Centro De Pesquisa Jatropha Curcas

Overview The Centre for Mycorrhizal Research promotes cost-effective, environmental friendly alternatives to ensure higher plant productivity in marginal lands, unproductive lands, reclaimed lands and wastelands created by the industry. The Centre uses a beneficial group of micro-organisms, known as mycorrhizal fungi, which form an association with the roots of higher plants. Thrust Areas Documentation, preservation and characzation of mycorrhizal germplasm Development of ROC (Root Organ Culture) of different arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and their mass inoculum production under in vitro Further upgradation and field demonstrations using mycorrhizal technology Bio-diesel Utilization and reclamation of industry created wastelands Documentation, preservation and characzation of mycorrhizal germplasm Wide diversity exists within the AM fungi, the symbiotic fungi, which form association with the roots of almost 80% plant species and enhance mineral nutrient acquisition as well as tolerance towards different stresses in host plants. To conserve and exploit their diversity, the CMCC (Centre for Mycorrhizal Culture Collection), was established in 1993 at , with the aid of the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. This mycorrhizal culture depository houses and maintains cultures from 12 different agroecological zones out of 20 identified for the country and has an impressive collection of over 450 isolates of mycorrhizal fungi. Apart from these cultures, the Centre also has a culture collection of AM fungal isolates from the agricultural fields of wheat. These collections were done from 11 agroclimatic regions of India resulting in 132 trap isolates and 300 polysporal/monosporal cultures. This mycorrhizal germplasm collection forms an invaluable reservoir of genetic diversity of agriculturally and industrially important AM fungi. Development of ROC of different AM fungi and their mass inoculum production under in vitro The ROC system is the most attractive and advanced cultivation methodology for AM fungi: it uses root-inducing transfer-DNA-transformed roots of a host plant to develop the symbiosis on a specific medium in vitro which provides pure, viable, contamination-free inoculum using less space. has a core expertise in ROC for in vitro culture and utilizes this for mass production of AM fungi under in vitro.

The first-ever in vitro-derived mycorrhizal products Although the facts and figures of potential role of mycorrhiza in enhanced nutritional needs of plants in laboratories were established, the major bottleneck for its widespread application to reach the end-users was its bulk production to cater the huge requirement. A known fact that culturing mycorrhiza in laboratory conditions like other microbes was not possible due to its strict biotrophic nature of proliferation in the presence of suitable host was the major reservation of its future contribution in agriculture. The mass inoculum technology developed at exploited the genetically modified host roots using the bacum Agrobacum rhizogenes carrying Ri T-DNA plasmid. The technology offers the mass production of viable, healthy, genetically pure and high quality fungal propagules without any pathogenic contamination under in vitro sle environment. The in vitro mass production technology developed by claims two patents, has been transferred to five industries - two of which are producing approximately 1000 tonnes per annum mycorrhizal biofertilizer and has also crossed international boundaries. Based on 's technology, industries have also developed the first-ever in vitro culture derived commercial mycorrhizal product. Further upgradation and field demonstrations of 's mycorrhizal technology The mycorrhizal technology offers biological means of assuring plant health in an economically profitable and ecologically friendly manner. The only known fungal system categorized as a biofertilizer, mycorrhizae provide plant roots with extended arms that help them tap soil nutrients that are otherwise beyond their reach. For plants, this means Mycorrhizal wheat-potato field better uptake of phosphorous, more nitrogen, and greater availability of other micronutrients-all different ways of fighting tough physical conditions, enriching soil, increasing health, and decreasing dependence on chemical fertilizers. The technology is commercially viable and tested at several edapho-climatic regions using many different crops and forestry plantations for its wide applicability. The tested crop species include wheat, potato, mungbean, black gram, soyabean, urd, chilly, sugarcane, which exhibited additional 4%–8% yield and a reduction of 25%–50% phosphatic fertilizers.

Bio-diesel Jatropha, the energy plant has been well identified towards offering clean fuel for achieving energy security. Jatropha seeds inoculated with in vitro- raised mycorrhiza developed by exhibits early fruition and flowering from the 7th month onwards as against a year with conventional clonal plantations and two years from seed raised plantations. The mycorrhized Jatropha also exhibited 20%–30% higher yields as compared to Mycorrhizal Jatropha non-mycorrhizal plantations. The mycorrhized Jatropha are widely tested covering seven agro-climatic regions across the country and are planted to the magnitude of six lakh plants. These are proving to be well adaptable plantations in diverse wastelands (marginal lands, fly ash dykes, chlor alkali sludge-loaded wastelands, distillery effluent loaded wastelands, solar drying lagoons, nutritionally stressed soils, effluent generated from soft drink producers and several other cooperate plantations, etc.). Environmental amelioration using mycorrhizal technology has been working on the reclamation of environmentally vulnerable and uncultivable lands using mycorrhizal technology for more than a decade and has developed an expertise on it. The technology has proven its worth and potential in many such sites, including fly ash overburdens, and land contaminated with distillery effluents, tannery effluent affected sites and chlor alkali sludge. Mycorrhiza benefits both the plants and the environmentally vulnerable sites. Plant benefits include augmentation of the supply of phosphorus and trace elements (iron, boron, zinc, copper, etc.), and protection of plant roots from root diseases, high soil temperatures, and high salt concentrations. The hyphae of mycorrhiza can also bind soil particles, improve their aggregating capabilities, stabilize soil aggregates, and check leaching of important elements and heavy metals. Select Clients/Partners/Stakeholders Government agencies Department of Biotechnology, Government of India Department of Science and Technology, Government of India Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council National Oilseeds and Vegetable Oils Development Board Corporate sector Thermal power plants Inorganic chemical industries Biofertilizer industries National Thermal Power Corporation Limited

Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Limited Associated Alcohols and Breweries Limited Tata Chemicals Limited Rameshwar Industries KCP Sugar and Industries Corporation Limited Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited Majestic Agronomics (P) Limited Titagarh Wagons Limited Madhya Bharat Papers Limited International and bilateral agencies Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research International Rice Research Institute Services Offered Physical and microbiological characzation of fly ash and soil samples Macro and micronutrient analyses Heavy metal analyses Tests for suitability of site for agriculture-related activities Alleviation of metal toxicity by initiating agri-horticultural activities Consultancy services for rehabilitation of fly ash affected sites Consultancy services for setting up laboratory/production facility for mycorrhiza Carrier formulations of biofertilizer micro-organisms Germplasm/starter cultures of mycorrhiza biofertilizer Pilot production facilities of mycorrhiza biofertilizer Efficient inoculants for agri-horticultural and forest plant species Training in mycorrhizal research Identification of mycorrhizal isolates Mycorrhizal culture deposition, maintenance and multiplication Mycorrhiza Network makes available to researchers the growing literature on mycorrhiza and facilitates information-sharing among members. A database is operational for information retrieval and supply to researchers.