MPUAT Udaipur conducting Parthenium Awareness Week

Udaipur : August 16th, 2018: Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology is observing Parthenium Awareness Week from 16^th to 22^nd August, 2018 in its campus. In connection with the 13^th Parthenium Awareness Week of ICAR-Directorate of Weed Research, Jabalpur, the campaign was taken up by the Directorate of Research of the university and Department of Agronomy, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur. This seven days programme was inaugurated by Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of MPUAT, Prof. U.S. Sharma on thursday 16^th August 2018 at the college campus. On this occasion Prof. Sharma addressed to the students, faculty and staff members of the university.

He said that parthenium as a problematic weed invaded in our country during 1955 from USA while import of wheat under US PL 480 programme and in the period of about sixty years it has covered more than 35 million hectare area of our country. Its short life cycle and ability to multiply throughout the year even in adverse climatic conditions further aggravate the condition of its spread. Its adverse and hazardous effects on human, animal and crops are well observed in the society, thus, consistent efforts for its control and eradication is required throughout the year. On this occasion, Dr. A. K. Mehta, Director Research, MPUAT said that we can control this weed effectively by adopting the integrated cultural, chemical and biological methods. Further, he said that our university has conducted this programme since last 05 years and now after establishment of new centre of AICRP on Weed Management in 2015 we have effectively taken up the programme to eradicate parthenium from the campus and I hope that our consistent team efforts will develop the campus as parthenium free in the years to come.

Dr. Arunabh Joshi, Dean, RCA, DR L. K. Murdia, Dean College of Dairy and Food Science, Dr. Subodh Sharma, Dean College of Fisheries, Udaipur, Dr. Virendra Nepalia, Prof. & Head, Department of Agronomy also attended the programme. Later, the faculty and students volunteered to eradicate the parthenium from agricultural fields of RCA. Dr. Arvind Verma, Project Incharge and Dr Roshan Choudhary, Co- Incharge of All India Coordinated Project on Weed Management coordinating the programme on Parthenium Awareness Week (PAW) – 2018 from 16^th to 22^nd August, 2018.