National Research Centre on Litchi, Muzaffarpur

National Research Centre on Litchi, Muzaffarpur The NRCL is premier national institute for conducting research and developments on litchi and provide leadership at national level. It also acts as a national repository of information on litchi production, processing, value addition, and provides consultancy services to end users GENESIS AND GROWTH The National Research Centre on Litchi (NRCL) was established on 6th June, 2001 at the fag end of IXth Plan by Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research to act as a nodal institution for research and development on litchi in India in a mission mode approach. The Centre started functioning from 2002 with budgetary allocation and the first batch of two scientists joining the Centre in March, 2002. The lease deed was signed on 25th June, 2002 between the ICAR and Government of Bihar to transfer 100 acres of land to the Centre at Mushahri. The Centre was strengthened during 2005 and onwards by redeploying scientific, technical and supporting staff along with administrative support and financial assistance for developing infrastructural facilities and to carry out the research work. The Centre is located at Mushahari, on Muzaffarpur‐Pusa Road at 2605’87’’ N latitude, 85026’64’’ E longitude at an elevation of 210 m. It is about eight km from Muzaffarpur railway station. The area has typically subtropical climate with an average annual rainfall of 1100‐1300 mm. The soil conditions of the area are alluvial with sandy loam texture and are calcareous having pH 7.5 ‐ 8.0. The research farm of the centre is spread over an area of 40 ha. Currently, the Centre has 9 scientific, 3 technical, 8 administrative and 3 supporting staff against the sanctioned strength of 15 scientific, 12 technical, 12 administrative and 10 supporting staff. The sanctioned scientific position represent the various disciplines of Horticulture, Plant Breeding, Genetics, Soil Science, Biotechnology, Physiology, Pathology, Entomology, Economics, Extension and Computer Applications. The total approved outlay for NRCL during the XIth Plan was ` 19.63 crore, and utilization was ` 18.95 crore. The proposed outlay for XIIth plan is ` 24.88 crore. The budget for the year 2011‐12 was ` 6.84 crore. MISSION, MANDATE AND FUNCTIONS Mission Harnessing science and technology by interfacing research and extension activities for enhanced quality production, productivity, processing and use diversification for sustained litchi production, industry and trade. Mandate The centre has mandate to provide single window solution for litchi plant genetic resource management, crop production and post harvest management to the growers, industries and exporters in mission mode. Functions 
To undertake basic, strategic and applied research for enhancing productivity, quality and utility of litchi. 
To act as repository of genetic resources and scientific information on all aspects of litchi. 
To undertake frontline demonstration in newer technologies and to impart training for upgrading scientific knowledge. INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES A number of equipments were procured such as GCMS, AAS, UV‐VIS spectrophotometer, leaf area meter, portable photosynthesis meter, horizontal electrophoresis unit, nitrogen analyzer, flame photometer, trinocular phase‐contrast upright microscope, trinocular compound microscope, stereo binocular microscope, ultracentrifuge, modified atmospheric packaging unit, hydro‐cooling system, forced‐air cooling system, litchi grading machine, plastic strip sealing and packaging machine, litchi peeling machine, cool storage chamber, bottle washing machine, Litchi harvester cum pruner, power sprayer and mist chamber and a state‐of‐art glasshouse facility for different research and supportive activities at the centre by establishing crop production, protection and post harvest management laboratories besides central instrumentation facility. Library The library is has a good collection of literature in the field of litchi cultivation and other related fields including Hindi literature in horticulture and allied fields. It has 1340 books including recent editions of 400 reference books, 16 encyclopedias and 30 vol. of Britannica. Currently, 11 Indian and 11 international journals are being subscribed. The centre has published 7 technical bulletins and 9 extension bulletins that are available in the library for researchers, extension workers and farmers. Agricultural Knowledge Management Unit The centre has an Agricultural Knowledge Management Unit (AKMU) to manage the knowledge database with software of international repute such as SAS, CAB abstracts, horticultural abstract and other computing softwares. The centre has now installed server and LAN system for shared resources. Currently it has broadband facility from BSNL for internet connectivity. The website is being accessed worldwide by many stakeholders (http://nrclitchi.org). THE LITCHI SCENARIO Litchi is an evergreen subtropical fruit known for its delicious, flavoured and juicy aril, highly nutritive and refreshing taste. It contributes significantly to the growers’ economy in Bihar, Uttarakhand and West Bengal states of India. Currently, Bihar contributes 45% of total litchi production and occupies nearly 40% of the area under litchi plantation in the country. India is the second largest producer of litchi after China but have the highest productivity. The state wise area, production, productivity and leading states in production of litchi in India during 2010‐11 are as under: The trends of area and production of litchi in India during last ten years is given in the following figure. Source: NHB, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India (www.nhb.gov.in) The Major Litchi Producing Belts in India
 Bihar (Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Samastipur, East Champaran, West Champaran, Sitamarhi)  West Bengal (Murshidabad, 24‐Paraganas)  Assam (Kamrup, Sonitpur, Bongaigaon) 



Uttarakhand (Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar, Pithauragarh, Nainital, Haridwar) Punjab (Gurdaspur, Ropar, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur) Uttar Pradesh (Saharanpur, Kushinagar, Meerut) Jharkhand and Tripura Gaps Identified for Litchi Research






Narrow genetic base with very short period of availability of fruits Short shelf life and high post‐harvest losses Lack of canopy architecture management and efficient planting system Lack of proper water and nutrient management Poor post‐harvest management and product diversification Unavailability of quality planting material ONGOING RESEARCH PROGRAMMES 1. Plant genetic resources management and crop improvement 

Collection of indigenous and exotic germplasm, their characterization, evaluation, documentation and utilization Development of improved cultivars through clonal and seedling selection and hybridization 2. Development of sustainable production technology  High density planting in litchi for maximizing quality fruit production.  Integrated nutrient and water management in litchi.  Organic farming in litchi.  Studies on propagation techniques in litchi and their standardization.  Development of litchi based cropping system for recycling residues and high income.  Investigation and establishing the physiological and biochemical relations for improved litchi production  Studies on mycorrhizal association and role of biofertilizers for improved litchi production 3. Development of plant protection technology  Studies on the insect‐pest complex of litchi and their management.  Investigation and management of pre‐and post‐harvest diseases of litchi 4. Post harvest management and value addition  Standardization of maturity standards, harvesting and post‐harvest handling techniques for litchi fruits  Investigation and management of post‐harvest losses in litchi  Standardization of processing and value addition techniques in litchi SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS Genetic Resource Management and Crop Improvement  Fifty two accessions of litchi and allied species were collected from indigenous sources and were planted in the germplasm repository.  Eight cultivars of litchi were also collected from Spain under FAO Project  The molecular characterization of 20 litchi cultivars is in progress in collaboration with CISH, Lucknow using RAPD and ISSR markers.  Fifty six superior clones of litchi were identified and propagated for their detailed evaluation.  The hybrid progeny involving litchi cvs. Shahi, China, Bedana and Kasba were developed and are under evaluation.  About 400 seedlings of cv. Shahi and China are under evaluation. Further, seedlings are also being raised from the selected clones. Crop Production  Plantation of various experimental blocks with most common cvs. Shahi and China has been completed in 15 ha area to conduct different trials. A mother block of 1.5 ha, germplasm block of 3 ha, seedling block of 2 ha has also been planted for conducting different studies at the Centre.  Rejuvenation technique for old senile orchard has been standardized  Application of 75:50:100 g NPK/plant/year in cv. Shahi and 100:50:100 g NPK/plant/year in cv. China has been found most effective for vegetative growth of plants.  Inter‐space utilization protocol for young non‐bearing litchi orchards has been developed with (1) Litchi‐Banana (2) Litchi–Cowpea‐Potato‐Onion (3) Litchi‐Okra‐Gladiolus models with high B:C ratio of 2.38, 1.53 and 1.37, respectively.  Foliar application of planofix @ 2.5 ml/10 L or NAA 20 mg/ L of water one week after fruit set, significantly checked the fruit drop.  Two spray of KNO3 (4% and 2%) after 20 and 30 days of fruit set delayed colour‐break by 5 days in litchi cv. Shahi.  Bagging of individual litchi bunches in cv.Shahi with perforated butter paper was found the best for production more class‐I category fruits with reduced sun‐burn and cracked fruits.  Covering plants with 30% green and 50% white shade net extended the harvesting period up to 16 days with slight decrease in TSS and acidity.  Biodiversity of arbuscular mycorrhiza in litchi rhizosphere was studied. Three species of Glomus was the found predominantly associated. Crop Protection  Major pests of litchi prevalent in the area were identified. Borer complex of litchi are most important as they extensively damage the developing and matured fruits reducing the yields and marketability.  Trichogramma @50,000 eggs/ha at flower initiation and Nimbicidine @0.5% at fruiting, Cypermethrin @0.005% and Nimbicidine @0.5% were effective in minimizing the damage caused by fruit borer.  Three new threats of pests in litchi were identified viz., red weevil (Apoderus blandus), semilooper (Anisodes illepidaria) and bagworm (Eumeta crameri).  A ‘twig blight’ disease was observed. The symptoms appeared as death of leaves on new shoots and a foliar blight and tip dieback which was difficult to separate. The leaf blight appeared as tan spots on the leaves. The afflicted leaves look like they were scorched from the sun.  At post‐harvest stage, fruit rot caused by several fungi (Colletotrichum gloeosporioidis, Aspergillus flavus, Alternaria alternata) was important. Post –harvest Management and Value Addition  Physico‐chemical studies of litchi fruits during fruit development revealed that 3rd week onward of May is the best time for harvesting litchi cv. Shahi.  The combined spray of Boric acid (0.2 and 0.5%) + Carbendazim (0.1%) + GA3 (50 and 100 ppm) + KNO3 (2 and 4%) or CaNO3 (1%) twice during fruit development stage gave higher yield and good quality with less sun‐burn and cracked fruits in the cv. Shahi.  Thermocol packaging had enhanced the shelf‐life of litchi fruits by 6‐8 days.  A wine from litchi fruits having high nutritional value was produced by fermentation using wine yeast, Saccharmoyces cerevisiae var. bayamus.  Good quality litchi nuts was produced by treating the fruits with KMS (0.1%) followed by citric acid (2%) and dried alternatively in sun/shade‐ oven‐sun for specific periods. Externally Funded Projects  Ten genotypes of pummelo and 14 of mango have been identified from Pusa cluster under UNEP‐GEF Project of Biodiversity International.  Good agricultural practices for litchi were demonstrated under IND/TCP project of FAO.  Pollination behaviour in litchi was studied under NHB supported project.  Intercrops for grown up orchards was standardized under ATMA supported project.  Biodiversity of arbuscular mycorrhiza in litchi was studied under AMAAS project.  Under Mega Seed Project about 25000 quality litchi saplings is produced every year which has been supplied to various stakeholders especially state government department viz., Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED BY NRCL 1. Rejuvenation of unproductive senile litchi orchard A technology to rejuvenate old, dense and unproductive orchards (>40 yrs) of litchi for better productivity and quality fruit production without disturbing the original plantation through heavy reiterative pruning and other cultural practices has been developed. Rejuvenated trees produce quality fruit within a minimum period of three years. Suitable intercrop for this gestation period has been identified that utilize the created open space and gives income to the farmers in addition to the income from sale of pruned woods. The likely cost of adoption of technology is `25000/ ha. 2. Potting mixture for propagation of quality planting material of litchi A potting mixture media for healthy and vigorous growth of litchi air‐layered seedlings has been developed which gives better establishments of air‐layers due to profuse root developments and leads to high survival of air‐layers in nursery and field conditions. The cost of production of gooties in this method is ` 1.65/ gootie. 3. Technique for off season‐layering in litchi A technique for raising air‐layered litchi planting material through temperature regulation and selection of non‐bearing twigs of desired thickness during spring (off‐
season) has been standardized. This gives good quality planting materials with an advantage of quick establishment and low gestation and maintenance period. 4. Litchi based cropping system models Three intercrop models viz., litchi‐banana, okra‐gladiolus and cowpea‐potato‐onion has been identified for utilizing interspaces in pre‐bearing orchard 5. Bagging of litchi bunch for quality litchi fruits A technique of bagging litchi bunches with perforated butter paper or brown paper was
developed which results in 34% less cracked and sun-burnt fruits and about 30% higher
Class-I fruits. 6. Bio‐intensive management of fruit borer complex of litchi Fruit and seed borer is a major pest of litchi. Several species of Conopomorpha damage litchi fruits. An ecofriendly technology has been developed which involve biocontrol agent viz., application of Trichogramma and organic products viz., nimbicidine, vermiwash, and kamdhenu keet niyantrak. 7. IPM of litchi mite An integrated management package has been developed for litchi mite which is one of the important pests of litchi. This involves mechanical and chemical control measures. 8. Preparation of wine from litchi fruits A protocol for production of litchi wine has been developed. The wine thus produced has typical litchi aroma, 10‐12% alcohol and is rich in natural anti‐oxidants. The raw material and production cost is about `120 per 750 ml wine. 9. Technique for preparation of litchi nut A simple technology for dehydrated litchi nut from fresh fruit has been developed which has a shelf life of 10‐12 months. One kg of litchi nut can be obtained from 4 kg fresh litchi fruits. The technology involves dehydrating the pre‐treated fruits under shade, sun and cabinet tray drier, alternatively. THURST AREAS FOR XII PLAN  Systematic collection, conservation, characterization and documentation of litchi
germplam for future use in breeding.
 Evolving high quality cultivars for tropics and subtropics through selective breeding
and harnessing genetic engineering and bio-informatics for domestic and export
market.
 Undertake basic and strategic research to enhance productivity, processing qualities
and value addition along with protected cultivation of litchi.
 Develop centre as an excellent centre for litchi research and act as repository/data
base on litchi.
 Act as centre for HRD and capacity building in modern technology on all aspects of
litchi and also consultancy services provider.
 Establish linkages with National and International organizations working on Litchi.
 Set up a referral laboratory for quality analysis and certification of new cultivar of
litchis.
Flagship programmes  Research on Borers-With special reference to fruit and seed borers in litchi
 Canopy Management and architectural engineering in fruit crops- Litchi
Platform programmes  Conservation Horticulture
 Precision Farming
 Plant architecture and canopy management
 Secondary agriculture
 Water platform
 Nutrient dynamics
 Socioeconomic dimensions in horticulture
 Climate change
 Waste management
 PHM in perishable horticulture
 Seed in plant
 AMAAS
___________________________________________________________________________
National Research Centre on Litchi, Mushahari, Muzaffarpur, Bihar‐ 842002 e‐mail: nrclitchi@yahoo.com, director@nrclitchi.org