The research on Byadagi chilli conducted by scientists at Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences (KSNUAHS) in Shivamogga has secured a patent for the university from the Patent Office of the Government of India.
Research scholar Dr. Bhaganna Haralayya conducted the research under the guidance of H.D. Mohan Kumar, Professor of Genetics and Plant Breeding at KSNUAHS, according to a press release issued by the university on Monday.
Byadagi chilli, named after Byadagi town in Haveri district, is grown in Dharwad, Gadag, Bagalkot, Belagavi, and parts of Chitradurga, Davangere, and Chikkamagaluru districts. The chilli has demand in the food, cosmetics, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and textile industries. It is also exported as oleoresin to the US, Europe, and West Asian countries.
Due to its unique characteristics, it also has a geographical indication (GI). Dr. Mohan Kumar, when he was working at the Chilli Breeder research station of UAS Dharwad, played a role in getting the GI tag.
With farmers and scientists noticing that the chilli was losing its quality features and yield, experts felt the need for genetic purification and improvement of yield potential without sacrificing the original qualities. Mohan Kumar and PhD scholar Bhaganna Haralayya initiated research work in 2015 and succeeded in developing and standardising the method for in-vitro androgenesis for the production of double haplods in Byadagi chilli.
The same has been accorded with a patent by the the Patent Office of the Government of India. This is the first patent that the university has received so far, the release added.
