The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is giving a special impetus to the popularization of horticulture in the state to help rural and urban communities to diversify their cropping systems and businesses for enhanced monetary benefits and respectable livelihood. In this regard, the Skill Development Centre of PAU organized a two-day training programme on the “Use of Ornamental Plants for Landscaping” to keep the city dwellers and villagers aligned with the latest trends of landscaping. Organized under the directions of Dr MS Bhullar, Director of Extension Education, PAU, the course saw an enthusiastic participation of the farmers, women and the youths.
Dr Kuldeep Singh, Head, Department of Extension Education and Associate Director (Skill Development), observed that the floriculture and landscaping has proved to be a sustainable lucrative business as the demand for flowers as well as ornamental plants has always seen a spurt in hotels, educational institutions, community places and parks, religious places, homes, farm houses, etc. Be it small- or large-scale floral business, farmers, nurseries and amateurs are earning substantially, thus changing the entire socio-economic landscape of the concerned rural and urban citizens, he added.
The Programme Coordinator Dr Prerna Kapila said that the training programme was planned keeping in the mind the rising preference for the use of ornamental plants for landscaping at the rooftop of the houses, farms or other surrounding areas.
The resource persons Dr Parminder Singh, Head, Department of Floriculture and Landscaping; Dr KK Dhatt, Dr Rishu Sharma, Dr Ranjit Singh, Dr Tanya Thakur, Dr Simrat Singh, Dr Madhu Bala and Dr Aman Sharma whetted the skills of the trainees on different aspects of landscaping. They laid specific thrust on the selection of site and plants, their maintenance as per the season, and their reuse as well as rejuvenation through newly evolved agricultural technologies.
In his welcome remarks, expert Dr Dilpreet Talwar said that the domestic and commercial cultivation of flowers as well as ornamental plants was picking up to add greenery as well as for beautification and idyllic atmosphere. He informed that the trainees also visited a nursery for gaining practical experience and becoming familiar with different ornamental plants.
Mrs Kanwaljit Kaur urged the trainees to advocate flower cultivation and landscaping to meet the pecuniary needs of the families as well as public-private customers. Later, she proposed a vote of thanks.
Read more: https://www.pau.edu/index.php?_act=manageEvent&DO=viewEventDetail&dataE=datae&intID=9316
