Ludhiana, August 21
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh honoured Dr J.S. Hundal, Head, Department of Vegetable Crops, PAU, with the Punjab Parman Pattar-2002 at the state-level Independence Day function at Patiala. The award carries Rs 11,000 and a citation. He was honoured for his contributions in the field of agriculture.
Dr Hundal has done pioneering research work in chilli breeding, leading to the development of chilli hybrid CH-I in 1992 and has revolutionised chilli cultivation in Punjab resulting in doubling the yield and an increase in the area under this crop. Now 80 per cent of the area under chilli is covered by CH-I hybrid. Farmers earn a profit between Rs 40,000 and Rs 50,000 on an average from one acre by growing this variety.
He has trained hundreds of farmers to produce hybrid seed and seedlings on a commercial scale. Some progressive farmers are earning Rs 5 lakh from one acre. The CH-I variety has not only occupied a prominent place in Punjab but also in Haryana, Rajasthan, UP, etc.
Another chilli hybrid, CH-3, developed by Dr Hundal recently is also gaining popularity due to its edge over CH-1 in earliness, better fruit size and fruit colour. Besides hybrids, Dr Hundal has developed multiple disease-resistant varieties in chilli viz Punjab Lal, Punjab Surkh and Punjab
Guchhedar.
