To encourage and improve academic interaction, Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University (CSKHPAU) in Palampur and Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday evening.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Ludhiana to encourage and improve academic and scientific collaboration between the two farm universities in areas of mutual benefit.
The ceremony was attended by Dr. SS Gosal, Vice-Chancellor of PAU, and Prof. HK Chaudhary, Vice-Chancellor of CSKHPAU. Both universities would conduct joint evaluations of crop types and other technologies of mutual interest at various sites in both states, according to Prof. Chaudhary.
The goals of the collaborative research will be to screen germplasm under epiphytotic conditions at the special hotspots present in two states for the development of resistant material of field and horticultural crops like wheat rust, rice blast, sheath blight, bacterial wilt in brinjal, and cold tolerance in pea.
In order to address common agricultural problems in the border areas of both states that share a similar crop profile as well as biotic and abiotic pressures, both universities have agreed to conduct joint experiments, the vice chancellor added.
The focus, according to him, would be on crops of shared interest and with complementing research strengths of the PAU in wheat, rice, canola Sarson, sugarcane, vegetables, and the CSKHPAU in desi maize, red rice, ginger, herbs, and medicinal plants. With the participation of advisory committee members from the partner university, postgraduate students in several disciplines of agriculture and related sectors will collaborate on research projects.
Dr. SP Dixit, Director of Research, and Dr. Shammi Kapoor, Registrar, signed the MoU on behalf of the CSKHPAU and the PAU, Ludhiana, respectively.
