Dr. V. Praveen Rao, Vice-Chancellor, Kaveri University, participated in an interactive session on “Sustainable Food Systems”, alongside Dr. KV Raman and W Ronnie Coffman from Cornell University.
Dr. Rao shared insights on integrating regenerative agriculture, climate-smart practices, and digital innovations (AI, precision agriculture, and biotechnology) to build resilient, inclusive, and low-carbon food systems. He highlighted India’s experience in water-use efficiency, circular bioeconomy models, and farmer-centric innovation, drawing linkages to policy frameworks and scalable institutional partnerships.
The session fostered a rich exchange on research–industry–policy convergence, global collaboration, and capacity building for sustainable agri-food transitions, reinforcing opportunities for India–US academic cooperation in advancing future-ready food systems.
Turmeric Value Chain Summit 2025 | Hyderabad
The Turmeric Value Chain Summit 2025, held at The Park, Hyderabad, was a grand success, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, startups, and farmers to deliberate on a future-ready roadmap for turmeric aligned with Viksit Bharat 2047.
Dr. V. Praveen Rao, Vice-Chancellor, Kaveri University, attended the summit as Advisor, CII Telangana Agri & Food Processing Panel and presented the Context Paper, setting the tone for the deliberations. His presentation highlighted India’s strengths in the turmeric sector, emerging opportunities, and the critical role of innovation across the entire value chain—from production to processing, value addition, and exports.
The summit was graced by Shri Tummala Nageswara Rao, Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture & Cooperation, Government of Telangana, along with the Principal Secretary (Agriculture), Chairman and Secretary of the National Turmeric Board, and eminent leaders from industry and academia.
With over 150 delegates participating, the summit witnessed rich and forward-looking discussions on production systems, processing technologies, value addition, quality assurance, exports, and startup ecosystems, reinforcing strong public–private–academic collaboration to enhance farmer incomes and strengthen India’s global leadership in turmeric.
This recognition reaffirms the University’s commitment to nurturing responsible citizens, innovative leaders, and a future-ready academic ecosystem rooted in patriotism.
Proud Moment for Kaveri University
Kaveri University, Telangana, has been honoured with the “Best University of Telangana” award at the Pride of Nation Awards 2025, presented by Veterans India, New Delhi 🇮🇳.
This prestigious recognition celebrates the University’s excellence in nationalism, patriotism, and nation-building through academics, along with its impactful initiatives in youth empowerment, leadership, community service, and value-based education.
The award reflects Kaveri University’s unwavering commitment to:
• 🇮🇳 Promoting national unity and patriotic values
• 🎓 Delivering transformative, value-driven higher education
• 🌱 Empowering youth through leadership and community engagement
• 🚀 Building future-ready institutions beyond conventional academics
This honour inspires us to continue our mission of shaping responsible citizens, innovative leaders, and nation builders.
Congratulations to the entire Kaveri University family!
Together, we move forward with pride, purpose, and patriotism.
He emphasized future-ready agricultural research, innovation and technology commercialization, interdisciplinary collaboration, and translating science into scalable, farmer-centric impact.
Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Kaveri University, Graces 115ᵗʰ FoCARS Valedictory as Guest of Honour
Our Vice Chancellor, Dr. V. Praveen Rao had the privilege of representing Kaveri University and attending the Valedictory Programme of the 115ᵗʰ Foundation Course for Agricultural Research Service (FoCARS) at ICAR–NAARM, Hyderabad, as the Guest of Honour.
The programme brought together 107 young ARS scientists from 22 states and 35 disciplines, marking a significant milestone in shaping India’s next generation of agricultural research leaders.
In his address, Dr. Rao highlighted:
🔹 FoCARS as a crucial transition platform for developing future-ready agricultural scientists
🔹 The growing importance of technology commercialization, innovation-driven research, and farmer-centric outcomes
🔹 The value of interdisciplinary collaboration and stronger partnerships across research institutions, industry, and policy systems
🔹 The responsibility to ensure that scientific advancements translate into meaningful, scalable benefits for farmers and agri-food systems
The event also featured an inspiring keynote address by Dr. Himanshu Pathak, DG, ICRISAT & Former DG, ICAR, and was presided over by Dr. Gopal Lal, Director, ICAR-NAARM.
Dr. Rao appreciated the Course Coordinators and the NAARM team for designing a rigorous and forward-looking programme that prepares young scientists to lead India’s agricultural transformation with innovation, integrity, and purpose.
Kaveri University extends its heartfelt wishes all newly inducted ARS scientists a rewarding journey of scientific excellence and national impact. 🌾✨
Kaveri University had the honour of hosting a distinguished delegation from Germany to explore avenues for academic, research, and institutional collaboration. The visit included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity, along with leading German research and consulting organisations.
The delegation comprised:
– Ms. Naomi Daur, Policy Officer, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity
– Dr. Malte Müller, Deputy Programme Manager, GFA Consulting Group GmbH
– Dr. Steffen Noleppa, Managing Director, HFFA Research GmbH
– Mr. Martin Kuntze-Fechner, Project Manager, GFA Consulting Group GmbH
The team was warmly received by the Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Dr. V. Praveen Rao, and held detailed discussions with university leadership on expanding international cooperation.
Key focus areas of collaboration included:
– Student exchange programmes
– Faculty mobility and academic partnerships
– Joint research and innovation initiatives
– Capacity building and knowledge-sharing
– Identification of emerging collaborative opportunities
The delegation appreciated Kaveri University’s vibrant academic ecosystem, strong research orientation, and visionary commitment to global engagement, and expressed keen interest in developing long-term institutional partnerships.
Kaveri University remains committed to strengthening international academic collaborations and fostering global excellence in education and research.
Kaveri University Develops AI-Powered System for Automated Seed Germination and Variety Testing
Researchers at Kaveri University have developed an advanced artificial intelligence (AI)–based seed germination evaluation system that significantly enhances the accuracy, speed, and objectivity of seed quality testing in major crops such as paddy, bajra, and maize.
The innovative project, titled “Automated Seed Germination and Variety Evaluation in Paddy, Bajra, and Maize Using a Computer Vision–Based Germination System,” integrates AI-driven computer vision and deep learning models to overcome the limitations of conventional manual germination testing, which is often labour-intensive, time-consuming, and subject to human variability.
Designed in alignment with International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) standards, the system enables high-throughput, standardised germination analysis supported by complete digital documentation. A dedicated AI-powered application, developed using Python and advanced machine learning frameworks, automatically identifies key germination indicators such as radicle protrusion and seed coat cracking, ensuring consistent, objective, and reliable evaluation.
The research is being carried out by Mr. B. Koushik, a second-year B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture student, under the guidance of Dr. Darmagaru Shivani, Assistant Professor and Head, and Dr. A. Kavitha Reddy, Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding. The initiative is further strengthened through industry mentorship from Dr. Nookaraju Akula, AGM (Quality Control), Kaveri Seed Company Limited, reflecting a strong and impactful industry–academia collaboration.
The AI-based germination system has been tested on 62 seed varieties, including 32 paddy, 15 bajra, and 15 maize varieties, and has demonstrated an impressive accuracy of 99%. It generates automated germination reports and structured digital datasets, improving traceability and supporting data-driven decision-making in seed quality assessment and certification processes.
The project has also received global recognition, having been shortlisted among the top 12 projects worldwide from more than 280 international submissions at ISTA, and securing an overall global rank of eighth. Following this achievement, the research team has been invited to participate in the ISTA Annual Meeting 2026, scheduled to be held in Calgary, Canada, from June 21 to 26, 2026.
Future work will focus on expanding the AI model to additional crops and seed varieties, conducting rigorous statistical comparisons with manual testing methods, refining the application based on industry feedback, and strengthening ISTA-compliant digital documentation. A patent and licensing application for the developed AI-driven model has already been submitted and is currently under examination.
This breakthrough underscores Kaveri University’s commitment to advancing smart seed technologies and strengthening innovation in agriculture through AI-enabled precision testing systems.
Kaveri University was established as per the Telangana Private Universities (Establishment & Regulation) Act, 2018 under section 3.
