PAU’s Breakthrough: Wheat in 60 days with Speed Breeding
Speed breeding technique has a innovative technique by regulating the factors like humidity, light, and temperature enabling wheat and other crops to grow multiple times a year.
On Monday, Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema inaugurated AccelBreed at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana. AccelBreed is region’s pioneering speed breeding research facility which introduce a facility that regulates humidity, light, temperature, which helps in growing wheat and other crops more than before.
Dr. Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor of PAU, will become a “game changer in the plan of feeding 10 billion people till 2050”.He considered AccelBreed as a symbol of cutting edge technology but he has a much more hopes on AccelBreed on future research on agriculture in Punjab. Considering the PAU’s innovative drive he addresses to expand the vision of speed breeding from staples to sugarcane, potato and fruits.
Gosal expresses the protocol created by AccelBreed will make the wheat yield in 60 to 65 days. Similar protocols are being tested for yield of rice, brassica and pea.
Dr. Parveen Chhuneja, director, school of agricultural biotechnology, gives detailed information about speed breeding facility. She also mentioned that AccelBreed has around 541.87 square meters and houses with eights controlled chambers. AccelBreed is funded by India’s Department of Biotechnology.
The technique will boosts automated systems regulating environmental factors to achieve 5-8 generations annually.
The minister also toured the labs of the School of Agricultural Biotechnology in the GS Kalkat Building. Read More
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