PAU scientist awarded certificate

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana: Dr Ruchika Bhardwaj, working as millets breeder, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), was recognised for work in breeding of pearl millet for the year 2021-2022 at the 57th Annual Group Meeting (AGM) of the ICAR-All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Pearl Millet, held at Jodhpur, Rajasthan, through online mode on March 2 and 3. Dr Bhardwaj was presented certificate of appreciation by chief guest Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, secretary, DARE, and Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), on March 3, for her work in plant breeding. During the workshop, the research results of 14 AICRP centres across the country were reviewed and discussions were held on output, productivity and utility of research. TNS

Workshop on paddy straw mgmt

Ludhiana: Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) organised a one-day workshop on “Management of paddy straw in North-Western India” here on Monday. Officials from the Directorate of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Punjab, and Punjab Pollution Control Board, policy makers, representatives of industry, farmers and university faculty participated in the workshop. DK Tiwari, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, and Additional Chief Secretary, Punjab, expressed concern over paddy straw burning, resulting in health and environmental hazards, which adversely impacted the beneficial micro-flora and fauna. “PAU is making efforts for the crop residue management,” he said while stressing upon in-situ and ex-situ management of paddy straw besides use of decomposers. He also apprised participants of companies, which are into stubble management through different ways. “Seeing the rising concern for this issue, the workshop has been planned and will go a long way in deliberating on the future course of action,” he observed. TNS

Dates for Kisan Melas announced

Ludhiana: Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has announced dates for the upcoming Virtual Kisan Melas to be held in March. Sharing the details, Dr Ashok Kumar, Director of Extension Education, said, “A series of melas will kick off with the first Virtual Kisan Mela at Ballowal Saunkhri at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Nagakalan Jahangir in Amritsar on March 14. This will be followed by the Virtual Kisan Melas at Rauni in Patiala on March 16, and in Faridkot and Gurdaspur on March 21.” “The two-day Virtual Kisan Mela at Ludhiana is scheduled to be held on March 24 and 25,” he added. Dr Kumar said the last Virtual Kisan Mela would be organised in Bathinda on March 29. The theme of the melas was “Soil, air and water conservation; Practice this for future generation” he added. TNS

PHPTC gets NABL accreditation

Ludhiana: The Punjab Horticultural Post-Harvest Technology Centre (PHPTC) at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has recently been granted NABL accreditation in accordance with ISO17025:2017 for analysis of trace metals, including heavy metals, in water wide accreditation certificate number TC-10329. The quality control laboratory of the PHPTC is equipped with sophisticated equipment such as inductive coupled plasma mass spectrophotometer (ICP-MS) and microwave digestion system (MDS) for heavy metal analysis. Dr BVC Mahajan, Director, PHPTC, said, “The authentication of a testing report is a major challenge faced by farmers, exporters, entrepreneurs and various food industries all over India. Owing to this, FSSAI is emphasising on food testing laboratories all over the country to get NABL accreditation.” NABL accreditation report from a laboratory signified authentication of quality and its technical competence, he added. The reports issued by NABL accredited laboratories were acceptable internationally, catering to the export requirements of industries and exporters, he said. This laboratory was funded by the Punjab State Mandi Board to provide testing services to farmers, entrepreneurs, government and private institutions, he informed. Dr Swati Kapoor, Technical Manager and Dr Pooja, Deputy Technical Manager of the laboratory, highlighted the criticality of analytical operations of the equipment to generate the authenticated results.

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.