Virtual Annual Group Meeting on ICAR-AICRP on Safflower and Linseed concludes

14th August, 2020, Hyderabad

The “Virtual Annual Group Meeting on ICAR-All India Coordinated Research Project on Safflower and Linseed” organized by the ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad from 13th to 14th August, 2020 concluded today.

In his plenary address, Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary (DARE) & DG (ICAR) expressed serious concerns over the rapid declining trend of acreage of the crops in the country. The Director General also urged the scientists for developing an Action Plan for area expansion to sustain the R&D programmes.

Earlier, the Virtual AGM was inaugurated under the chairmanship of Dr. Tilak Raj Sharma, Deputy Director General (Crop Science), ICAR. In his welcome address during the inaugural session, Dr. A. Vishnuvardhan Reddy, Director, ICAR-IIOR outlined the highlights of the overall achievements of the Projects.

Key recommendations for safflower

The development of early maturing varieties suited for rice fallow areas; the accession GMU-7899 may be critically analyzed for this purpose.
Development of resistance to diseases (Fusarium wilt, Alternaria, Macrophomina), pests (aphid) and moisture stress through well-defined multi-disciplinary collaborative research programmes including pre-breeding.
Trait mapping for resistance to biotic stresses using DNA markers needs to be expedited involving AICRP centers for phenotyping.
Establish benchmark Partial Factor Productivity for nutrients NP at each location for achieving improvement in nutrient use efficiency through agronomic practices.

Key recommendations for linseed

During the breeding session, the need for a national crossing programme based on reliable donors for biotic and abiotic stresses; hybridization programme involving multiple parents (MAGIC), intensification of pre-breeding for broadening the genetic base and sharing of segregating material across centers was emphasized.
Breeding for bud fly tolerance should be given priority. Bud fly resistant lines namely EC 99901, PKV NL 260 and Neela should be included in the crossing programme; for identifying trait specific germplasm.
Efforts should be made to develop varieties and production technologies for rice fallows.
With regard to value addition, it was suggested to explore the possibilities of developing varieties with high Omega-3 fatty acid and other quality traits for nutritional use; flax varieties in collaboration with the ICAR-CRIJAF; commercialization of technologies related to incorporation of raw linseed oil and emulsion in energy bars.

A total of 12 proposals comprising 5 safflower varieties, 1 sunflower and 6 linseed varieties were presented to the committee during the Varietal Identification Committee Meeting for identification.

(Source: ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad)