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The Department, Genetics and Plant Breeding, is rendering quality education and research on the area of crop improvement since inception of the University. Department is generating new knowledge and understanding about the genetics and breeding of crops, and the roles diversity and the environment play in the promotion of a sustainable and economically sound agricultural system and ecosystem of the state. Department is tetra-partitioned into Genetics, Plant Breeding, Plant Physiology and Seed Science & Technology in 1998 but two departments, Genetics and Plant Breeding again amalgamated into a single department, Genetics and Plant Breeding on 2013. It is operating under the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture and spread over two floors above the department, Agronomy. All the faculty members of this discipline, including Burdwan and Bankura campus are the member of the ‘Board of Study’ where Head of the department functions as the chairman along with two external (other than BCKV) members.

The department integrate traditional plant breeding approaches with emerging technologies and strategies in genomics and biotechnology. We educate the next generation of plant breeders to be well-qualified geneticists with training in statistics, biochemistry, physiology, pathology, molecular genetics, genomics and bioinformatics. Alumni of the department are discharging responsibilities not only in state agriculture administration and research but also as scientist and administration in almost all agricultural universities and research station across the country. Major research areas are given below:

• Cereals: Rice; High yielding rice lines suitable for the replacement of existing varieties like Swarna, Satabdi, GB1, GB3 etc. Pyramiding of multiple stress tolerances like drought, P-deficiency, arsenic. Wheat: High yielding disease resistance varieties suitable for short winter spell. Maize: High yielding quality maize hybrid suitable for multiple cropping sequences.
• Pulse: Lentil; Highy yielding extra-early small seeded variety with collar rot and stemphyllium resistance suitable for rice fallow. Genomic analysis of terminal heat and drought tolerance, nodulation, viability, earliness etc. Greengram; Bruchid and YMIV tolerance, high yielding and small seeded. Chickpea; resistance against seedling diseases, high yielding terminal heat tolerance, P-deficiency tolerance etc. Lathyrus; Low ODAP containing, small seeded high yielding lines suitable for both food and feed.
• Oilseeds:High yielding juncea and campestris lines resistance against aphid, black spot etc suitable for rice based cropping sequence.
• Jute and other crops: Jute: High yielding lines with finer fibre quality, Refinement of seed production strategies of jute. YVM resistance okra, high yielding dual purpose rice bean etc. Breeding of flowers and ornamental plants suitable for short season environment of the state.
• The genetic basis of photosynthesis productivity and efficiency under fluctuating light is under investigation along with allele mining of high yielding genesfor breaking the yield barrier of rice.
• Repository of huge genetic materials for large number of crops including rice (500), wheat (200), lentil (250), chickpea (150), mungbean (150), and different flowers (chrysanthemum, tropical orchids, gerbera, tuberose, anthurium, gladiolus,etc.) are the main stay of research on both crop improvement and management.

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