Arsenic management :
Since 1998, University has taken a pivotal role in research activities on arsenic status in various food crops along with its load in irrigation water and soil. Temporal changes of arsenic in water-soil-crop continuum have also been assessed. At International level BCKV first time established the risk of arsenic intake to human through food chain. Considering the quality of research carried out in BCKV, ICAR has sanctioned a Niche Area of Excellence to BCKV in 2006 on, “Arsenic Management Options Including Organic Agriculture”. Subsequently World Bank sanctioned the first project of NAIP to BCKV entitled “Arsenic in Food-Chain: Cause, Effect and Mitigation”. Scientists of BCKV have proposed various mitigation options like: deficit irrigation, organic and inorganic amendments, screening of rice genotypes that reduces arsenic load in food grains and rice straw. Good number of bacterial strains has been isolated capable in transforming more toxic As-III to less toxic As-V as well as volatilization of soil arsenic. Researchers of the university have established the relationship of arsenic content in polished rice to arsenic concentration of human urine. BCKV is the only SAU having LC-ICP-MS, which helps in speciation of arsenic and other heavy metals. So far arsenic research group have published 32 research papers in high impact factor foreign journals. Arsenic research in BCKV is mainly sponsored by World Bank, ICAR, Dept. of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India. So far the university has received around Rs. 1000 lakhs from different organizations for research on arsenic contamination.
This university also took leadership on arsenic research in consortium mode with Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, National Dairy Research Institute, Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Geological Survey of India, Central Ground Water Board, State Water Investigation Department, Agriculture Department, Govt. of West Bengal, Central Soil Salinity Research Institute and DNGM Research Foundation.
Pesticide Residue Research:
BCKV has a widely acclaimed research unit with expertise in the field of pesticide residue analysis, metabolism and transformation of pesticides, chemistry of naturally occurring pesticides with a strong back up of sophisticated analytical instruments like GLC, HPLC, GC-MS/MS, LC-MS/MS, AAS, UV-VIS spectrophotometer, HPTLC, etc. for the analysis of all sorts of pesticides, heavy metals, herbal drugs, natural products etc. The university has established an
NABL accredited Export Testing Laboratory (ISO/IEC 17025:2005) funded by APEDA, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India to cater the needs of its stake holders and also to analyze the samples of Bio-village programme of the Govt. of West Bengal. The other facilities under the pesticide residue research unit include Water Quality Monitoring Laboratory (sponsored by the National River Conservation Directorate, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India), Regional Quality Control Laboratory for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (funded by Department of Food Processing and Horticulture, Govt. of West Bengal), Agro-Chemical Formulation Laboratory (sponsored under RKVY, Govt. of India). The university has developed a rich database on the status of pesticide residues in food and agricultural commodities and also on the status of water quality of the river Ganga in West Bengal.
Tuber Crops Research : The university has a widely acclaimed research set-up in the field of Tuber crop research with advanced facilities for Molecular and Crop genomics research and diagnostic laboratory for detection of viruses and production of virus free quality planting materials.The ICAR has approved the BCKV centre & ICAR-CTCRI, Trivandrum as DNA fingerprinting centre for all root & tuber crops. During past 10 years BCKV (Kalyani center) has released nine varieties of root and tuber crops.The ICAR approved BCKV as National Repository centre of Taro, Swamptaro and Elephant foot yam.The AICRP on Tuber Crops, Kalyani centre, BCKV has received Best Performing centre (in 2013) by ICAR, GOI, BCKV and ICAR-CTCRI(RC) Bhubaneswar have first time developed DUS guidlines of Elephant Foot yam and taro under PPV & FRA.
Climate Change studies:
To address the threat of climate change to agriculture and food security, the university has well developed Climate change laboratory under the Department of Agricultural Meteorology and Physics. The scientists of the university are the part of the ICAR funded Network Project on Climate Change (NPCC) and worked on the impact of climate change on performance of major crops in West Bengal. The climate change scenario generation, downscaling of projected climatic data and climate change impact study are also being studied under the project entitled “The Response of Hydrological System in India to Climate change” funded by Research Council of Norway. Studies have also been conducted on crop adaptation to climate change in Sundarban region (under RKVY). Presently, the University scientists are working under different components of National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA).