LUDHIANA, MAY 28:-----
A six-day training workshop on "Crop growth simulation model (DSSAT) for wheat crop" organized under the aegis of National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), that was inaugurated on May 23, concluded here today. Involving the participation of 15 farm scientists from Ranchi, Hyderabad, Palampur, Hisar, Jammu hailing from different agricultural universities and ICAR Institutes, the event held under the ICAR research scheme "All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Agrometeorology, provided hands-on-experience to the participants, who were provided practical exercises to apply the model to the crop data brought by them for their respective station. The experts of PAU provided them tips to subject any set of crop weather data to different models.
The Project Coordinator of AICRP (Agro meteorology), Dr V.U.M. Rao said that the involvement of agronomists, pathologists, entomologists, and agro meteorologists was vital for developing the need-based crop models to deal with the subject holistically. The cooperation between scientific disciplines is key to find optimum mitigation and adaptation strategies with regard to impacts of climate change and variability in agriculture, said Dr Rao. He added that many new software tools have been developed to be used for research as well as for decision support models. The crop-system modeling, pest and disease warning models/algorithms, models for irrigation scheduling or agro climatic indices can help farmers significantly in decision-making for crop management options and related farm technologies. Modeling and simulation can provide a way of understanding dynamic complexity in crop-environment situation. He shared how the agro meteorological information gathered under the AICRP on Agro meteorology is serving a useful purpose in the country. The trainings to impart practical knowledge to young scientists is sure to hone their knowledge, he observed.
The PAU Dean Post Graduate Studies, Dr Gursharan Singh, said that there were many constraints in the face of current agriculture. The science of Agro meteorology can play a vital role through studies on the weather predictions in relation to agricultural sustainability, said he. He shared the post graduate programmes in Agrometeorology at PAU and added that several of PAU students are serving at important positions within the country and abroad. Dr Singh remarked that organization of training programmes for the young scientists will provide an opportunity of upgrading them with new approaches, tools and technologies. He distributed certificates to the participants.
Dr. Jagtar Singh Dhiman, the Additional Director of Communication, said that much needs to be done to strengthen agro meteorology discipline in the country to make it best serve the farming needs, especially in the wake of climate change. Giving examples of the simulators such as EPIDEM and EPIMAY, which were developed more than five decades ago in the US, followed by some like SIMSPREAD, EPIVEN, BLITECAST, etc to suit our conditions, Dr Dhiman highlighted that a lot has to be done in this field so that the benefit really reaches out to farmers. He appreciated that research on the impact of rising temperature and delay in sowing on the wheat yield reduction had been ongoing at PAU. He delved that the training courses to provide hands-on-experience to young researchers in computer-based mathematical and conceptual models and analogues should prove useful.
Dr S.S. Hundal, former-Head of PAU Agro meteorology Department and a renowned expert in crop modeling, in his remarks said that now with the easy access to modern IT techniques, agro meteorology tools, needed funds and research facilities, the specialized field of crop modeling and weather prediction should flourish. He mentioned that the imminent impact of climate change on agriculture demands a strong set-up of agro meteorology in the country through involvement of inter-disciplines. Dr Hundal elaborated that the training and hands-on-programmes serve to equip the participants especially the young scientists with necessary skills required for the DSSAT model. He suggested the trainees to apply the acquired knowledge for simulation of crops, at their respective places, for the farmers' benefit.
Earlier, Dr T.S.Thind, Head, Department of Agricultural Meteorology, PAU, said that the training course is a useful initiative as it holds application in agriculture, thereby creating awareness among the scientists concerned about the crop process. He highlighted that PAU department of Agricultural Meteorology has several ongoing research, training and technology transfer programmes for the benefit of farmers. He added that the areas of research in agro meteorology include climatology, crop-weather relationship, quantification and modification of crop microclimate, crop-weather pest and disease interactions, crop growth simulation modeling, characterization of crop environment , etc. that he said had been useful in disseminating advisories for farmers. He said that as per the mandate of the project more trainings would be held at PAU in the future.
Dr Prabhjot Kaur Sidhu, Associate Agrometeorologist, PAU, while proposing vote of thanks to the experts and participants said that PAU has been identified as a nodal centre for research on wheat under the All India Coordinated Research Programme in Agro meteorology.
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