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IIHR plan to raise yield of horticultural crops

Mony K. Mathew

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Dec. 24

THE Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore, one of the largest of its kind in Asia, has formulated a mission-oriented perspective plan for the coming two decades. The plan aims at keeping constant the percentage of cultivated area u nder horticultural crops, which is about four per cent, and achieve a growth rate in productivity of around four per cent per year.

The plan has been conceived keeping in mind the needs of the growing population as well as to meet the demand from the international market, according to Mr P. Parvatha Reddy, Director of IIHR.

He told a group of presspersons from here, who visited IIHR recently, that the institute would go in for a massive transfer of technology to the grassroots level so as to raise the productivity by 30-40 per cent over the next seven years.

The investment in horticultural research had been very less until the Third Five-Year Plan. However, during the successive plans, the allocations had gone up and reached Rs 213 crore in the Ninth plan, representing nearly 10 per cent of the total outlay for agriculture.

According to the recommendatory dietary allowance (RDA) of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), the per capita consumption of fruits should be 120 gm, which works out to about 42 million tonnes of actual production. Besides, the demand of the processing industry is about 8.5 m.t. and that of the affluent middle class is projected at 18 m.t.

According to a study, the total demand has been projected in the region of 68.5 m.t. during 2000-2001 and at the current level of production of 46.97 m.t. , there is a huge gap to be bridged.

Dr. Reddy said the institute had evolved maturity standards for a number of fruits. Methods for uniform ripening of fruits, their handling and storage, practices to extend shelf-life, preservation and packing had also been worked out for a variety of fru its and vegetables.

In the area of bio-technology, the institute had worked out protocols for micro-propagation and mass multiplication of horticultural crops such as banana, gladiolus, orchid and anthurium. Also, work was in progress on basic aspects such as genetic engine ering, molecular diagnostics, bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides, he said.

The institute had so far released 26 improved varieties or hybrids in fruit crops such as mango, grapes, papaya, guava, litchi, acid lime, anona and pomegranate. In vegetables, 59 varieties/hybrids pertaining to 14 different crops had been released, of w hich 31 were at the national level and 28 at the State or institution levels.

These apart, 74 varieties/hybrids in ornamental crops and four varieties in medicinal crops had also been released by the institute. All the varieties had been bred for different biotic and abiotic stresses and exports, Dr Reddy said.