Digital tool to diagnose plant health issues introduced at ICRISAT’s 54th Foundation Day

ICRISAT celebrates 54th foundation day. It has brought water to places that had gone dry aiding farmers to grow crops in deserted drylands, developed more than 1,200 new varieties of dryland crops

ICRISAT has brought water to places that had gone dry and brought dreams to farmers, who see them as a guarantee for growing crops in deserted drylands, besides developing more than 1,200 new varieties of dryland crops, said Director General of ICRISAT, Himanshu Pathak delivering the Foundation Day address during the 54th Foundation of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) on Hyderabad outskirts on Friday (March 28, 2025). 

Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences), ICAR, New Delhi, D.K. Yadav congratulated ICRISAT and commended its role in successfully improving people’s livelihoods in India, Africa, and the world. He spoke of ICRISAT’s strong partnership with the National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES). He emphasised the need for increased farm productivity considering growing population and changing climate.

Meanwhile, Research Programme Director Resilient Farm and Food Systems M.L. Jat introduced a new digital tool designed to assist farmers in diagnosing plant health issues, improving crop productivity. 

Meanwhile, ICRISAT formalized its collaboration with Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Ltd. (BBSSL), New Delhi, by exchanging documents of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).