Ludhiana, October 16, 2025, 2025 (Yes Punjab News)
Dr. Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has been honoured with the Sardar Bishan Singh Samundri Memorial Lectureship Award for 2025. Instituted by Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) in collaboration with the Sardar Jaswant Singh Rai Memorial Education Trust, Jalandhar, the award commemorates GNDU’s founder Vice-Chancellor and celebrates outstanding contributions to agricultural research and education.
The Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, GNDU, hosted an event introducing the award and its vision of recognising eminent scientists shaping the future of sustainable agriculture. The highlight of the event was a special lecture by Dr. Gosal on Punjab: To Lead the Sustainable Agriculture, which captured both the urgency of current challenges and the promise of emerging solutions.
Tracing Punjab’s pivotal role as the cradle of India’s Green Revolution, Dr. Gosal underlined how PAU’s legacy continues to evolve with changing times. Established in 1962 on the land-grant model of Ohio State University, PAU has remained the nerve centre of innovation in Indian agriculture, founding seven other agricultural universities across northern India and consistently topping national rankings among State Agricultural Universities.
The lecture showcased PAU’s comprehensive strategy to transform Punjab’s agrarian landscape through a three-pronged focus on Teaching, Research and Extension.
Dr. Gosal highlighted breakthrough research in genomics-assisted breeding, genome editing, nanotechnology, and digital agriculture that is helping farmers adapt to rising temperatures, depleting groundwater and soil degradation. He noted that PAU’s work on heat-tolerant wheat, high-zinc varieties and direct-seeded rice is positioning Punjab as a leader in climate-resilient farming.
Drawing attention to Punjab’s groundwater deficit, he presented practical interventions like short-duration paddy, IoT-based irrigation, and precision agriculture, as pathways to restore water balance. He also emphasised the need for crop diversification supported by geospatial intelligence and spectroscopy to reduce dependence on wheat-paddy cycles and enhance farm income.
Beyond the lab, PAU’s innovations in post-harvest management, from portable dryers to modified-atmosphere packaging, have created new value chains for fruits and vegetables. The university’s establishment of the School of Digital Innovations and Smart Agriculture marks its next leap viz., integrating AI, sensors and data-driven decision-making into farm management.
Dr. Gosal’s lecture reflected a deep commitment to aligning Punjab’s agricultural transformation with global Sustainable Development Goals. He spoke of India’s leadership role within the G20 framework and how agriculture must now balance productivity with ecology, economics and equity.
The audience, comprising students, researchers, and policymakers, responded with appreciation to the lecture’s blend of scientific rigour and grounded optimism. As a recipient of the Sardar Bishan Singh Samundri Memorial Lectureship Award, Dr. Gosal’s recognition stands as a tribute to his lifelong work in agricultural biotechnology and to the enduring spirit of Punjab’s quest for sustainable growth.
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