Participants talked about the current status and future perspectives of soybean cultivation

The ICAR-Indian Institute of Soybean Research, Indore, Madhya Pradesh organised an international webinar on “Genetic management of Asian soybean rust: Current Status and Future Perspectives” on June 18, 2021.

Dr RR Hanchinal, Former Chairperson, PPVP&FR stressed on the need for more collaborative efforts to insulate soybean from major diseases.

Dr SK Rao, Vice-Chancellor, RVSKVV, Gwalior stated that there being no alternative to Soybean crop for the farmers in Central India, the multiple disease-resistant Soybean varieties are the need of the hour.

Dr S Rajendra Prasad, Vice-Chancellor, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru stressed on the idea of the incorporation of biological control of diseases using microbial agents.

Dr Naoki Yamanaka, Senior Researcher, Japan International Research Centre for Agriculture Sciences (JIRCAS), Japan delivered a talk on “Studies on Asian Soybean Rust in JIRCAS”. Dr Yamanaka outlined the import of >90 per cent of Soybean requirement by Japan. He regarded the genetic management of Soybean Rust as a most economical and ecologically safe way.

Dr Nita Khandekar, Director, ICAR-IISR, Indore said that for improving the Soybean rust resistance in Indian Soybean varieties, the scientists in India will make efforts to use the resistant genetic material developed by the JIRCAS through a collaborative project.