ICAR-IGFRI Annual Report 2016-17

Abstract

ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, is one-of-a-kind institute with the mandate of conducting research purely on grasslands and fodder crops including annual and perennial grasses. Completing 55 successful years in the service of the nation, the institute has attained several milestones in generation of need based technologies with an ultimate aim to serve the farming community with green production processes. Being the only institute in Asia researching on grasslands and fodder crops, also performs development and management of grasslands. The institute is reaping the successes of multi-disciplinary research composed of soilplant-animal components connecting both plant and animal research. Shortage of green and dry fodder is being the major and continuous challenge, for which institute has widened its approach in multi-directions with focus on meeting the demand through technological interventions and development of high yielding fodder varieties suitable for changing climate. The institute consists of seven well defined divisions viz., crop improvement, crop production, grassland & silvipasture management, farm machinery and post harvest technology, seed technology, plant animal relationship and social science with multi-disciplinary scientists and three regional stations located at three different agroclimatic zones. Institute is focussing on nine distinctive programmes of forage research, with multi-disciplinary and inter-divisional approach to address basic, strategic and applied research needs of the nation. During 2016-17, two varieties of oats were notified for release by CVRC, New Delhi and one cowpea variety (MFC-09-1) proposed for adoption was identified for release to zone 8. Six entries of red clover and two entries of white clover contributed for evaluation in rabi perennial legumes trial for multilocation testing and release. One cowpea entry (C-215) contributed for AICRP trials in NGM kharif was promoted to AVT. In addition, 148 germplasms of various grasses and legumes were collected, technologies for increased outputs from sole, mixed and inter-cropping patterns, integrated farming system as well as horti- and silvi-pasture models were developed. The institute had developed grasslands in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar in association with state governments and NGOs. Various outreach programmes in Bundelkhand, Leh, Chhattisgarh and all over the country through NIFTD allowed us to showcase our technologies and have gained appreciation among the stakeholders. To strengthen the fodder seed chain and availability of quality seeds to the end users, the institute has supplied 17.37 tonnes of breeder seeds for further multiplication and 24.01 tonnes of TFL seeds directly supplied to the farming community, besides, 8.32 lakhs rooted slips of perennial grasses have been sold.