A 21-day national-level training programme on “Harnessing Modern Plant Breeding Tools for Developing Climate-Resilient and Nutritionally Enriched Crop Varieties” successfully concluded at the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
The programme was organized under the aegis of the Centre for Advanced Faculty Training (CAFT) in Genetics and Plant Breeding, PAU, from January 14 to February 3, 2026, with the objective of strengthening the scientific capacity of young researchers in advanced crop improvement strategies to address the challenges posed by climate change and nutritional insecurity.
The valedictory function was graced by Dr. M. I. S. Gill, Dean, Postgraduate Studies, PAU, as the Chief Guest. In his address, Dr. Gill emphasized the critical role of modern breeding tools, genomics, and biotechnological interventions in developing future-ready crop varieties and appreciated the efforts of the organizing team for conducting a comprehensive and impactful training programme and highlighted the importance of teamwork and quality publications in advancing agricultural research.
Welcoming the dignitaries, Dr. Surinder Kaur Sandhu, Head, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics and Director, CAFT, highlighted the legacy of CAFT at PAU, which has been actively contributing to national capacity building since its establishment in 1995. She informed that this was the 36th CAFT training programme conducted at PAU CAFT Cnetre, benefitting scientists from ICAR institutes and State Agricultural Universities across India.
The programme coordinator, Dr. Satwinder Kaur Dhillon, briefed the gathering about the academic journey of the training programme, which included expert lectures, intensive practical sessions, field visits, and exposure to advanced breeding facilities. A total of 21 scientists from different parts of the country participated in the programme.
The valedictory session was coordinated by Dr Dharminder Bhatia, who highlighted that the participants received hands-on exposure to modern breeding approaches, including doubled haploid technology, genomics-assisted breeding, GWAS, QTL mapping, RNA-seq analysis, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, biofortification, and bioinformatics tools. In addition, practical training was imparted on disease and insect screening, molecular marker analysis, and genome analysis, along with visits to the Speed Breeding Facility, Crop Museum and experimental plots at PAU.
Experts from disciplines such as Plant Breeding & Genetics, Biotechnology, Plant Pathology, Entomology, Vegetable sciences, Fruit Sciences, Statistics, and Bioinformatics served as resource persons, ensuring a holistic and interdisciplinary learning experience. The occasion also marked the release of E-manual of the training programme.
Participants shared their feedback during the valedictory session and expressed appreciation for the academic rigor, practical orientation, and collaborative learning environment provided during the programme. They particularly appreciated the interdisciplinary team work in crop improvement programmes at PAU. Certificates were distributed to the participants upon successful completion of the training.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Satwinder Kaur Dhillon, who acknowledged the support of the ICAR, the University administration, faculty members, resource persons, and participants for making the programme a grand success.