Training session on advances in agriculture

LUDHIANA: A 21-day winter school on "Advances in micro-irrigation, fertigation and protected cultivation for improving water and nutrient use efficiency" began at the department of soil and water engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Punjab Agricultural University.

A total of 24 scientists from various states are participating in the winter school, organized under the aegis of

Indian Council of Agricultural Research

(ICAR).

Inaugurating the winter school, Dr

Rajinder Singh Sidhu

, director, extension education, PAU, emphasized the need to increase farm income. He discussed the economic condition of farmers in the country and lauded the department of soil and water engineering for overcoming the water crisis through adoption of micro irrigation and protected cultivation. Dr N K Khullar, acting dean of the college stressed the need for 'more crop per drop.' He also highlighted the importance of micro-irrigation and protected cultivation. Earlier, Dr Rajan Aggarwal, course director and head, soil and water engineering, discussed various departmental research projects on micro- irrigation and protected cultivation.

Dr

Angrej Singh

and Dr

Nilesh Biwalkar

, course coordinators, said the three-week training programme would cover topics ranging from designs of drip irrigation systems for orchards and vegetables, irrigation and fertigation schedule in micro irrigation, design layout of green house, and soilless cultivation of vegetable crops.