Plant Health Clinic

Plant Health Clinic (PHC) at the Directorate of Research, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (BCKV), Kalyani, was established in 2007 with the financial support of the National Horticultural Mission.  Later in 2008, a project was sanctioned by the Department of Food Processing Industries and Horticulture, Government of West Bengal, on ‘Horticultural Crop Pests Mapping and Pest’s Advisory Services in West Bengal’, for a period of three years, and at present, one crop doctor and three research fellows are working at PHC.

A Toll-Free telephone number of 1800 345 5235 was installed, which could be accessed from 11 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. (Monday to Friday only). The number could be accessed from any mobile, landline, WLL etc. and if no person is attending the call from farmers, agricultural development officers (ADO)/SMS/NGOs/Commercial growers etc., the call will automatically be diverted to two mobile numbers of expert members.

Besides, PHC is in partnership with the Association for Advancement in Plant Protection (AAPP), where experts from different disciplines and senior or retired professors of plant pathology, entomology, and sciences from BCKV are actively supporting and/or guiding to achieve the goal of the clinic.

Currently, the services extended through PHC are:

• Attending telephone Calls (Toll-Free service) and providing pest advisory services primarily on crop protection problems
• Attending the new/emerging problems in the farmers’ field with a team of scientists and documenting the problems for advanced research.
• Extending detection and diagnostic services for insects, mites, nematodes, and plant pathogens.
• Imparting ‘Hands-on Training on identification of plant parasitic nematodes’ for research scientists/teachers and scholars/NGOs.
• Organizing farmers' meetings on crop protection problems at farmers’ fields.
• Forming a network with Computer Extension Officers (ADOs/SMS/NGOs for gathering/documenting field problems and their solution (IT interface with crop protection) 
• Organizing lectures/brain storming sessions/training/nematode awareness day etc.
• Publishing Newsletter/Bengali colourful diagnostic bulletin/leaf let etc. in collaboration with AAPP.
• Formulating research projects on emerging pest problems of crops in West Bengal

Expert members from BCKV

Plant Pathology

  Prof. D.C.Khatua, Plant Pathologist
            Cell: +91 9339216493

  Dr. Sujit K.Ray, Plant Pathologist
            Cell: +91 9433544812, Email: sujitkray2005@yahoo.com

  Dr. Jayanta Tarafdar, Plant Virologist
            Cell: +91 9830342320, Email: jayanta.tcbckv@gmail.com

  Dr. Subarata Dutta, Plant Bacteriologist
            Cell: +91 9474146207, Email: subrata_mithu@yahoo.co.in

Entomology

  Prof. Shantanu Jha, Entomologist
            Cell: +91 9433011529, Email: sjha2007@gmail.com

  Dr. Krishna Karmakar, Acarologist
            Cell: +91 9433565207, Email: acarikarmakar@rediffmail.com

  Dr. Bijan Kumar Das, Entomologist
            Cell: +91 9433855394, Email: bkdas1963@rediffmail.com

Nematology

  Dr. M.R.Khan, Nematologist
            Cell: +91 9433362293, Email: mrkhanbckv@rediffmail.com


Weed Science

  Prof. R.K.Ghosh, Weed Scientist
            Cell: +91 9433145340, Email: rkgbckv@rediffmail.com

  Prof. P. S. Bera, Weed Scientist
            Cell: +919433732057, Email: psbera.bckv@gmail.com

Agronomy

  Prof. Swapan K. Mukherjee, Agronomist
            Cell: +91 9433039548, Email: drskm277@rediffmail.com

  Dr. C.K.Kundu, Agronomist
            Cell: +91 9433252351, Email: champakbckv@rediffmail.com

  Dr. Saon Banerjee, Agrometeorologist
            Cell: +91 9433605287, Email: sbaner2000@yahoo.com

Soil Science

  Dr. Kallol Bhattacharyaya, Soil Scientist
            Cell: +91 9433313050, Email: kallol_bckv23@rediffmail.com

Horticulture

  Prof. S. K. Dutta Ray, Pomologist
            Cell: +91 9434477061

  Prof. Abu Hasan, Pomologist
            Cell: +91 9433387586, Email: mdahasan_bckv@yahoo.com

  Dr. Susanta Sarkar, Pomologist
            Cell: +91 9432167495, Email. sks_bckv@rediffmail.com

  Dr. Manas K. Pandit, Vegetable Scientist
            Cell: +91 943332127, Email: mkumarpandit@yahoo.com

  Dr. Arup Chattopadhyay, Vegetable Scientist
            Cell: +91 9239402700, Email; chattopadhyay.arup@gmail.com

  Dr. (Mrs.) Madhumita Mitra, Floriculturist
            Cell: +919434822503, Email:madofflori40@rediffmail.com

  Dr. Anupam Pariari, Spices and Plantation Crop Scientist
            Cell: +91 9433438905, Email: anupampariari@yahoo.co.in   

Now that the service has been stopped, however, the farmers can share pest and disease problems via AAPP WhatsApp No. 9433362293.