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PAU soil science head Dr op Choudhary elected as Naas fellow

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20 December 2021, Punjab: Dr Om Parkash Choudhary, Head, Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), has been elected as Fellow of the prestigious National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS). The fellowship, which is effective from January 1, 2022 has been conferred on Dr Choudhary for his excellent scientific contributions in the field of Natural Resource Management. Since 2017, he has also been serving as Director, Electron Microscopy and Nano-technology Laboratory and Director, Centre of Advanced Faculty Training (CAFT). He holds an outstanding academic record, winning two gold medals and a place in the University Roll of Honour. His research contributions include the development of site-specific technologies for judicious and efficient use of saline and sodic waters and precision N management through 26 recommendations for the benefit of farmers. He has more than 300 publications including 94 research papers in reputed national and international journals, 9 books (authored/edited), 19 review papers and book chapters, and 68 proceeding papers among others.

Dr Choudhary has also served as a visiting scientist at the University of California, Davis, USA in 2008. He is a recipient of several awards namely FAI Golden Jubilee Award for excellence in the field of Plant Nutrition (2020); Prof MS Chinnan Distinguished Professor Chair (2018); ICAR-CSSRI Excellence Award (2017); PAU Plaque, Citation and Merit Certificate for Outstanding Research (2014-15) and ISSS Golden Jubilee Commemoration Young Scientist Award (1994). Recently, Dr Choudhary has played a key role as Principal Investigator (PI), CAAST-Sustaining Natural Resources Management Project in PAU securing the first Green and Clean Campus Award for 2020-21 (worth Rs 10 lakh) by the National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP) of ICAR, New Delhi.

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Dr Choudhary has handled many research projects. Currently Dr Choudhary is the PI of a World Bank sponsored mega ICAR-NAHEP-CAAST multidisciplinary project on Sustainable Natural Resource Management (SNRM) worth 2000 lakh rupees which began in 2019. He is also leading another multi-disciplinary mega Indo-Israel Project “CoE for Utilization of Brackish Water for Fruit and Vegetable Production” funded by National Horticulture Mission (NHM), Government of India since 2012, with a budget of Rs 1,496 lakhs.

The Vice Chancellor of PAU Sh DK Tiwari, Financial Commissioner (Development), Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare congratulated Dr Choudhary for the outstanding national recognition and said that it was a great honour for PAU. The Director of Research Dr Ajmer Dhatt; Registrar Dr Shammi Kapoor; Director Extension Education Dr JS Mahal and Dean, College of Agriculture Dr MIS Gill, Additional Director of communication Dr Tejinder Singh Riar also congratulated Dr Choudhary for this well-deserved honour.

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