New Delhi, 19th Oct, 2023 – A path-defining memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi; ICAR-Indian Institute of Seed Science, Mau, Uttar Pradesh and Plasma Water Solutions India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of a fast emerging US Ag Tech company, Plasma Water Solutions Inc.
The agreement was signed by Dr. Chinnusamy Viswanathan, JD(R), ICAR-IARI, New Delhi; Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Director, ICAR- IISS, Mau & Ms. Pragya Kalia, MD, PWS India in the presence of Dr. Shiv Kumar Yadav, Principal Investigator & Principal Scientist, Division of Seed Science and Technology (DSST), ICAR-IARI; Dr. Sangita Yadav, Principal Scientist, DSST, ICAR-IARI and Dr. Pramod Kumar, In-charge PME Cell, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi.
Plasma Water Solutions proprietary breakthrough cold-plasma technology converts water from any source, in continuous flow & real time to Plasma-ized WaterTM (PW). PW technology is used for seed treatment, crop spray and irrigation to enhance productivity through faster and more efficient germination, accelerated growth, preventing the transmission of plant pathogens and enhancing stress tolerance during the crops cycle. Under this MOU, IARI and IISS of ICAR will undertake standardization of seed treatment (ST) in various crops, validating the standardized ST in demonstrations/field trials at different locations and generating data under the research project entitled “Standardization, Performance Evaluation and Field Demonstrations of PW Treatments for Enhanced Planting Value in Wheat, Mustard, Lentil, and Tomato crops against heat stress and normal conditions.”
Complimenting the two teams from Germany, Robert Hardt, President and CEO, Plasma Water Solutions Inc, said, “ours is a science based technology & we believe in continuous refinement by joining hands with the leading science & research institutes globally keeping customers at the centre of all our R&D efforts. We are extremely proud to be associated with the Apex organisation, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), in India & wish to see this working in favour of Indian farmers.”
“Enhancing productivity in the most climate smart sustainable manner is a key objective of IARI. We look forward to work on this tech along with PWS India to study the utility of PW technology to enhance crop productivity sustainably,” said Dr. Chinnusamy Viswanathan, Joint Director (Research), ICAR-IARI, New Delhi.
Speaking on the occasion, Pragya Kalia, MD, Plasma Water Solutions India, said, “this is a strategic step towards making our technology effective for small farmers of India. Through ICAR partnership, we would not just validate & demonstrate benefits of our tech for natural farming & productivity but also standardize the applications considering various agro-climatic conditions & local practices.”
About Plasma Water Solutions (I) Pvt Ltd:
Plasma Water Solutions Inc. is a US based technology company with subsidiaries in India, Germany and Chile. The Company specializes in low temperature plasma technology to create innovative water solutions for plant, water and soil health. Its patented breakthrough technology generates Plasma-ized WaterTM, a new kind of water that has been proven to boost the quality and amount of agricultural output, supporting sustainable & natural agricultural practices thereby increasing food productivity. Using just water and electricity, it generates Plasma-ized WaterTM in continuous flow, on demand, at the point of use. It has also created a solution for monitoring water quality in real-time for industrial processes, defence and security. For more information, please visit www.plasmawaters.com
About Indian Council of Agricultural Research:
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an apex research organization of the country with a high standing amongst international agricultural research institutions. Since its inception in 1929, the Council has been spearheading agricultural research, education and extension activities for productivity enhancement and diversification of Indian agriculture. ICAR and the National Agricultural Research and Education System at large, are determined to harness the advances of science for the welfare of society. The Council is committed to transform itself into an organization engaged fully with the farmers, industry, entrepreneurs and consumers at large.
ICAR-IARI provides leadership for “Science-led sustainable and globally competitive agriculture for food, nutrition and livelihood security”
ICAR-IISS ensures seed security to the farmers through technological intervention for sustainable agriculture.
For more information, please visit www.icar.org.in
