Exploration and Germplasm Collection

• During last 05 years, 06 exploration and germplasm collection programmes were undertaken from different areas of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh and 497 multicrop germplasm accessions including CWR comprising of cereals, pseudocereals, millets, pulses, seed spices, oil seeds, medicinal plants, vegetables, fruits, forages etc. were collected.
• First time various far-flung and difficult areas as have been explored and valuable germplasm of various agri-horticultural crops have been collected and conserved:

1. Warwan and Marwah valley in inner Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir explored for the first time
2. Areas in KishanGanga valley (Neelam valley) falling in the districts of Bandipur and Kupwara of Jammu & Kashmir like Sikander Telail, Gurez Bandipur and Keran Kupwara

Germplasm Characterization and Evaluation

• During last five years, more than 564 germplasm accessions of different crops including wheat, barley, fababeans, common beans, Alliums, Aegilops tauschii and Rubus have been characterized and evaluated for their agro-morphological/biochemical traits as per the  minimal descriptors and promising genotypes have been identified in each of these crops.
• 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.
• Barley landraces ‘Yeo’ (IC-0624739) collected from Telail Gurez Kashmir and ‘Nus’ (IC-0634051) collected from Umik Zanakar Ladakh. β-Glucan (6.3%), a unique soluble dietary fiber in barley was found to be highest in “Nus”. Besides, polyphenols p-hydroxybenzoic acid, caffeic acid, sinipic acid, ferulic acid and 4-coumaric acid were also found the highest more so in “Nus”.
• Fababean – green seed (selection from 226527(A) AICRN germplasm) and high seed weight of 89.966g (IC-0637978) have been identified as promising.
• Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genotype EC-400454 identified promising for higher yield, resistance to BCMV infection and early flowering. Local genotype from Kulgam Rajma found resistant to BCMV and Alternaria leaf spot fungus.
• A mungbean (Vigna radiata) genotype EC-0398949 has been registered (INGR21224) for cool canopy drought tolerant trait.
• 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. Blackberry (Rubus) accessions EC570281, EC3812589 and EC560271 have been identified to be promising in terms of overall robust growth, earliness, fruit size, fruit weight and also taste.
• As a cooperating centre of All India Coordinated Research Network on Potential Crops, 143 entries of fababeans including those under IVT, AVT-I and AVT-II were evaluated.

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 200 germplasm accessions of wheat, barley, oat, field pea, lentil, rapeseed mustard, fababeans, minor millets, buckwheat, Carthamus lanatus and Dioscorea deltoidea were supplied to different organizations such as SKUAST (K), Kashmir University, Kerala Agricultural University, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, ICAR-Indian Institute of Soybean Research, Indore and to various other Research Organizations of the country.

PGR Awareness Programmes

• During last five years, five “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): Nagbal Yusmarg, District Budgam (J&K) on 26^th September, 2020; Lam Tral, District Pulwama (J&K) on 30^th March, 2021; Zamboor Pattan Uri, District Baramulla (J&K) on 08^th April, 2021; Garkon Batalik, District Kargil (Ladakh) on 05^th September, 2021and Qazi Morah, District Poonch (J&K) on 25^th March, 2023.
• More than 760 local farmers including 179 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 rajmash, cool-season perennial tall fescue forage grass, field pea, vegetables 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 rapa, Hordeum vulgare, Setaria italica, Trigonella foenum-graceum, Fagopyrum esculentum, Pisum arvensis, Triticum aestivum, Lactuca sativa and Chinese lantern (Physalis alkekengi) and a list of farmers maintaining traditional crop diversity in their fields was prepared.