Division of Vegetable Crops

Genesis

The Division of Vegetable Crops was established at Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessaraghatta, Bangalore in the year1968 to carry out research on improvement and production technology in different vegetable crops. Since then, the division has been continuously striving to develop superior high yielding vegetable varieties / hybrids in both tropical and subtropical vegetable crops through crop improvement programmes and also to bring out appropriate production technologies which will minimize the cost and maximize vegetable production and profitability. Presently the division has six laboratories of which five are breeding laboratories and one is devoted to production technology aspects. Presently, there are 12 scientists working in the division on more than 20 vegetable crops.

Mandate

Thrust Areas

• Collection, evaluation, characterization, selection/identification and Introgression of specific biotic and abiotic stress tolerance traits from the wild and land races in vegetable crops.
• Germplasm enhancement through base broadening for biotic and abiotic stress tolerance apart from yield and quality traits.
• Development of tomato varieties /hybrids with multiple disease resistance to ToLCV+GBNV+BW+EB+RKN+LB and MAS for gene pyramiding and gene stacking.
• Development of tomato varieties / hybrids with tolerance to heat and soil moisture stress and MAS for gene stacking.
• Development of varieties/ hybrids with resistance to bacterial wilt in purple round, green round and purple oblong genetic back ground and pyramiding of bacterial wilt resistance genes in to different genetic back grounds through marker assisted selection in brinjal.
• Development of inbred lines/ varieties in hot peppers and sweet peppers resistance to Phytophthora wilt and bacterial wilt.
• Incorporation of CMV, ChVMV & Phytophthora resistance into cytoplasmic genic male sterile (A & B) lines through marker assisted backcross (MAB) method.
• Development of hot pepper and sweet pepper varieties suitable for heat set i.e. fruit set at 420C day and 280C night temperatures.
• Development of onion varieties/F1 hybrids with multiple disease resistance(purple blotch, basal rot and white rot) and tolerant to soil moisture stress tolerance through MAS.
• Evolving onion varieties/ F1 hybrids suitable for export qualities in yellow, rose and multiplier onion.
• Development of high yielding F1 hybrids in tropical carrots through MAS.
• Development of high yielding hybrids using male sterility with good curd quality under tropical conditions in Cauliflower.
• Development of French bean (pole & bush types) varieties with combined resistance to Rust, MYMV and BCMV and stemfly through MAS.
• Development of French bean (pole & bush types) varieties for high temperature tolerance with MYMV resistance through MAS.
• Evolving cowpea (pole & bush types) varieties resistant to aphid borne mosaic virus through MAS.
• Incorporation of root rot resistance (Fusarium solani/ Rhizoctonia spp) into the pea lines with combined resistance to powdery mildew and rust through MAS.
• Breeding for high temperature tolerance in peas through MAS.
• Evolving dolichos varieties with combined resistance to rust and Dolichos yellow mosaic virus in pole/ bush type in Dolichos through MAS.
• Evolving watermelon, pumpkin and muskmelon varieties/hybrids for yield and resistance biotic stresses through MAS.
• Evolving muskmelon varieties/hybrids with multiple resistances to powdery mildew, downy mildew and gummy stem blight.
• Development of gourd varieties / hybrids(ridge gourd, bitter gourd and bottle gourd) for resistance to biotic stresses using MAS.
• Development of okra varieties/hybrids with multiple disease resistance to yellow vein Mosaic virus, enation leaf curl virus and powdery mildew.
• Agrotechniques for rainfed production of vegetable crops.
• Organic production in vegetable crops
• Protected cultivation and precision farming in high value vegetable crops.
• Microirrigation and fertigation in vegetable crops.

Significant achievements in the vegetable improvement

• Since inception, totally 96 varieties / hybrids were developed / released in 25 vegetable crops by the Division of Vegetable Crops.
• Out of this 78 are varieties and 18 are F1 hybrids.
• Among these 32 varieties and 12 F1 hybrids have been notified by the CVRC at the national level.
• 27 varieties and 8 F1 hybrids have been notified by the Karnataka SVRC.
• 37 varieties / hybrids developed are resistant to diseases and seven varieties/ hybrids are tolerant to abiotic stresses like low moisture stress and high temperature.

Varieties / F1 Hybrids Resistant to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

Technologies Commercialized and Revenue Generated