Phase III- Interactive enabling of created database to respond to need based queries of the farming community through latest IT techniques
B. Training and extension activities 1. Training programmes conducted
4. Other extension activities
i) The Centre conducted an Inception workshop on “Scientific fisheries management of wetlands and reservoirs of NE Region” under ICAR NEH Component of the Institute on June 20, 2012, wherein fisheries officials from fisheries departments of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura, Assam Fisheries Development Corporation as well as scientists/ teachers from NRC on Pigs (ICAR), Rani and College of Fisheries, CAU, Lembucherra participated.
ii) Pronob Das, Scientist, CIFRI Regional Centre, Guwahati participated in a live phone-in TV programme telecast by DDK, Guwahati under Krishi Darshan programme on 12.09.12.
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B-13. NBPGR REGIONAL STATION, UMIAM, MEGHALAYA
The North-eastern region of India, due to its native variety of ecological habitats, supports great diversity of vegetation ranging from the cultivated plains to alpine vegetation. This region holds about 43% of total flora in India and is recognized as biodiversity hotspot and centre of origin of many cultivated plants. The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources is involved in PGR management in this region since 1978 through germplasm collection, characterization, evaluation and conservation. It also supplies germplasm accessions to the researchers for utilization of the collected germplasm in crop improvements programmes.
Major activities of the station
Collection of local crop diversity, including crop wild relatives from North-eastern states through explorations.
Characterization, evaluation and maintenance of germplasm of mandate crops such as field crops: paddy and maize; horticultural crops: chilli, ginger, turmeric, Citrus, banana, yam, taro and passion fruit; under-utilized crops: Perilla, Job’s tear, buckwheat and rice bean.
Documenting information in the form of inventories and catalogues on PGR.
Conservation of germplasm both at National Genebank and at regional level in seed Genebank (under MTS) and in Field Genebank.
Introduction and utilization of exotic crop germplasm.
Need based supply of crop germplasm and information for research purpose.
Imparting training on PGR management and building linkages with regional crop-based institutes.
Research programmes: Augmentation, characterization, evaluation, maintenance, regeneration, conservation, documentation and distribution of plant genetic resources in north-eastern India Project 1: Augmentation, characterization, evaluation, maintenance, regeneration, conservation and documentation of genetic resources of agricultural crops (paddy-low land/upland, maize, and mustard) and their wild relatives.
Project 2: Augmentation, characterization, evaluation, maintenance, regeneration, conservation and documentation of genetic resources of horticultural crops (chilli, ginger, turmeric, yams, taros, Citrus, banana and passion fruit) and their wild relatives.
Project 3: Augmentation, characterization, evaluation, maintenance, regeneration, conservation and documentation of genetic resources of underutilized (UU) crops (rice bean, Coix , perilla and buck wheat) and their wild relatives.
Salient achievements
Exploration and Germplasm Collection:
Intensive efforts were made to collect diversity of NEH region in collaboration with various national organizations, which led to the collection of 28,300 accessions of crop germplasm in about 260 explorations. Crop group-wise classification of collected germplasm is given below:
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Details of germplasm collection by NBPGR
Germplasm Characterization and Evaluation:
This Station has been performing characterization and evaluation of the germplasm accessions of mandate crops. Based on characterization results, accessions with superior trait value have been identified. The evaluation data are documented in form of catalogues/research papers for sharing information among the potential users of the germplasm and encouraging germplasm exchange.
Table: Characterization of Crop Germplasm during 1986-2012 Crop
group
Major crops Till 1990
1991- 95
1996- 00
2001- 05
2006- 10
2011 2012 Cereals Paddy, maize 17,209 16,823 12,344 12,780 12,962 653 482
Legumes Rice bean 2,015 1,719 853 3,643 903 155 106
Oilseeds Perilla 75 257 143 229 196 40 51
Tuber &
rhizomatous
Taro, Dioscorea, turmeric, ginger
1,000 2,653 2,081 3,005 2,249 - 335
Spices Chilli 195 198 197 514 343 - 105
UU&UEP Buckwheat, Job's tear
36 54 177 514 710 139 55
Several germplasm were identified for agronomic/unique traits. A maize line (MCM-11/01) with multiple cobs (3-5 cobs/plant) was selected from trial plot of an indigenous collection (IC524594). Evaluation of the selected line showed that it had a higher (3.4) number of cobs/plant comparison to the checks with single cob/ plant. Though the selection had higher number of cobs/plant, but the grain yield/plant was not significantly higher than the checks, mainly due to its
9888 6022 2583 2141 1798 1725 1404 1007 802 518 412
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000
Germplasm accessions collected
Crop group
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smaller grain size. Besides higher number of cobs, MCM-11/01 had dark brown coloured husk and cream coloured kernel (see below). This trait can be exploited to enhance maize yield.
A multi-cob maize line (MCM-11/01) selected from indigenous germplasm Germplasm conservation and maintenance:
A total of 7,570 germplasm accessions were sent to National Genebank, New Delhi for long-term conservation. As many as 1070 germplasm have been maintained under medium term storage (MTS) at the StationAll together 610 germplasm accessions comprising of ginger (152), turmeric (186), yam (46), taro (20), Musa spp. (60), Citrus spp. (29), guava (8), passion fruit (5), minor fruits (4) and M&APs (100) have been maintained in the field genebank.
Exchange of germplasm:
Supply of PGR to the researchers is one of the important activities of this station. A total of 6,449 accessions of various crops have been supplied and about 4,800 accessions have been received from different research organizations for maintenance and conservation at Genebank.
Crop-wise distribution of supplied materials
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B-14. CPRS, REGIONAL STATION, SHILLONG
History of the Station
Central Potato Research Station, Shillong (Meghalaya) was established in 1959 under the Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla as a potato experimental trial center. The center was strengthened and upgraded to the status of a “Research Station” during the 5th Five-year plan to conduct research on the regional problems in potato cultivation. The station is also an important centre of the All India Coordinated Potato Improvement Programme (AICPIP).
Central Potato Research Station is located in Upper Shillong at an elevation of 1860 m above MSL and is spread over an area of 12.6 hectares. The station is about 8 km from Shillong on the road to Shillong Peak. It is strategically located in East Khasi Hills, which is highest potato growing district of Meghalaya. The average temperature varies from a minimum of 1.30 C in January to a maximum of 25.40 C in July. The relative humidity ranges from 38% in February to 96% in November. The rainfall averages 2850 mm.
Potato Status in Meghalaya
Potato was introduced into India in the beginning of the 17th Century and was reported to have been cultivated in several parts of the country including probably the North Eastern parts.
However, records show that potato cultivation probably came into existence with the introduction of popular variety ‘Khasi’ in Meghalaya (then Assam hills) around 1830. Nearly 10% of the total geographical area of Meghalaya is under cultivation. Agriculture in the state is characterized by limited use of modern techniques and low productivity. Potato is an important crop of the NE region contributing nearly 10% of the country’s total potato area. The total area under potato in Meghalaya is about 18,000 ha and largest area under the crop is in the East Khasi Hills District. . The area under potato as a percentage of the net cropped area is about four times the national level.
The per capita availability of potato in Meghalaya (96.5 Kg annually) is much higher than the national level (16.5 Kg annually). The productivity of all North Eastern states except Tripura (17.5t/ha) is low (4-10 t/ha) as compared to the national average of 18.2 t/ha. The productivity in the state varies from 9-10 t/ha.
There are many inherent problems in the region which makes agriculture difficult to practice. A substantial portion of the cultivated area is under the traditional shifting agriculture known locally as “Jhum” cultivation which led to degradation of land causing soil erosion and loss of nutrients. The fixation of applied phosphorous due to high aluminum content in the acidic soils of the region, results in poor yields. High rainfall in the main season (March- July) causes heavy infestation of weeds and attack of many diseases like late blight, brown rot and pests. The non- availability of good quality potato seed at the right time leads to use of degenerated planting material while non- availability and/ or imbalanced use of fertilizers and inappropriate plant protection measures further reduces the yield levels.
Mandate of the Station
Breeding for resistance to late blight of potato
Seed production
Standardizing agronomic and manurial practices
Integrated Diseases and Pest Management
Evaluating the impact of potato production technologies
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Integrated approach for maximization of quality seed potato production.
Breeding cultivars for multiple disease resistance for Indian hills and plateau region.
Development of true potato seed (TPS) population.
Resource management strategies and information technology tools for potato based cropping systems.
Nutrient and weed management in potato.
Analysis of adoption pattern and technology gap in important potato growing areas.
Management and enhancement of potato germplasm.
Characterization, detection and management of major soil and tuber borne pathogens of potato.
Brief achievement of research Crop Improvement
Evaluation for growth potential of top, middle and lower portion of nodal cuttings of micro- plants of four potato varieties namely Kufri Giriraj, Kufri Girdhari, Kufri Himalini and Kufri Himsona were done under laboratory condition. There was no clear cut distinction between top, middle and lower stem segment of microplants for subsequent sub-culturing. The top segment showed vigorous rooting and better leaf size while the lower segment produced maximum number of nodes. The middle segment exhibited highest growth rate. Thus, all the stem segments can be used for micro propagation through sub-culturing of nodal segments in potato microplants.
Effects of different spacing and grading on potato minitubers multiplication was studied under net-house conditions using the cultivar Kufri Himalini. At reduced spacing, the same sized tubers gave more number of tubers per plant but the total yield is reduced due to reduction in tuber size. Since more number of tubers/plant are needed for fast multiplication of the seed material hence, the spacing can be reduced to 30 x 15 cm for relatively large sized mini-tubers (>6 g).
Development of Varieties/ Hybrids
High yielding varieties like Kufri Jyoti, Kufri Megha, Kufri Giriraj, Kufri Kanchan, Kufri Girdhari, Kufri Himalini and Kufri Himsona have been developed for the NE states. The varieties like Kufri Jyoti and Kufri Giriraj are predominant in the region. Besides, Kufri Megha (late blight resistant) is popular in Meghalaya and Assam and Kufri Kanchan (red skinned variety) is preferred in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Nagaland. The newly released varieties Kufri Girdhari, Kufri Himalini and Kufri Himsona have been demonstrated in the farmers filed and they are also being adopted gradually by the farmers in the region.
Seed Production
Disease free quality planting material of Kufri Jyoti, Kufri Giriraj, Kufri Himalini, Kufri Himsona, Kufri Girdhari and Kufri Megha are being produced through micro-plants and micro tubers/mini under controlled condition and are being supplied to various states in NEH region. The station has produced 450 quintals of disease free quality seed, out of which about 348 quintals of seed was supplied to different government, research and private department during 2011-12.
However 200 quintal of disease free quality seed was produced during 2012-13 and 110 quintals of seed was supplied to different states of NEH region.
Production Technologies
Based on the field experiment on 2011-12 and 2012-13 to evaluate potato based cropping system in Meghalaya hills, the Potato-Cabbage cropping system has been found better for
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maximum profitability under rainfed condition of Meghalaya hills. Further, it is concluded that planting of radish as an intercrop with potato in the ratio of 1:1 was more remunerative for intercropping system for the hilly region of Meghalaya. Among the cropping system Potato- Cabbage gave the highest potato equivalent yield while application of 50% Recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) to potato and 50% N through FYM and 100% RDF to subsequent crop brought about significant improvement in potato equivalent yield over rest of the treatments. Weed management study in potato in NEH region indicated that application of Metribuzin @ 1kg/ ha as pre emergence application was found more effective from economics point of view in controlling the weeds in potato crop. Soil of this region is rich in potassium but deficient in phosphorus and hence emphasis has been given on identification of phosphate efficient potato varieties for this region. Based on last two years experiment, Kufri Girdhari has recorded highest potato tuber yield with application of 50kg P2O5/ha as compare to other treatment. Evaluation of organic farming practices in potato has also been conducted. The highest tuber yield was found in inorganic treatment (RDF) followed by second highest under organic treatment (application 30 ton FYM + Azotobacter and PSB).
Protection Technologies
Screening of potato germplsam against late blight of potato was done regularly in the natural epiphytotic condition. Among 77 germplasm lines of potatoes tested, CP-3841, CP-3605 were found resistant late bight as compared to K. Girdhari. CP lines viz. 1750, 2298, 2379, 2380, 2423, 3841, 3277, 3768, 2279, 2132, 3766, 3374, 3776 were found moderately resistant to late blight of potato. Combinations of systemic and contact fungicides were found most effective and economic in management of late blightof potato. Three sprays viz. prophylactic spray with mancozeb (0.2%) + (dimethomorph (0.2%) + mancozeb (0.3%)) +mancozeb followed by Curzate M 0.3% (Cymoxanil+Mancozeb) provided maximum protection from late blight in Kufri Jyoti.
Efficacy of bio control agents against late blight of potato was tested in field in natural epiphytotic condition. Three sprays application of bio-agent Trichoderma harzianum WP was found best effective in controlling late blight followed by Chaetomium globosum WP II.
Molecular characterization of Ralstonia solanacearum strains of potato in Meghalaya was done using bio-chemical method of testing. Based on the ability to utilize disaccharides and oxidise hexose alcohols, forty three isolates were categorized as biovar 2T, twenty one isolates as biovar 2 and three isolates as biovar 3. Based on multiplex PCR analysis, forty three R. solanacearum isolates were assigned to phylotype IV, twenty one isolates to phylotype II and three isolates to phylotype I revealing the prevalence of three out of four phylotypes in Meghalaya.
Soil application of Phorate 10 G @ 15 kg/ha at planting and drenching of ridges with Chlorpyriphos 20 EC @ 2.5 ml/litre of water on the appearance of the pest was found effective and gave highest yield.
Storage technology
Farmers of NE states are unaware of scientific storage methods for both table and seed potatoes and the scarcity of cold storages prompts them to use various indigenous methods for in situ and ex situ storage. Community level storage structure has been designed and implemented with the financial assistance of NABARD in Mylliem village with a capacity of 50 quintals of seeds. The community level storage structure was intended for storing seed potatoes for 6 to 8 months under diffused light with proper ventilation. In the mid hills of Meghalaya, temperature remains low during the storage period (August to January) which delays dormancy release and sprouting and reduces the losses. It also maintains the right physiological age of seed potatoes for the next planting. Before storing, the well cured seed after sorting should be treated with 3% boric acid solution for control of diseases. The potatoes are well spread on the racks and the layer should
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not be very thick (only 3-4 potato layer). Covering the seeds with sun dried foliage of Lantana helps in lowering the incidence of PTM on these potatoes. The diffused light helps in slower development of sprouts and they do not become very long by the end of storage duration. On an average each farmers kept 1.4 quintals of potato seed in the seed storage structure and could save Rs. 2100 on seed expenditure in the next sowing season.
By adopting the practice of storing seed potatoes in community level storage structure and also delaying selling of potatoes at harvest, the farmers from Mylliem, Mawnanglah, Nongpyiur, Myrkhan, Lmsohriew and Mawklot villages of East khasi hills district not only ensured availability of healthy seeds for planting but also increased their profit through potato cultivation. The storage technology did not require any sophisticated implement and was constructed solely of locally available structure. Moreover, the structure can be modified to increase or decrease its capacity to suit individual’s requirement. The farmers have shown their keenness to adopt such storage practice. It is expected that the success story of on farm storage structure in these villages will spread to other places through the farmers and others will also be motivated to follow the same.
On-farm demonstration
On-farm demonstrations have been conducted in the farmers’ fields to demonstrate production and protection technologies. More than 1200 farmer beneficiaries received quality planting material and cultivation technology and this enabled them realise 36-180% yield increase over their own seed and technology. Farmers favourably perceived the newly introduced variety Kufri Giriraj on the attributes of plant growth, resistance to late blight, yield and better marketability of the produce. Front line demonstrations on TPS hybrids were conducted and TPS 92-PT-27 was found suitable due to its tuber uniformity, high yield and late blight resistance.
During 2011-12, field demonstration with High yielding potato variety: Kufri Giriraj, Kufri Giridhari and TPS population 92-PT-27 was done in 40, 4 and 10 farmers fields respectively in of East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. Whereas in 2012-13 field demonstration with High yielding potato variety: Kufri Himalini, Kufri Giridhari and TPS population 92-PT-27 was done in 20, 20 and 11 farmers fields respectively in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya.
Training
Training is an integral part of the station and our station is continuously organising both on farm and off farm farmers’ trainings. Training for knowledge and skill up-gradation in potato production technologies of the farmers as well as extension officers in this region is an ongoing activity of the station. More than 1,600 farmers and 80 extension officers have been trained in the last few years and improved potato production, protection, post harvest and storage technologies imparted to them from which they have greatly benefited. During 2011-12 our station organised 5 farmers training benefitting 270 farmers whereas 10 trainings were conducted during 2012-13 which benefitted 540 farmers.
Impact of Improved Technology
• Kufri Giriraj used for the demonstration recorded an average yield of 17.4 t/ha. While the local variety used by the farmers recorded only 6.9t/ha. An average 152.1 % increase in yield was observed in Kufri Giriraj over local variety. The farmers expressed their desire to adopt the improved variety.
• Stable bleaching powder reduced incidence of bacterial wilt in low land/lower slope conditions - from 10 – 20% to 1 – 2% with up to 15% yield advantage.
• Farmers’ meeting/Field days helped to create awareness among the farmers about improved technologies of potato production, protection, storage etc., their knowledge and skill increased considerably.
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