10th Asian PGPR Society India Chapter National Conference Inaugurated at Jammu
The 10th Asian PGPR Society India Chapter National Conference on “Fostering PGPRs for
Secondary Green Revolution towards Soil and Crop Health Management” was inaugurated
today at the Auditorium of CSIR–Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Canal
Road, Jammu. The three-day event (15–17 September 2025) is being jointly organized by the
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-J),
the Asian PGPR Society and its Indian Chapter for Sustainable Agriculture.
Prof. B.N. Tripathi, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu and Chief Patron of PGPR-
2025 presided over the inaugural ceremony. The event was graced by Dr. Vishnuvardhana,
Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, Karnataka as Chief
Guest.
The session began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp, followed by an overview of the
conference by Dr. Brajeshwar Singh, Professor & Head, Division of Microbiology, SKUAST-
Jammu who is also the Local Organizing Secretary.
In his presidential remarks, Prof. Tripathi emphasized the transformative role of Plant Growth
Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPRs) in enhancing soil fertility, reducing dependence on
chemical inputs and driving a sustainable “secondary green revolution.” He highlighted that
while the first Green Revolution made India self-sufficient in food production, it also left
negative environmental impacts. He stressed that the next revolution must be biology-driven
rather than chemical-driven, utilizing soil microbial consortia and bio-formulations, scaled up
through industrial and technological interventions including biotechnology and
nanotechnology. Prof. Tripathi underscored the need for coordinated efforts among farmers,
FPOs, researchers and government agencies to disseminate PGPR-based technologies
effectively.
The Chief Guest, Dr. Vishnuvardhana, lauded SKUAST-Jammu and the Asian PGPR Society
for fostering international collaborations and emphasized the importance of field-level
application of microbial technologies for farmer welfare. He stressed the need for a policy
framework that supports PGPR adoption and reiterated the conference theme, “Biosolutions
for the Secondary Green Revolution.” The Guest of Honour, Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, called for
stronger academia–industry partnerships to develop scalable PGPR solutions, noting the rapid
growth of the global PGPR market and the urgent need to integrate new and conventional
practices at the farm level.
Prof. M.S. Reddy, Founder & Chairman of the Asian PGPR Society highlighted the
challenges facing Indian agriculture, including soil degradation, chemical leaching,
greenhouse gas emissions and extreme climate events. He described PGPRs as natural tools
for resilient and profitable agriculture, advocating their use as a sustainable solution to abiotic
stresses, nutrient-use efficiency and climate change adaptation.
Earlier, Prof. S.K. Gupta, Convener of the Conference and Director Research, SKUAST-
Jammu welcomed the dignitaries and underlined the importance of PGPR research in
addressing the challenges of sustainable agriculture. He presented the research profile of
SKUAST-Jammu and highlighted the high-end equipment procured at the University. Prof.
Gupta stressed the importance of farmer-friendly technologies and stronger linkages between
scientists and farming communities, noting that the deliberations of the conference will
contribute to productivity gains and long-term environmental solutions. All the statutory
officers of the university, officers of CSIR-IIIM, head of the divisions of SKUAST-Jammu,
faculty and delegates from various universities at National and International level attended
the inaugural ceremony.
A compendium of the conference was also released during the inaugural function. The event
concluded with a vote of thanks by Prof. Sanjay Guleria, Dean, Faculty of Basic Sciences,
SKUAST-Jammu followed by the National Anthem.
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