6thQRT meeting of ICAR IISS on Soil Health and Conservation Agriculture held at SKUAST-K”

Srinagar, June 27: The second meeting of the 6th Quinquennial Review Team (QRT) commenced on Thursday, at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) in Srinagar.
The meeting, scheduled from June 27 to 29, aims to review the progress of various All India Coordinated Projects (AICRP-LTFE, AICRP-MSPE, AICRP-STCR), All India Network Projects (AINP-SBB), and the Consortia Research Platform on Conservation Agriculture located in the north zone of India.
The inaugural session was graced by Dr. Nazir Ahmed Ganai, Vice Chancellor of SKUAST Kashmir, and Dr. P.K. Sharma, Chairman QRT and former Vice Chancellor of SKUAST Jammu, along with other prominent members. Attendees included Dr. A.N. Ganeshamurthy, former HoD, IIHR Bengaluru; Dr. R. Santhi, former HoD and Director, NRM, TNAU; Dr. A.S. Panwar, former Director, IIFSR Modipuram; Dr. V.K. Kharche, Director of Research, PDKV Akola; Dr. R.N. Padaria, JtDirector (Extn), IARI New Delhi; and Dr. R. Elanchezhian, Principal Scientist and Member Secretary QRT, ICAR IISS Bhopal.
Dr. Haroon Rashid Naik, Director of Research at SKUAST-K, welcomed the guests, and Dr. S.P. Datta, Director of ICAR IISS Bhopal, presented an overview of the research and developmental activities of ICAR IISS Bhopal. The Member Secretary QRT briefed attendees on the purpose of the QRT and the modalities of presentations and activities for the next three days.
In his address, Dr. Ganai emphasized the importance of fruitful interactions for reviewing and implementing course correction measures. He envisioned the generation of a policy paper to manage soil health at both the national level and specifically in Jammu and Kashmir. Dr. Sharma stressed the need to strategize solutions for various problems in soil health management.
All Heads of Departments from the institute participated in the deliberations. The vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Uzma Bashir, Centre Incharge of AICRP on STCR at SKUAST-K. The technical sessions that followed featured presentations from approximately 90 nationwide centers, discussing the work done during the review period and outlining future plans.
The meeting aims to foster collaboration and enhance the effectiveness of ongoing agricultural projects, ensuring sustainable development and conservation of soil health across the region.