ICAR-IIPR Regional Station, Khordha

ICAR-IIPR Regional Station, Khordha (Odisha) was established on an area of 29.395 acres on 18 January 2020, following the signing of an MoU between the Government of Odisha and ICAR (IIPR, Kanpur), to cater to the need for research on pulses grown exclusively in the humid region, including urdbean, mungbean and pigeonpea. The region falls under the Eastern Ghats hot moist sub-humid eco sub-region (Agro-Ecological Sub-Region of ICAR), the East Coast Plain & Hill Region (Zone XI) of the Planning Commission’s agro-climatic zones and the East and South-Eastern Coastal Plain Zone (OR-4) of the NARP agro-climatic zones. The station lies in Khordha district of Odisha, at latitude 20.188°N, longitude 85.622°E and an altitude of 75 metres above MSL.

The bioclimatology of Khordha district is strongly influenced by its short radial distance from the Bay of Bengal and the presence of a large water body, the Chilika Lake. The district receives a normal rainfall of 1408 mm (68.4 rainy days), with maximum and minimum temperatures of 42.2°C and 11.1°C respectively. Most of the rain is received during the south-west monsoon (June–September, 1056.2 mm), while the north-east monsoon (October–December, 204.7 mm) and winter (January–February, 36.7 mm) rainfall are scanty. Mean relative humidity ranges from 46% to 89%. Situated in the East and South-Eastern coastal plain, the zone has sandy-loam, loam, clay-loam and clayey soils in varied agro-ecosystems, mostly acidic in nature and low in organic carbon. The major kharif crops of the region are rice, urdbean and pigeonpea; in rabi, rice, urdbean, mungbean, horsegram and cowpea.