BHU achieves historic milestone in bringing benefits of research to society

The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is continuously progressing towards bringing the benefits of research directly to society. The university has achieved a historic milestone when an agricultural technology developed by it has been transferred to industry for the first time.

Star Agriseeds Private Limited, located in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, has been licensed for the seed production and marketing technology of HUM-27 (Malviya Jankranti), a new high-yielding Moong Dal variety developed by scientists in the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU.

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Although the Banaras Hindu University has numerous achievements to its credit in the field of agricultural research, this is the first time in the university’s 108-year history that an agricultural technology has been transferred to industry.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Banaras Hindu University and Star Agriseeds Private Limited at the university’s central office on Monday. In the presence of Vice Chancellor Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, Registrar Prof. Arun Kumar Singh and Star Agriseeds’ Director of Research and Development Dr. Gyanendra Singh signed and exchanged the MoU.

Under the MoU, the research team of Dr. Anil Kumar Singh, a scientist in the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, will supply the original and breeder seeds of this variety for the next five years.

On this occasion, Vice Chancellor Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi said that only when the technology reaches society will we know the correct direction of research. He emphasized the crucial role of industry in disseminating technology to society. He expressed confidence that in the future, more industry partners will come forward to adopt technologies developed by BHU. The Vice Chancellor congratulated and congratulated the Institute of Agricultural Sciences on its first technology transfer to the agricultural sector.

Dr. Gyanendra Singh of Star Agriseeds stated that BHU is constantly developing new and improved varieties, and his company will work to make these varieties available to farmers. He stated that the goals of agricultural development and farmer welfare can be achieved by providing high-quality seeds developed by the university to farmers.

The variety’s developer, Dr. Anil Kumar Singh, stated that this Moong Dal variety is suitable for cultivation in the spring and summer seasons in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. Its key characteristics include bold and shiny green grains (100 grains weigh approximately 5 grams), high protein (28.9%), short plant height (44 cm), and a short crop maturity period (62-76 days).