The Central Horticultural Experiment Station (CHES), ICAR-IIHR, Bhubaneswar has successfully organized an insightful workshop on “canopy management in perennial fruit crops” on July 26th, 2024. There was active participation of around 80 stakeholders including progressive farmers from three districts (Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanja, and Kendujhar) of Odisha, SMS of Krishi Vigyan Kendras and students& faculty members from OUAT, Siksha O Anusandhan Deemed to be University and UN Autonomous College.
Dr. G. C. Acharya, Head of CHES, welcomed all dignitaries and participants and provided an overview of the workshop’s objectives and highlighting the various activities conducted at CHES. Mr. K. K. Agarwal, Deputy Director of Horticulture, Government of Odisha graced the event as Guest of Honour and emphasized the significance of various government schemes and beneficiary programs aimed at supporting the horticulture sector. As Guest of Honour, Dr. P. J. Mishra, Dean, Extension Education, OUAT spoke about the importance of canopy management in enhancing production, productivity, and profitability in perennial fruit crops.
Dr. T. K. Behera, Director, ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru, the Chief Guest of the function, highlighted the critical role of horticulture in the Indian as well as Odisha scenario comprehensively. He discussed the current production and productivity scenarios of horticultural commodities, identified challenges within the sector, and proposed potential solutions. Dr. Behera also shared inspiring success stories of farmers, emphasized the importance of entrepreneurship development, and encouraged students to pursue research and innovation. He also emphasized the importance of genome editing and gene expression for future advancements. He advocated for the cluster model approach for achieving greater profitability for farmers and for high-standard research aligning with the vision of a “Vikasit Bharat” (Developed India).
The technical session featured lectures from distinguished experts: Dr. Sunil Samal (OUAT) on canopy management in fruit crops, Dr. P. K. Panda (OUAT) on canopy management in cashew, Dr. P. Srinivas (CHES) on disease management, and Dr. Satyapriya Singh (CHES) on insect pest management. Demonstration on canopy management was also arranged for providing participants with hands-on experience.
