Field Day on rose variety 'Arka Savi' organized at Nayanahalli village, Chikkaballapura Dt. on 20 July 2026

The field day provided an opportunity for farmers to observe the field performance of the Arka Savi rose variety and interact with fellow growers and scientists. Women farmers Smt. Sushma Srinivas and Smt. Manjula Ramesh, who have adopted the variety, shared their experiences on its cultivation and economic benefits. They reported that Arka Savi produces an annual yield of about 30–32 tonnes per acre and fetches an additional ₹70–80 per kg over other rose varieties owing to its superior flower quality and higher market demand. The farmers expressed satisfaction with the variety and highlighted its potential to enhance profitability in commercial rose cultivation.

Technical sessions were organized on scientific rose cultivation and sustainable production practices. Dr. B. Balakrishna emphasized the importance of improved horticultural production technologies for enhancing productivity and farmers' income. Dr. Bhaskaran V. explained the improved cultivation practices for Arka Savi, covering nutrient management, irrigation scheduling, pruning techniques and quality flower production. Dr. Preeti Sonawane, delivered a session on the integrated management of major diseases affecting flower crops, while Dr. Chetan Kumar G. created awareness on soil health management and advanced technologies for improving soil fertility and maintaining soil productivity.

Addressing the participants, Dr. Ramya H. R. highlighted the benefits of cultivating finger millet, pigeon pea and field bean as intercrops to improve soil fertility, generate additional income and enhance the sustainability of the farming system. She encouraged farmers to adopt intercropping practices and distributed seeds of these crops to facilitate their field-level adoption.

To promote nutritional security and integrated farming, vegetable seed kits containing seeds of different vegetable crops were distributed to women farmers for establishing kitchen gardens. In addition, Arka Microbial Consortium (AMC) was distributed to all participating farmers to encourage the adoption of sustainable soil management practices. The Field Day served as an effective platform for transferring research-based technologies to farmers' fields and strengthening the linkage between scientists and farming communities.

The glimpse of the programme reported by media can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GFakd2nZp/(link is external)