ICAR-NBPGR RS, Srinagar

NBPGR Regional Station Srinagar was established in 1988 to carry out systematic exploration and germplasm collection in North-Western Sub-Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir and high altitude Cold Arid Ladakh. These areas are inhabited by several communities some dwelling in remote and inaccessible areas. Phytogeographical and socio-cultural diversity has led to the evolution of diverse traditional farming systems housing large number of traditional varieties of agri-horticultural crops, wild and weedy relatives. The station has a 10 acre experimental farm for characterization, evaluation and maintenance of germplasm and is located at Karewa Damodhar 14 kms from Srinagar city centre adjacent to ICAR-CITH Srinagar, ICAR-IGFRI RRS Srinagar and Dryland Agriculture Research Station (DARS), SKUAST-Kashmir, KD Farm Budgam.

Objectives

• Systematic exploration and collection of local plant genetic resources including crop wild relatives of agri-horticultural crops.
• Characterization, evaluation, documentation and conservation of local crop genetic resources.
• Multiplication, regeneration and supply of germplasm to researchers in the country.
• Creating public awareness about local plant genetic resources and promoting their use.

Mandated crops

• Wheat, barley, mustard, apple, walnut, almond
• Other crops: rice, maize, pulses, vegetables, fruits, spices and ornamentals

• Exploration and Germplasm Collection: During last 10 years, 14 exploration and germplasm collection programmes were undertaken by the station from different areas of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh including far-flung, remote and unexplored places in collaboration with SKUAST- K, DRR Hyderabad, NRC Seed Spices Ajmer, ICAR-IGFRI RS Srinagar, ICAR-NBPGR RS Shimla and HQ. More than 1000 multicrop germplasm accessions including CWR comprising of cereals, pseudocereals, millets, pulses, seed spices, oil seeds, medicinal plants, vegetables, fruits, forages etc. were collected. The station also collaborated in few exploration and germplasm collection programmes organized by HQ and other ICAR Institutes. Significant collections among others include “Keshwan rajma” from a far-flung village Thakraie in Kishtwar Jammu which are tasty dark red cuboid rajma with an average seed length of 12.5mm, width 8.0mm and test weight of 36.8 g, primitive type of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) locally called as ‘Sallan’, Chenopodium album locally called as ‘Bajarbang’, red rice landrace locally called as ‘Lal Dhan’ all from Padder Kishtwar, Secale cereale from Budgam area, six-rowed naked reddish barley locally called as ‘Yeao’ &  sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. turkestanica) locally called as ‘Ghurve’ with slightly bigger and heavier fruits from Tulail Gurez, Crataegus pseudoheterophylla - spineless hawthorn species with deep cleft leaves bearing single seeded bigger red fruits from Kupwara area, Crataegus songarica with comparatively much bigger, tastier and softer dark red fruits from Ganderbal area and wild melon Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis from Pampore Kashmir. Other notable collections especially of CWR are Elymus nutans, E. cognatus, E. dahuricus, E. secalinus, E. longearistatus, E. repens, E. semicostatus, E. schrenkianus, Hordeum brevisubulatus, H. bogdanii, Hystrix duthiei, Leymus secalinus and Cicer microphyllum from Ladakh. Elymus semicostatus, E. cognatuts, E. repens, E. schrenkianus, Hystrix duthiei and Hordeum bogdanii were collected and conserved in the NGB for the first time. The Station has actively participated in identification of new distribution records of CWR such as Hystrix duthiei, Elymus repens, Elymus schrenkianus, Hordeum brevisubulatum, Hordeum bogdanii all belonging to wild Triticeae from different areas of Ladakh, Rubus praecox (Rosaceae), Fagopyrum tataricum subsp. potanini (Polygonaceae), Amaranthus tenuifolius (Amaranthaceae) and Chenopodium strictum (Chenopodiaceae) from different areas of Kashmir.

• Germplasm Characterization and Evaluation: More than 1800 germplasm accessions comprising of wheat, barley, linseed, common beans, fababeans, pea, Allium sativum, Allium cornutum and Aegilops tauschii have been characterized and evaluated for their agro-morphological characters under rainfed conditions of Himalayas using minimal descriptors and promising genotypes based on different traits were identified in each of these crops. Biochemical evaluation of some landraces of maize and soybean was also carried out which revealed appreciable protein and fatty acid contents in some of these genotypes. Common bean genotypes collected from different parts of Jammu & Kashmir were evaluated especially for resistance to bean common mosaic virus (BCMV). Based on the symptoms of curling, puckering and yellowing some of these genotypes were categorized as resistant ones. Besides, as a cooperating centre of All India Coordinated Research Network on Potential Crops, the station has evaluated 171 entries of fababeans including those under IVT, AVT-I and AVT-II. Under characterization and diversity analysis of flowering genes in almonds (IXX12784), transcriptomic analysis was performed in almond cultivars to identify the genes associated with blooming. RNA seq data of almond cultivars ‘Waris’ and ‘Ferralise’ was processed using FASTQ, Trimmomatic, HISAT2, Stringtie, Stringtie merge and DESeq2 pipeline. Results revealed the differentially expressed genes. The prominent genes with significant up-regulation in local cultivar Waris included Ethylene Insensitive 3 while BADH acyltransferase and accelerated cell death were down-regulated. Besides, a mungbean genotype EC-0398949 has been registered (INGR21224) for cool canopy drought tolerant trait.

• Supply of Germplasm: Germplasm collected has been supplied to NBPGR HQ for MTS, LTS and Cryopreservation and also to different indenters for research purpose. More than 800 germplasm accessions including Bunium persicum, Carum carvi, Allium sativum, Allium cornutum, wheat, barley, pea, fababeans, Trigonella foenum-graecum were supplied to different organizations such as SKUAST (K), SKUAST (J) and to various Research Organizations of the country.

• PGR Awareness Programmes: Eight “PGR (Plant Genetic Resources) Awareness Programmes” were organized across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh by the station under TSP programme with the help of different Research Stations/KVKs of SKUAST (K). During these programmes farmers were sensitized about local plant genetic resources (PGR); their advantages and importance especially under current changing climatic scenario, need for their protection and conservation as well as their relevance to the livelihood and nutritional security of tribal people. A total of 1,212 local farmers including 337 women actively participated in these events. Seeds/plants of local landraces, for example alfalfa or Lucerne, rajmash,  black soybean, cool-season perennial tall fescue forage grass, field pea, ‘ambri’ apple plants etc. were distributed among the participant farmers during these events. During these programmes farmers were encouraged to display local crop diversity maintained in their fields and cash prizes were awarded to the best displays.

• Dr. Sheikh M Sultan was awarded Dr. RK Arora Best Paper Award 2019 of the Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources for the article “Collecting Plant Genetic Resources from Gurez, An Underexplored Remote Valley of Jammu and Kashmir State of India” by Sultan, SM, K Pradheep, SK Raina and SP Ahlawat published in Indian Journal of Plant Genetic Resources, 2019, 32(2): 174 - 180.

• Exploration and germplasm collection of trait specific, unique and endemic crop diversity of the region.
• Exploration and germplasm collection of Crop Wild Relatives from the region.
• Identification and popularization of niche/potential climate resilient crops of the region.
• Creating public awareness about values, importance and advantages of local plant genetic resources and need for their conservation especially in tribal communities.
• Promoting participatory on-farm conservation and in-situ conservation of plant genetic resources.