Over the past 107 years, IARI has dynamically responded to the needs, challenges and opportunities of Indian agriculture by redefining its mandate, plans and programs accordingly. Today, every third child born in the country is malnourished and about 45% of children under the age of three are malnourished. Although the use of fertilizers has increased several times, the overall consumption remains low in most parts of the country.
Climate change combined with the resulting biotic and abiotic stresses thus pose a serious threat to the country's agricultural production system. The institute's mission is therefore to explore new frontiers of science, for Pusa Basmati 1121: the world's most traded Basmati rice variety.
CHALLENGES
The Institute's vision for 2050 will be to provide leadership for "sustainable and globally competitive agriculture led by science for food, nutrition and livelihood security". Diversification of production systems for domestic and food security and increased export of agricultural produce/products. In particular, its capacity to undertake basic and strategic research, policy support and extension and develop manpower to manage R&D, public development programs and the corporate sector will go a long way in transforming agriculture. Indian and fulfilling the aspirations of the rural people.
Designing crop varieties and hybrids for higher productivity per unit resource and time, better nutrition and tolerance to biotic & abiotic stresses
Great emphasis will be placed on the development of hybrids in vegetables, fruits, flowers, cereals, legumes and oilseed crops as well as efficient systems of hybrid seed production in vegetable crops (GMS in solanaceous; CMS in crucifers, capsicum, onion and carrot; gynoecism and parthenocarpy in pumpkins ), annual flowers and field crops such as wheat, mustard and pigeon peas, etc. be a highly useful and easily acceptable GMO for release into the environment. One of the requirements to enable large adoption of this technology will be through the doubled haploid line development that is now possible to investigate with the haploidy inducer lines as established in maize.
The HSP system of transgenic hybrid seed production where the parent lines are transgenic and the commercial product is non-transgenic (Non-GMO) would be a highly useful and easily acceptable GMO for release into the environment. One of the requirements to enable large adoption of this technology will be through the doubled haploid line development that is now possible to investigate with the haploidy inducer lines as established in maize. Seed quality improvement research will be upgraded in designer seed treatment technologies in partnership with the private sector.
All mandate crops will be investigated through molecular mapping, allele mining, bioprospecting, isolation, characterization and subsequent functional validation of new loci/alleles available in a diversity of crop species. Traits in focus will be agronomic adaptation, nutrient use efficiency, water use efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance and biotic stress tolerance, which will enable improvement of genetic potential and consolidation of increased potential in crops. This information will be most useful in targeted systemic improvement of the physiology of crop species, especially those that coexist under extreme environmental conditions such as freezing conditions (winter adaptation) to high temperatures during their phenological cycles.
Given the expected effects of global climate change (GCC) on crop-based system productivity; our research program will be aimed at mitigating these effects. Crops suitable as industrial raw materials such as biochemicals and biofuels will be developed for bioagriculture. The enzyme Rubisco, which binds CO in photosynthesis, also fixes products grown by conventional breeding/biotechnological approaches that will address the problem of malnutrition.
Ensuring bio-security and integrated plant health management
For example, there is a need to develop transgenic cotton against leaf curl disease, rice against sheath blight, papaya against ring spot and leaf curl etc. Since there are concerns about the adverse effects of pesticides, research into resistance inducing chemicals is needed. (SAR) to reduce the use of pesticides. Following the ban on methyl bromide, which was used for pest control, especially for export products, there is a need to develop safer disinfectants.
To make agriculture more productive and profitable, there is a need to increase the use efficiency of agro-inputs such as water, nutrients (fertilizers) and pesticides. Influence of chemicals on various metabolic pathways in target organisms and crop plants also needs to be addressed. In addition, long-term effects of pesticides and other pollutants on soil and water must be investigated.
The solutions for this system need to be developed and more emphasis placed on it. Precision farming systems combined with crop monitoring, including pests, should be developed for the protected cultivation of crops. Crop health clinics should be established with sufficient technical capacity and infrastructure to provide diagnostic and electronic surveillance services.
Robust forecasting model for economically important pests should be developed for reliable pest advice.
Combating degradation/depletion of natural resources under changing climate
Nano-formulations for smart, slow-release and commodity-specific nutrients and chemicals will be developed. This activity will be integrated with the breeding programs of the institute under major cropping systems. Power machinery management protocols will be developed as a link between manufacturer, service provider and user for different levels of farming.
Equipment and technologies for energy utilization will be developed for efficient domestic users of renewable energy. A low-cost home for growing high-value crops on small farms will be developed. Due emphasis will be given to development of integrated remote sensing and GIS approach for monitoring plant stress (biotic and abiotic), soil moisture, fertility and quality assessment for precision agriculture.
Technologies will be developed to standardize and promote soilless agriculture, hydroponics, aeroponics and vertical agriculture for food commercial enterprises. Thresholds for this, especially for important physical and biological traits, will be determined within different agroecologies. Growing consumer awareness and the recent rise in fresh and processed food imports will be a driving force for strengthening the concept of food traceability.
Green, fermentation, food encapsulation, non-destructive quality evaluation and extrusion-based processes for developing fusion foods for health will be emphasized.
Policy Research for achieving higher, sustainable and inclusive growth in agriculture
Increased post-harvest shelf life, nutritional quality and food safety: The future will be for engineered food crops, suitably modified to accommodate the most desirable traits. This work will be driven by agricultural development and changing consumer preferences, advances in science, technology generation and the economic environment. As these are cumulative effects of a number of forces of a dynamic nature, their solutions using a mix of political, institutional and technological measures will be studied for sustainable use of natural resources and reduction of externalities.
The strategy to improve corporate investment in the value chains, participation of small farmers in value chains and global trade will be analyzed. Future technology will be more capital, knowledge and skill intensive, and therefore the design and capacity of technology transfer system should adapt to these changing needs. Development of innovative business models, and skills and entrepreneurship of farmers and rural youth will be of great importance.
Development of a decentralized, market-led extension approach involving farmer participation will be adopted in public-private and public-public partnerships for efficient extension and delivery mechanisms. Special attention will be given to the development of these integrated farming system models for sustainable rural livelihoods, high value products and export of agricultural produce. The focus will be on promoting an educational campaign to raise awareness of farmers' rights, patenting, etc.
Gender mainstreaming and the development of skills and entrepreneurship among agricultural women will continue to be an important agenda for inclusive growth.
Building globally competitive human resource in frontier areas of agricultural science, technology and management
- OPERATING ENVIRONMENT
- NEW OPPORTUNITIES
- GOALS/ TARGETS
- WAY FORWARD
Regular upgradation of faculty competence in frontier research areas.: The Institute attaches great importance to the upgradation of its faculty through training and visits to various laboratories and centers of advanced studies in different parts of the world, so that global agriculture benefits from its highly trained, dedicated and motivated faculty. The Institute moved upstream and integrated basic and frontier sciences with strategic and applied research. Stay up to date with the progress. leading research, the Institute has served the cause of science and society with distinction through first-rate research, appropriate technology development and generation of globally competitive human resources.
The Institute is poised to address the issues of diminishing natural resources and environmental degradation currently plaguing Indian agriculture by developing new technologies related to water scarcity, water and land degradation and climate change. The institute has taken new initiatives to strengthen agricultural research and higher education in some of the developing countries such as Myanmar, Afghanistan and in Africa, which will help in their capacity building program as well as to increase agricultural productivity, which in turn will provide global food security. The institute envisions its role in finding technological solutions to region-specific problems and providing technological backstop.
In this way, the Institute is able to address both local and regional problems in a synergistic manner. The institute is also looking forward to venture new centers in other parts of the world, especially in Central Africa and South Asian countries to provide scientific support and technological support. The issue of commercialization of technologies developed by the institute will require greater attention at the national as well as international level.
The institute has a well-established system of Technology Management and Business Promotion through its ITM/ZTM and BPD Units which will be expanded corporately to generate sufficient revenue to fund the research programs of the institute.
