Punjab Agricultural University Develops Contingency Plan to Aid Flood-Affected Farmers

In response to the devastating floods that have wreaked havoc on over two lakh hectares of farmland in Punjab, experts from the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have devised a comprehensive contingency plan to assist farmers in mitigating the extensive damage caused by the calamity.

The proposed solution involves the transplantation of two short-duration rice varieties, PR 126 and pusa basmati 1509. The choice of these varieties is based on their early maturation period, which is crucial to help farmers recover losses swiftly. PAU Vice-Chancellor, Satbir Singh Gosal, emphasized that long-duration rice varieties with maturation periods of 110 to 130 days after transplanting would not be feasible. In contrast, PR 126, developed by PAU, matures in just 93 days after transplantation. This early-maturing variety enables late sowing without significant yield losses and facilitates timely sowing of the next wheat crop.

To fast-track the implementation of the contingency plan, Dr. Gurmeet Singh Buttar, the Director of Extension Education at PAU, revealed that PR 126 and pusa basmati 1509 nurseries have been sown on approximately 30 acres using PAU's vast network of krishi vigyan kendras (KVKs) and regional research stations/seed farms. These nurseries are expected to be ready for transplanting in just 25-30 days. By August 10, farmers will be able to procure these varieties from various PAU stations, KVKs, the Department of Agriculture, Punjab, and PUNSEED. Timely transplanting before August 15 is critical to safeguarding their yields. Additionally, PAU's recently developed surface seeding method after paddy harvesting will facilitate on-time sowing of the next wheat crop.

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For farmers seeking alternatives to rice, Dr. Buttar provided viable options such as toria, fodder crops, sugarcane, and select vegetable crops. Detailed guidelines have been laid out for each crop type, offering step-by-step instructions to help farmers recover and minimize further losses amidst the challenging floods in Punjab.

In another development, PAU has signed an agreement with Sharva Pharmaceuticals, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, for licensing the apple cider (vinegar) technology. The memorandum of agreement (MoA) was signed by AS Dhatt, Director of Research, PAU, and Pankaj, Proprietor of Sharva Pharmaceuticals. This agreement grants the firm non-exclusive rights to the technology.

Dr. GS Kocher, Principal Microbiologist-cum-Head of the Department of Microbiology, was applauded for the commercialization of this technology. PAU has a successful track record of commercializing technologies, with 78 technologies, including hybrid lines of mustard, maize, chilli, brinjal, biofertilizers, leaf color chart, water testing kit, and others, being successfully implemented through 326 MoAs.

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