PAU bids adieu to additional director research PPS Pannu

Ludhiana: Punjab Agricultural University held a farewell ceremony for PAU additional director research (natural resource and plant health management) Pushpinderpal Singh Pannu, who obtained superannuation today.

Acknowledging Pannu’s 34 years experience in plant pathology, PAU vice-chancellor (VC) Satbir Singh Gosal called him the most unassuming, benevolent and humble person. “His outstanding contributions will serve as a guiding light for fellow plant pathologists,” Gosal said.

College of Agriculture dean CS Aulakh delivered the welcome address during the ceremony. Highlighting Pannu’s research achievements, Aulakh said, “Pannu has made a remarkable contribution by developing a prediction model for yellow rust and karnal bunt of wheat based on weather parameters, and evolving fore-warning system as well as screening technique for false smut and karnal bunt of rice.”

Research work

Besides, he has been instrumental in the development of integrated management of yellow rust of wheat, Karnal bunt, sheath blight, sheath rot, false smut and foot rot of basmati rice, he added. Pannu has been awarded VP Bhinde Memorial Award from Indian Society of Mycology and Plant Pathology (2018), and Manjeet S Chinnan Award for being a distinguished professor at PAU (2015-16).

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PAU plant pathology department head PS Sandhu called Pannu an “untiring scientist” who has always been on his toes to disseminate technologies in Punjab for disease management in rice, basmati, wheat and potato. He has regularly monitored diseases of wheat and rice in Punjab and adjoining states from 1993 -2017, he said.

Expressing gratitude to the VC, senior officials, staff, faculty and students of the PAU, Pannu said this prestigious university has always provided him a leg-up to serve farmers during wretchedness. The whole-hearted cooperation and support of co-workers has been exhilarating and will be cherished forever, he added.

Pannu has also explored the source of primary inoculum (on maize) of false smut of rice in Jammu and Kashmir, and studied inheritance of rust of maize and rust of pearl millet.