Annual Kharif Oilseed Group Meeting 2024 Held at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

The Annual Kharif Oilseed Group Meeting 2024 was held at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore on July 9, 2024. The event focused on oilseed crop research, production, and technological advancements.


Coimbatore: The inauguration ceremony of the Annual Kharif Oilseed Group Meeting 2024 took place today (09.07.2024) at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in Coimbatore. The event was jointly organized by the Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics and the Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad.

Dr. M. Ravindran, Director of Research, delivered the welcome address and inaugurated the event. He spoke about the global and Indian scenarios of oilseed crop yield and productivity.

Dr. Sanjeev Gupta, ADG (O&P), briefly explained the importance of oilseed crops such as sesame, sunflower, castor, and niger. He emphasized the need for evaluating quality genetic varieties in different environments.



Dr. R.K. Mathur, Director of ICAR-IIOR Hyderabad, presented the research results from the previous year on castor and sunflower crops. This was followed by Dr. Anand Vishwakarma's presentation on the research findings for sesame and niger oilseeds.

Dr. T.R. Sharma (DDG CCS), ICAR, New Delhi, commended the overall achievements of the oilseed crop project coordinators. He stressed the importance of using genetic molecular factors to develop varieties resistant to diseases and pest attacks.



Dr. V. Geethalakshmi, Vice-Chancellor and special guest of the event, highlighted the importance of oilseed crops, varieties, and new technologies. She emphasized the potential to increase oilseed productivity by developing short-duration, high-yielding varieties suitable for mechanized harvesting in response to changing climatic conditions.

During the event, new publications were released by officials, including annual reports on sesame cultivation, oilseed technologies, and information on sesame, sunflower, castor, and niger crops.

The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. R. Ravikesavan, Director of the Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics. More than 150 scientists engaged in castor, sunflower, sesame, and niger research from across India participated in and benefited from this group meeting.

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