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Maharana Pratap Horticultural University

Maharana Pratap Horticultural University (MHU) is a state public university in Karnal, Haryana, India, dedicated to higher education, research and extension in the field of horticulture. It is named after the sixteenth-century Mewar ruler Maharana Pratap, and is among the few universities in India established with an exclusive focus on horticultural sciences.

Key facts

Name Maharana Pratap Horticultural University
Type State public university
Discipline focus Horticulture
Location Karnal, Haryana, India
Country India

Background

Haryana is one of the leading agricultural states in northern India and has a sizeable share of national production in fruits, vegetables, flowers, mushrooms, and spices. To support this sector with focused academic and research infrastructure, the Government of Haryana established a dedicated horticultural university, separating horticultural education from the broader remit of the existing agricultural university in Hisar. The institution is headquartered in Karnal, a district in north-central Haryana known for its agricultural research ecosystem, including the National Dairy Research Institute and the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research.

Mandate and activities

As a state horticultural university, MHU's mandate broadly covers:

  • Undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral education in horticulture and allied disciplines.
  • Research on fruit crops, vegetables, flowers, plantation crops, medicinal and aromatic plants, post-harvest technology, and protected cultivation.
  • Extension activities aimed at farmers, including training programmes, advisory services, and dissemination of improved varieties and technologies.
  • Coordination with research stations and centres of excellence on horticulture located in different agro-climatic zones of Haryana.

Significance

The creation of a separate horticultural university reflects a wider trend in India, where states such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh have established stand-alone horticultural universities to give the sector dedicated academic attention. For Haryana, MHU is intended to strengthen the state's diversification away from the wheat–rice cropping pattern by promoting high-value horticultural crops, protected cultivation, and value addition.

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