Nauni’s Medicinal and Aromatic Plants AICRP Center bags Best Center ICAR Award
2 min read
Solan Mar 07
In a remarkable achievement, the Solan Center of the All India Coordinated Research Project on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and Betelvine (AICRP on MAP&B) has been bestowed with the prestigious ICAR’s Best AICRP Center Award for 2024.
Operating under the Department of Forest Products at Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry(UHF), Nauni, the center was recognized during the 32nd Annual Group Meeting of AICRP on MAP&B, held at the ICAR Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research in Anand, Gujarat. The meeting saw active participation from delegates representing the 26 AICRP centres across India. The inaugural session was graced by Dr. Sanjay Kumar Singh, ICAR DDG (Horticultural Sciences), and Dr. Sudhakar Pandey, ADG (FVS&MP), New Delhi.
Dr. Yash Pal Sharma, Professor and Head of the Department of Forest Products, as well as the Principal Investigator of the Solan center, was accompanied by scientists Dr. Ravi Bhardwaj, Dr. Reena Sharma, and Dr. Sunil Marpa at the event. They attended sessions and discussions in key areas such as Phytochemistry, Crop Improvement, Crop Production and Plant Protection.
During the closing ceremony, the Solan center emerged victorious, clinching the Best AICRP Center Award for 2024, outperforming 25 other AICRP centers nationwide. The award was presented by Dr. S.K. Malhotra, Vice-Chancellor of Maharana Pratap Horticultural University, Karnal in the presence of Dr. Sudhakar Pandey and Dr. Manish Das, Director of the Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research (DMAPR) in Anand.
The Solan center has pioneering work in the phytochemical estimation, standardization of extraction methods, and the breeding and crop production of economically important and high-altitude medicinal and aromatic plants. These include species such as Valeriana jatamansi (Indian Valerian), Swertia chirayata (Chirayata), Bergenia ciliata (Pashanbhed), and Tagetes minuta (Wild Marigold), among others.
One of the center’s significant contributions, recognized at the group meeting, is the RP-HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of Amaroswerin, Amarogentin, and Andrographolide in Chirayata herbal drugs. This technology, developed by Dr. Yash Pal Sharma, Dr. Reena Sharma, Dr. Pancy Thakur, and Dr. Rohit Sharma, has been certified for quality testing of Chirayata.
The center has also developed a unique germplasm of Tagetes minuta (Wild Marigold), which yields high amounts of essential oil with elevated levels of Tagetone. In addition, techniques to enhance essential oil and seed yields in Wild Marigold and Gloriosa superba (Kalihari) through pollination management have been developed.
Prof. Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, Vice Chancellor of Dr. YSPUHF, congratulated the entire team and the Department of Forest Products for their outstanding work and for bringing the university into the national spotlight. Dr. Sanjeev Chauhan, Director of Research and Dr. C.L. Thakur, Dean of the College of Forestry, also commended the center for its exceptional contributions.
