The availability of grafted vegetables seedling is set to be increased in Kerala, as grafting technology, which was previously restricted to a few Kerala Agriculture University scientists, has been passed on to field officers of the VFPCK (Vegetable and Fruit promotion Council Keralam) and VHSE (Vocational Higher Secondary Education) teachers.
The KAU has started its training programme on vegetable transplant production and grafting. The objective is to increase vegetable production.
KAU Vice Chancellor P. Rajendran stressed the importance of quality of planting materials in qualitative and quantitative enhancement in vegetable production.
“Having progressed from the use of seed to seedlings and other planting materials, grafted vegetable seedlings is the best and the most important step we have taken in technology development. The technology developed by KAU scientist Narayanan Kutty is simple but efficient and a breakthrough in the development of wilt-resistant grafts of commonly-cultivated and popular vegetables,” he said.
“Once this becomes popular, each household will have vegetable plants resistant to wilt and drought, enhancing the quality and quantity of production, leading to a welcome change in the current scenario where we spend substantial sums on procuring vegetables from across the border. Safe-to-eat food and nutritional security will become a reality,” he said.
