History
Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) was established in 1949 at Patna on the recommendation of a working group headed by Sir Herbert Steward, the then Agricultural Advisor to the Government of India. Earlier potato R&D agenda in India was just confined to the seed potato multiplication programme. Later the institute was shifted to Shimla in 1956 and was later handed over to ICAR in April 1966 and is now responsible for the entire research programmes on potato in the country.
Structure
The institute has a total sanctioned scientific strength of 107 under taking research under six Divisions, viz. Crop Improvement, Crop Production, Plant Protection, Crop Physiology, Biochemistry and Post-Harvest Technology, Seed Technology and Social Sciences through 17 multi-disciplinary research programmes (now curtailed to 10) and equal number of externally funded projects. The institute has 7 regional research stations located in different potato growing areas of the country viz. Kufri-Fagu (HP), Modipuram (UP), Jalandhar (Punjab), Gwalior (MP), Patna (Bihar), Shillong (Meghalaya), and Ootacamund (Tamil Nadu). The institute has about 521 ha of farm area distributed over 15 units.
AICRP
The All India Coordinated Research Project on Potato (AICRP- Potato), located at the institute headquarters has been functioning since the fourth five-year plan. At the time of initiation in 1971, it had 9 centers, out of which two were CPRI based and seven were SAU based. Presently, it has a nation-wide network of 25 centers located at different agro-climatic regions of the country. Seven of these centers are located at the regional stations of CPRI while 17 are situated at different State Agriculture Universities (SAUs) and one voluntary centre is working at Ranichauri in Uttranchal. CPRI & AICRP (Potato), together carry out more than 95% of potato research in the country. The remaining 5% R&D activities are undertaken by other universities and research institutes within and outside the ICAR system.
Vision
Potato for food and nutritional security and sustainable inclusive growth
Mission
Carry out research on potato in collaboration with national and international partners for enhancing productivity and profitability, achieving sustainable food and nutritional security, and alleviating rural poverty.
Mandate
CPRI: The research and development agenda of CPRI is primarily guided by the following mandate.
- • To undertake basic and strategic research for developing technologies to enhance productivity and utilization of the potato.
- • To produce disease-free basic seed of different notified varieties developed by the Institute.
- • To act as a national repository of scientific information relevant to potato.
- • To provide leadership and coordinate network research with state agricultural universities for generating location and variety-specific technologies and for solving area specific chronic problems of potato production.
- • To collaborate with national and international agencies in achieving the above objectives.
- • To act as a centre for training in research methodologies and technology for upgrading scientific manpower in modern technologies for the potato production.
- • To provide consultancy in potato research and development.
AICRP (Potato): All India Coordinated Project (Potato) has important role to play under the following mandate.
- • Coordination and monitoring of multi-location trials for evaluation of improved potato hybrids and to standardize agronomic practices related to crop production vis-a-vis identification of remunerative potato based cropping systems, plant protection measures and post harvest technology, in order to facilitate enhancement in potato production, productivity and utilization in the country.
• Linkage between different stakeholders connected with potato production and utilization.
Available R&D infrastructure
CPRI is equipped with modern facilities to carry out basic and strategic research on all aspects of potato. The state-of-the- art biotechnology laboratory of the institute was created in 1992 and presently it has all the facilities for transgenic research, DNA fingerprinting, molecular breeding, micro-propagation and in vitro conservation. A new laboratory has recently been created for conducting basic research on cell biology and somatic cell genetics. To facilitate high throughput genome sequencing and functional genomics, a Genome Laboratory with modern facilities has also been created. The virus diagnosis laboratory of the CPRI is equipped with automated ELISA system, PCR and NASH facilities. Because of its unique record in the field of virus diagnosis, this laboratory has been notified by the Government of India as Accredited Test Laboratory’ for testing and certification of tissue culture raised potato microplants and minitubers. The institute also has aeroponics facility for rapid multiplication of quality planting material.
Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) is the latest addition at CPRI for detection and diagnosis of major potato viruses. CPRI possesses a world class potato library at its headquarters having 35164 documents including 13545 books and 14368 back volumes of researchjournals serial publications 2446 and 213 current journals (60 foreign; 152 Indian). Various CD ROM database e.g. CABI further enrich its knowledge base. The library has been automated through local area network for providing ‘at-the-desk’ library services, in order to save the time of researchers. All regional centres of the institute also have small libraries. Availability of sufficient land is one of the important pre-requisites for agricultural R&D. CPRI possesses 521 ha of farm land which is used for the production of potato breeder seed and also for experimental purposes. The institute has been regularly maintaining and creating required supporting infrastructure like buildings, roads/paths, structures (glass/ poly houses) etc
TEM/Sequence
journals serial publications 2446 and 213 current journals (60 foreign; 152 Indian). Various CD ROM database e.g. CABI further enrich its knowledge base. The library has been automated through local area network for providing ‘at-the-desk’ library services, in order to save the time of researchers. All regional centres of the institute also have small libraries. Availability of sufficient land is one of the important pre-requisites for agricultural R&D. CPRI possesses 521 ha of farm land which is used for the production of potato breeder seed and also for experimental purposes. The institute has been regularly maintaining and creating required supporting infrastructure like buildings, roads/paths, structures (glass/ poly houses) etc.
CPRI- An accredited Test Laboratory
The institute has been awarded National Accredited Test Laboratory for Certification of virus free and true to type tissue culture microplants of potato by the Department of Biotechnology
