Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Rohru Rohru, Shimla(HP)

HON'BLE GOVERNOR

Sh. Kavinder Gupta

HON'BLE GOVERNOR HP

●

HON'BLE CHIEF MINISTER

Sh. Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu

HON'BLE CHIEF MINISTER HP

🏛

VICE CHANCELLOR

Dr. Harminder Singh Baweja

HON'BLE VICE CHANCELLOR

➜

Dr. Usha Sharma
Senior Scientist & Head

Established in May 1995, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Shimla at Rohru is a frontline agricultural and horticultural extension center dedicated to empowering farmers through technology dissemination, skill development, and on-farm demonstrations. Located at Rohru in District Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, the KVK functions under the guidance of Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry and operates within the jurisdiction of ICAR-ATARI Zone-I. Serving Shimla district—the largest apple-producing district of Himachal Pradesh with nearly 38,000 hectares under apple cultivation—the KVK plays a pivotal role in promoting sustainable horticultural practices, enhancing farm productivity, and improving rural livelihoods. Since its establishment, the centre has been actively engaged in capacity building, training, and technology transfer, reaching thousands of farmers and stakeholders. Recognized for its outstanding contribution to agricultural development, KVK Shimla was honored as the Best KVK of Himachal Pradesh in 2025, reflecting its commitment to innovation, farmer welfare, and excellence in extension services.

Mandate

KVK Shimla at Rohru serves as the critical bridge between agricultural research and the farming communities of Shimla district. It operates as the frontline extension arm of Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, Nauni, functioning under the ICAR–ATARI Zone-I, Ludhiana framework.

Core Mandate Areas

Technology Assessment & Refinement: Evaluation of location-specific agricultural technologies under farmers' field conditions
Frontline Demonstrations (FLD): Large-scale demonstration of recommended packages of practices in major crops
Capacity Building: Training of farmers, farm women, rural youth, and extension functionaries
Farmer Advisory Services: Timely, science-based field and ICT-mediated advisories to farming community
On-Farm Research (OFT): Problem-oriented, farmer-participatory research to address field-level constraints

Strengths

University-backed institutional strength: Direct access to scientific expertise of India's premier horticulture university, Dr. YS Parmar UHF, Nauni.
Soil Testing Laboratory: Precision nutrient management with soil analysis-based fertilizer recommendations optimizing returns and minimizing environmental risk.
Training & Residential Infrastructure: 80-seat training hall, 30-seat conference facility, and 25-bed farmers' hostel enabling intensive multi-day learning programmes.
Water Security: Borewell + 1.30 lakh litres rainwater harvesting storage ensures uninterrupted irrigation across all farm activities.
Automated Bio-fermenter: On-farm production of liquid bio-fertilisers and botanical plant-protection products, reducing external input dependency.
Precision Agriculture Infrastructure: Automatic weather station, soil moisture/temperature sensors, and fogger spraying assembly for data-driven farm management.
Natural Farming Unit (3-Star CETARA Certified): Replicable model for farmers transitioning from chemical-intensive cultivation under local agro-climatic conditions.
Quality Nursery Production: ~8,000 temperate fruit plants produced annually for direct farmer supply.
Land Reclamation: ~5 bigha of previously barren land brought under productive cultivation; 2,000+ plants established across 1.5 ha.
Highest-impact mandate area: Operating within Shimla district — ~38,000 ha under apple cultivation — giving every intervention unmatched scale of relevance.
National & State Recognition: 3rd Best KVK in Zone-I (2021); Best KVK of Himachal Pradesh (2025).

Faculty

Research

Integrated Disease & Pest Management: IPM protocols for Marssonina blotch, Alternaria leaf spot, powdery mildew, white root rot, collar rot, and fruit fly — reducing chemical load while maintaining productivity
Soil Health & Precision Nutrient Mgmt: Evidence-based nutrient management through systematic soil testing, organic matter enhancement, and site-specific fertilizer recommendations
Crop Diversification: On-farm evaluation of stone fruits (cherry, peach, plum), kiwi, pomegranate, and medicinal & aromatic plants to reduce income dependence on apple monoculture
Climate-Resilient Horticulture: Location-specific adaptation strategies for apple orchards facing extreme rainfall, hailstorms, and shifting disease pressure windows
Agroforestry Integration: Boundary tree models combining temperate fruit, timber, and fodder species for diversified, ecologically sustainable hill farming systems

Major Ongoing Research Projects

#	Project Title	PI	Funding Agency	Key Deliverable
1	Sustainable Apple Farming Demo Unit — Natural Farming & Micro-Irrigation Integration	Dr. Usha Sharma	RKVY, DoA HP Shimla	NF demo at scale; micro-irrigation integration; regenerative apple model
2	FLD on Integrated Management in Pea — Natural Farming Approach, Shimla District	Dr. Usha Sharma	Dy. Director Agri., DoA HP	Multilocational FLDs; reduced input cost
3	FLD on Integrated Management of Late & Early Blight in Tomato, Nerwa	Dr. Usha Sharma	Dy. Director Agri., DoA HP	IPM-based FLDs; disease loss reduction; yield/income improvement

Achievements Technologies / Project Developed

Integrated management of powdery mildew
Integrated Fruit Fly Management in Cucurbits — bio-traps (25/ha) + field sanitation + deep ploughing
Natural Farming practices in apple — Jeevamrit, Ghanjeevamrit, Acchadan, Wapsa channels, Khatti lassi
Integrated approach for management of White Root Rot & Collar Rot in apple
Systematic Soil Health Assessment Protocol — 732-sample block-wise survey, Shimla district
Regression-based OC-Nitrogen model for apple orchard soils

Patent Filed

Application Title: A Multi-Component Microbial Orchard Management System for Apple Orchards

Significance: First patent from KVK Shimla; integrates multiple microbial components for holistic orchard disease management

Technology for POP

Year-Round Natural Farming Practices for Sustainable and Profitable Apple Production- 2025 (Package of Practices for Fruit Crops)

Extension

Achievements (2025-26)

2,369
Farmers in Trainings

1,716
Farmers Visits to KVK

1,124
Advisory Services

732
Soil Samples (Survey)

97
Workshops / Camps

94
Field Visits by Team

81
Diagnostic Visits

350
Mobile Advisories

Key Extension Highlights

Apple Foliar Disease Response Campaign: Following an unprecedented Marssonina blotch and Alternaria leaf spot outbreak triggered by 50–64% above-normal rainfall in May–June 2025, KVK Shimla organised eight interdisciplinary field assessment teams across Kotkhai, Jubbal, Rohru, Chirgaon, Rampur, and Chopal blocks. In February 2026, awareness camps were conducted across four blocks reaching 1,002 farmers, providing evidence-based disease management advisories. Orchards following university recommendations recorded only 2.67–6.11% severity, down from severe infections in 2024.
Comprehensive District Soil Health Survey: KVK Shimla conducted a systematic soil fertility assessment of 732 soil samples across all blocks — the largest soil survey ever conducted in Shimla district. Key findings: mean soil pH 5.70 (below optimal 5.8–6.2); nitrogen deficient in ~39% of orchards; phosphorus at excessive levels (>72% samples above 50 kg/ha); potassium surplus in >45% of samples. This dataset forms the evidence base for future block-level precision fertilizer advisories.
Pesticide Usage Pattern Survey: A structured survey of 50 apple growers characterised socio-economic profiles, technology adoption, income, and pesticide use behaviour — providing targeted guidance for IPM promotion, mechanisation support, and FPO strengthening.
ICT-Based Farmer Outreach: KVK Shimla disseminated timely crop advisories through WhatsApp groups, Kisan Sarathi, YouTube, DD Kisan, Krishi Doordarshan Shimla, and online platforms — enabling near-zero marginal cost digital extension reaching 5,000+ farmers per advisory cycle.
School & College Student Training — New Initiative (2025–26): As a new initiative, KVK Shimla commenced training school and college students in scientific horticultural operations and practical agricultural activities, developing grassroots ambassadors of modern farming within their families and communities.

Awards & Recognitions (2025-26)

#	Recipient	Award	Awarded by / at	Date
1	KVK Shimla (Institution)	Best KVK of Himachal Pradesh – 2025	Annual Zonal Workshop of KVKs, SKUAST Jammu	24 Dec 2025
2	Dr. Nagender Pal Butail (Scientist)	Young Scientist Award	ICAR Foundation Day, ATARI Zone-I, Ludhiana	11 Jan 2026
3	Dr. Shikha Bhagta (Scientist)	Best KVK Scientist Award	13th International Conference ICAHFAS-2026, Shimla	18 Mar 2026

Infrastructure & Facilities

Facility / Equipment	Details	Status
Administrative Building	Office block, meeting room, reception — KVK campus at Rohru	Operational
Research Laboratory	Soil testing, plant tissue analysis, water analysis, pest identification	Operational
Training Hall	Capacity 80 participants; farmer trainings, seminars, student programmes	Operational
Conference Hall	30-participant fully equipped conference/AV facility	Operational
Farmers' Hostel	25-bed residential hostel for multi-day capacity building programmes	Operational
Farm Land	~37 bigha total; ~33 bigha productive demonstration area	Operational
Nursery Block	~3 bigha; ~8,000 quality temperate fruit plants/year (apple)	Operational
Borewell	Year-round water supply for demo blocks and nursery	Operational (2025–26)
Water Storage Tanks	80,000 L + 50,000 L capacity — total 1.30 lakh litres on-farm storage	Operational
Automatic Bio-fermenter	Automated production of Jeevamrit and other bio-inputs for NF demonstrations	Operational (2025–26)
Automatic Weather Station	Real-time temperature, humidity, and rainfall data collection	Being installed
Soil Moisture & Temp Sensors	Sensor-based precision irrigation scheduling	Being installed
Fogger Spraying Assembly	Uniform spray coverage; reduces spray time and hired labour requirements	Being installed