Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) (formerly FRL) is one of the laboratories of Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO), New Delhi located at Leh and is brain child of the Prime Minister - Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Products/Technologies for Civil Sector

Technology for Civil Sector
• Value addition and post harvest handling in seabuckthorn, apricot and apricot products.
• Solar driers for dehydration of apricot fruits & vegetables to avoid the post harvest loss.
• Drip irrigation technology to conserve water.
• Oil extraction from Seabuckthorn Seed, Pulp & Aromatic Plants.
• Round the year vegetable cultivation using low cost solar green houses such as double walled polyenches.
• Vegetable & flower seed production and processing.
• Protected nursery raising of vegetables, flowers and medicinal plants.
• Propagation for commercial cultivation of seabuckthorn, apricot and strawberry.
• Storage/post harvest management and value addition in vegetable.
• Poultry raring in Ladakh and suitable housing feed and breeds.
• Upgradation of local bred of cows and boosting the milk production.
• Conservation and Upgradation of Zanskar ponies.
Services available
• Training, demonstration and consultation to local farmers on modern agro-animal techniques suitable for the region.
• Providing consultancy to Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council for formulating agriculture policies beneficial for socio-economic development of Ladakh.
• Providing consultancy to Seabuckthorn cluster development (GOI) in Ladakh, Chip grade potato production (PEPSICO) and for Quality Marigold Seed Production (AVT, Cochin)
• Developing and providing database on cold desert arid agro-animal technologies

Facilities Available

Phyto-analytical Instruments HPLC,UV spectrophotometer, Rotavapor, Lypholizer, Millipore water purification system, extraction assembly
High quality vegetable seed (including European and temperate) production and processing facility
Greenhouse technology for vegetable cultivation even during frozen winters
Product Development and Analytical Laboratory
Controlled plant growth chamber
Inductively coupled plasma
Inverted Fluorescence Microscope
Bioharness for physiological recording
Digital video microscope
Blood biochemical analyzer
Pour Point Apparatus
Artificial insemination facility
Herbal Garden of Rare, Endangered and Threatened (RET) species of High Altitude Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
Energy efficient elite germplasm and minimally processed frozen vegetable storage facility at Changla top (17,586 ft AMSL)
Field Gene Banks - Apricot, Seabuckthorn, Apple, and Strawberry
Molecular Biology Equipments
NIR automatic feed analyzer
Cold Room, freezer Room, Blast Freezer
Vegetable trial and demonstration field
Solar poultry house
Animal house- Ponies, Cows, Sheep, Goat, Yak etc
216 KV Solar power plant