ICAR to standardize, validate, demonstrate Plasma-ized WaterTM Technology
A path-defining memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, ICAR-Indian Institute of Seed Science, Mau (Uttar Pradesh) and Plasma Water Solutions India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of a fast emerging US Ag Tech company, Plasma Water Solutions Inc.
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A path-defining memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, ICAR-Indian Institute of Seed Science, Mau (Uttar Pradesh) and Plasma Water Solutions India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of a fast emerging US Ag Tech company, Plasma Water Solutions Inc.
The agreement was signed by Dr. Chinnusamy Viswanathan, JD(R), ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Director, ICAR- IISS, Mau and Pragya Kalia, MD, PWS India in the presence of Dr. Shiv Kumar Yadav, Principal Investigator & Principal Scientist, Division of Seed Science and Technology (DSST), ICAR-IARI, Dr. Sangita Yadav, Principal Scientist, DSST, ICAR-IARI and Dr. Pramod Kumar, In-charge PME Cell, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, according to a press release.
Plasma Water Solutions proprietary breakthrough cold-plasma technology converts water from any source, in continuous flow and real time to Plasma-ized WaterTM (PW). PW technology is used for seed treatment, crop spray and irrigation to enhance productivity through faster and more efficient germination, accelerated growth, preventing the transmission of plant pathogens and enhancing stress tolerance during the crops cycle.
Under the MoU, IARI and IISS will undertake standardization of seed treatment (ST) in various crops, validating the standardized ST in demonstrations/field trials at different locations and generating data under the research project: “Standardization, Performance Evaluation and Field Demonstrations of PW Treatments for Enhanced Planting Value in Wheat, Mustard, Lentil, and Tomato crops against heat stress and normal conditions.”
Complimenting the two teams from Germany, Robert Hardt, President and CEO, Plasma Water Solutions Inc, said, “Ours is a science based technology and we believe in continuous refinement by joining hands with the leading science and research institutes globally keeping customers at the centre of all our R&D efforts. We are extremely proud to be associated with the apex organisation - Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) - in India and wish to see this working in favour of Indian farmers.”
Dr. Viswanathan said enhancing productivity in the most climate smart sustainable manner is a key objective of IARI. "We look forward to working on this tech along with PWS India to study the utility of PW technology to enhance crop productivity and sustainably," he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Pragya Kalia, MD, Plasma Water Solutions India, said, “This is a strategic step towards making our technology effective for small farmers of India. Through ICAR partnership, we would not just validate and demonstrate benefits of our tech for natural farming & productivity but also standardize the applications considering various agro-climatic conditions and local practices.”
