Institute Project

The Division of Vegetable Improvement at ICAR-IIVR is strategically aligned with India's national priorities of achieving food and nutritional security, climate resilience, and technological self-reliance under "Atmanirbhar Bharat" and "Doubling Farmers' Income" initiatives. The research priorities encompass five core areas: i. developing high-yielding varieties and hybrids across major vegetable crops (cucurbits, solanaceous, leguminous, and cole crops) with high yield improvements; ii. breeding for multiple stress tolerance including heat, salinity, and disease resistance (ToLCV, YVMV, bacterial wilt, powdery mildew); iii. biofortification for enhanced nutritional content (beta-carotene, lycopene, anthocyanins in carrots and tomatoes); iv. advanced biotechnological interventions including CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing for disease resistance and quality enhancement and microbial technologies; and v. comprehensive seed production and germplasm conservation of 6,718 accessions across different vegetable crops.

These technologies translate into climate-resilient varieties suitable for diverse agro-climatic conditions, reduced crop losses through disease-resistant cultivars, extended growing seasons, and higher market returns through quality produce to benefit farmers. The CMS-based hybrids and optimized seed production protocols ensure affordable quality seeds. Agri-industries can be benefitted from the processing-specific varieties (high TSS tomatoes, export-quality peas), biofortified rainbow carrots for value-addition, and extended shelf-life varieties reducing post-harvest losses. Researchers gain access to characterized germplasm, genome-edited lines, molecular markers, and validated breeding protocols. The division's work on genome sequencing (Dolichos), SNP discovery (16,745 SNPs in Capsicum), and candidate gene identification provides foundational resources for accelerated breeding programs, positioning India as a global leader in tropical vegetable improvement.