New Delhi, January 19, 2026: ICAR Sponsored 21 Days Winter School from Jan. 19 to Feb. 8, 2026 on Fruit Breeding For Enhanced Bioactive Compounds and Stress Resilience.
The program is organized by Division of Fruits & Horticultural Technology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi.
(Dr. R. M. Sharma, Professor, Course Director)
This Winter School focuses on advancing the knowledge and skills of
scientists working in perennial fruit crop breeding. With agriculture shifting
toward sustainability, climate resilience and enhanced nutritional quality,
modern breeding demands expertise in innovative tools and techniques.
The programme introduces participants to contemporary breeding
strategies aimed at developing varieties with improved bioactive
compounds, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and suitability for
future-ready agronomic practices.
Through lectures, practicals, field demonstrations, and interactions with
experts, participants will gain hands-on exposure to speed breeding,
genome-assisted breeding, gene editing, QTL mapping, bioinformatics,
high-throughput phenotyping, and fruit-specific hybridization. The course
ultimately equips scientists to integrate advanced breeding concepts into
research, teaching, and field applications for the long-term sustainability
of Horticultural crops
The course strengthens participants’ understanding of strategic breeding in
perennial fruit crops. Key themes include Speed breeding to reduce breeding cycles, Breeding strategies for Amrit Kaal Development of climate smart, nutrient rich varieties, understanding fruit biochemical traits such as vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, anthocyanins, and flavonoids, Advanced tools including genome assisted breeding, gene editing, QTL mapping, bioinformatics analysis, and high-throughput phenotyping.
