The Central Agricultural University (Imphal) has presence in the 7 hilly states of NE India through its networking of constituent colleges. College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CPGSAS) is a constituent college located Umiam (Barapani), Meghalaya and is considered as one of the premier institutes of North East India imparting MSc and PhD degree programme in 9 different disciplines of Agricultural Sciences. The faculty members of the CPGSAS are highly competent and primarily involve in teaching, research and extension activities. Scientists of the institute are handling numbers of externally funded project of ICAR, DST, DBT, MoEF&C, MoA&FW, NABARD, MNCs etc.
The Plant Pathology Department of School of Crop Protection, CPGSAS,CAU (Imphal), Umiam, Meghalaya is actively involved in teaching, research and extension activities. Dr. Pranab Dutta is currently working in the capacity of Associate Professor has 20 years of teaching, research and extension (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bb0tunwAAAAJ&hl=en). Since last two-decade, Dr Dutta is working on biointensive management of plant diseases and insect pests and invasive weeds of North East India. Dr. Dutta isolated and characterized potential strains of biological control agents, viz., Trichoderma harzianum, T. viride, T. pseudokoningii, T. asperellum, Beuaveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Lecanicillium lecanni, Pochomia chlamydosporia, Purpeurocillium lilacinus, Nomurea rileyii of different agroecological conditions of North India. Ten liquid bioformulation technologies have been developed which showed effective result in plant health management of different North Eastern States of India. Five products developed by Dr. Dutta has been commercialized successfully
Under the leadership of Dr. P. Dutta, Project Coordinator cum Hub Facilitator through different project works and students’ activities a few potential biological control agents have been identified through a series of in vitro, in vivo, small scale and pilot field trials. Formulations are already tested in different agroecological conditions of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura with successful result in suppressing major plant pathogens and insect pests of crops like vegetables, rice, tea etc. Two nematopathogenic fungus based liquid bioformulation Org-Trichojal and Org-Pochojal has been successfully tested in 11 different centres of All India Coordinated Research Project on Nematode for the successful management of root knot nematode of vegetable crops. Two liquid formulations Um-Tricho and Um-Comb has been accepted for all India trial under All India Coordinated Project on Floriculture in 21 centres of the country for the management of soil borne plant pathogens and plant growth enhancer. Potential biological control agent based liquid bioformulations has been developed (Um-Bir, Um-Met, Um-Triv, Um-Poch, Um-Pae, Um-Bac, Ba-Pseudo, Um-Comb), and showed successful result in the framers’ field condition. Patent has already been filled for liquid bioformulation vide no. 977/Kol/2014 and long-term preservation technique (975/Kol/2014. Four bioformulation products (Org-Trichojal, Or-Metajal, Org-Beauverijai and Org-Vertjal) have already been commercialized through bio input manufacturer of North East India. Biointensive technology developed based on liquid bioformulation has been included in the Organic Package of Practices for Selected crops of Assam (2019), Published by Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat and Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Assam. At present a repository of 150 biocontrol agents are maintained at CPGSAS, Umiam.
Dr. D. Thakuria has more than 18 years of research experience on plant-microbe-soil continuum and biofertilizer technologies. Dr. Thakuria has successfully completed research projects funded by DBT, MoEF, ICAR, etc. and developed several potential biofertilizer agents (200 isolates) that are deposited to MTCC, Chandigarh and Microbial Repository Centre, IBSD, Imphal. Utilizing these potential bioinoculant agents, Dr. Thakuria has developed 7 biofertilizer technologies compatibles to acid soil region during his 10 years tenure at CPGSAS, Umiam. These are: CAU-Bioenhancer (a liquid microbial consortium), CAU-Jhum Bioenhancer (a liquid microbial consortium specific to mixed crops of Jhum), Biofortified enriched compost (BEC) for promotion of pulses in rice fallows, UmBioF1, UmBioF2, UmRh1, JhumBioF1 and JhumBioF2, etc. All these technologies were tested in multi-locations across Northeastern Hilly States through KVK facilitations under OFT programme. Later these biofertilizer technologies were included in the Agricultural Technology Inventory of North East India, published by ICAR- ATARI, Umiam, Meghalaya. Besides, the first 3 technologies mentioned above are documented as NECTAR-CM-14, NECTAR-CM-15 and NECTAR-CM-17 in the Technology Inventory of CAU (Imphal). The technologies showed promising results in farmers’ fields and now technologies are ready for multilocational FLD as pre-commercialization steps.
The Department of Mycology and Microbiology, TRA involved in identification and deployment of beneficial microbes from tea rhizospheres. Dr. Abhay K. Pandey is currently working as Scientist C (Mycologist), at Regional Center Nagrakata, WB, of Tocklai Tea Research Institute, India (https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=rxcN_TcAAAAJ&hl=en) has 12 years of research experience in different areas of plant pathology. Dr. Pandey is exploring beneficial microbial diversity in rhizosphere of tea crops and at present he has several potential culture of beneficial microbes including antagonists (Trichoderma species, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescence), entomopathogens (Beauveria bassiana, Lecanicillium lecanii), and biofertilizers (Azotobacter and Azospirillum) through Tea Union project. These all microbial strains have proved potential against pests and pathogens of tea crops and improving its growth. Besides, he has developed four fungitoxic bioformulations based on microbial biocontrol agents and essential oils.
ICAR-NBAIR is a nodal agency for collection, characterization, documentation, conservation, exchange, research and utilization of agriculturally important insect resources (including mites, spiders and related arthropods) and insect-derived resources for sustainable agriculture. Institute is engaged in the development of protocols and designs for the establishment of state of art mass production units for beneficial insects and utilization of agriculturally important arthropods for the management of insect pests. Dr. Richa Varshney is currently working as Scientist at ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources Bengaluru has 13 years of research experience in Entomology including Biological Control. Dr. Varshney research focuses on developing the rearing protocol of insects and understanding their ecological interactions. ICAR-NBAIR holds the largest live insect repository in the Asia with more than 130 different live insect cultures. At present, ICAR-NBAIR has well-proven technology of production of Trichogrammatids Chrysopids, anthocorids, Chelonus blackburni, Cotesia vestalis etc. which have been validated at various places through All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Biological control of crop pests and diseases. Besides that, Institute is also engaged in supplying insect bio-agents to the student community, researchers, commercial insectaries and farmers.Dr. Richa developed three technologies (Rearing techniques for multiplication of housefly pupal paraisitoids; Closed system of rearing of predatory mites; Long term storage of Trichogramma chilonis)
