Nauni varsity’s vegetable varieties receive national recognition
Two vegetable varieties developed by the Department of Vegetable Sciences at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, have been recognised as top-performing varieties for their consistent performance at the national level. The temperate carrot variety, ‘Solan Shresth’, and the French bean variety, ‘Lakshami’, were officially released by the university's Central Variety Release Committee (CVRC) in New Delhi recently.
Efforts of Dr Rajesh Kumar, Project Coordinator of the All India Coordinated Research Project on Vegetable Crops (AICRP VC), were praised for this outstanding performance.
The Lakshami French bean variety has been recommended for cultivation in Zone I (Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) and Zone IV (Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand), while Solan Shresth is suitable for Zone IV and parts of Punjab and Bihar. These varieties were developed by the university in 1992 and 2016, respectively, and tested under the AICRP on Vegetable Crops from 2017 and 2019 before being approved for national release.
Ramesh Kumar Bhardwaj, breeder and principal investigator at the Solan Centre of AICRP VC, explained that both varieties performed consistently over three years of testing. Their results were recognised at the 39th and 41st Annual Group Meetings of the AICRP held in Varanasi and Srinagar. Scientists Dr Sandeep Kansal, Dr DK Mehta, Dr Kuldeep Thakur, and Dr Rakesh have contributed significantly to the maintenance and mass multiplication of seeds for these varieties.
Director of Research, Dr Sanjeev Chauhan, highlighted the qualities of Solan Shresth, a carrot variety known for its long, attractive, orange, cylindrical roots with self-cores. It matures early, is smooth with non-hairy roots and is rich in beta-carotene. Solan Shresth is resistant to common diseases and pests, and its average root weight is 255 g to 265 g, yielding 225 g to 275 q/ha of marketable produce. Similarly, Lakshami, the French bean cultivar, produces 2 to 3 long, attractive, stringless green pods per node, maturing in 65 to 70 days. It offers a high marketable yield of 150-200 q/ha, with mature seeds that are white with light yellow stripes.
Vice Chancellor Prof Rajeshwar Singh Chandel praised the contributions of the scientists, noting that the Solan Centre of AICRP has brought great recognition to the university. He emphasised that the success of these varieties, particularly in terms of their excellent performance and cost effectiveness, will greatly benefit small and marginal farmers. Both varieties are open-pollinated, making them more accessible to farmers compared to expensive hybrid seeds. Prof Chandel expressed confidence that these open-pollinated varieties will contribute to the livelihoods of farmers across the country, especially in regions where they have shown promising results.
Prof Chandel said that these varieties will play a vital role in boosting the agricultural economy in Himachal Pradesh and other states where these have proven to be highly productive.
