AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH STATION, BANNU

Introduction

Agricultural Research Station Bannu was established in 2006 as developmental project and converted to non-developmental phase in June, 2010. The total area of the station is 17 acres which include 11 acres of cultivable land, 01 acre of citrus and date orchard and 05 acres are under buildings and roads.

Details of Sections/Labs

Sections (1) Horticulture (2) Soil Chemistry (3) Agronomy

Labs (1) Soil and Water Testing Laboratory at ARS Bannu

(2) Soil and Water Testing Laboratory at MFSC Bannu

Official Message from Head of the Department

In Bannu District most of the people are engaged in agriculture. The main source of their income is farming. The area is mostly fertile and cultivated but the farmers are unaware and hesitant to adopt new production technologies and methods that can help in increasing the yield of their crops and income. The main objective of the establishment of ARS Bannu is to find out and develop new technologies and varieties of the crops adapted to agro-ecological conditions of the area and to educate farmers about the modern techniques of Agriculture to enhance the crop yield per unit area and income of the farming community.

Brief History

The total land area of district Bannu has been reported 118823 hectares (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics-2017). This area consists of 83043 hectares cultivable out of which 32785 hectares is cropped area. Uncultivated land is comprised of 35780 hectares. The major rabi crops of Bannu District are Wheat, Barley, Mustard and Garlic and kharif crops are Rice, Sugarcane, Maize, and Turmeric. Major vegetables are cucurbits, tomato, garlic onion, brinjal, Okra, peas, spinach, radish, turnip, cauliflower, and cabbage etc. Major fruits are Guava, Banana and Fig.

Objectives

To boost Agriculture production in the area through development of high yielding and disease resistant varieties and cost effective production & protection technology of major crops, fruits and vegetables and to create awareness among the farmers about the modern agriculture technology/ practices through farmer’s trainings/ field days, radio talks, pamphlets/literature.
To cater the food needs of the community through improvement in agriculture production by evolving new techniques/high potential improved varieties of different commodities in the area.
To develop and disseminate new package of production technology.

Mandate

Development of high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties of major crops in the area.
Production of quality/basic seed of cereal crops and vegetables at the farm to support the seed requirements of the local farming community.
Evaluation of high-yielding, disease, and insect pest-resistant cultivars of major crops, fruits, and vegetables for their suitability to the agro-climatic conditions of the area.
Production of quality fruit plants for the farming community.
Development and dissemination of advanced production technology for crops, fruits, and vegetables in the area.

Achievements

Produce about 10 tons (annually) of quality wheat seed from suitable varieties and distributed at government rates.
Screened 64 potential wheat lines in coordination with BARS Kohat and selected 21 climate resilient lines for further evaluation in the Rabi 2023-24.
Two advanced wheat lines selected from 50th IBWSN with more than 15% higher yield (Check: Gulzar-2019) selected for KPWYT/CDRI trials in 2024-25.
Screened 50 different wheat lines from KPWSN of CCRI Pirsabak for disease resistance and drought tolerance in the local environment of Bannu.
Analyze 100 soil and water samples (average) annually and conveyed recommendations to end-users for judicious fertilizer use and field reclamation.
Analyzed 1000 soil samples from January 2023 to April 2024 under the Soil Fertility Mapping Project of KP.
Advisory services provided to 150 (average) farmers on crop and orchard disease and pest control.
Despite of irrigation water problem in Kharif season, 1.5 tons/acre produced and distributed high-quality basic seeds of Maize varieties Azam and Kaptaan to the local farming community.
Established research and demonstration fruit orchard of Sweet Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, Peach, Pear, Plum, Apricot, Fig, and Olive plants obtained from ARI Tarnab, Peshawar.
Established Date Palm orchard with promising varieties (Dakki, Gulistan, Basra) obtained from ARI Ratta Kulachi, D.I. Khan.

Vision/Future Plan

To strengthen local farming communities through farmer-oriented research, developing high-yielding, disease-resistant crops, advanced farming technologies, and improved soil fertility for enhanced productivity and sustainability.
Inclusion of oilseed crops like Olive in research activities.
Extensive research on Fig and Turmeric.
Expansion of germplasm for fruit plants.
Implementation of advanced technical experiments on major cereals considering climate change.
Expansion of fruit plant production activities.
Inclusion of nitrogen-fixing crops in cropping patterns.
Establishment of wheat progeny blocks.

Staff Position

Staff Position No. of Posts In Position Vacant

Director (BPS-19) 1 1 0

SRO (BPS-18) 3 2 1

RO (BPS-17) 7 3 4

Email: arsbannu2006@gmail.com

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