DARE/ICAR ANNUAL REPORT 2002-2003 Department of Agricultural Research Indian Council of and Education Agricultural Research Ministry of Agriculture New Delhi Government of India Indian Council of Agricultural Research President Shri Ajit Singh Agriculture Minister Vice-President Shri Hukamdeo Narayan Yadav Minister of State (A) Director-General Dr Panjab Singh (Up to 31.12.2002) Secretary Department of Agricultural Research and Education Shri Mohan Kanda (1.1.2003 to 9.1.2003) Secretary Ministry of Agriculture Dr Mangala Rai (Since 9.1.2003) Secretary Department of Agricultural Research and Education Secretary Smt Shashi Misra Additional Secretary Department of Agricultural Research and Education Financial Adviser Shri P Sinha (Up to 30.9.2002) Additional Secretary and FA Department of Agricultural Research and Education Shri Gautam Basu (Since 1.10.2002) Additional Secretary and FA Department of Agricultural Research and Education Foreword The year 2002–2003 was marked by one of the severest and the most wide-spread droughts in the country in the last hundred years. In this crucial period, it was at once an obligation and opportunity for the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to be of service to the nation by contributing its scientific and technological input for the preparation of eco-region specific contingency plans. Some valuable lessons were also learnt in this context. For one thing the drought brought home to us very emphatically the need for efficient water use and its in-situ or ex-situ conservation. It also highlighted the criticality of research on optimizing the mileage obtainable from every unit of water and thus produce more from less water. The need for having sufficient availability of forage and fodder was similarly highlighted. As a corollary to the lessons learnt during the drought, research in technology for growing crops under water stress conditions has been given greater importance particularly in wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, bajra, pulses and minor millets. Besides this, new hybrids have been developed in rice, maize, sorghum and bajra. The emphasis on increasing the production of oilseeds and pulses continues in government policy, and research is paying special attention to development of hybrid varieties particularly in rapeseed–mustard. Integrated pest and disease management has been given high emphasis, and a number of new technologies have been developed in this area during the year for effective control of pest and diseases. Bio-control method is one of the components of this approach. Research in the area of cotton has resulted in the development of ready-to-use kits to differentiate Bt- cotton from non-transgenics. Among the ICAR’s research projects in the frontier area of structural genomics is the project on high-quality sequencing of rice genomics taken up in collaboration with the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP). The first phase of this project has been completed. To provide a viable base for the development of livestock research in animal sciences, the ICAR has paid special attention to the conservation of genetic resources, on priority particularly to those resources that need to be conserved before some of the threatened breeds become extinct. Accordingly, a DNA repository for Indian livestock and poultry breeds has been established. Since economic losses due to livestock diseases are generally seen to be enormous in scale, efforts are being made to reduce them through better diagnostic vaccines and drugs, including indigenous drugs. Livestock disease- based eco-pathozones have been established to study the epidemiology of animal diseases. Due to persistent efforts, India has been now declared free from rinderpest. A C-ELISA kit for rinderpest detection has been developed. Complete feed blocks useful in animal feeding have been developed for use during fodder scarcity, in order to insulate the livestock against the effect of drought. Programmes on value addition for milk, meat, egg and fibre have also been strengthened. The Horticulture Revolution that has spread with uniform intensity throughout the country is expected to change grey areas into green. Hybrid technology in vegetables like tomato, brinjal, chilli, cucumber, bitter-gourd, bottle-gourd and okra is making a visible dent in accelerating the productivity of vegetable crops. Production technology of a new kind of mushroom has been developed. In addition, technology for the production and utilization of medicinal plants is getting popularity in the country. Attempts are being made to popularize under-utilized horticultural crops like aonla, garcinia, passion- DARE/ICAR ANNUAL REPORT 2002–2003 fruit, tamarind, jamun, bael, fig, custard-apple and date-palm which have particular relevance for the drought prone or arid areas of the country. INFOCROP-POTATO model to simulate potato development, growth and yield both under potential and suboptimum water conditions has been developed. In floriculture, in view of the potential of orchid a low-priced orchid-micropropagation method has been developed. In the fishery sector, attempts have been made to diversify freshwater acquaculture by including in our programmes catfish species with promising potential. In pursuance of the strategy to strengthen prevention of disease through health management practices in preference to disease treatment, immuno- stimulant technology for brackishwater acquaculture has been developed to prevent disease in shrimps. The Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, has developed a new chemical formulation ‘cifelostress’ to reduce external stress and resultant mortality of fish seed during transportation. A diagnostic kit for the detection of the White Spot Disease has been released and commercialized. Fibreglass canoes have been devised and commercialized by the Central Institute for Fisheries Technology, Kochi. New initiatives have been taken in respect of organic farming impact and adaptation to climate change. A comprehensive soil-map of India on 1 : 1 million scale has been developed. Cost-effective bioengineering measures of soil and water conservation have been devised. Appropriate approaches for managing saline soil and coastal ecosystems using their precise estimates have been obtained with the help of GIS technology. On the basis of data obtained from agro-meteorological stations all over the country, a model has been developed for advance estimation of national foodgrains productivity. During the year, the ICAR has made significant efforts towards providing the required fillip to conservation technologies, in collaboration with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system and also under the National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP). Resources conservation tillage and specially zero tillage has been extended to 0.3 million hectares during the year. This has led to a net saving of Rs 600 million annual benefit to the farming community. For the first time, scientists are working closely with the farming community in five Agro ecosystems across the country and have organized over 10,000 on-farm trials. Indigenous knowledge is also being documented under the NATP, and validated to protect indigenous intellectual right. As a new initiative, training programmes have been organized for the technological empowerment of women. Over 55,000 accessions have been collected and documented in plant, animal and fish bio-diversity. During this year some special initiatives have been taken for the spread of technology in the North- East region by experimenting with participatory approaches. Special emphasis has been provided on horticulture and animal sciences. To provide effective support to the North-East in a concerted thrust, a special recruitment drive was undertaken for the NE, and 50 scientists have been posted there during the year. It is a matter of satisfaction to see the effective dovetailing between national priorities in the Agriculture Sector and ICAR’s programmes, particularly in the current concerns regarding conservation, optimization of resources, commercialization of technology and biotechnology. The initiatives taken during this year will doubtless bear fruit in the future. (AJIT SINGH) President ICAR Society FOREWORD Contents Foreword ... ... ... iii 1. Overview . 1 2. Salient Achievements . 11 Crop Improvement and Management . 13 Improvement and Management of Horticultural Crops . 53 Natural Resource Management . 72 Livestock and Poultry Improvement and Management . 92 Fish Production and Processing . 129 Agricultural Engineering and Technology . 135 Agricultural Human Resource Development . 152 Social Sciences and Policies . 161 Technology Assessment, Refinement and Transfer . 167 Women in Agriculture . 175 3. Research for Tribal and Hill Regions . 183 4. National Agricultural Technology Project . 192 5. Organization and Management . 205 6. Partnership and Linkages . 217 7. Agricultural Scientists’ Recruitment Board . 223 8. Publications and Information . 226 Appendices (A) DARE I. The Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules . 235 II. Total Number of Posts and Names of Important Functionaries . 236 III. Financial Requirement (Grant No.3) . 237 (B) ICAR 1. Indian Council of Agricultural Research Society . 240 2. Governing Body . 247 3. Standing Finance Committee . 249 4. Senior Officers at the Headquarters of the ICAR . 250 5. ICAR Institutes and their Directors . 252 6. National Bureaux and their Directors . 254 7. Project Directorates and their Directors