Under the project for genetic improvement of Azadirachta indica for developing high oil and azadirachtin yielding varieties, funded by the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), a monitoring and coordination meeting was held at the Forest Research Institute here on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the IFFCO managing director US Awasthi emphasised upon developing neem varieties that have favourable characteristics and be proposed for variety releasing committee for large scale deployment.
The FRI director, AS Rawat, along with scientists involved with the project in leadership of Ashok Kumar, assured that varieties that have high seed yield and oil content with short gestation period would be identified and a proposal would be sent accordingly to the member secretary of Variety Releasing Committee by July 2020.
During the meeting, institute scientists including Rama Kant, Ajay Thakur and YC Tripathi also made their interventions and assured to work jointly for releasing the varieties within stipulated time. Various officials of IFFCO and scientists of FRI were also among those present in the meeting.
