0510-2730666 igfri.director@gmail.com

भा.कृ.अनु.प.- भारतीय चरागाह एवं चारा अनुसंधान संस्थान, झाँसी

ICAR - Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi

ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute Southern Regional Research Station, DHARWAD

Thrust Areas

Development of improved grass & legume varieties tolerant to biotic/abiotic stress for changing climate.
Efficient fodder and seed production technologies for different agro-ecosystems.
Translational research and human resource development; act as nodal agency for transfer of forage technology.

Working groups

Crop Improvement, Protection and Physiology
Crop Production and Seed Technology
Social Sciences

Brief Introduction

IGFRI Southern Regional Research Station, Dharwad was established in 1987 to cater the needs of Peninsular India comprising Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Goa and Maharashtra. It has a office cum research farm spread over 10 acres at Saidapur farm in front of UAS, Dharwad and research, seed production and plant material multiplication farm at Tegur spread over 80 acres. The centre falls in the Transitional Zone (zone 8) of Karnataka receives an annual average rainfall of 1200-1300 mm. The year-wise distribution of rainfall for the last six years shows a bi-modal peak. The centre comprises a multidisciplinary team of highly experienced scientists working toward a targeted mandate of developing region-specific fodder technologies. It is actively engaged in the development of improved crop varieties, along with suitable production and protection technologies for perennial fodder crops adapted to the climatic and edaphic conditions of Southern India. Seed technology research and quality seed production also form an important component of the centre’s research activities. In addition, grassland development and grassland ecosystem research are major focus areas. The centre plays a key role in technology dissemination through capacity-building programmes and collaborations with KVKs, line departments, the Forest Department, Animal Husbandry Department, Watershed department, NGOs, and other stakeholders. It also undertakes the production and supply of quality seed and planting material to various clients, including farmers and other user groups. The centre further undertakes consultancy-based research projects in its mandated areas.

Ongoing Research Projects

Project Code	Title	Team / PI
CRSCIGFRISIL - 20200903xxxxx	Breeding lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) for high forage yield and nutritional quality (Phase II)	K. Sridhar; N S Kulkarni; Edna Antony; R P Nagar; Sultan Singh; Suheel Ahmed; Shahid Ahmed; Ramyashree
CRSCICFRISIL - 20200902xxxxx	Studies on fodder production potential of fodder shrub based alley cropping systems in Peninsular India	B G Shivakumar; N S. Kulkarni
CRSCIGFRISIL - 20190902xxxxx	Development of Seed Standards in Forage Grasses and Legumes	Vinod Kumar; R P Nagar; Sunil Swami
CRSCIGFRISIL - 20240901	Eco-friendly management of aphids Aphis craccivora in cowpea	N. S. Kulkarni; K. Sridhar
CRSCIGFRISIL - 20180901	Combined stress tolerance of waterlogging and salinity in fodder grasses	Edna Antony; Vinod Kumar; V. Kuligod; M. B. Dodmani; Akbar

Externally Funded Projects

Title	Funding Agency	Team
Assess the adoptability of improved pasture and grazing land management practices	CIAT-Bioversity	V. K. Yadav (Nodal Officer) and Nagaratna Biradar (PI for one component)
Natural grassland ecosystem monitoring system for Peninsular and Trans-Himalayan India to sustain pastoral communities	NASF	Nagaratna Biradar (Co-PI)
Development of effective mass propagation techniques for rapid multiplication and easy transportation of quality planting material in Bajra Napier Hybrid	NLM	Vinod Kumar
Strengthening livelihood systems of rural community through on-farm and off-farm interventions (in collaboration with UAS Dharwad)	DST	Vinod Kumar (Co-PI)

Major Achievements

Varieties released from the centre:

Lucerne Cv. IGFRI-DL-5 - 2024 – Released for Zone 8 and Zone-3 of Karnataka
Fodder Cowpea Cv. IGFRI-DC-215 - 2023-Released for Zone 8 and Zone-3 of Karnataka
Bajra x Napier Hybrid Cv. DHN-15 - 2021 – Released for Zone 8 of Karnataka
Fodder Cowpea Cv. MFC-09-01 - 2017 - Adopted for Zone-8 of Karnataka
Guinea Grass variety Cv. Dharwad Guinea Grass-1 - 2016 - All India Release
Congo Signal Grass / Ruzi Grass (Brachiaria ruziziensis) Cv. DBRS-1 - 2016 - Released for Zone 8 of Karnataka

Featured Varieties

Lucerne var. IGFRI-DL-2

Lucerne var. IGFRI-DL-5

Fodder Cowpea var. IGFRI-DC-215

Bajra × Napier Hybrid — DHN-15

Dharwad Guinea Grass-1

Bajra × Napier Hybrid — DHN-6

Other Major Achievements:

Horti-pastoral based fodder production: Guinea grass and Stylosanthes as intercrop recorded the highest green fodder yield and monetary returns by adopting moisture conservation practices in mango and sapota based horti-pastoral systems.
Among the fodder shrub-based alley cropping systems, Moringa with Bajra × Napier hybrid recorded the highest crude protein yield and monetary returns under irrigated conditions, while Moringa with grazing guinea and signal grass recorded higher crude protein yield and returns under rainfed conditions.
Developed Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies for the management of aphids Aphis craccivora in lucerne and fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda in fodder maize.
Developed complete package of practices for seed production of guinea grass, Stylosanthes hamata, lucerne, Brachiaria spp., fodder maize and fodder cowpea.
Developed the seed standards of Stylosanthes hamata, Desmanthus virgatus (hedge lucerne), Macroptilium atropurpurem (Siratro) and Brachiaria spp.
Dormancy-breaking methods of major perennial grasses and legumes were standardized.
Identified cost-effective organic seed treatment materials for the control of storage pest in fodder cowpea.
Rapid multiplication technique of Bajra × Napier hybrid through single-node cuttings was standardized and is being used.
Single Destructive Harvest (SDH) method followed by temporal seed collection obtained maximum filled seeds. Dropping of seeds from the first flush (20% flowering) was recommended as an indicator for harvest stage.
Bajra × Napier hybrids (BNH-14 and COBN-5) were found tolerant to waterlogging and salinity independently.
Guinea grass varieties DGG-1 and BG-4 were found tolerant to salinity (8–12 ECe).
Innovative fodder production in orchard and plantation crops: Mango and coconut were identified as the most suitable horti-based systems for growing fodder crops in interspaces.
Quantified farmer benefits from fodder interventions: Fodder cultivation in orchards improved microclimate and soil conditions (100% reported reduced temperature, 92% observed reduced weed growth, 86% noted improved water penetration). Fodder deficiency was reduced from 50.6% to 9%.
Identified fodder-based Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITKs): Validated 5 ITKs in fodder management and 9 ITKs in livestock disease management.
Climate Change Adaptation Research: Identified major knowledge and adoption gaps in Climate Resilient Agronomic (CRA) practices across drought, flood, pest and disease scenarios. Adoption gap indices reached up to 100%, indicating areas needing urgent extension interventions.

Photo Gallery & Facilities

Photo 1: Rapid multiplication of Bajra x Napier Hybrid through single buds

Lucerne for seed production in farmer’s field at Gujarat

Perennial fodder sorghum in farmer’s field at Tiptur

Bajra Napier Hybrid in Farmer’s Mango orchard at Dharwad

Perennial fodder sorghum in farmer’s Mango orchard at Dharwad district

Technology Licensing

Sl. No.	Fodder Crop & Variety	Date & Firm of Licensing
1	Guinea Grass (DGG-1)	12th February, 2024 Foragen Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad
2	Fodder Cowpea (IGFRI-DC-215)	12th February, 2024 Foragen Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad

Revenue Generation

Sl. No.	Year	Revenue Generation (₹)
1	2020–21	18,57,560
2	2021–22	27,30,440
3	2022–23	19,36,764
4	2023–24	10,86,984
5	2024–25	20,44,471

Facilities available: 80.5 acres research farm with farm pond, Horti-pastoral systems and seed production pastures as visualized in the picture below.

List of Equipments Available

PCR machine
Gel Electrophoresis
Versatile environmental chamber
Seed germinator
Hot air oven
Electronic balance
Compound microscope
Stereo-zoom microscope
Kel plus N-analyzer
Magnetic stirrer
Water bath
Water purifier
Gamete seed divider

Staff Position

Scientific Staff

S. No.	Scientist	Designation	Subject
1	Dr. K. Sridhar 0836 – 2447 150 94482 77150	Principal Scientist and Officer-in-Charge	Plant Breeding
2	Dr. B. G. Shivakumar	Principal Scientist	Agronomy
3	Dr. Nagaratna Biradar	Principal Scientist	Agricultural Extension
4	Dr. Vinod Kumar	Principal Scientist	Seed Technology
5	Dr. Narendra Kulkarni	Principal Scientist	Agricultural Entomology
6	Dr. Edna Antony	Principal Scientist	Crop Physiology
7	Dr. Ramyashree Devi	Scientist	Plant Pathology

Technical & Supporting Staff

S. No.	Name	Designation
1	Sh. Sunil Shinde	Technical Officer (T5)
2	Sh. Veeranna Kadkol	Technical Officer (T5)
3	Sh. Maruthi Belamaddi	MTS (Lab Assistant)
4	Sh. Rudrappa Nagenur	MTS (Peon)
5	Sh. Basappa Talawar	MTS (Peon)