Without a Vice Chancellor for more than a year, yet continuing its efforts towards sustainable and profitable agriculture, the country’s ace agri- varsity sprung up to renewed vigour with the appointment of distinguished biotechnologist and a leader par excellence, Dr Satbir Singh Gosal as the 12^th Vice Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University; earlier Shri Anirudh Tewari, Chief Secretary, Punjab, followed by Shri DK Tiwari, Financial Commissioner (Development), Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and later, Shri Sarvjit Singh (Additional Chief Secretary) held additional charges as Vice-Chancellors, PAU, after the completion of a 10 year term of previous VC , Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon.

Adding New Fuel to propel Research and Extension

• In a landmark achievement, three wheat varieties developed by PAU viz., PBW 826, PBW 833 and PBW 872, were identified for release at the national level.
• PAU rice variety PR 126 emerged as a frontrunner during the Kharif season 2022.
• PAU got a national patent for pioneering in indigenous hybrid hydroponics technology, the first swadeshi technology in soilless farming in India
• As a privileged honourable mention, the ‘Museum of Social History of Punjab’, PAU, was placed on the Tourism Map of Punjab state after 47 years of its inception.
• Heralding the new era of vertical farming and hydroponics, a Plant Factory Lab was established in the Department of Soil and Water Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology; further research could completely change the way farming is known to humankind.
• Moving forward, the university introduced a low cost and environment friendly farming technique named ‘Surface seeding of wheat' in which paddy harvesting and wheat sowing are done at the same time.
• The Vice Chancellor released an insignia during the grand finale of youth festival to mark the diamond jubilee year of PAU (founded in July 1962). The year round celebrations will include a series of events showcasing six decades of its service towards empowerment of the agricultural fraternity.
• The University’s fully equipped recording and telecasting studio was thrown open at the Communication Centre to facilitate closer connection with the farmers and scientists.
• The year marked the inauguration of the pre green revolution museum, depicting the story of the time and all that it took to make the country food-secure.
• Senior PAU Professor, Dr Pratibha Goyal was appointed as Vice Chancellor, Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University, Ayodhya.
• As a step forward to expand PAU linkages, the University launched its bi-monthly Punjabi newsletter titled, PAU Khabarnama; a Punjabi version of the English bi-monthly newsletter titled, ‘PAU News’ that gives a crisp peep into the research, extension and academic highlights of the university.
• In an attempt to facilitate booking of farm machinery by farmers, PAU launched the Farm Machinery App that will enable farmers to farm on the lease without having to buy farm machinery. The application is available on Google Play Store.
• The Apiculture Centre of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) was conferred with the ‘Best Research Centre Award’ of the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Honey Bees and Pollinators (HB&P) among the 26 centres under the AICRP.
• The PAU Smart Seeder got thumbs up to be included in the centrally sponsored CRM subsidy scheme by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
• Patent granted to PAU for Sugarcane Bud Chipping Apparatus- a novel bud chipping technology for Sugarcane, Bamboo, etc.
• Dr Sukhpal Singh, Principal Economist and Former Head, Department of Economics and Sociology was appointed as a Chairman of Punjab State Farmers’ and Farm Workers’ Commission
• Researchers standardized sugarcane juice kheer as a substitute for milk, making it a boon for lactose intolerant and a longer shelf life.

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS

• In a first for India, an Indian woman scientist from PAU, Dr (Mrs) Parveen Chhuneja, Director, School of Agricultural Biotechnology, was conferred with the ‘Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) Mentor Award’ for the year 2022 by Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) in recognition of her outstanding work mentoring the next generation of wheat experts, especially, young women scientists. She was also elected Fellow (Crop Sciences) of the highly prestigious National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) within two weeks of her election as Fellow of National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI).
• Dr RS Sohu, Principal Wheat Breeder, was conferred upon the prestigious ‘Dr MV Rao Memorial Award for 2022’ for Outstanding Achievement in Wheat Breeding.
• Dr Hari Ram, Principal Agronomist (Wheat) was felicitated with the coveted ‘Dr S. Nagarajan Memorial Award for 2022’ for Outstanding Work in Wheat Agronomy.
• Eminent Agricultural Scientist and director ATARI, Ludhiana, Dr Rajbir Singh, was awarded the ‘Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award for Outstanding Research in Agricultural Sciences-2021’.
• Dr Ashok Kumar, Assistant Professor (Soil Science) glorified the name of PAU by bagging the ‘Best Extension Scientist Award’ for his outstanding contribution in the field of Soil Science.
• Dr (Mrs) Parveen Chhuneja, Director, School of Agricultural Biotechnology and Dr Priti Sharma, Assistant Professor (Biotechnology), bagged the prestigious ‘SERB International Research Experience Award’ for the year 2022-2023 supported by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Government of India for advanced training at University of Missouri, USA.
• Dr Nitika Sandhu, Molecular Geneticist was awarded the ‘SERB Women Excellence Award-2022’ by Science and Engineering Research Board, DST, New Delhi.
• Dr Om Parkash Choudhary, Principal Soil Chemist was elected as ‘Fellow of the Indian Society of Soil Salinity and Water Quality’ and ‘Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)’.
• Dr SS Dhaliwal, Principal Soil Chemist, was conferred with the distinguished ‘Dr JSP Yadav Memorial National Award 2022’ for excellence in research on micronutrients.
• Dr V P Sethi, Professor and Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, was granted national patent for inventing ‘Improved water and nutrient perforation and re-circulation system for pot based substrate hydroponics’.
• Dr Tejinder Singh Riar, Additional Director Communication, (a national level basketball player, and a recipient of ‘Roll of Honour’ and ‘Award of Honour’ led the PAU Basketball team which has retained the Gold Medal for a decade now)was felicitated by the Punjab Basketball Association for his outstanding services to Punjab Basketball.
• Dr Opinder Singh Sandhu, Assistant Professor (Soil Science), brought laurels to the University by bagging the ‘Young Scientist Award’during the 10^th National Seminar on ‘Agriculture and More: Beyond 4.O,’ organized by the Society for Community Mobilization for Sustainable Development (MOBILIZATION), New Delhi and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir,
• Agro forestry scientists brought laurels to the University by winning ‘Innovative Integrated Agro forestry Photography Award’ during the Annual Group Meeting of ICAR
• Soil and Water Engineering Scientist, Dr. Abrar Yousuf was conferred with Best Doctoral Thesis Award during the 31^st National Conference on ‘Innovative Resource Management Approaches for Coastal and Inland Ecosystems to Sustain Productivity and Climate Resilience’ held at Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat.
• Dr Harwinder Singh Buttar, Research Assistant, Department of Plant Pathology, was honoured with ‘Dr SS Kang Best Ph.D. Thesis Award’ at a National Symposium organized by the Indian Society of Plant Pathologists (INSOPP) at G. B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar (Uttarakhand).
• Dr Kuldeep Singh, Principal Agronomist brought home laurels with ‘Lifetime Contribution Award’ by ‘Society of Sugar Research and Promotion (SSRP)’ for outstanding contribution in sugarcane crop production.

Outstanding Students’ Accomplishments

• 10 students bagged the prestigious Prime Minister’s Fellowship: RuchiGoyal, Arpana Sharma, Krishna SaiKarnatam, Anurag Saharan, RiyaBansal, ManpreetKaur, Dixit Chaudhary, Deepali Jain, Mayur Rajeshbhai Thesiya and Jatin Sharma.
• 5 students received the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) fellowship: Mr Arshdeep Singh, Ms Priyanka Arora, Ms Pooja Rani and Ms Saloni Charak from the Department of Economics & Sociology and Ms Iqbal Kaur, a Ph.D. researcher of Extension Education.
• All India first rank in ICAR-All India Competitive Examination (AICE)-JRF/SRF (Ph.D.) 2022 bagged by Muskaan Gupta, an M.Sc student, Department of Food Science and Technology.
• INSPIRE Fellowship by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India was awarded to Kavita Thakur, a Ph.D. research scholar, Department of Food Science and Technology, Ms. Mrinali Sood, a Ph.D research scholar, Department of Floriculture and Landscaping
• National Level First and Third Calendar Conceptathon by Indian Society of Agricultural Engineering (ISAE) was won by two teams of College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology.
• The students of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) won laurels by clinching 12 prizes at the Punjab State Inter-University Youth Festival 2022-23.
• Best Poster Presentation Award winners at various symposia/ conferences: Chahak Jain, M.Sc. Biochemistry; Ms Dimple Mandla, Ph.D Zoology; Ms Ravneet Kaur, Ph.D Botany.
• Best Oral Presentation Award winners at various symposia/ conferences: Mr Varinder Kumar, Ph.D Chemistry; Dr Pooja Bhatt, a Ph.D Food and Nutrition; Ms Harsimranjeet Kaur, M.Sc. Biochemistry.
• Potdar Pratik Pandit, a Ph.D. scholar in the Department of Processing and Food Engineering, was awarded the prestigious ‘Senior Research Fellowship by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’ for pursuing his research on ‘Development of paddy straw based bio-composite packaging material for fresh produce’.
• Er Dinesh Gulati, M. Tech, student of the Department of Soil and Water Engineering, won the ‘ISTE National Award for Best M. Tech. Thesis in Agricultural Engineering, 2021’ for the thesis entitled ‘Simulation of Groundwater Recharge from Direct Seeded and Transplanted Rice Fields’.
• Foreign Fellowships Bagged: Ms. Parul Sharma, MSc Chemistry, secured a fellowship of $ 25,000/ year as a graduate assistant for pursuing her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Ms Sonali Koundal, M.Sc. Biochemistry bagged a fellowship of $ 31,000/ per year to pursue her Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences at Western Sydney University, Australia; Ms Hima Davit, M.Sc Chemistry secured a fellowship of $29,000/year as a Graduate Assistant for pursuing her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, USA.
• International Honour: Mr. Prabhjot Singh a student of diploma in agriculture at PAU-Regional Research Station, Ballowal Saunkhri brought laurels to the university by winning gold medals in power lifting at World Power lifting Championship held at Bishkek

APPOINTMENTS

• Iconic Scientist and former PAU VC, Dr MS Kang joined as Honorary Visiting Professor to guide postgraduate students for path-breaking research apart from lending assistance in strengthening international linkages.
• Dr Nirmal Jaura was appointed as the Member of Board of Studies of Punjabi University.

Retirements

Warm send offs were given to these scientists upon their superannuation

• Dr Sukhpal Singh, Principal Economist and Former Head, Department of Economics and Sociology, PAU
• Dr Parampal Sahota, PAU Librarian and Former Head, Department of Microbiology

Demise

• Dr Balwinder Singh, member of the Board of Management of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and former Director of Research at PAU, left for the heavenly abode on May 29.
• Dr Onkar Singh Bindra, an outstanding scientist and former Head, Department of Entomology, PAU, Ludhiana, left for his heavenly abode in California.

MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING

With a total of 310 MoAs under its belt, PAU technologies are in great demand in the farm machinery, environment conservation, nutrition and food processing sector. The year 2022 saw the University enter into multiple agreements with various organizations for commercialization of its technologies;

• the most famous being the chilli hybrid, of which a total of 23 MoAs have been signed
• Followed by the PAU Smart Seeder technology adopted by 16 companies and many more in the line-up.
• The university has entered into agreement with a total of 10 companies for commercialization of PAU fixed Dome Type Janta Model Biogas Plant.
• 19 MoAs have been signed for the commercialization of sugarcane juice bottling technology where sugarcane juice is thermally processed to kill microorganisms and increase shelf life. This technology has been taken by a total of 8 states, excluding Punjab.
• The tractor operated Mat Type Nursery Seeder has also received attention from manufacturers and MoA signed.
• MoU was signed for commercialization of Vitamin-D enriched mushroom powder technology developed by the department food science and technology.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the project ‘Development, Adoption and Impact Analysis of No-Burn and Regenerative Agriculture in Punjab’ was signed by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and The Nature Conservancy, India (TNC India).
• PAU inked pact on patent granted technology ‘Electric Soil Disinfector’ which ensures effective and low cost control of soil borne plant diseases in an automatically controlled manner using electrical energy on-site. •
• A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between PAU and ICAR – Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur, to promote inter-institutional research, staff and students’ training and postgraduate research in cutting edge areas of cotton crop.
• The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for mutual cooperation in agricultural research and education in the field of organic and natural farming

EMINENT VISITORS

• The Governor of Punjab and Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, Sh Banwarilal Purohit, visited the PAU in January and reviewed the ongoing agricultural research. He lauded PAU for making the country self-sufficient in food grain production.
• Sh. Bhagwant Mann, Chief Minister of Punjab, inaugurated the Rabi Kisan Mela that came offline after a period of two years due to restrictions imposed by the Covid 19 pandemic. The historic gathering on both mela days was proof of the farmers trust in PAU technologies.
• A five-member delegation from Pryanishnikov Institute of Agrochemistry (PIA), Russia visited Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) to explore the mutual areas for collaboration and gather knowledge about research findings in the area of entomology.
• The Secretary (Agriculture) of Punjab, Mr Dilraj Singh, IAS, visited the Skill Development Centre at the Punjab Agricultural University, accompanied by the Director of the State Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Dr Gurvinder Singh. Mr Dilraj Singh lauded the efforts of PAU in whetting the skills of the farmers, farm women and youths for the financial sustainability.
• Professor Arvind, Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala, visited the campus as Chief Guest at the international meet on “Precision Agricultural Technologies (IPAT) – 2022”
• The State Minister of Food Processing and Horticulture, Sh. Fauja Singh Sarari, along with the Additional Chief Secretary, Food Processing, Sh. Sinha, IAS, and other officials visited the PAU and discussed ways to popularize food processing among the state farmers.
• A four-member delegation from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada, held an interactive session with PAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr Satbir Singh Gosal and other officers to explore mutual areas for collaboration.
• S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Speaker, Punjab Legislative Assembly, Government of Punjab graced the PAU youth fest as Chief Guest.
• With an aim to forge ties with Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), a five-member US delegation, led by Dr Raj Kahlon from the University of Merced in California, visited PAU to discuss the scope of joint venture
• The representatives of the French Embassy’s Scientific Team in India held parleys with senior to acquaint themselves with the existing Indo-French co-operation of institutions and explore further possibilities for collaboration.
• Mr Yair Eshel, Agriculture Attache, Embassy of Israel, visited Apiculture Unit of the Department of Entomology, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and interacted with Apiculture scientists, postgraduate students in Apiculture as well as bachelor students in Agriculture undergoing Experiential Learning Programme in Commercial Apiculture.
• The PAU’s Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Patiala hosted a special visit for International delegates from Japan International Research Centre for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Japan along with scientists from ICAR – CSSRI regarding an on-going collaborative ICAR-JIRCAS project
• The state Minister of Food Processing and Horticulture, Hon’ble Shri Fauja Singh Sarari, along with the Additional Chief Secretary, Food Processing, Shri K.A.P. Sinha, IAS, and other officials visited the Punjab Agricultural University, and brain stormed ideas to popularize food processing among the state farmers.

KisanMelas/ Field Days

Punjab Agricultural University organised Virtual Kisan Melas for the kharif season in march. These melas were held offline at Nag Kalan (Jahangir), Amritsar, Rauni, Patiala, Ludhiana and Ballowal Saunkhri, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, under the theme “Soil, air and water conservation; Practice this for future conservation”.A large number of farmers participated in these melas through virtual mode. Videos of live demonstrations of field crops with improved varieties, production and protection technologies, straw management techniques, beekeeping, mushroom cultivation, nutritional gardening, protected cultivation, etc. were uploaded on PAU website for farmers, farm women and rural youths. The online booking of seed of improved crops and vegetable varieties, planting materials of vegetables/fruit/forest/ornamentals and bio fertilizers were made available to farmers in these Kisan Melas.

• The mela was held in offline mode at Bathinda which saw a huge rush of farmers and farm women .
• The two-day offline Rabi Kisan Mela kicked off at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) amidst awe-inspiring response from the farmers of
• In addition to the above highlights, the year 2022 was replete with field days, training programmes, skill development events, farmers clubs being hosted by the university scientists to share maximum knowledge and urge for adoption of technologies.

TRANSFORMATIONAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION: PAU’S VISION FOR 2023
(VC DR GOSAL SENDS WISHES FOR A PROMISING START TO NEW YEAR)

• PAU Vice Chancellor, Dr Gosal gave debrief of the breakthrough developmental activities in the form of a five-point blueprint to be undertaken by the university during the forthcoming year.
• These include enhancing student quality and competitiveness, developing future technologies, boosting academia-industry collaborations, positioning PAU as a centre of excellence in agriculture and raising governance standards.
• He further added that in its quest towards sustainable agriculture, PAU will galvanize its research and extension services to provide a more diverse food basket and focus on millets as a nutri-cereal, keeping in mind the year 2023 to be observed as the International Year of Millets.
• “Due attention will be paid to germplasm enhancement, accelerated and precision breeding, conservation of natural resources through crop diversification, micro irrigation and fertigation, site-specific nutrient management, rational use of pesticides, post harvest and supply chain management, plant health management, value addition and processing, use of bio and solar energy, efficient machinery, web-based decision support systems, bio-fortification for nutritional security and food contamination and food safety; emphasis would be given on developing and adoption of IoT(Internet of Things) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) based advanced solutions in agricultural production, protection and processing to enhance farm profitability and prosperity,” the Vice Chancellor elaborated.
• In his sign off remarks, Dr Gosal expressed gratitude to various stakeholders for extending support and cooperation in the year gone by, and while sending greetings for a promising start to the new year, he called upon building synergy towards fulfilling the ‘Clean and Green Campus’ drive to unleash a new era of development for the glorious institution.