ICAR - Central Arid Zone Research Institute

Integrated Basic and Human Resources Appraisal, Monitoring and Desertification

• Integrated natural resources monitoring in Arid Rajasthan
• Development and assessment of soil erosion productivity models for rainfed cropping systems in Kachchh region
• Status of community grazing lands in western Rajasthan
• Wind erosion and soil loss in western Rajasthan and its impact on agricultural production

Biodiversity Conservation, Improvement of Annuals & Perennials

• Genetic improvement of clusterbean, moth bean and mung bean
• Enrichment of variability in Lasiurus sindicus through collection and induced mutagenesis
• Breeding pearl millet hybrid parents and hybrids for high temperature tolerance
• Collection, characterization and preliminary evaluation of sorghum germplasm in arid region
• Identification and characterization of fodder sorghum against drought and salinity stress for higher fodder productivity in Kachchh region of Gujarat
• Development of high seed yield genotypes of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) for rainfed situations of arid zone
• Germplasm collection, evaluation and conservation of underutilized shrubs (Grewia tenax and Indigofera oblongifolia) of Western Rajasthan
• Digitization and database development of the botanical collections from Indian arid zone
• Development of mapping populations in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) for high temperature tolerance
• Synthesis of organo-mineral fertilizers from organic waste: Development of production technology and assessing agronomic efficiency
• Assessment of assimilation potential and portioning of clusterbean under arid western plains
• Development of seed coating and pelleting technology for seed spices
• Enhancement of genetic diversity through hybridization and mutagenesis for clusterbean (Cyamposis tetragonoloba) improvement
• Isolation, characterization and evaluation of efficient rhizobia for guar and moth bean
• Collection, evaluation, characterization and identification of suitable Grewia and Cordia species for better fodder and fruit production in arid kachchh
• Evaluation of Cordia gharaf based agroforestry system in the hyper arid zone of western Rajasthan

Integrated Arid Land Farming System Research

• Development of Agri-horti. system in rejuvenated ber orchard in arid condition
• Long term fertilizer trial on pearl millet
• On-farm assessment of integrated farming systems in arid region
• Evolving grass–legume intercropping for quality fodder and soil improvement in arid region of Gujarat
• Carbon sequestration potential of agroforestry systems in rainfed agro ecosystem in zone I and II
• Carbon sequestration potentials agroforestry system  in hyper arid partially irrigated zone
• Establishment, Evaluation and utilization of Cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) in Kachchh region
• Production and adoption of organic system in arid zone
• Integrated farming system for enhancing economic resilience in arid regions
• Development of horticulture based production system for Transitional Plains of Luni basin
• Assessment of agronomic and economic performances of clusterbean-based cropping systems under different soil management practices in hot arid region
• Physiological evaluation of mustard genotypes in relation to antioxidant defense mechanism, growth and productivity under temperature stress

Management of Land and Water Resources

• Assessing soil compaction and its amelioration in relation to crop root growth
• Improving water productivity through protected agriculture
• Evaluation and improvement of soil and crop productivity in a khadin system of arid region
• Integrated watershed development with special reference to tribal community of Bernia, Dungarpur (Raj.)
• Quantification of water and energy balance components for groundnut and summer clusterbean in arid western Rajasthan

Improvement of Animal Production and Management

• Studies on water requirement of arid cattle
• Assessment of production potential and improvement of pasture land under different management systems
• Improving farm productivity through livestock based farming system at farmers’ field

Plant Products and Value Addition

• Development of baked functional foods from locally available plant sources in arid region

Integrated Pest Management

• Distribution and abundance of rodents in cold arid ecosystem of Leh
• Development of integrated pest management modules for cumin, groundnut and castor
• Isolation, evaluation and identification of native bio-control agents against Ganoderma lucidum causing root rot in leguminous trees
• Ecological evaluation of rodent diversity in Narmada canal command area
• Integrated weed management in principal crops of cold arid zone

Non-Conventional Energy Systems, Farm Machinery & Power

• Refinement of selected agro processing machines for arid produce
• Optimization of energy and water use in solar PV pump based micro-irrigation system for different scales of operation
• Dissemination of CAZRI developed solar devices and their refinement for rural areas
• Optimization of PCM thermal energy storage in solar dryer for dehydration of fruits and vegetables
• Agrivoltaic system: Development of design criteria and selection of suitable crops for optimum land water and energy use in  western Rajasthan

Technology Assessment, Refinement and Training

• Analysis of integration of technologies by farmers in Banni areas
• ICAR-CAZRI Model village project