ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) organized the 25th Research Advisory Committee (RAC) meeting during December 3-4th , 2019 under the Chairmanship of Prof. Goutam Kalloo, former DDG (Hort.). Dr SN Pandey, Former ADG (Hort.), Dr Pritam Kalia, Former Head, Division of Vegetables, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, Dr TP Rajendran, Former ADG (Plant Protection), Dr GD Joshi, Former Dean (Agriculture), KKV, Dapoli, Ratnagiri were the RAC members with Dr. MS Prabhakar and Shri. S Sivaprasad as Hon. Agricultural Minister nominees and Dr E Sreenivasa Rao, Principal Scientist, Div. of Vegetable Crop as the Member Secretary.
On 3.12.2019, the RAC team visited labs and fields at ICAR-IIHR including Phenomics facility, Arka Poorna- a new variety of Guava, IPM of nematodes in Gerbera under polyhouse, new variety of Gerbera, Mucuna varieties of IIHR and LCV resistant hybrids of chilli. The RAC started with welcome address by Dr E Sreenivasa Rao. The Chairman and the RAC members shared their views and suggested strategies towards planning and implementation of need-based research programmes. The Director, ICAR-IIHR presented significant achievements of the institute for the last year. Later a video on success stories of IIHR technologies in farmer’s fields was presented. This was followed by Action Taken Report of recommendations of 24th RAC by Dr TS Aghora, Nodal Officer, PME Cell. There were break-out sessions, during which the RAC Chairman and members reviewed the work done by the scientists of various divisions of ICAR-IIHR.
The RAC team visited the farmer’s field of new rose variety Arka Savi in Shivakotai village in the morning of 4th Dec, 2019. The field visit was followed by presentations by the Heads of the Division of institute on future line of work and the recommendations that were emanated from the break-out sessions. During the plenary session, the Chairman and members of the RAC offered their closing remarks. The inputs from all the presentations and remarks will be finalized as the recommendations of the 25th RAC. The RAC meeting came to an end with the formal vote of thanks proposed by Dr E Sreenivasa Rao, Member Secretary of RAC.
