Punjab Agriculture University appoints P S Sandhu, Mahesh Kumar and T S Riar as new additional directors.

Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has appointed three senior scientists, P S Sandhu, Mahesh Kumar and T S Riar, to top administrative positions for a four-year term, the university said.

The appointments were approved during the monthly meeting of PAU’s board of management, chaired by vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal.

At PAU, Sandhu has joined as additional director of extension education, while Kumar has been appointed additional director of research (Food Engineering). Riar has been given a second term as the additional director of communication.

PAU new directors research

The university said that Sandhu brings extensive experience in plant pathology, research, extension and teaching, and has been associated with the evaluation and release of 23 oilseed crop varieties, including rapeseed-mustard, groundnut and sesame.

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The university further noted that Sandhu reported the “first source of resistance” to Sclerotinia rot of rapeseed-mustard and identified Diplotaxis erucoides as a resistance source to Alternaria blight, “a pathogen to which no source of resistance was available so far.”

Kumar, with more than 25 years of experience in food processing, has executed 16 externally-funded projects worth Rs 366 lakh, and supported cooperative societies and self-help groups with agro-processing centres and modern jaggery units, the university said.

It added that he played “a pivotal role” in establishing PAU’s APC Centre and developed innovations, including the PAU Portable Maize Dryer and magnetic field-assisted freezing, both of which “got patent.”

Riar has contributed to strengthening farmer outreach through print, electronic and digital platforms, and promoted farmer linkages through initiatives like PAU Kisan Club, PAU Beekeepers’ Association and PAU Organic Growers’ Club, university said in the official release.

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He has been involved in training camps, Kisan Melas and live demonstrations, and in issuing “timely weather-based advisory” for farmers. Riar has recently received the “Community Mobilisation Award” for contributions to extension education.

The university said the new appointments reflect a push to strengthen research, innovation and field-level agricultural communication across Punjab.