Exploration and Germplasm Collection:

• During last 05 years, 09 exploration and germplasm collection programmes were undertaken from different areas of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh including far-flung, remote, underexplored and unexplored places in collaboration with SKUAST- K, SKUAST-J, NRC Seed Spices Ajmer, ICAR-IGFRI RS Srinagar, ICAR-NBPGR RS Shimla and HQ. Besides, the station also collaborated in several exploration and germplasm collection programmes organized by HQ and other ICAR Institutes.
• More than 575 multicrop germplasm accessions including CWR (374 cultivated and 201 wild) comprising of cereals, pseudocereals, millets, pulses, seed spices, oil seeds, medicinal plants, vegetables, fruits, forages etc. were collected.
• Significant collections among others include Aegilops tauschii is a unique potential gene donor for biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in wheat (IC-0628095 to IC-0628108), primitive type of Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) locally called as ‘Sallan’ (IC-0631512), Chenopodium album locally called as ‘Bajarbang’ (IC-0628678), red rice landrace locally called as ‘Lal Dhan’ (IC-0629106) and tobacco (IC-0628676), garden cress (Lepidium sativum) locally called as ‘Halyun’ (IC-0647434, IC-0629133), fababean with purple medium sized seeds (IC-0637972), Zizyphus jujuba subsp. spinosa (IC-0636585) bearing fruits comparable to thorn less cultivated type Zizyphus jujuba subsp. jujuba in terms of fruit size, color and taste, a possible wild progenitor of later. Other notable collections include SHEIKH/SR-993 of Phaseolus coccineus with white flowers and black colored seeds, hawthorn (Crataegus songarica) collection SHEIKH/SR/SS-975, locally called as ‘Adeang’, with tastier and softer dark red fruits, Elymus species having PGR value collected first time from the valley namely Elymus caninus, Elymus dentatus, Elymus dahuricus, Elymus longearistatus and Elymus nutans mostly from Sonamarg area of District Ganderbal, wild olive Olea europaea (SHEIKH/SR-1048) collected first time from remote Gowalata Uri Kashmir and wild melon Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis (IC-0643396) collected from Kashmir. Twelve accessions of unique Brassica napus cv. napobrassica Local, locally called as “Bagtore Saag were collected first time from remote Gurez valley. One accession (SHEIKH/BAB-1136) of Brassica napus cv. napus also collected from Gurez has been found to flower in 75 days after sowing and maturing in 120 days. Daphne oleoides (SHEIKH-1218) or “Kashmir Daphne” has been collected for the first time from Ganderbal area.

Germplasm Characterization and Evaluation:

• During last five years of 2018-19 to 2022-23, nearly 700 germplasm accessions of different crops including wheat, barley, fababeans, common beans, Alliums, Aegilops tauschii and Rubus sp. have been characterized for their agro-morphological traits as per the minimal descriptors and promising genotypes have been identified in each of these crops
• Common bean genotypes collected from areas of Jammu & Kashmir as well as exotic genotypes were evaluated especially for bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) resistance. Based on the symptoms of curling, puckering and yellowing some of these genotypes were identified as resistant ones. Overall, the genotype EC-400454 was identified as a promising candidate genotype for higher yield, resistance to BCMV infection and for early flowering.
• Fourteen (14) accessions of Aegilops tauschii were characterized first time for their morphological traits as per IBPGR descriptors. Aegilops tauschii is an important wild relative of wheat, and the germplasm accessions characterized were conserved in the National Gene Bank.
• Eleven (11) accessions of in vitro conserved blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) plants received from Tissue Culture & Cryo-preservation Unit (TCCU), ICAR-NBPGR New Delhi during early 2021 have been established in the FGB and evaluated for some fruit traits. Most of these accessions start flowering and fruiting in the month of May unlike local wild growing Rubus species which commonly come to flowering and fruiting in the months of July and August. Rubus accession EC560271 has been identified to be promising in terms of overall robust growth, fruit size, weight and also taste. Besides, this accession has produced two fruiting cycles one in the months of May-June and another in August-September.
• A mungbean genotype EC-0398949 has been registered (INGR21224) for cool canopy drought tolerant trait.
• As a cooperating centre of All India Coordinated Research Network on Potential Crops, the station has evaluated 209 entries of fababeans including those under IVT, AVT-I and AVT-II.

Supply of Germplasm:

• Germplasm collected has been supplied to NBPGR HQ for MTS, LTS and Cryopreservation and also to different indenters for research purpose.
• More than 300 germplasm accessions of wheat, barley, oat, field pea, soybean, lentil, rapeseed mustard, Trigonella foenum-graecum, fababeans, minor millets, buckwheat, Carthamus lanatus and Dioscorea deltoidea were supplied to different organizations such as SKUAST (K), SKUAST (J), Kashmir University, Kerala Agricultural University, and to various other Research Organizations of the country.

PGR Awareness Programmes:

• During last five years, six “PGR (Plant Genetic Resources) Awareness Programmes/Biodiversity Fairs” were organized across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh by the station under TSP with the help of different Research Stations/KVKs of SKUAST (K) and SKUAST (J): Akchamal, District Kargil (Ladakh) on 25th September, 2018; Nagbal Yusmarg, District Budgam (J&K) on 26th September, 2020; Lam Tral, District Pulwama (J&K) on 30th March, 2021; Zamboor Pattan Uri, District Baramulla (J&K) on 08th April, 2021; Garkon Batalik, District Kargil (Ladakh) on 05th September, 2021and Qazi Morah, District Poonch (J&K) on 25th March, 2023.
• Around 920 local farmers including 292 women participated in these programmes and the farmers were sensitized about local plant genetic resources (PGR); their advantages and importance especially under current changing climatic scenario, need for their protection and conservation as well as their relevance to the livelihood and nutritional security of tribal people.
• Seeds/plants of local landraces, for example alfalfa or Lucerne, rajmash, black soybean, cool-season perennial tall fescue forage grass, field pea, vegetables, ‘ambri’ apple plants etc. were distributed among the participant farmers during these events.
• During these programmes farmers were encouraged to display local crop diversity maintained in their fields and prizes were awarded for maintaining diversity. Some germplasm accessions collected on spot include that of of Phaseolus vulgaris, cucumber, maize, Lipidium sativum, bottle gourd, mustard, chilli, bitter gourd Brassica rapa subsp. rapa, Hordeum vulgare, Setaria italica, Trigonella foenum-graceum, Fagopyrum esculentum, Pisum arvensis, Triticum aestivum, Lactuca sativa and Chinese lantern (Physalis alkenghi) and a list of farmers maintaining traditional crop diversity in their fields was prepared.