Hyderabad: Grape Research Station to welcome visitors with tempting berries

Rajendranagar: After a year-long wait, the grape research station Rajendranagar has prepared yet again to welcome the visitors with tempting bunches of berries as only three days were left for an auction of fruits before the station decides a date of exhibition-cum-sale generally for the public.

Unlike last year where only 35 varieties of grapes were raised in the station, this time the research facility has come up with 61 species of berries that include two new juice varieties beside one table variety.

"This time, around 61 table, raisin, juice and wine varieties of grapes were raised in an area of 2.5 acres in the station and they are presently in the fruiting stage. Two juice varieties such as H-516 also known as (ARI 516) and Manjari Medika besides a table variety called Manjari Shyama were released and recommended to Telangana state. Apart from this, new plantation was taken up in another 1.5 acres of land besides a rejuvenation proposal wherein the already existing vines, which have been completed their economic life, will be replaced with the new one at Old Horticulture Block," informed Dr.K.Venkat Laksmi, Scientist (Horticulture) and Head Grape Research Station, Rajendranagar.

The auction of grapes will be held on February 16 and later the date of exhibition-cum-sale will be decided. It is said that the Grape Research Station, that was performing under the aegis of All India Co-ordinated Fruit Improvement Programme since the year 1975, has now flourishing under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP - Fruits) since 2013 and comes under Southern Telangana Agro climatic region.

The Research Station, she further said, provides guidance to research students and conducts a number of paid-up trials for national and multinational companies as part of Public Private Partnership (PPP). Having facilitated with plants, soil and water analysis, the facility also propagates root cutting of grape varieties and carries out evaluations in the station.

However, it is said that this time the government has selected the Sri Konda Laxman Telangana University under Telangana State Council of Science and Technology (TSCOST) wherein the students from local government high school will be allowed to visit the station as part of the science day celebrations.

Before the grape station was thrown open for the public, the official said, the students of local government High school will be allowed to have a look and expand their horizon with up-to-the-minute information regarding the throughput involved in raising different varieties of grapes in the station.