Bengaluru and CAFRI, Jhansi during the occasion. This is unique approach to manage and monitor tree germplasm through digital technology. ICAR-NBPGR have also planned to digitize and tag all the trees in the Field Genebank across the country. Large scale characterization and evaluation experiments on germplasm of wheat, chickpea and fababean were seen by dignitaries alongwith the team of NBPGR. Dr T Mohapatra suggested that search of trait specific germplasm to meet present breeding requirements should be utmost priority of ICAR-NBPGR. At the end, Dr RK Gautam, Head, Division of Germplasm Evaluation, ICAR-NBPGR proposed formal vote of thanks. .