Taking a serious note of aggravating water crunch in Punjab, the Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Dr Satbir Singh Gosal urged the field level functionaries to put in their best efforts to discourage the cultivation of water-gulping Pusa 44 and encourage the sowing of PAU developed, less-water requiring, short duration and early maturing ‘PR’ varieties in the current Kharif season. While chairing the monthly meeting of the Research and Extension Review Committee today, Dr Gosal directed the scientists to strictly monitor paddy cultivation in Punjab and leave no effort to enhance area under ‘PR’ varieties, which have evoked unprecedented response from the farmers of Punjab and neighboring states. “As per the recent media reports, maximizing efforts to minimize the cultivation of Pusa 44 has brought down electricity consumption, saving power worth Rs 477 crore and underground water by nearly 5 billion cusecs in 2023,” he disclosed, while calling it a positive sign. The area under short to medium duration varieties comprising PR 121, PR 126, PR 128 and PR 131 has scaled up to 70 percent during the last year, he divulged. Labelling high-yielding PR 126 and PR 131 as miracle varieties, Dr Gosal called upon the extension scientists to make sure that farmers say no to long duration Pusa 44, Peeli Pusa and PR 118 varieties which have proved to be disastrous for Punjab in terms of groundwater depletion. “Saving every drop of water is highly crucial for Punjab keeping in view the concerns for future generations,” he observed.

Dr AS Dhatt, Director of Research, asked the scientists to promote water and labour saving ‘Direct Seeded Rice’ technology also at farmers’ fields. Stating that it will prove to be a boon for the peasantry, he said that promotion of varieties (PR) and technology (DSR) must go hand in hand to enable the farmers reap the windfalls. In light of water depletion, discouraging spring maize cultivation was equally important to conserve precious natural resource, water, he advised. Besides, Dr Dhatt also appealed to advocate sowing of cotton, and management of whitefly and pink boll worm in cotton; cultivation of maize, and management of fall army worm in maize.

In his welcome remarks, Dr MS Bhullar, Director of Extension Education, shared that a lot of emphasis was being laid on popularizing short duration rice varieties keeping in view the limited resources available with the farmers, especially, water and fertilizers. During Kharif 2024, more thrust was being given on the promotion of recommended short duration varieties, especially, in Moga, Ludhiana, Mansa, Sangrur, Sri Muktsar Sahib and Barnala districts, he informed. In addition, feedback concerning cultivation of mustard using pneumatic planter, cultivation of French Bean, direct sowing of cucumber under polynet house, sowing method of summer moong, manganese deficiency in wheat, paddy straw management technologies, and current status of wheat sown using Surface Seeder was received, he said.

The meet was attended by senior officials, heads of various departments, and extension scientists from PAU’s Directorate of Extension Education, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and Farm Advisory Service Centres.