Parthenium Awareness Week’ was organized by Department of Agronomy, School of Agricultural Sciences, Shri Guru Ram Rai University during 16-22 August, 2024. Parthenium hysterophorus (Family: Asteraceae), locally called gajar ghas is an alien weed which entered into India along with wheat imported from USA in the early 1950s. Since then it has spread alarmingly and invaded about 35 million hectares of land throughout the country. Parthenium is a poisonous, pernicious problematic, allergic and aggressive weed posing a serious threat to human beings and livestock. This weed is notorious to cause many diseases like skin allergy, hay fever, breathing problems in human beings and animals besides reducing agricultural productivity loss of biodiversity.

In view of the seriousness and magnitude of the threat posed by this weed, School of Agricultural Sciences  observed 'Parthenium Awareness Week’ during 16-22 August, 2024 to make students, farmers and general public aware about the menace of Parthenium, which is responsible for causing health problems in human beings and animals, besides deteriorating environment, loss of productivity and biodiversity.  School of Agricultural Sciences, SGRRU organized activities for Parthenium uprooting in the campus during the week. In this week a series of events organized i.e. lecture series, poster competition, mass eradication programme, farmer-scientist interaction, field day at farmer’s field for spreading awareness about harmful effects of parthenium and importance of its uprooting.  Most of the staff participated in the activity.

Farmers of Khushhalpur village were also trained on identifying Parthenium plant, harmful effects of the plant and the importance of uprooting them. Farmers were also advised to grow fast growing crops like maize, sorghum to suppress the growth of parthenium in their filed. Other control methods like spraying herbicides biological control measures etc.  were also explained to the farmers