XXVII Annual Review Meeting of All India Coordinated Research Project on Weed Management was organized at ICAR-DWR, Jabalpur during 8-10 June, 2020 through video conferencing. Dr S.K. Choudhuri, DDG (NRM) has graced the inaugural session as Chief Guest and Dr S Bhaskar, ADG (AAF & CC) as Guest of honour. Inaugural session was attended by other stalwart Dr A.K. Gogai, Ex-Asstt. Director General (Agronomy & Agroforestry), ICAR, New Delhi and Dr N.T. Yaduraju, Ex-Director, ICAR-DWR and other eminent and distinguished scientists in the field of weed science. Dr. V.P. Singh, Principal Scientist & HOD, Crop production IISR, Lucknow and Dr J.S. Mishra, Head, Division of Crop Research, ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna were invited as resource persons for this meeting. The inaugural session was started with the opening remarks of Dr Shobha Sondhia, I/C AICRP-Weed Management. Dr P.K. Singh, Director, ICAR-DWR welcomed distinguished and eminent scientists from ICAR Headquarters, other ICAR Institutes, Universities and Private industries, all the PIs and scientists of different AICRP centres, scientists of ICAR-DWR, students, RA, SRF and other participants during the inaugural function. In the welcome address Dr Singh highlighted the importance of weed management in agriculture with special reference to doubling of farmers’ income by 2022. He has also mentioned the emerging weed problems like parasitic weeds, weeds in aquatic system, alien invasive weeds etc. and highlighted the coordinated efforts of Directorate and different AICRP centres for managing these weeds.

Dr Gogai informed that ICAR-DWR is doing commendable work on weed management in different crops of the country. Dr N.T. Yaduraju highlighted that NRM has greater potential to fulfil the objectives of doubling farmers’ income as control of weeds for successful crop husbandry in farmers’ field incurs huge input cost. Dr S Bhaskar in his remarks has stressed the need of concentrated work to control aquatic weeds in large aquatic bodies. He also suggested to start focussed research on parasitic weeds as these weeds are changing host under changing climatic condition. He has also emphasised that collaborative linkages should be made between AICRP centres and ICAR commodity Institutes in order to avoid duplication of research activities and advisory. Dr S K Choudhuri, DDG (NRM) in his remarks informed that weed management sector holds the key to achieve objectives of doubling farmers’ income. He has emphasised to reshape and revisit of IWM protocols under changing climatic condition. He suggested that basic and strategic research project can be taken up on weed shift, weed-crop interference, weed dynamics in major cropping systems under climate change scenario. Dr Shobha Sondhia, I/C, AICRP-WM presented salient research achievements of AICRP-Weed Management of 2019-20. Progress and research achievements of seventeen regular and five volunteer centres in five respective technical sessions were presented by the Principal Investigators. The detail discussion was held in five respective technical sessions on the results presented by different AICRP-WM centres. Through discussion was held on the proposed technical programmes for the year 2020-21 and 2021-22 under the chairmanship of Dr AK Gogoi and suggestions were made to further improve this.

Plenary session was graced by Dr S Bhaskar, ADG (AAF & CC) as Chief Guest. Rapporteur of each technical session presented an overview of the session. Dr P.K Singh, presented highlight of activities of three dates. Dr S. Bhaskar, urged I/C, AICRP-WM to develop a mega-project on climate change in collaboration with NICRA, CRIDA and IIHR to study the weed shift, weed dynamics, weed-crop interference, fast spreading of weeds under elevated CO2 concentration and elevated temperature regime. At the end of the session, Dr Bhaskar interacted with PIs and other scientists and urged them to implement the experiments with true spirit without any mistake. The Plenary Session was ended with vote of thanks proposed by Dr Shobha Sondhia, I/C, AICRP-Weed Management.