Action Plan
- Short term
- Standardisation of crop regulation and canopy architecture, with one standard canopy management protocol demonstration, along with practical POPs for induction of off-season bahars.
- On station research trial on nature friendly sustainable production systems reducing GHG emission, improving soil microbial and nutrient dynamics and overall soil health.
- Development of POP for climate smart, input efficient protected cultivation technology for different varieties and bahars (seasons) of pomegranate.
- Establishment state-of-the-art Biocontrol Production Units for biocontrol agents production and Mobile Plant Health Clinic.
- Water availability and irrigation use efficiency will be addressed using insitu rainwater harvesting models, low water demanding cultivars and adoption of precision irrigation systems (micro-irrigation and fertigation) incorporating sensors, Al-driven water use efficiency and weather modelling.
- Development of export destination specific sea protocols for export of fresh fruits in collaboration with APEDA, state marketing boards, NPPO and exporters.
- Development of green technologies (solar greenhouse drying, green extraction techniques, non-thermal processing etc.) for sustainable pomegranate processing.
- Promotion and demonstration of renewable energy (solar dryers, solar-assisted processing. solar PV for on-farm energy needs, and solar-powered cold chain) techniques in processing and protected cultivation.
- Utilization of bioactive rich extract from peel, flower, seeds etc. in functional foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
- Application of advanced pomegranate juice and arils processing technologies like MAP, Non-thermal technologies etc., and its dissemination to entrepreneurs.
- Establishment of Museum, Technology park and auditorium with advanced smart extension education unit.
- Farmer awareness programs and demonstration campaigns, aggressive campaigns for technology dissemination in different states, in-house and on-farm training programs, exhibitions and extensive use of social media platform.
- The pathogen free mother plants with good horticultural traits will be registered with a unique identification number.
- The state of art facilities like pathogen testing laboratories will be established and accredited.
- Developing and promoting eco-friendly and IDIPM practices for insect- pests and diseases of pomegranate. Development and validation of efficient field deployable biocontrol agents and eco-friendly formulations at multi-location especially at all the agriculture universities.
- Pilot scale deployment of Al-based solutions for pest and disease diagnosis, a multi-lingual mobile app, UAV spray characteristics and development of SOPs for precision spraying.
2. Mid Term
- Biomarker based screening of germplasm and advanced breeding lines for physiological disorders.
- Large-scale genotyping and barcoding, including 10 varietal barcodes, 2 SNP-based marker assay platforms, and 5 morphological markers for varietal identity and clonal fidelity.
- Enhancement of genetic resource and their characterization for utilization in breeding program.
- Varietal diversification, focused breeding program to develop and promote processable and bio-fortified varieties with branding and promotional activities
- Under Clean Plant Programme (CPP) scheme, all promising varieties will be collected, maintained under protected environment for supplying true to type and disease free plants to nursery growers for the development of ‘Mother block’ for the production of certified disease & pest free planting material.
- Development of hi-tech systems for expediting production and supply of pomegranate saplings with traceability.
- Standardisation of one POP for hast bahar flower induction and establishment of a mother block with SOP for quality planting material production.
- Clean Plant Programme (CPP) will link with revolving scheme for the establishment of tissue culture laboratory and production of healthy, true to type and disease free planting materials on large scale.
- Development and validation of a standardised and documented protocol for the protected cultivation, to be adopted across different zones.
- For sustenance of organic farming, work will be done to create awareness through rigorous awareness programs.
- Enhance input use efficiency using Al based nutrient deficiency diagnostics tools, soil and leaf analysis based nutrient advisory and sensor-based nutrient supply systems. It also includes use of nano fertilizers; crop and zone specific customised nutrient formulations, secondary and multi-micronutrients nutrient mixtures.
- The strategic approach for implementing natural or organic farming system in pomegranate includes comprehensive surveys to identify high organic carbon soils clusters based natural farming zones in collaborate with state governments and local stakeholders, identification of region-specific varieties with export potential.
- Developmental studies of different tools like hydraulic pruners, soil moisture meters, and mini tillers for small farmers and train users through workshops and development of basic digital monitoring systems at orchard level.
- Evaluation of pest and disease control through natural component based bio-formulations.
- Development of diagnosis kit for important diseases and pests at nursery level.
- Application of robotics arms, E-nose, & machine learning for automation of pomegranate processing and non-destructive quality evaluation.
- Pilot scale production of functional food pharma, and cosmetic products for commercial utilization of pomegranate processing byproducts.
- Partner with tech companies, global institutions for knowledge exchange and resource sharing. Encourage cross-functional collaboration to broaden knowledge horizons and facilitate industry-driven projects.
- Standardization and validation of extraction methods for punicalagin and natural colour from pomegranate peel and flower delivering purified industrial inputs. 3. Long term
- To cope up climate change scenario, we have to foster multidisciplinary approaches combining soil, water, crop, and ecosystem management. Adoption of climate smart agriculture models using remote sensing, weather forecasting tools, Al, IoT, robotics, drones, sensors, GIS, 5G enabled practices etc.
- Climate-resilient breeding programs includes genetic enhancement, stress tolerance cultivars by screening large germplasm of pomegranate and also through conventional and molecular approaches using modern biotech & genomic tools including gene
- Import and evaluation of commercial leading pomegranate varieties from different countries. Establishment of aseptic tissue culture protocols using axenic media for elite genotypes and rootstocks.
- Model certification system for tissue culture plants with traceability needs to be developed to promote the growth of the tissue culture (TC) industry in India.
- Establishing certified pest-free production clusters with traceable, export-compliant phytosanitary frameworks.
- Development and validation of a standardised and documented protocol for the protected cultivation, to be adopted across different zones.
- Protected and vertical farming and soil less agriculture with PoP will be promoted.
- Pomegranate based Integrated Farming Modules for different pomegranate growing regions.
- Soil degradation issues will be addressed using different approaches like adoption of carbon farming to reduce, reuse and recycle of carbon into carbon credits, zero tillage and IFS practices and use of nature friendly microbial consortia to enhance soil fertility and biodiversity.
- For sustaining soil health, use of indigenous mineral resources, novel fertilizers, sensor-based nutrient supply systems, crop planning considering carbon footprint, revision of fertilizer recommendations will be implemented.
- Use of Artificial Intelligence-based disease prediction in NF Systems-Microbiome and soil biology research in NF Orchards-Block chain for traceability and certification- Biodiversity impact of long-term NF-Integration of drones and precision tech in NF input application.
- Insect-pest and disease dynamics during production period of different flowering seasons will be studied.
- Resistance management through rotational use of biological cum new pesticides with novel mode of action will be developed for insect-pests and diseases.
- Exploring the possibilities of omics (genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) studies for insect-pest and diseases.
- Innovative marketing strategy need to be developed emphasizing fresh fruits, processed organic products through complete value chain.
- High tech orchard mechanisation – robotic and autonomous mechanization tools, robotic & hydraulic pruners, weeders, and planters, canopy shapers, mini tillers, sprayers and surveillance equipment.
- Integration of block-chain or digital ledger technology to track farm inputs, crop history, and harvests for export quality and transparency.
- R&D for LiDAR/drone-assisted pruning suggestion tools or semi-automated saws to support structural pruning.
- Utilization of high value compounds or industrial use (food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and textile).
- New regional centres will be established to address region specific problems and maintaining native diversity of pomegranate.
