The Parthenium Awareness Programme was organized on 22nd August, 2024 at ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR), New Delhi under Parthenium Awareness Week (16-22 August 2024). In this program Dr. V. Celia Chalam, Head and Dr. Mool Chand Singh, Principal Scientist (Weed Science), Division of Plant Quarantine, ICAR-NBPGR briefed about its introduction, characteristics and ill effects. Dr. GP Singh, Director, ICAR-NBPGR, while addressing the staff told that Parthenium is one of the most problematic invasive weed in India causing enormous damage to agricultural productivity, human and animal health and biodiversity. Ever since the weed became a menace in India, efforts have been made to manage the weed by different methods. But so far, no single method has proved satisfactory as each method suffers from one or more limitations. Therefore, there is an urgent need to adopt an integrated parthenium management approch and should be controlled before flowering and seed setting. He also emphasized that Parthenium Awareness Programme should be frequently organised for farmers. Subsequently Dr. GP Singh, Director, ICAR-NBPGR lead the entire staff of the institute to participate in this activity of uprooting live Parthenium plants to ensure a “Parthenium-free campus. The ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi is now a “Parthenium-free campus”. The entire program of removing Parthenium plants from campus was coordinated by Dr. V. Celia Chalam and Dr. Mool Chand Singh from Division of Plant Quarantine.
