Recommended High-yielding Vegetable Crop Varieties for Farmers: Achievements of Vegetable Improvement Research in Assam Agricultural University, India

Vegetable is an important component of the human diet. Vegetables are an important component of the human diet, serving as a fundamental source of nutrition due to their high nutritional value and bioactive content. They can help improve food security and nutritional quality, especially when managed in highly intensified cropping systems within controlled environments. They are very rich in precious nutritional elements like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and a series of micronutrients. A large number of vegetables belonging to different groups are grown in North East India. India, particularly the North Eastern region being the original home of many crop species, is full of diversity in vegetable crops. In North East India, although a lot of germplasm is available but reports of such studies for the development of improved varieties are limited. Many problems like poor yield, and lack of tolerance to various biotic and abiotic stresses are associated with the available varieties of many vegetable crops. With the establishment of AICRP Centres at AAU, Jorhat lot of efforts have been taken to solve the problems by developing high yielding, stress tolerant superior varieties. A good number of varieties of different vegetable crops have been identified and recommended for Assam and North Eastern India. A brief account of crop improvement research conducted in vegetable crops under AICRP and at the state level during the last few years has been presented in this study. The recommended varieties along with the special characteristics are outlined and the future priorities are also highlighted. Although many varieties have been developed and recommended at AAU, there is still significant scope for vegetable breeding in Assam and Northeast India. Massive exploration programme may be undertaken to collect the germplasm which may be evaluated and genetic resources may be identified.