Three senior scientists, namely Dr PS Sandhu, Dr Mahesh Kumar and Dr TS Riar have been appointed to the top administrative posts for a period of four years. Dr Sandhu has joined as Additional Director of Extension Education; and Dr Kumar has been appointed as the Additional Director of Research (Food Engineering), PAU. Dr Riar has got a second term as Additional Director Communication, PAU. All the appointments were approved during the monthly meeting of the Board of Management of PAU, held under the chairmanship of the Vice-Chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal on January 20.
Holding vast research, extension and teaching experience in Plant Pathology and currently serving as Head, Department of Plant Pathology, Dr Sandhu has been associated with evaluation and release of 23 varieties of oilseed crops including rapeseed-mustard, groundnut and sesame. He has also developed 21 disease management technologies for various oilseed crops. To his credit, he has been involved in the release of white rust resistant canola mustard variety RLC 3 and hybrid RCH 1. Further, he has reported the first source of resistance to the devastating disease Sclerotinia rot of rapeseed-mustard; and identified Diplotaxis erucoides as a source of resistance to Alternaria blight – a pathogen to which no source of resistance was available so far. Besides, Dr Sandhu has completed eight research projects funded by various national and international funding agencies including DST, DBT, ICAR, and BBSRC UK; and is currently handling two research projects. Furthermore, Dr Sandhu has published 107 research publications and 76 extension articles; delivered 44 TV/radio talks and 121 lectures in various training programmes; and guided 10 M.Sc. and four Ph.D. students. A recipient of Australian Government’s Prestigious Endeavour Research Fellowship and a Fellow of several scientific societies, Dr Sandhu has been part of the team that was awarded the “ICAR-Best AICRP Centre Award 2011-12” by the ICAR-Directorate of Rapeseed Mustard Research.
Having more than 25 years of experience in the field of food processing, Dr Kumar has successfully executed 16 externally funded adhoc projects with the international, national and state agencies worth Rs 366 lakh; and supported cooperative societies at Talwara and Lambra Kangri with Agro-Processing Centers (APC), FAPRO and women self-help groups with modern jaggery units. During his tenure as Head, Department of Processing and Food Engineering, he initiated a revolving fund scheme to process wheat to flour, basmati paddy to rice, turmeric powder, canola oil, besan, pulses, etc. and played a pivotal role in the establishment of PAU APC Center and modern jaggery unit at the agri-varsity campus. Having served at Punjab Horticulture Post-Harvest Technology Centre for more than 10 years, Dr Kumar has also published 51 research papers and 67 popular articles; and guided about 15 M.Tech and four Ph.D students. He has contributed immensely to the development of PAU Portable Maize Dryer and magnetic field assisted freezing (got patent for both); reviving of the processing of jaggery in the state; and setting-up of secretariat of FOODSCAN at PAU with the participation from Monash University, Australia and University of Lincoln, UK. After obtaining expertise in processing of agricultural produce abroad, Dr Kumar was associated with Prime Minister Formalization of Food Processing Enterprises scheme in Punjab.
A Professor of Extension Education, Dr Riar has made tremendous contributions to the transfer of technology through print, electronic and social media tools. Dr Riar has encouraged a deep-rooted connection between PAU-farmers through PAU Kisan Club, PAU Beekeepers’ Association, PAU Organic Growers’ Club, etc. Additionally, he has been actively engaged in holding training camps, Kisan Melas, live demonstrations, etc. for promoting crop varieties, advanced agricultural technologies, subsidiary occupations at farmers’ fields; and issuance of timely weather-based advisory to the farmers. As Founder Associate Director of Skill Development at PAU in 2018, the Skill Development Centre touched great heights under his stewardship in terms of economic benefits to the agricultural community. As ADC, he has scaled-up the graph of Communication Centre with the holding of Facebook programmes; publishing of weekly digital newspaper ‘Kheti Sandesh’ on WhatsApp; bringing out of monthly journals and PAU farm literature; etc. He has also been the incharge of Kairon Kisan Ghar at PAU where farmers and extension personnel from Punjab and adjoining states come and stay during trainings. Besides, he has been into teaching of UG and PG courses. Dr Riar has recently been conferred with the “Community Mobilization Award” at a national seminar in Umiam, Meghalaya, for his outstanding contributions to extension education.