The Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Rehmankhera, Lucknow celebrated its 35th Foundation Day on 1st June 2018. Speaking on this occasion as a chief guest, Dr. K K Lal, Director, ICAR-NBFGR, Lucknow exhorted the farmers to integrate fisheries with horticultural crops for enhancing their income. While appreciating the achievements of ICAR-CISH, Lucknow in the sphere of improving the livelihood of mango growers, Dr. Lal told that in future both the Institute will work together also to augment farmers’ income. Increasing awareness among the consumers regarding fan of carbide has reduce the profits made by early mangoes. Consumers have become apprehensive that early mangoes in the market are forcefully ripened using carbide. As such, it is now common consensus that carbide is harmful for health and it can even cause cancer apart from other many health problems like nausea, giddiness and nervous breakdown. It is difficult to identify carbide treated mangoes at the fruit shop but one can easily understand while opening the box that carbide has been used for forced ripening. Alternative use of ripening methods where discussed among the farmers as some of the technology is our costly and require infrastructure such as infrastructure requirements are costly for using ethylene generator and cannot be used by general farmer. Ethylene releasing compound like ethrel can be used for ripening of mangoes. That has developed several techniques using this compound which is easily available in the market for safe ripening of the mango fruits. Ethephon based Chinese sachets for artificial ripening of the mango are also available in the Lucknow and nearby markets. Chinese sachets are in use abandantly in wholesale market of New Delhi as carbide is prohibited.

A gosthi was organised on improving income controlling post harvest losses. Dr. Neelima Garg, Dr Anil Verma, Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey, Dr. Devendra pandey and Dr A K Singh briefed the farmers how to deal with the problems from mango crop ready to harvest. The scientists kept in mind the prime goal of farmers getting best price of their produce. Therefore, in farmer-scientist interaction programme major issues were proper harvesting, de-sapping, ripening, packaging and transport. Since, harvesting of premature fruits and ripening by the use of carbide is a common unfair practice adopted by the farmers, they were told, how to indentify the proper maturity of fruits for harvesting. Scientists also emphasized the use of ethereal, in place of calcium carbide for safe ripening of fruits. Farmer and student quarries were satisfied by Dr. Neelima Garg , Dr. Anil Kumar Verma and other scientists of the Institute. Over 200 farmers and students from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan participated in this programme. On this occasion, Dr. Shailendra Rajan, Director, ICAR-CISH, Lucknow, a premier Institute under Indian Council of Agriculture Research, welcomed the farmers and dignitaries and simultaneously briefed them about the achievements of the Institute. He further added that the institute has been devoted in research and extension for the enhancement in fruit production and development of livelihood of farmers devoted in horticulture crops. Dr. Rajan informed that more than 775 varieties of mango are existing in field gene bank of the Institute, which is the highest in world. He also told that the Institute and the associated nurseries has supplied more than 18 Lakhs grafts of fruit crops to the farmers, which has largely contributed in area expansion under fruit crops. The Institute has helped more than 100 Krishi Vigyan Kendra and over 300 nurserymen in establishing mother blocks of our varieties throughout the country, remarked Dr. Rajan. Our guava varieties are replacing grapes in south India owing to high economic returns. Area under drip irrigation and green house cultivation has also increased owing to the efforts made by our Institute. We have also contributed a lot in disease and insect pest management. Our recommendations on major problems like mango wilt, shoulder browning, thrips, hopper, fruit fly, etc. management has been extended to over two lakh orchardists. In course of his address, Dr Rajan appraised the gathering that training programmes organized by the Institutes have also contributed in entrepreneurship development. In the end, he narrated that farmers trained in Wedge-grafting are even earning 40 to 65 lakhs rupees per year from their nursery.