{"id":5384,"date":"2026-07-09T09:56:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=5384"},"modified":"2026-07-09T09:56:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:56:15","slug":"sindh-agriculture-university-approves-phd-research-on-sunflower-yield-and-nutritional-quality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=5384","title":{"rendered":"Sindh Agriculture University Approves PhD Research on Sunflower Yield and Nutritional Quality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tandojam:<\/strong> Sindh Agriculture University (SAU), Tandojam, has approved the award of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)<\/strong> degree to researcher Deepak Raj Goswami<\/strong> following the successful completion of a significant study aimed at improving sunflower seed yield, edible oil quality, and iron biofortification<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The approval was granted during a meeting of the Board of Advanced Studies and Research (BASR)<\/strong>, chaired by Vice Chancellor Engr. Prof. Dr. Altaf Ali Siyal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research comes at a time when Pakistan is facing major challenges, including rising imports of edible oil, declining agricultural productivity, and widespread nutritional deficiencies. Agricultural experts believe that scientific research is essential not only for strengthening the country’s farming sector but also for improving food security and reducing the economic burden of imports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deepak Raj Goswami, a PhD scholar in the Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Crop Production<\/strong>, completed his dissertation titled “Improving Seed Yield, Oil Quality, and Iron Biofortification in Sunflower through Optimum Plant Growth and Balanced Nutrient Management.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the researcher, Pakistan currently imports 70 to 80 percent<\/strong> of its edible oil requirements, spending billions of rupees in foreign exchange every year<\/strong>. He emphasized that adopting scientifically recommended cultivation practices for sunflower could substantially increase domestic edible oil production and reduce reliance on imports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research was based on two years of field experiments<\/strong>, during which various cultivation techniques were evaluated. These included different planting methods, plant population management, row orientation, and the application of balanced fertilizers to determine their effects on crop performance, oil quality, and nutritional value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the major highlights of the study is its focus on iron biofortification<\/strong>, a process aimed at increasing the iron content of sunflower seeds. The researcher noted that iron deficiency anemia remains a serious public health concern in Pakistan<\/strong>, particularly among women and children. Enhancing the iron concentration in sunflower could contribute to the production of more nutritious edible oil and improve the dietary intake of essential micronutrients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings indicate that proper nutrient management and optimized crop production practices can significantly improve both the quantity and quality of sunflower seeds while simultaneously enhancing their nutritional profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on the occasion, Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Altaf Ali Siyal<\/strong> congratulated Deepak Raj Goswami and his supervisory team for successfully completing the research. He said the university is committed to promoting scientific studies that deliver practical benefits to farmers, the agricultural sector, the national economy, and food security<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the sunflower research has the potential to play an important role in increasing Pakistan’s domestic edible oil production, supporting agricultural development, reducing dependence on imported oil, and lowering the country’s import bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research was conducted under the supervision of Associate Professor Dr. Muhammad Nawaz Kandhro<\/strong> of the Department of Agronomy. The supervisory committee also included Dr. Mahmooda Buriro, Dr. Ghulam Murtaza Jamro, and Dr. Siraj Ahmed Channa<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agricultural experts believe the study offers practical recommendations that could help improve sunflower cultivation across Pakistan. If adopted on a larger scale, these modern agronomic practices could boost crop productivity, enhance the nutritional quality of edible oil, and contribute to the country’s long-term goals of achieving greater food security and agricultural sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The successful completion of the research also reflects Sindh Agriculture University’s continued emphasis on innovation and applied agricultural science, reinforcing its role in developing solutions to some of Pakistan’s most pressing agricultural and nutritional challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tandojam: Sindh Agriculture University (SAU), Tandojam, has approved the award of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree to researcher Deepak Raj Goswami following the successful..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-07-09-at-9.40.53-AM-1.jpeg",988,1280,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-07-09-at-9.40.53-AM-1-150x150.jpeg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-07-09-at-9.40.53-AM-1-232x300.jpeg",232,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-07-09-at-9.40.53-AM-1-768x995.jpeg",768,995,true],"large":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-07-09-at-9.40.53-AM-1-790x1024.jpeg",790,1024,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-07-09-at-9.40.53-AM-1.jpeg",988,1280,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-07-09-at-9.40.53-AM-1.jpeg",988,1280,false]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"Pakistan<\/a>","tag_info":"Pakistan","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5386,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5384\/revisions\/5386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}