UAS Dharwad to sign MoUs for projects with China

There will be an exchange of HR which includes scientists

The University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Dharwad has chalked out plans for several projects to be initiated in association with China. The projects are expected to benefit both countries through an exchange of expertise and technology.

A team of Chinese agricultural scientists including Zheng Dianfeng, Professor of Agronomy, Zuo Yuhu, Professor of Plant Pathology, Cao Longkui, Professor of Food Science from Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University and Jing Lan, Professor of Plant Pathology from Inner Mongolia Agricultural University (IMAU) of Peoples’ Republic of China visited UAS Dharwad in the last week of June and interacted with scientists and officials.

The team visited Institutes of agro biotechnology, organic farming, model seed unit, ATIC, Krishi Vijnana Kendra, hi-tech horticulture unit, departments of agronomy, agricultural entomology, plant pathology, agricultural microbiology, home science and food technology unit, agricultural research station Hebballi, and UAS Bijapur Campus.

Both parties have decided to establish a “China-India Coarse Cereals Organic Farming Institute (CICCOFI)” at the National Coarse Cereals Research Engin- eering Centre, Daqing, China. The Institute will focus on cereals and crops like foxtail, sorghum and millets, kidney bean, soybean, moong bean, among others.

It was also decided that CICCOFI will organise exchange of germplasm in the mandated crops.

There will be an exchange of human resources which includes scientists and MSc, PhD students and post doctoral fellows.

Validation and exchange of food processing technologies developed at the UAS, Dharwad and Chinese centre would be taken up. Other decisions arrived at during the meeting are: integrated crop management programme in legumes, integrated pest management (IPM) programme including bio-fertiliser, bio-pesticides and bio-fungicides, identification of potential researchers at UAS, Dharwad to establish collaboration between UAS, Dharwad and IMAU to address crop improvement programmes in sunflower and bio-fuel crops.

Among the plans for future include facilitating an international conference on Bt cotton in collaboration with UAS, Dharwad. In addition to this, Chinese institutes and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), China Agricultural University, Beijing, China, organising international conference on legumes at the National Coarse Cereals Research Engineering Centre, Daqing. Legume Scientists of UAS, Dharwad will be invited to participate in the conference.

The MoU will be signed and sent to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi for its approval said UAS vice chancellor D P Biradar.