Genesis
The Department of Agronomy was started in the year 1965. Initially, it was headed by an Associate Professor of Agronomy supported by a team of lecturers and Farm Management staff. It was involved in teaching of agronomy for graduate students. Later, the department had a status research wing with the start of Post Graduate programme in the year 1969. Further, it grew into a fully equipped department for teaching and research in agronomy with the offering of Ph.D. programme during 1989 and since then this department has been catering the research needs of various aspects of crop production and also provides solutions to the farm management problems faced by the farming community. It also serves as nodal department for various extension activities for dissemination of resource management strategies to the farming community. The department has mandate to develop cost effective and appropriate production technology for efficient and optimal use of resources in a sustainable manner.
Vision
To provide graduate, post graduate, teaching and develop human resources, to undertake agronomic research by developing new concepts and approaches of sustainable crop production and to augment the process of capacity building of different stake holders in crop production technologies.
To be the fore runner in evolving soil and crop management prescriptions for doubling the farmers income and improving the standard of living of farming community.
Mission
“More crop per drop of water” through advanced water management techniques including micro irrigation
“More grain per gram of soil” through soil nutrient management techniques including fertigation
“More productivity per unit of resources”
Strategies
- Providing qualitative education and develop expertise in Agronomic field
- Developing overall personality of the students during their graduation
- Providing site specific water resource management for high water use efficiency/crop production
- Developing site specific nutrient management strategies for various crops and cropping systems for PVC command, garden land and dry land ecosystems
- Evaluating newly developed/ technologies for reduction in cost of cultivation including organic agriculture
- Conservation and utilization of natural resources
Achievements
During its sojourn of around 50 years it has touched many a milestone of achievements and in the process has carved a prominent niche in the academic arena of the nation. Till date the department has produced more than 150 M.Sc. (Ag) and 100 Ph.D. degree holders who were/are holding key positions in Agricultural Universities, Colleges, ICAR Institutions, NGOs, Banks, Public Sector Units and Administrative services. The department offers courses at Graduate, Master’s and Ph.D. levels in crop production, soil fertility, water management and weed management. Several coordinated, collaborative and ad-hoc research projects funded by ICAR, World Bank, DST, DBT, UGC, Norwegian projects were/are operating in the department. Significant research achievements have been made in natural resource management, conservation agriculture, cropping system, water management, farming system models, integrated nutrient management, crop agronomy, bio herbicide from plant products etc. Specifically the department handles one permanent All India Coordinated Research Projects funded by ICAR viz; Irrigation Water Management. For the first time in the history of the Institute in the year 2017, the Department was awarded Funds for the improvement of Science and Technology Infrastructure (DST-FIST-2017) to the cost Rs 45.0 lakhs by the DST in recognition of its exemplary contribution to the subject by the staff and students of the department.
Future thrust
- Reducing water footprint in agricultural sector
- Developing sensor based micro irrigation techniques to increase the water use efficiency
- Developing agronomic strategy to overcome the challenges of climate change
AWARDS & HONOURS
| Sl. No. | Details of Award | Award received by the Students | Awarded by | Date /Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best M.Sc. thesis Award | Th. R. Thirumalaikumar | Indian Society of weed Science |
2014 |
| 2 | Best poster Award 2nd Agricultural Graduate Student Conference | Th. R. Thirumalaikumar | TNAU | 2014 |
| 3 | Best poster Award National Expo on Assemblage of Innovative Ideas / Work of posts Graduate Agricultural Research scholars. | Th. P. Balasubramanian | TNAU | 2015 |
| 4 | Best Ph.D thesis Award | Ms. N.Viji | TNAU | 2016 |
| 5 | Best Ph.D student Award | Ms. N.Viji | TNAU | 2016 |
| 6 | Best poster Award 4th International Agronomy Congress at New Delhi | Th. A. Mohammad Ashraf | ISA, New Delhi | 2016 |
| 7 | Best poster Award 4th International Agronomy Congress at
New Delhi |
Ms. R. Rajalakshmi | ISA, New Delhi | 2016 |
| 8 | Best Ph.D thesis Award | Ms.N.Viji | Indian Society of weed Science | 2017 |
| 9 | Best Ph.D student Award | Ms. M. Dhana Nivetha | TNAU | 2017 |
| 10 | Best Ph.D Crop Research in Agronomy | Th.S.Bojaraja | TNAU | 2017 |
| 11 | Best Research Paper Award | Th.M. Mohana keerthi | Publisher of Trans stellar(TJPRC) Journal Chennai | 2017 |
| 12 | Student Travel Grant Award to attend 26th Asian Pacific Weed Science Society Conference, 2017 at Kyoto, Japan | Th. R. Thirumalaikumar | DST-SERB | 2017 |
| 13 | Student Travel Grant Award from ISWS to attend biennial conference at ,Udaipur Rajasthan | Th. R. Thirumalaikumar | Indian Society of Weeds science | 2017 |
| 14 | UGC – Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Award for Ph.D for pursuing Ph.D programme |
Th V. Kannan |
UGC |
2014 |
| 15 | UGC – Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Award for Ph.D for pursuing Ph.D programme | Th. M. Vijaya kumar | UGC | 2014 |
| 16 | UGC – Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Award for Ph.D for pursuing Ph.D programme | Th.M. Mohana keerthi | UGC | 2016 |
| 17 | UGC – Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Award for Ph.D for pursuing Ph.D programme | Th. R. Thirumalaikumar | UGC | 2016 |
| 18. | Post Doctor Fellow award under AMMA CHAIR INNOVATION Programme, Tamil Nadu | M.Anabarasan | TNAU, CBE | 2019 |
| 19. | Thiru D.R. Thirunavukkarasu Award for the Best Ph.D Student in Agronomy | A.Bharathi | TNAU, CBE | 2019 |
| 20 | Prof. Dr. M. Premsekhar & PG Scholars Award for the Best Ph.D Research in Agronomy on Water Management | A.Bharathi | TNAU, CBE | 2019 |
| 21 | Dr. SP. Palaniappan Award for the Best Ph.D thesis in Agronomy | N. Bommayasamy | TNAU, CBE | 2019 |
Awards and Recognition by the staff
| Sl. No. | Details of award | Awards received by the staff | Awarded by | Date /Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Best Extension worker Award | Dr.N.S. Venkatarman | TNAU | 2013-14 |
| 2. | Best Extension worker Award | Dr.V.K.Paulpandi | TNAU | 2014 |
| 3. | Best Teacher Award | Dr.J. Prabhaharan | TNAU | 2015 |
| 4. | Best Extension worker Award | Dr.V.K. Paulpandi | Malarum Velanmai | 2015 |