ICAR agro forestry team visits Punjab agri university

Ludhiana, Jul 29 (UNI) A four member Quinquennial Review (QR) team constituted by ICAR Director General, to monitor the progress of research work under the All India Coordinated Project on Agroforestry recently visited the Department of Agronomy, Agrometeorology and Forestry of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).

The team, headed by Dr R P Awasthi, former Vice-Chancellor of Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, included eminent scientists like Dr U C Sharma, former Director, National Agriculture Technology Project, New Delhi, Dr V K Mishra, Former Dean , Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan and Dr P Rai, former Director, National Research Centre on Agroforestry, Jhansi.

Dr R K Mahey, Head, Department of Agronomy, Agrometeorology and Forestry apprised the team members of the salient achievements of the department. Agroforestry team led by Dr R I S Gill and Dr Baljit Singh explained various agroforestry research experiments at the university research farm near CIPHET and orchard.

The team appreciated the scientists for the systematic way in evaluating various high value crops under six potential agroforestry tree species.

The team also interacted with the progressive farmers having poplar-based agroforestry system and appreciated the role of farmers in adoption of agroforestry.

The QR team interacted with PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr M S Kang, who emphasised the need to increase the area under agroforestry in the state and discussed the possibility of collaboration in agroforestry research with foreign universities. The team also explored the possibility of improvement in agroforestry research by using quality planting material with the Director of Research, Dr G S Chahal.

UNI