Department of Plant Pathology Nauni,Solan (HP)

NewTechnology Notes  

Dr SK Sharma
Professor & Head of Department

Department was initially established in the Department of Agriculture, Government of Himachal Pradesh and became a part of Himachal Pradesh Agricultural College, Solan, in 1962; Himachal Pradesh University, in July 1970; Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur, in 1978; and lastly, the College of Horticulture, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, in December 1985.

The research funding is mainly through externally funded research projects on crop protection through government and private agencies, viz., ICAR, DST, DBT, NATP, DRDO, ACFRE, NHB, UGC, HIMCOSTE, the Ministry of Agriculture, the World Bank, the European Union, and chemical companies. The department is conducting regular National symposia/conferences, and workshops to have discussions related to horticultural crops and modulate into the latest researchable issues of farmers.

The Department has published more than 1166 research papers, 168 book chapters, 52 books, 24 technical bulletins in leading national and international journals, and over 1235 popular articles for technology dissemination to farmers and entrepreneurs. In its journey of over 37 years, the department has been able to generate useful human resources for the country in the form of 182 M.Sc. and 102 Ph.D. students.

Mandate

  • Develop skilled human resource in plant pathology for accurate diagnosis and management of diseases in horticultural and forest plants.
  • Study etiology, epidemiology and sustainable management of important plant diseases.
  • Standardize the cultivation practices for edible and medicinal mushrooms.
Himalayan Phytopathological Society

Strengths

  • Modern laboratory facilities for diagnosis of fungal, bacterial and viral diseases of horticultural/ forest crops through latest techniques based on molecular analysis, electron/ fluorescent microscopy, laboratory analysis, etc.
  • Commercial bioagents production unit for supplying of ready to use culture of Trichoderma (Trichovir) for reclamation of sick soils and management of soil borne disease in horticultural crops.
  • Spawn and mushroom production facilities on commercial scale.
  • Provision and procedures for testing of brand name/ new molecule formulations for private and public sector Indian companies.

Academics

The department offers degree programmes for:

  • M.Sc (Agriculture) Plant Pathology
  • Ph. D Plant Pathology
Click here for course details
  • Ms. Pratibha (H-2022-55-M) got AIR – 38 in ICAR AICE- JRF/SRF (Ph. D) (2024-2025).
  • Mr. Nikhil Chauhan qualified UGC-NET 2024 on 22/02/2025.
  • Deepika qualified INSPIRE DST Fellowship for 2024-2025.
  • Eight students (Ankita Chauhan, Neha Singh, Monika Karn, Deepika Sharma, Mukesh Negi, Adikshita, V Pullareddy, Natasha Kashyap,) qualified ICAR-NET (2023).Ms Natasha Kashyap and Mr Aravinth Kumar qualified SRF Examination in 2021 & 2022.Ms Rajneesh Thakur has been awarded Uma Dutt Memorial Research Award for Best Master’s Thesis by Society for Advancement of Human and Nature (SADHNA) for the year 2020.
  • Dr Vijay Kumar bestowed with Best Ph. D Thesis and Young Plant Pathologist Award in year 2019 from Society of Agro Environmental Development, Rampur (U.P).
  • Dr Adikshita Sharma has received Dr R.L Munjal Memorial Best Thesis Award in year 2018 from Himalayan Phytopathological Society, UHF, Solan (H.P).
  • Dr Aditi Sharma earned Best Ph.D. Thesis Award from Indian Society of Plant Pathologist for the year 2017.


Students working on molecular diagnostics of viral diseases

Symptoms of powdery mildew on Gale Gala var

Research

Thrust Areas

  • Diagonosing and monitoring important and emerging diseases in horticultural, medicinal and forestry crops.
  • Evolving conventional and eco-friendly plant health management strategies in horticultural, medicinal and forest crops by focussing on economically devastating fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens.
  • Standarding the cultivation practices in edible and medicinal mushrooms.
  • Mass multiplication and popularization of potentially effective bio-control agent strains, botanical pesticides, nano based green formulations and nano biopriming methodologies for use in integrated disease management practices against commercially important diseases.
  • Dissemination and popularization of disease diagnostic and management techniques amongst the growers of the state through camps, trainings and other communication applications.
    Sr. No. Name of the Project Funding Agency Budget (₹ Lakhs) Year
    1 Evaluation of new and brand name fungicides / formulations against plant diseases Fungicides companies 53.10 1985 (long term)
    2 All India Coordinated Research Project on Mushroom DMR, ICAR 3.70 2000
    3 Development of infectious clone, point-of-care diagnostics and transcriptome profiling of apple (Malus domestica) exhibiting mosaic disease associated with apple necrotic mosaic virus in Northwestern Himalayan region of India NASF, ICAR 17.74 2024–2027
    4 Development of AI Based pest and disease identification app for issuing advisories to outreach the farmers of Himachal Pradesh NHB 5.00 2024–2026
    5 Use of underexploited medicinal mushrooms for horticultural diversification and entrepreneurship development RKVY 40.00 2024–2025
    6 Evaluation of picoxystrobin 7.05% + propiconazole 11.71% w/w (SC) Galileo Way 20SC in apple, pear & cherry for crop response in Himachal Pradesh Corteva Agrisciences India Pvt. Limited 3.45 2024–2025
    7 Cultivation of Shitake and other medicinal mushrooms Govt. of HP 8.50 2023–2025
    8 Upgrading biocontrol unit for scaling up talc-based mass culture production capacity Govt. of HP 4.50 2023–2025
    9 Evaluation of fungicidal activity of phosphoric acid against white root rot and collar rot apple Govt. of HP 2.00 2023–2025
    10 HPHDP Project - Plant Protection: Plant Pathology World Bank 187.95 2016–2024
    11 HPHDP Project - Pest Surveillance and forecasting / forewarning system World Bank 372.10 2016–2024
    12 HPHDP Project - Post Entry Quarantine of imported Plants World Bank 837.86 2016–2024
    13 Validation of prediction systems for apple foliar diseases based on field-based weather stations Bayer Crop Science Ltd. 27.14 2022–2024
    14 Bio-efficacy of herbal preparations against scab disease of apple NIF - India 5.50 2022–2023
    15 Genomics led improvement of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in mustard rape for sustainability BBSRC, UK & DBT, India 64.59 2018–2021
  • Package of practices developed for the disease management in fruits, vegetables, ornamentals and forest crops of Himachal Pradesh
    • Package of practices for management of important diseases of apples viz., apple scab (Venturia inaequalis), Marssonina blotch (Marssonina coronaria), collar rot (Phytophthora cactorum), white root rot (Diatophoranecatrix), moldy core rot (Alternaria alternata; Trichotheciumroseum), canker diseases, Sclerotium seedling blight and replant probli of apple.Stone fruit diseases like peach leaf curl, apricot rust, brown rot and stigmina blight. Crown gall, peach phytoplasma.Important diseases of mango like powdery mildew, anthracnose, malformation and post-harvest diseases. Pomegranate diseases like bacterial canker, wilt and leaf spotshave been developed.
    • Important diseases like buckeye rot, late blight, Alternaria blight, Septoria leaf spots, Fusarium wilt, bacterial leaf spot,powdery mildew, Ascochyta blight, bacterial blight, Fusarium wilt, soft rot (rhizome rot) of ginger, angular web blight and rust in beans, Stiphylium blight in garlic, powdery and downy mildew in cucurbits, leaf blight in colocasia, Phytophthora leaf blight and fruit rot, Cercospora leaf spot, anthracnose, bacterial spot and important viral diseases of vegetable crops like tomato, capsicum, peas, cole crops, cucurbits, beans, zinger, onion and garlic havebeen investigated and effective managient strategies have been developed.
    • In cole crops, the Department is providing free of cost seed treatment services for the last 25 years against black rot of crucifers.
    • In ornamental crops, package of practices has been developed for the managient of wilt of carnation (Fusarium oxysporum sp. dianthi), wilt of gladiolus (Fusarium oxysporumf. sp. gladioli), powdery mildew and black of rose (Podosphaera pannosa), Septoria leaf spots, sti rot of chrysanthium (Septoia obese and Septoria chrysanthiella), marigold leaf spot and flower blight and other crops.
  • Technology for the biological detection of four apple viruses namely apple mosaic virus, apple chlorotic leaf spot virus, apple stem pitting virus and apple stem grooving virus using four indicators viz. Virginia crab,  platycarpa, Spy 227, Jay Darling and Russian Clone has been standardized and this technology could be easily adopted by the farmers.
  • Department is a pioneer in the production technology of button, oyster and medicinal mushrooms in the country which has gained popularity not only in Himachal Pradesh but also in the adjoining States. Two high yielding strains of white button mushrooms(Agaricus bisporus) were developed with a maximum yield of 20.34 Kg per 100 Kg compost in the strain AVT-13-01 followed by 19.4Kg of AVT-13-02.
  • Promoting the use of nano-particles in the management of plant diseases, efficacy studies of the nano-particles from botanicals & BCA’s are in progress and silver nano-particles synthesized out of botanicals have been found effective against Alternaria leaf spot fungi of marigold, sulphur nano-particles against powdery mildew of cucumber, copper nanoparticles against Aschochyta blight and bacterial blight of peas.
  • New innovative research ideas are being floated in managing major seed-borne pathogens of commercial horticulture crops using biopriming and nano-biopriming technologies of seed treatment with plant extracts and green synthesized silver and copper nanoparticles

Extension

To disseminate various technologies of disease diagnosis and promoting plant health management implementations at grassroot level to the farmers by different communication means for better adoption in the field and enhancing income of farmers, stakeholders and entrepreneurs.

Achievements

  • Organized three Kisan Melas at Nerwa in Chopal sub-division of district Shimla, Mahog Village in Karsog Sub-Division of Mandi district and Gorli Marawag village of Chaupal sub division in district Shimla under pest surveillance forecasting and forewarning system research component of world bank funded HP-HDP Project where 150 to 300 farmers participated.
  • Department has always been a vibrant forum of scientific discussions as it hosted more than 24 National Symposia/ Conferences and Workshops and organized two Summer and Short Courses and have discussed crucial issues related to the native region and the nation as a whole.
  • Technology dissemination has been the major focus of the Department by concentrating on all modes of dissemination from print to the electronic media. More than 250 Radio/ Television talks focussing on management of diseases in commercial crops being delivered to the farmers.
  • A revenue of ₹5.39 crore from 2019-20 to 2024-25 as testing fees of fungicides against important diseases of fruits and vegetable crops from the private companies, sale of bio control agent Trichovir, mushroom spawn and button mushrooms have been generated.

Demonstration of oxytetracyclin hydrochloride injection in diseased cherry tree for the management of phytoplasma

Awards/Recognition

  • Dr Satish K Sharma has been awarded “Excellence in Service Award” by Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, on its 34th Foundation Day. He also got New Zealand Fellowship Bursery Award from 8th ICPP-2003- Christchurch for attending the international courses, conferences etc. Awarded Fellowship for training on ISTA-PDC Seed Health Testing Workshop w.e.f. 10-13th Feb. 2003 at Lincolon University Christchurch, New Zealand
  • Dr Anil Handa was honoured with the “Excellence in Service Award” by the University on its 35th Foundation Day and was awarded the position of Visiting Professor at Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry, Brno, Czech Republic for teaching Plant Virology at Mendel University.
  • Dr Shalini Verma has been awarded Best Teacher Award from Agri Meet Foundation for the year 2021.

Facilities

Following State of the art facilities are available with the department:

  • Molecular, fruit and vegetable laboratories for research and development
  • Electron microscope and ultramicrotome facility for viral detections.
  • Bio-control Lab for preparation and mass multiplication of biological control agent “Trichovir”.
  • Mushroom and Spawn Laboratory facility for commercial/ medicinal mushroom strains cultivation and production.

Gallery

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