Programmes & Priorities

Programme / Priority Name – 
The major research programmes are –

• Biotic and Abiotic Stress Tolerant, biofortified, processable, longer shelf-life varieties through conventional breeding, Genomic Selection and Gene Editing for minimizing input cost for safe production.
• Varieties for High-Density Planting (HDP), Off-Season, natural farming and extended-window and import substitution through opportunity crops.
• High-tech Cultivation & Precision Farming, Protected Cultivation Technology, Biointensive farming systems, Urban and Peri-Urban Horticulture with integration of AI and IoT.
• Advanced Post-Harvest management & Processing, Cold chain & Storage, functional foods, export protocols, Waste Utilization and Eco-Friendly Packaging, besides customized, customized machines and implements.
• Early Warning Systems, Diagnostic and integrated Plant Health Management modules, Bio-Pesticides. 
Objectives – 

• Basic, strategic and applied research to enhance sustainable productivity, quality and utilization in root, tuber, bulbous crops and other horticultural crops of arid and semi-arid regions.
• Improvement and management of fruits, vegetables, plantation crops, spices, flowers and other ornamental plants, medicinal and aromatic plants and mushrooms.

Key Output / Outcome – 
Output:

• Clean plant programme results in improved yields and uniform selected fruit crop quality.
• Development of high yielding, climate-resilient and biofortified varieties, new and improved technologies including package of practices.
• Development and dissemination of technologies to various stakeholders including farmers through capacity building.

Outcome:

• Mainstreaming of indignous and opportunity crops for commerlization and import  substiute
• Higher average productivity gains (%) in major horticultural crops relative to the 5-year average.
• Supply of disease-free planting materials to farmers/growers and selected nurseries helps in improving fruit quality and production.
• Knowledge products/ inputs/ models incorporated in government policies/ strategies of public/private Sectors.
• Number of Patents, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)/ Geographical Indication (GI)/ Copyrights / License granted/ registered.