Prayagraj,

08 March (HS): A

two-day farmer training program under the Integrated Horticulture Development

Mission concluded on Sunday, at the Extension Directorate of Sam Higginbottom

University of Agricultural Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj. During the

training program, Dr. Praveen Charan, Director of Extension, provided detailed

information to farmers about ongoing research programs at the university. He

discussed modern farming, nursery management, and integrated nutrient

management of vegetables with participants under the Integrated Development

Mission (IDM). Director of Extension Dr. Praveen Charan distributed seeds and

certificates of improved vegetable varieties to participants.

Training

Coordinator Dr. Shailendra Kumar Singh informed farmers about the espalier

system, stating that it is ideal for growing plants in small gardens, narrow

spaces, or along walls. This espalier system can be shaped in the designs of

other ornamental plants and mango and guava orchards and it is easy to pluck

the fruits from fruit trees, they get better sunlight, more fruits are

produced, the fruits are protected from frost as they are placed along the

walls, he also told that by adopting this system, pruning and fertilizing the

plants becomes easy. In the same sequence, while giving information about

mushroom production to the farmers, he told that mushroom cultivation is a

low-cost and highly profitable business in which production starts in 30-40

days.

He

gave detailed information to the farmers about compost preparation, spawning,

spawn run, casing, mushroom harvesting and marketing. Dr. Anurag R. Tayde of

the Department of Entomology, SHUATS Prayagraj, discussed integrated pest

control in detail with farmers to control pests and diseases in vegetables and

orchards. He advised them to minimize the use of pesticides and to control

pests using traditional and natural methods. Dr. Shishir Kumar advised farmers

to cultivate vegetables and flowers using organic and traditional methods.

Dr.

T.D. Mishra, while providing information on lac production, explained that it

is highly profitable and low-cost crop that can more than double farmers'

profits in 6-7 months. He also spoke in detail about early vegetables, including

okra and early pumpkin. Meena Nathan told farmers that farmers are the food

providers for everyone, but now they should also take care of their health. He

provided detailed information about coarse grains and also taught farmers how

to make pickles. Dr. Sarvendra Kumar and other Extension Directorate staff were

present at the program. Progressive farmers Chandraprakash Kushwaha, Ravindra

Singh, Shivsagar, Tribhuvan, and others shared their experiences with the

fellow farmers.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi