1. Unit of fields and farm machinery management
This unit began its activities in the field of farm management and providing all planting and harvesting services required to agricultural and horticultural research projects, along with the approval and establishment of the headquarter of Seed and Plant Improvement Research Institute in Karaj, in 1960. This unit is being developed with modern agricultural machineries, digging the water wells, constructing water reservoirs, and under pressure irrigation systems. At the time being, it supports implementing the research projects and producing breeder/ elite seeds modified by research departments through providing the following services:
Management and planning the cultivation of more than 600 hectares of research farms and seeds production
Planting and harvesting activities related to research projects and early seeds production
Maintenance and technical management of 14 irrigation wells and 4 water reservoirs
Setting up and managing over 100 hectares of under pressure irrigation systems
Repairing and maintenance of agricultural machineries
Modernizing the agricultural machineries
Training of technicians and drivers of agricultural machineries
Supervision and control of the performance of agricultural contractors
2. Unit of greenhouses and growth rooms management
This unit started to work in 1993 with the construction of four glass greenhouses in an area of 250 square meters (in total 1000 square meters). The four greenhouses consist of 5 large halls and 8 small halls equipped with an engine room for heating and separate cooling systems in the form of cooling compressors per each greenhouse, and automatic humidifier and lighting systems.
With the development of research projects and the increasing need for controlled environments in 2001, a set of three advanced greenhouses with a total area of 150 square meters was established. This set is equipped with cooling units, air-conditioning units and a separate engine room with a light-emitting system equipped with metal halide lamps, an automatic sunshade system, and PLC control systems. In addition, two Phytotron sets with temperature, light and humidity controlling system with about 15 square meters each, a tissue-culture room, a dark room and a cultivation hall were added to this collection. In this collection, grain pests and diseases, especially wheat rusts are being studied. Two greenhouses with a total area of 600 square meters equipped with air-conditioning units and an engine room have allocated to vegetable and oilseeds research. This unit currently has 15 research greenhouses with advanced control systems and a total area of 1000 square meters. The greenhouses and phytotrons are managed and maintained by the technical department of greenhouse affairs, which is subsection of the technical and research services department, running with one expert and one technician. The technical affair of the greenhouses is responsible for the maintenance of all systems in the collection.
3. Training unit
At the same time as the establishment of the institute, the unit of training has been responsible for the coordination of affairs related to short and long term training of the institute and subsidiary agricultural research centers` staffs and faculty members. Currently, the activities of this unit are as follows:
Coordination of affairs related to continuing education of staff and faculty members of the Institute and research centers.
The annual need assessment of training of staff from departments and units of the institute.
Providing and arranging in-service training courses and holding training courses for researchers and staff of the Institute's headquarters and research centers with the assistance of foreign and native professors.
This unit, in addition to the staff training, also deals with the following issues:
Setting up of internship programs introduced from universities and higher education institutions of the country.
Planning the affairs related to implementation of thesis and dissertations by graduate students introduced from different universities.
Coordination and licensing for teaching in universities and educational centers by researchers and faculty members of the institute.
4. Unit of transfer of research findings and publications management
Since 2007, regarding the objectives of the Deputy of Extension and Education, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), the office of Transfer of Research Findings was established at the institute for the following purposes:
Transfer and extension of research findings to the experts, extension agents and producers.
Transfer of agricultural problems and challenges to the research units, and development and implementation of research projects in the same direction.
A quick study on the major problems and issues that matter in the region.
Encouraging extension agents and agricultural experts to find the current challenges.
Holding farm days and the week of research findings transfer.
In line with transferring research findings to the audience, reviewing and registration of various types of technical publications, leaflets, instructions, handbooks and scientific books are also carried out in this unit so that from 2003 until now, 19 books and about 100 titles of various publications have been registered and published at the Agricultural Science Information and Documentation Center of AREEO. Therefore, in addition to transferring research findings activities, also this unit deals with following up the affairs related to the publication of books, brochures and other technical and extension publications.
5. Library
The library was established in 1975. It provides the scientific resources needed by the researchers through 7695 and 4233 books in Persian and English respectively, 2600 final reports of research projects and documents, 237 volumes of master thesis and Ph.D. dissertation in Agriculture, 52 titles of Persian scientific publications, and 150 CD-ROMs. Providing search services on the Gigabyte web site and 200 other international publishers, is of the most important services provided by the institute central library to the researchers.