ICAR - Indian Institute of Spices Research

25/09/2026

ICAR - Indian Institute of Spices Research organised a Waste-to-Art Competition on 25 September 2026, bringing together students and staff to creatively transform discarded materials into meaningful artworks as part of the Swachhatha hi Seva Campaign.

The activity highlighted the importance of reuse, responsible waste management and creative approaches to reducing waste. Following this, a cleanliness drive was also carried out in the Biochemistry and Post-Harvest Technology laboratories, reinforcing the message of keeping workspaces clean and hygienic.

At the ICAR-IISR Regional Station, Appangala, staff members and community members joined hands in a cleanliness drive, cleaning roadside surroundings, collecting plastic and other litter, and promoting responsible waste disposal.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India

25/09/2026

An article by Drs M. L. Jat, P. S. Birthal and S. J. Balaji, titled “Beyond the Green Revolution: Unravelling New Dynamics of India’s Agrifood System Transformation,” published in The Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, August 2026, examines the changing trajectory of India’s agrifood system.

The article traces India’s agricultural transformation through three phases—from technology-driven cereal intensification, to demand-led diversification, and finally to sustainability-led diversification. It highlights how technological progress, changing dietary preferences, research and extension, infrastructure, markets and policy have progressively reshaped Indian agriculture.

The authors note that agricultural growth has accelerated in the recent phase, reaching about 4.5% annually during 2015–2025, while becoming increasingly broad-based across cereals, horticulture, livestock and fisheries. The article emphasises that the future of Indian agriculture will depend on combining productivity with resource-use efficiency, climate resilience, sustainability, nutrition security and stronger market linkages.

Read the full article:
DOI: 10.56093/ijas.v96i8.184068
Shivraj Singh Chouhan Bhagirath Choudhary Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India MyGovIndia Press Information Bureau - PIB, Government of India

24/09/2026

A little time with little minds, nurturing habits for a cleaner tomorrow.

As part of the Swachhta Hi Seva Campaign 2026, the staff of ICAR-IISR Experimental Farm, Peruvannamuzhi, spent time with the children of Anganwadi, Peruvannamuzhi, on 24 September 2026, introducing them to simple habits of hygiene and cleanliness.

With mothers, Anganwadi teachers and staff joining the children, the time spent together turned into a simple and meaningful lesson in caring for themselves and their surroundings.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research Indian Council of Agricultural Research

21/09/2026

As part of the Swachhta Hi Seva Campaign 2026, ICAR - Indian Institute of Spices Research organised awareness activities promoting sustainable practices and responsible waste disposal.

The “Carry Your Own Bag” initiative at IISR, Calicut, encouraged staff and students to bring and use reusable bags, highlighting the importance of reducing dependence on single-use plastics.

An awareness selfie activity on “Non-Littering” was also conducted at the ICAR-IISR Regional Station, Appangala. Through campaign displays and selfie frames, staff and visitors were encouraged to avoid littering and dispose of waste responsibly.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India Swachh Bharat Mission, India

20/09/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Maneesha S R, Scientist, ICAR - Indian Institute of Spices Research, on receiving the Young Scientist Award from the Society of Agriculture & Biological Sciences Research (SABSR), New Delhi, and the Best Oral Paper Presentation Award at the 15th International Conference on Agriculture, Horticulture & Forestry: Innovations for Climate Resilient Cropping Systems (ICAHCFS-2026), held at the School of Agricultural Sciences, SGRR University, Dehradun.

18/09/2026

ICAR - Indian Institute of Spices Research organized a Swachhata Gyan Yatra (awareness and exposure visit) on 18 September as part of the ongoing Swachhta Hi Seva Campaign 2026, under the theme “Swachhta Mein Sahbhag, Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat”.

The programme was organized for 26 Diploma Agriculture students from Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station (ORARS), Kayamkulam, under Kerala Agricultural University. The visit focused on creating awareness among the students on cleanliness, scientific waste management, recycling and sustainable utilization of organic waste.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India

17/09/2026

Swachhta Hi Seva Campaign 2026 was launched at ICAR - Indian Institute of Spices Research today by Dr. R Dinesh, Director, under the theme “Swachhta Mein Sahbhag, Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat.”

Marking the commencement of the fortnight-long campaign, staff members of ICAR-IISR including the ICAR-IISR Regional Station, Appangala, Experimental Farm, and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Peruvannamuzhi, participated in the Swachhta Pledge, committing themselves to promoting cleanliness, hygiene and responsible practices across the Institute.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India Swachh Bharat Mission, India

14/09/2026

NGSToolkit Published in CRAN

ICAR - Indian Institute of Spices Research is pleased to share that NGSToolkit, an R package developed for downstream analysis and visualization of transcriptomic data, has been accepted and published in the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN).

The package was developed by Dr. Sona Charles, Febin T Nabeel and Dr. T E Sheeja and is now available through the CRAN repository.

The package can be accessed at: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/NGSToolKit/index.html

Indian Council of Agricultural Research Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India

Interactive 'Shiny' web application for comprehensive RNA-Seq data analysis, quality control, differential expression analysis with 'DESeq2', dimensionality reduction (PCA, t-SNE, UMAP), clustering, and integrated 'JBrowse 2' genome visualization. For differential expression analysis methods, see Lo...

14/09/2026

14/09/2026

The 𝟭𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗦 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, hosted by India in New Delhi, has placed agriculture and food security among its key areas of cooperation. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗵𝗶 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮 focused on BRICS AGRIN, Farmers’ Rights and seed systems, agroecology and regenerative agriculture, digital agriculture and fisheries, fair agricultural trade, sustainable vegetable oils, ecosystem restoration and forest conservation.

These priorities reinforce the shared commitment to resilient, inclusive and sustainable food systems, driven by innovation, knowledge exchange and stronger cooperation among BRICS countries.