LUDHIANA, JULY 3:– Farmers are keen to adopt technologies recommended by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). This was stated by Director of Extension Education, Dr. M.S. Gill while addressing the state level meeting of Extension personals from across the state, today. The meeting in which Additional Director Communication, Dr. Jagtar Singh Dhiman, Additional Director Extension Education, Dr. H.S. Dhaliwal, Additional Director Research (Natural Resource Management), Dr. T.S. Thind, Heads of various PAU departments, Associate Directors and Deputy Directors of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) among others, discussed feedbacks from various parts of the state and strategies to enhance outreach to farmers for better technology transfer.
Dr. M.S. Sidhu, Head Department of Economics and Sociology shared the status of wheat procurement in Punjab, which he said was 16.5 % more than the last year. Dr. M.S. Dhaliwal, Senior Vegetable Breeder discussed the problems of ripening of tomato fruits of new varieties. While sharing the status of direct seeding rice in Punjab, Dr. Gill said that in village-Kauni, 1200 acres have been covered as against 500 acres last year. A concern was expressed to convince farmers about judicious and need based application of fertilizers in paddy. Some farmers applied phosphatic fertilizers to paddy, it was told. Dr. Gill said that the Directorates of Extension Education and Research would jointly work to find ways to enhance adoption of PAU technologies. On vegetable hybrids, demonstrations will be arranged at selected places though out the state, said Dr. Gill.
The experts responded to the feedback brought by extension personals. The new feedbacks included the incidence of brown spots on poplar stems, zuchini mosaic virus in muskmelon, mealy bug in fruit plants in Fazilka area, blister beetle in pulses, bansari grass weed in maize, fruit drop in kinnow. Dr. Gill said that experts committees will be formulated to look into these and suggest the management strategies. The other points highlighted in the meeting included developing a coding system for enhancing the adoptive research trials on recommendations in the pipeline, evaluation of potato varieties for chips making, examining the problem of fruit crop in kinnow orchards, weed control in guar and application of urea to sugarcane crop. The experts were told to conduct trials on sugarcane under the rural development funds project. A system for receiving and addressing new feedbacks will be focused on, said Dr. Gill adding that the farm worthy technologies are being transmitted to farmers through electronic and print media by the PAU Centre for Communication and International Linkages. The regular discussion with Extension Specialist in different districts of Punjab prove greatly useful in getting the feedback, passing it on to Researchers and addressing the field problems of farmers.
