Punjab — known as the ‘Granary of India’ has come up with offerings of a bouquet of improved crop and vegetable varieties that are rich in nutrients and can make valuable contributions to the nutritional requirements of India’s population.

‘PAU 1 Chapatti’ with low polyphenols and outstanding processing qualities has been shortlisted for commercialization whereas wheat candidate varieties having high grain protein, high zinc, low phytates, and high carotenoids have been developed.
 
The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has provided growers with two carotene-rich cherry tomato varieties, Punjab Sona and Punjab Kesar, as well as two anthocyanin-rich brinjal varieties, Punjab Raunak and Punjab Bharpoor, both of which have antioxidant properties.
 
These are also ideal for gardening in the house or on the terrace etc. In addition, a low-cost, nutrient-rich home gardening pot mixture with 40-50% higher productivity, as well as appropriately crafted pots and pot props, have been developed.

Ongoing Research

PAU has also discovered wild rice accessions with high grain protein and genetic stocks with high iron content, which will be used for breeding rice with improved nutritional value. Chickpea inter-specific crosses have shown high grain iron and zinc lines.

The varieties and genetic stocks have been developed by the Punjab Agricultural University with support from the Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (PURSE) grant provided by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India. Besides varieties, a number of technologies for value-added products from nutritionally enhanced varieties of cereals, pulses, and vegetables are on the cards.

Protocols have been developed for assessing insecticide resistance and resurgence in rice plant hopper, cotton whitefly, and okra mites.
 
Besides environment-friendly approaches for pest management, research has been conducted on effective rice straw management, soil health promotion by carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas emission reduction.

The PURSE grant sanctioned to PAU in two phases has also helped the University to set up a large number of major research facilities and supporting research by forty students. The publication output was enhanced with a 2.4 times increase in citations and a significant increase in the ‘h-index’ of associated faculty during the last five years.