Anil Kumar Singh

Banaras Hindu University continues to make significant strides in ensuring that its research benefits society and creates tangible impact. In a historic milestone, an agricultural technology developed by the university has been successfully transferred to industry. Star Agri-Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, has been licensed to use HUM 27 (Malaviya Jankranti), a new high-yielding mungbean variety developed by scientists from the Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences. Although BHU has introduced numerous innovations in agricultural research over the years, this marks the first time in the university’s 108-year history that an agricultural technology has been formally transferred to industry.

On Monday, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Banaras Hindu University and Star Agri-Seeds Pvt. Ltd. at the university’s Central Office. In the presence of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, the MoU was signed and exchanged by Registrar Prof. Arun Kumar Singh and Dr. Gyanendra Singh, Director (Research & Development), Star Agri-Seeds. Under this agreement, the research group led by Dr. Anil Kumar Singh from the Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding will supply seeds of this variety for the next five years.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi emphasized that the true purpose and direction of research are realized only when technology reaches society. He highlighted the vital role played by industry in this process and expressed confidence that more industrial partners will come forward in the future to adopt technologies developed at BHU. He congratulated the Institute of Agricultural Sciences on achieving this first-ever agricultural technology transfer.

Representing Star Agri-Seeds, Dr. Gyanendra Singh noted that BHU is actively developing new crop varieties and affirmed his organization’s commitment to bringing these innovations to farmers. He added that delivering the university’s high-quality seeds to the farming community can significantly contribute to farmer welfare and agricultural advancement.

HUM 27’s breeder, Dr. Anil Kumar Singh, explained that the variety can be cultivated in the interval between wheat and paddy, enabling farmers to reap the benefits of a third crop. Even under high temperatures and limited irrigation, the variety can yield about 18 quintals per hectare. He added that HUM 27 is suitable for spring and summer cultivation in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. Highlighting its key traits, he stated that the variety has bold, shiny green grains (5 g/100 seeds), is rich in protein (28.9%), has a short plant height (44 cm), and matures early (62–76 days).
Prof. Birinchi Sarma, Coordinator, Intellectual Property Rights & Technology Transfer Cell (IPR&TT), informed that the variety was released in 2023 by the Central Sub-Committee of the Government of India, New Delhi. He noted that there is strong nationwide demand for mungbean varieties suitable for summer sowing and that HUM 27 is rapidly becoming a preferred choice among farmers. He added that the IPR&TT Cell is continuously working to bring BHU’s technologies to society.

Prof. U.P. Singh, Director of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, stated that efforts are underway to transfer several other crop varieties developed by the university, with positive developments expected soon. Prof. Shravan Kumar Singh, Head of the Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, mentioned that HUM 27 is highly resistant to major diseases such as mungbean yellow mosaic, cercospora leaf spot, and powdery mildew, and is also tolerant to aphids and leaf miners.

The MoU signing was attended by Prof. Rajneesh Singh, Coordinator of the Legal Cell; Dr. Venugopal, Deputy Registrar, IPR-TT Cell; and other members of Star Agri-Seeds.

This marks BHU’s second achievement in the domain of technology transfer. Earlier, in July this year, a jointly developed technology by the Institute of Science and the Institute of Medical Sciences had also been successfully transferred.