b. p. pal, ph. d. padma vi bhushan, padma bhushan

The Platinum Jubilee Book

B. P. Pal, Ph. D.Padma Vi Bhushan, Padma Bhushan,President, ISGPB – 1947 – 1948, 1957, 1977

Born on May , 1906 Mukandpur, Punjab,

British India. Dr. Pal completed his Bachelor of

Science and Master of Science degrees at and

completed his Ph.D. at the University of

Cambridge. The first Director of Indian

Council of Agricultural Research, Dr. Pal was

one of the foremost scientists in wheat genetics and breeding. He

remained a bachelor and donated his property to the Indian Council of

Agricultural Research.

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving the Padma

Shri in 1959, the Padma Bhushan in 1968 and the Padma Vibhushan. He

was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1972.

Research Area: His main fields of research were Genetics and Plant

Breeding.

26


Prof. M. S. Swaminathan, Ph.D.

Padma Vi Bhushan, Padma Bhushan

Padma Shri , World Food Prize Laureate,

President, ISGPB - 1964, 1975, 1983

Born on August 7, 1925 at Kumbakonam, India, Dr Swaminathan educated at Madras

and Cambridge Universities. Former Member of Rajya Sabha, Govt. of India; presently he is UNESCO Cousteau Chair in Ecotechnology;

Chairman, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai; Chairman, High Level Panel of Experts to the World Committee on Food Security (2010 onwards). He also served as Chairman, National Commission on Farmers of India (2004-06); President, Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs (2002-07); President, World Wide Fund for Nature (India) (1989-96); President, International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (1984-90); Dir. Gen. International Rice Res. Institute (IRRI), Los Banos, Philippines (1982-88); Chairman, UN Science Advisory Committee (1980); Independent Chairman, FAO Council (1981-85); Member, Planning Commission and Chairman, Scientific Adv. Committee to Cabinet, Govt. of India (1980-82); Principal Secretary, Min. of Agri. and Irrigation, Govt. of India (1979-80); Director General, Indian Council of Agri. Res (1972-79) and Director, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (1966-72).

Awards/Honours: He has the distinction of receiving the several awards, including Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize (1961); Padma Shri (1967); Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1971); Padma Bhushan (1972); Albert Einstein World Science Award (1986); First World Food Prize (1987); Padma Vibhushan (1989); UNESCO Gandhi Gold Medal, France (1999); Franklin D Roosevelt Four Freedoms Medal, Netherlands (2000); Volvo and Tyler Prize for Environment; Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development (2000); Sahametrei Medal of Royal Govt. of Cambodia (2007); Life time Achievement Award of All India Management Association (2007); Golden Peacock Life Time Achievement Award (2007); Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award (2007); Shining World Leadership Award, Singapore (2007); ISCA Award (2007-2008); Recipient of 70 honorary doctorates from universities around the world. He is a fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (1957); Indian National Science Academy (1962); National Academy of Sciences, India (1976); Royal Society, London (1973); National Academy of Sciences, USA (1977); Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences (1978); Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry (1983); National Academy of Arts and Sciences, USA (1984); Accad. Naz. Delle Sciencz detta del XL, Italy (1985); European Academy of Arts, Science and Humanities (1988); Am. Assn. for the Advancement of Science and Founder Fellow, TWAS (1983).

Research Areas: His main fields of research are Cytogenetics, plant breeding,

agriculture, biodiversity & eco-development.


T. S. Venkatraman, Ph.D.

President, ISGPB – 1941

Born on June15, 1884 was a plant breeder. In

response to a call from Pundit Madan Mohan

Malaviya, he made it his mission to develop

high-yielding varieties of sugarcane for

manufacturing sugar and making it available

as a sweetening agent and an energy source for the malnourished

children of India. Using Saccharum officinarum, then under cultivation in

India, as the female parent, he artificially fertilized it with pollen from S.

barberi, which grew wild in Coimbatore. After 4-5 recurrent back

crossings of S. officinarum Chi wild Sorghum spontaneum with S.

officinarum as the female parent, he selected the `rare' interspecies

hybrid cane varieties that resembled sugarcane and had approximately

2.5 cm thick juicy stems containing 16-18% sucrose - nearly 35 times

more than what occurred in parent stocks. The hybrid canes matured

quickly, were resistant to water logging, drought, and to the red-rot

disease caused by Glomerella tucumanensis (Sordariomycetes:

Glomerellaceae), and to the sereh-virus disease. Most importantly, they

were amenable for propagation using stem cuttings.

Awards and Honors: He has the distinction of receiving the titles Rao

Bahadur, Rao Sahib, and Sir by the British Government, and Padma

Bhushan by the Republic of India.

Padma Bhushan,


D. S. Athwal, Ph.D.Padma Bhushan,

President ISGPB – 1967

Born on October 12, 1928, Dr. Athwal obtained

his B.Sc. degree from Punjab University in

1948, Master in Public Administration from

Harvard University and Ph.D. from University of Sydney in

1955. He served as Senior Vice-President & Director, Technical

Cooperation, Winrock International Institute for Agricultural

Development from 1981-85; Program Officer for Asia,

International Agricultural Development Service, 1977-85 and

Professor and Head, Department of Plant Breeding, Punjab

Agricultural University, 1963-67.

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving Padma

Bhushan in 1975, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Memorial Award, 1964 and

Punjab Krishak Samaj Medal, 1966.

Research Areas: His main fields of research are Genetics & plant

breeding.


K. S. Gill, Ph.D.Padma Bhushan , President, ISGPB - 1982

Born on September 1, 1930 at Kaleke,

Faridkot, Punjab, India, Dr Gill obtained his

B.Sc. degree from Khalsa College, Amritsar in

1949, M.Sc. degree from Punjab University

in 1951, Ph.D. from University of California,

Riverside, USA in 1966. Presently he is Chairman of Akal Academies,

Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India. He has served as Vice-Chancellor,

Punjab Agric. University, Ludhiana (1990-93); Member, Board of

Trustees, CIMMYT, Mexico (1987-93); Director, Extension Education,

(1987-89); Director of Research (1983-87); Dean, College of Agriculture

(1979-83) and Prof. and Head, Dept. of Plant Breeding, (1968-79) PAU,

Ludhiana. .

Awards and Honors: He has the distinction of receiving the Padma Bhushan (1992); Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Memorial Prize (1976); PAU Cash Prize (1978); ICAR Team Research Award (1980); FICCI Award (1985); Great Son of the Soil, All India Conf. of Intellectuals (1991). He is a fellow of Indian National Science Academy; National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Founding Fellow, Third World Academy of Sciences.

Research area: His main fields of research are development of disease resistant and high yielding varieties of wheat (bread wheat, durum wheat, triticale), linseed and sesame; development of high yielding and disease resistant hybrids of pearl millet; collection, evaluation and utilization of germplasm of wheat and related species; genomic relationships in Linum species.


B.R. Barwale, Ph.D.

World Food Prize Laureate - 1998

Born on 1931 at Hingoli / Jalna, Maharastra,

India, Dr. Barwale founded “Maharashtra

Hybrid Seeds Company – Mahyco” – in 1964

to expand sales and production of his seeds

across the country. Mahyco initiated its own

research program in 1966 to test new India-specific hybrids, the quality

of which drew the attention of the government. Dr. Barwale joined Seed

Review Team which outlined the development of private seed industry

across India, in 1967. Mahyco was the first seed company to receive the

Indian government's prestigious First National Award from the

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science

and Technology in 1989. He has also been extensively involved in

training other developing countries' seed growers to build strong

private seed industries. Dr. Barwale created the Mahyco Research

Foundation (now known as the Barwale Foundation) to support

scientific research in areas crucial to supporting India's growing

population. Dr. Barwale is now the chairman of the Bombay Public

Community Trust.

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving the World

Food Prize (1998); Padma Bhushan from Govt. of India, award for

outstanding commercial and economic achievement in (2001);

honorary doctorate in science from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

(2002); National Award for Bio-tech Product Commercialization (2003);

Chirmule Award (2006). As a youth he sacrificed and put his life at stake

in the Freedom struggle in 1947 for which the President of India have threcognized this selfless contribution on 9 August 2006. He received

Honorary Fellowship Award from The Indian Society for Cotton

Improvement (2007).

Research area: His main field of research is Seed technology.

Padma Bhushan,


V. L. Chopra, Ph.D.Padma Bhushan ,

President, ISGPB - 1992 - 1994

Born on August 9, 1936 at Adhwal (now in Pakistan), Dr. Chopra obtained his B.Sc. degree from Central College of Agriculture, Delhi in 1955, M.Sc. from Indian Agricultural Research Institute in 1957 and Ph.D. from

Institute of Genetics, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK in 1967. Presently, he is holding the position of Chancellor, Central University of Kerala. He has served as the Member of Planning Commission, Govt. of India, New Delhi (2004-09); National Professor, B.P. Pal Chair, National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, IARI, New Delhi (1994-2002);Director General, ICAR and Secretary, DARE, Govt. of India (1992-94);Chief Technical Adviser, FAO, Vietnam (1990-91); Director, National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi (1985-90); Professor(1970-84) and Head(1977-80), Division of Genetics, IARI, New Delhi.

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving Padma Bhushan (1985); Borlaug Award (1983); FICCI Award (1986);Watumull Foundation; USA Honor Summus Medal (1987); O.P. Bhasin Award (1987); D.Sc. (h.c.) CS Azad University, Banaras Hindu University(1988); G.B. Pant University, 2003; IARI (2005) and Narendra Dev University (2007);FAO/IAAS World Food Day Award (1993);ISCA BirbalSahni Birth Centenary Award-(1997);INSA Silver Jubilee Commemoration Medal(1991); INSA Aryabhat Medal(2001). Dr Chopra is a fellow of theIndian National Science Academy; National Academy of Sciences, India; Indian Academy of Science; National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India; European Academy of Arts, Science and Humanities and Third World Academy of Sciences.

Research Areas: His main fields of research are Plant biotechnology, crop genetics and breeding.


R. S. Paroda, Ph.D. Padma Bhushan, President,ISGPB - 1985 - 1987

Born on August 28, 1942 at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, Dr Proda obtained his Ph.D. degree from Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi in 1968. He did his post doctoral fellowship as Commonwealth Fellow f r o m U n i v e r s i t y C o l l e g e o f W a l e s ,

Aberystwyth, UK, 1968-70. Presently he is Chairman, Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi. He has served as Chairman, Haryana Farmers' Commission, 2010-2014; Executive Secretary, Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), 1993-2014; Assistant Director General (Int. Coop.), ICARDA, 2007; Head, CGIAR Program for Central Asia & Caucasus, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 2001-2007; Chair, Global Forum on Agricultural Research (1998-2002); Secretary, Department of Agriculture Research and Education, GOI and Director General, Indian Council of Agriculture Research, 1992-2001; Regional Plant Production and Protection Officer, FAO-RAPA, Bangkok, Thailand, 1992-94; Deputy Director General (Crop Science), ICAR, 1987-92 and Director, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India, 1985-87.

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving the Padma Bhushan, Govt. of India, 1998; Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Prize, 1982-83; ICAR Team Research Award, 1983-84; Fedn. of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Award, 1988; Om Prakash Bhasin Award, 1992; Asia Pacific Seed Assn. Award, 1995; FAO World Food Day Award, 1995; Gen. President, Indian Science Congress Association, 2000-2001; Dr. B.P. Pal Memorial Award, 2001-02; D.Sc. (h.c.), Ohio State Univ., I.A.R.I., and Agricultural Universities of Pantnagar, Kanpur, Jorhat, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Udaipur, Varanasi, Srinagar, Meerut, Bhubneshwar, Ludhiana and Dharwad; Gold Medal 2006, Armenia; Borlaug Award,

st2006; Agriculture Today Lifetime Achievement Award 2008; 1 Dr. A.B. Joshi Memorial Award, 2012; Prof. Kannian Memorial Award, 2012; Gold Medal from Government of Vietnam, 2012; Krishi Siromani Samman by Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. 2013. Dr Paroda is a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy; Indian Academy of Sciences; National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Russian Academy of Agricultural S c i e n c e s ; T h i r d W o r l d A c a d e m y o f S c i e n c e s ;

Academies of Agricultural Sciences of Armenia, Georgia, Tajikistan, Hon. Member of Crop Science Society of America and Agronomy Society of America.

Research Areas: His main fields of research are Genetics & plant

breeding, cytogenetics, biometrical genetics and plant genetic resources.


R. B. Singh, Ph.D.Padma Bhushan,President, ISGPB – 1997 - 1999

Born on July 20, 1940 at Budhanpur, Ghazipur,

U.P., India, Dr. Singh obtained his B.Sc. and

M.Sc. degree from Govt. Agriculture College,

C.S. Azad University of Agri. & Tech., Kanpur in

1958 and 1960, respectively and Ph.D. degree from North Carolina State

University, Raleigh, N.C., USA in 1964. Presently, Prof. Singh is Chancellor,

Central Agricultural University, Imphal, India and member of the global

Independent Scientific Panel on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food

Security. He has served as Advisor and Distinguished Professor, IFFCO

Foundation, New Delhi (2007-11); Member of the National Commission on

Farmers, Government of India (2004-2006); Assistant Director General, FAO

(2000-2002); other senior FAO positions (1979-1994) at Bangkok and Rome;

Chairman of the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (1999-2000);

Director and Vice Chancellor, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI),

New Delhi (1995-99) and Dean, Head of Department, Sr. Professor,

Chair/Member Executive Council at leading Universities (1964-1979).

He has published more than 300 research and policy papers and 12 books. As

research and development leader, Professor Singh had developed widely

adopted modern varieties of wheat, rice, pulses, oilseeds and cotton.

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving the Padma Bhushan

(2003); International Board for Plant Genetic Resources medal (1984); Lal

Bahadur Shastri Memorial Award (1987); Vigyan Gaurav Samman (2001);

Bharatiya Paramparagat Vigyan Puraskar (2006); Dr. Zhu Shoumin

I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o l l e g e o f N u t r i t i o n A w a r d ( 2 0 0 7 ) ;

Distinguished Alumnus Award, B.H.U. (2007); Distinguished Alumnus

Award, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA (2013); Mahindra and

Mahindra Lifetime Achivement Award - Krishi Shiromani Samman (2015); Dr.

V. Kurien Memorial Lecture Award, Michigan State University, USA (2015); Dr.

D. Sundaresan Memorial Oration Award (2016). He is Immediate past President

of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Fellow of the National

Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India.

Research Areas: His main fields of research are Plant genetics, crop

improvement, plant biotechnology, policies for agriculture, farmers and

agricultural research and education for development.


G. S. Khush, Ph.D.Padma Shri,

World Food Prize Laureate

Born on August 22, 1935 at Rurkee, India, Dr

Kush obtained his B.Sc. degree form

Government Agricultural College (Now

Punjab Agricultural University), Ludhiana in

1955 and Ph.D in 1960 from University of

California, USA. Presently he is the Adjunct Professor at the University

of California. He served as Head Division of Plant Breeding, Genetics

and Biochemistry (1986-2002), Head Department of Plant Breeding

(1972-86), Plant Breeder (1967-72), International Rice Research Institute

(IRRI), Philippines; Research Assistant (1957-60) and Assistant

Geneticist(1960-67) at University of California, Davis, California.

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving Borlaug Award

(1977); Japan Prize (1987); World Food Prize (1996); Rank Prize (1998);

Wolf Prize (2000); Padma Shri (2000); TAAS Swaminathan Award (2006);

Golden Sickle Award (2007); Mahathir Science Award (2009);

Doctor of Science (h.c.) from fifteen universities including University of

Cambridge, England and Ohio State University. Dr Khush is a fellow of

the Indian National Science Academy; Indian Academy of Sciences;

National Academy of Sciences, India; Third World Academy of

Sciences; US National Academy of Sciences; Royal Society; Russian

Academy of Agricultural Sciences; and Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Research Areas: His main fields of research are genetics, cytogenetics,

breeding and biotechnology of tomato and rice.


J. B. Chowdhury, Ph.D.Padma Shri

Born on September 27, 1938 at Delhi; Dr.

Chowdhury obtained his B.Sc. degree from

Ramjas College, University of Delhi 1958, M.Sc. Degree from Indian

Agricultural Research Institute, 1960 and Ph.D. from College of

Agriculture, Banaras Hindu University in 1964. He has served as the

Vice-Chancellor of G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology,

Pantnagar (2000-02); Vice-Chancellor, HAU, Hisar (1996-99); Dean,

College of Basic Sciences & Humanities, (1983-86) and Professor and

Head, Department of Genetics, HAU, Hisar (1972-78).

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving the Padma

Shri (2003); Lifetime Achievement Award from Society for Rapeseed

Mustard Research, Bharatpur (2014) and Distinguished Alumnus

Award, Banaras Hindu University (2015).

Research Areas: His main fields of research are Plant biotechnology,

crop genetics/cytogenetics.


M. Mahadevappa, Ph.D.

Padma Shri

President, ISGPB – 2002 - 2003

Born on August 4, 1937 at Madapura,

Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, India, Dr.

Mahadevappa obtained his B.Sc. degree from

Hebbal Agriculture College in 1960 and M.Sc.

and Ph.D. degree from Coimbatore Agriculture

College in 1962 and 1965, respectively. He did his Post doctoral fellowship

at CFTRI, Mysore (1966-67), continued his research pursuits at the

International Rice Research Institute, Manila (1979-81) and devoted his

entire career to the cause of rice research. Presently, he has been serving as

Director (Rural Dev.) in JSS Mahavidya Peetha, Mysore - a reputed NGO

with 340 institutions in four countries. Prof. Mahadevappa contributed

immensely for the overall development of the University of Agricultural

Sciences, Dharwad as its Vice Chancellor for two terms (1994-2000) each

with his broad vision, he strived hard selflessly resulting in confer of the

ICAR's “Sardar Patel Oustanding Institution Award for 2000” for UAS

Dharwad. In recognition of his scientific contributions, potentials in

research and academic administration and institution building activities,

the Government of India chose him to be the Chairman of the Agricultural

Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB), New Delhi in 2001.

He has published 200 research articles and presented 31 papers in International conferences. He lead to release of rice varieties Madhu, Mangala, Pushpa, Pragathi, Intan, Vikram, Mukthi and hybrids which are widely recognized and used by the farming community.

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving Padmashri (2005); Padmabhushan (2014); Hooker National Award (1981); Sir Chotturam National Award (1996); The Karnataka State Rajyotsava Award (1984); International Watumull Foundation (Hawaii) Award (1987); Nagamma Dattathreya Award by UAS, Bangalore and Bharatha Rathna Sir M. Visvesvaraya Memorial Award (1999). He is a fellow of the National Academy of Sericulture Sciences; National Academy of Biological Sciences; Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding; Indian Society of Seed Technologists; Indian Science Writer's Association and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India.

Research area: His main fields of research are Genetics, Plant breeding, Seed science & technology, Parthenium weed control.


E. A. Siddiq, Ph.D.Padma Shri

Born on July 15, 1937 at Ilayangudi, Tamil Nadu, India, Dr. Siddiq obtained his B.Sc. degree from Madras University; M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree in Cytogenetics from Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New

Delhi in 1964 & 1968, respectively. He has served as member of various national and international bodies. He held many responsible research and managerial positions like Director, Directorate of Rice Research, Deputy Director General (Crop Science), ICAR, National Professor, ICAR, Distinguished Chair, CDFD, Adjunct Professor, University of Hyderabad and Indian Agricultural Research Institute and Hon. Professor- Biotechnology, PJTSAU, Hyderabad.

He has published more than 200 research papers in prestigious international/national journals. He has developed several high yielding rice varieties and hybrids, extensive adoption of which enabled the country to achieve self-sufficiency in rice. Significantly, among them are Pusa Basmati 1, the World's first high yielding dwarf basmati variety and Pusa 44, a high yielding rice varietywhich is amenable to combine harvesting and has sustained the most productive and profitable rice-wheat cropping system for over 30 years in Punjab.

Awards and honours: He has the distinction of receiving National Civilian recognition Padma Shri (2011); Hari Om Ashram Trust National Award (1975); VASVIK Foundation National Award (1981); Amrik Singh Cheema Award, (1987-88); Om Prakash Bhasin Award (1994); Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Prize (1995); Borlaug Award (1995); INSA Silver Jubilee Medal (1997); ISCA G.P. Chatterjee Memorial Lecture Award (2001); Agriculture Leadership Award (2008); INSA Sundarlal Hora Medal (2011); NAAS - B.P. Pal Memorial Lecture Award (2012); Hon. Doctorate of Science (D.Sc. Hon. Causa) by OUAT (2013) and CSAUAT, Kanpur (2015); Recognition by ICAR-NAAS-IARI for contribution to India's Green Revolution (2015). He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Sciences; National Academy of Agricultural Sciences; National Academy of Sciences (India) and Hon. F e l l o w o f A n d h r a P r a d e s h A c a d e m y o f S c i e n c e s .

Research area: His main fields of research are genetics, breeding and

biotechnology.


S. Rajaram, Ph.D.Padam Shri,

World Food Prize Laureate

Born on February 10, 1943 at Varanasi, U.P., India, Dr Rajaram obtained his B.Sc. degree from College of Jaunpur, U.P. in 1962; M.Sc. degree from Indian Agricultural Research Institute in 1965 and Ph.D. degree from

University of Sydney in 1968. He did his post doctoral Fellowship from CIMMYT, Mexico from 1969 to 72. Presently he is Director, Resource Seeds International, Toluca, Mexico. He has served as the Director, Integrated Gene Management ICARDA, Syria (2006-08); Director, Wheat Program, (1996-2003), Leader Germplasm Improvement Wheat & Head Bread Wheat Breeding, (1989-1996), Head, Bread Wheat Breeding Program, (1972-1988) and Geneticist (1971-1972), CIMMYT, Mexico.

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving more than 90 awards and honors including, World Food Prize (2014); Padma Shri (2001); Order of Quetzal, Guatemala (1988); CGIAR King Baudouin Award (1988); International Service in Agronomy, USA, (1992); International Service in Crop Science Award, USA, (1992); Borlaug Award (1995); E.C. Stakman Award, USA, (1993); CIMMYT Distinguished Scientist (1997); The Friendship Award, China, (1998); Rassk Prize Award, UK (1998); Jindeng (Golden Summit) Award, Government of Sichuan, China (2000); Monsanto Crop Science Distinguished Career Award (2001); Crawford Fund Direk Trible Award (2001); Centeotl Award, Coordinacion Nacional de Fundacion

(2003); Crop Science Society Presidential Award (2004) and Khwarizmi International Award (2004). Dr Rajaram is a fellow of the Crop Science Society of America; Agronomy Society of America; Academician, Kazakstan Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Academician, Ukranian Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources; National Academy of Sciences, India and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India. .

Research Areas: His main fields of research are Plant breeding, plant

pathology.


Dr. M.V. RaoPadam Shri Secretary, ISPGB

Mangina Venkateswara Rao was born on 21

June 1928 at Perupalem, in West Godavari

District along the coast of the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. After securing a

master's degree, he continued his research at Purdue University in plant

breeding, genetics and plant pathology to obtain a doctoral degree.

Joining the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) as Assistant

Wheat Breeder in 1956, he was initially involved with wheat research,

and became an Assistant Professor in 1958. In 1966, he was promoted as the Genteticist and then as Senior Geneticist, eventually becoming the

Coordinator in 1971 and the head of the All India Wheat Improvement Project of ICAR in 1978, a post he held till 1981. During this period, he

was associated with the Green Revolution in India, related to wheat

production. He became the Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences) of

ICAR in 1981 and stayed at the post till he was appointed as the founder

director of the Prime Minister's Technology Mission on Oilseeds, in

1986, a post which holds the rank of a Special Secretary. It was during

this period that the Yellow Revolution, an integrated programme for

the development of oilseeds, was initiated and fostered by the [7]government. In 1989, he was invited to the World Bank as an

Agricultural Expert, where he worked till 1990. The next year, he joined

Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University as its vice chancellor and

remained there till 1997. While holding the vice-chancellorship, he

became associated with Agri Biotech Foundation (ABF - formerly

known as Andhra Pradesh Netherlands Biotechnology Programme) as

its chairman in 1995 and remains active there. Under his stewardship,

the institute has developed several genetically modified seed varieties

of cotton, sorghum, castor and red gram.

Rao was a former vice president of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (2000–2003) and was associated with several

Indian state and central government agencies; chairing the Committee of the New National Seed Policy was one such assignment. He was a member of the task group which prepared guidelines for the formulation of the National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP), a World Bank project for the agricultural development in Bangladesh,


and sits on the NATP Scientific Advisory Panel on Coastal Eco System.

He was a former member of the Board of Directors of the International

Rice Research Institute (IRRI), India, sitting on the board from 1984 to [12]1989. He has been a member of the Wheat Advisory Committee of the

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a trustee of the International

Rice Research Institute, Philippines and a member of the External

Expert Panel of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico. He is a member of the board of the

Intercultural Cooperation Foundation India (ICF) along with Arcot Ramachandran, renowned Indian anthropologist. Besides his

contributions to the Green and Yellow revolutions in India, he has also

mentored over 25 research scholars during his stint at the International

Rice Research Institute. He died at the age of 87 on 8 March 2016.

Awards and honours

Rao is a recipient of the Norman Borlaug Award and the Linker's Award. The Government of India honoured him with the civilian award of the Padma Shri in 1999. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award of Agricultural Today in 2010. The next year, he was awarded the Krishi Shiromani Samman by the Mahindra Samriddhi India. He is also a recipient of Outstanding Agricultural Scientist Award from the Government of Andhra Pradesh and other awards such as Peddireddy Thimmareddy Award, Dr. Srikantia Memorial Award of the Nutrition Society of India, Dr P. Siva Reddy Foundation Award, and Environmental Research Academy Award.

Rao was an elected fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS). Purdue University, Indian Agricultural Research

Institute and Banaras Hindu University have honoured him with the [5]degree of the Doctor of Science (DSc - Honoris causa). He was an

honorary fellow of the Indian Oilseeds Research Society, Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences, Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding and Indian Society of Agricultural Sciences and served as the president of all these institutions during various periods.


B. S. Dhillon, Ph.D.Padam Shri,

President, ISGPB – 2014 - 2015

An eminent agricultural scientist, Dr. Baldev

Singh Dhillon obtained B.Sc. (Agriculture)

degree from Khalsa College, Amritsar, M.Sc.

from PAU and Ph.D. from Indian Agricultural

Research Institute. He had a brilliant academic

record and bagged prestigious scholarships/fellowships including

post-doctoral fellowships viz. German Academic Exchange (DAAD)

Fellowship; Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship; Fellowship to work

at UHO, Germany and Alexander von Humboldt Europe Fellowship to

work at University of Birmingham, UK.Dr. Dhillon is currently Vice-

Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana. He

earlier served PAU as Director of Research, Director (Seeds), Senior

Maize Breeder, Maize Breeder, Assistant Maize Breeder. He also served

as the Director of National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR)

(2000-05), Assistant Director General, ICAR from 1988 to 2000 and

Associate Scientist at CIMMYT, Mexico (1993-94).

Dr. Dhillon has published ~ 350 research papers besides authoring

scientific books in the area of his specialization. He is associated with

development of several maize varieties and hybrids including: Ageti-76

,Partap, Sangam , Navjot, Sartaj, Parbhat, Kiran, J-1006, Megha, Kesri,

Punjab Sathi-1, Paras, Pearl Popcorn, Parkash, and JH 3459.

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving the Dr B.P. Pal

Memorial Award (2014); Om ParkashBhasin Award for Science and

Technology (2006); Recognition by National Academy of Agricultural

Sciences (2001-2002); Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Memorial Prize by ICAR

(1986-87, co-recipient). Dr Dhillon is a fellow of several professional

societies including Indian National Science Academy; National

Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India; National Academy of

Sciences, India; Punjab Academy of Sciences, India.

Research area: His main fields of research are Quantitative Genetics

and maize breeding.


S. K. Vasal, Ph.D.World Food Prize Laureate

Born on April 12, 1938 at Amritsar, Punjab,

India, Dr Vasal obtained his B.Sc. degree from

Khalsa College, Amritsar in 1957, M.Sc. degree

from Kanpur Agricultural College in 1959 and

Ph.D. degree from IARI, New Delhi in 1966.

He did his Post-doctoral fellowship from CIMMYT, Mexico in 1970.

Presently he is distinguished Scientist, International Maize and Wheat

Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico. He has served as the

Coordinator Lowland Tropical, Maize Program, CIMMYT,

Mexico(1991-98); Germplasm Coordinator (1985-90); International Staff

(1971-84); Research Associate, Rockefeller Foundation, Thailand, 1967

and Research Assistant (1959-66) and Assistant Botanist Maize-cum-

Assistant Professor (1966-67), Department of Agriculture, H.P., India.

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving the World

Food Prize (2000); La Asociacion Mexicana de Semilleros 'Premio

Cesar Garza' Award (1993); International Service in Crop Science

Award (1996); International Agronomy Award (1999); Dr. M.S.

Swaminathan Award by TAAS. Dr. Vasal is a fellow of the American

Society of Agronomy; Crop Science Society of America and National

Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India.

Research Areas: His main fields of research are Plant breeding & genetics.


N. Parthasarathy, Ph.D.President, ISGPB – 1952, 1969

Born on April 8, 1900, Dr Parthasarathy

obtained his B.A. degree from Madras

University and continued studies to specialize

in Agriculture to secure the degree of B.Sc.

from the same university. His career started in

1923 as a rice breeding assistant at the Paddy Breeding Station in

Coimbatore and later, worked at other stations in and Pattambi. He

moved to London in 1936 to secure his doctoral degree (Ph.D.) from the

University of London and returned to India in 1938 to resume his work.

He served in various capacities with the state and central governments

in India as the Geneticist and Second Cane Breeding Officer, Sugarcane

Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, a research station of the Indian Institute

of Sugarcane Research (1940–47), as the Geneticist and Division Head of

the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi (1947–52)

and as the Director of the Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack

(1952–58) from where he retired from government service. In 1958, he

worked for Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) as a Rice Expert

based in Indonesia for a year and moved to International Rice Research

Institute as the Rice Improvement Specialist for the Far East (1959–68).

He also served as a board member of the IRRI (1966–69). Subsequently,

he was appointed as the Executive Secretary of the International Rice

Commission and also worked as the Rice Adviser to the Government of

Liberia and the Government of Thailand. .

Honors and Awards:

Research area:

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S. S. Rajan, Ph.D.President, ISGPB – 1971, 1972

Born on March 29, 1925 at Salem, Tamil Nadu,

India, Dr Rajan obtained his B.Sc. degree from

Central College, Bangalore (then University of

Mysore), in 1944, M.Sc. degree in Agricultural

Botany and Ph.D. degree in Plant Breeding and

Genetics from the Institute of Agricultural Research, Banaras Hindu

University, Varanasi, U.P. Presently, he is Deputy Director General (for

Aisa) of International Biographical Center, Cambridge, England. He joined

the Division of Genetics (at that time Division of Botany) of the Indian (then

Imperial) Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi in November 1946. At

this Division, till 1975, he served in various research positions, Project

Coordinator, All India Coordinated Research Project on Oilseeds, (ICAR);

Professor of Genetics at the post Graduate School of the IARI, since its

inception to 1975; Colombo Plan Fellow in 1957; Visiting Scientist at the

National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan in 1968 & 1978 and Visiting

Scientist at the research Institute for Cereals and Industrial crops, Fundulea,

Bucharest, Romania in 1973. He joined the international Civil Service of the

United National in1975 and served as a resident Expert in Myanmar; Senior

Advisor to the Food and Agricultural Organization Iraq, where he initiated

research programmes for the development of industrial crops like oilseeds,

cotton, sugar beet and tobacco; Consultant, United Nations Development

Programme, New York and undertook review of Plan proposals and

Programmes in North Yemen, South Yemen, Sudan and Somalia.

He had published 3 books and over 80 research papers and four book

reviews.

Awards and Honors: He has the distinction of receiving fellow of

several professional societies, national and international. He served for

two terms as the President of the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant

Breeding. He was a Founder Member, Society for Advancement of

Breeding Research in Asia & Oceania (SABARAO).

Research area: His main fields of research are the cytogenetic and

improvement of oilseed crops like the Brassicae, linseed, Sesamum.


S. Kumar, Ph.D.President, ISGPB – 1994 – 1997

Born on December 14, 1940 at Delhi, India, Dr Kumar obtained B.Sc.; M.Sc.; Ph.D. degree from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi in 1960, 1962 and 1965 respectively. He did his Postdoctoral Fellowships at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Long Island, New

York (1966-67), University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin (1968-70) and University of Toronto (1970-71). Presently, he is associated with SKA Institute for Research, Education and Development, New Delhi. Dr Kumar has served as the INSA Senior Scientist, National Institute for Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi (2006-2010); CSIR Emeritus Scientist (2001-05); Director, Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow (1993-2000); Director, National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow (1998-99); Scientist G, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (1989-93); Director, Human Resource Development Group, CSIR (1997); Principal Scientist (1983-89); Professor of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (1985-89) and Senior Scientist (1971-82) at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India.

He has published over 300 research articles, 20 books and has 85 International and 35 Indian Patents. He has developed many varieties in medicinal plants including “Jeevan Raksha” of Artemisia annua. The use of his mint and Artemisia varieties are earning from export of their products mint oil and artimisinin more than Rs 1000 crores/ year.

Awards and Honors: He has the distinction of receiving IARI Gold Medal (1962); Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding Prize (1965); Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award (1981); National Academy of Sciences Distinguished Scientist Award (1986); FICCI Science Award (2000);

Bhasin Award (2000); INSA Lecture Award (2002) and B.P. Pal Memorial Lecture Award (2003). He is a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy; Indian Academy of Sciences; National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India.

Research area: His main fields of research are Plant and microbial genetics and genomics; food and industrial crop breeding; biotechnology; biodiversity and biosafety.


R. S. Rana, Ph.D.President, ISGPB – 1987 – 1989

Dr Rana obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. Presently, Dr. Rana is member of the National Biodiversity Authority of India and Chairs its expert committee on agro-biodiversity and the core expert group on implementing the CBD-Nagoya Protocol on

Access & Benefit Sharing. He has been actively involved in inter-governmental negotiations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) since 1992 and has represented Asia & Pacific region for six years on Compliance Committee of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. He has served as Director of the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) at New Delhi (1989–1995); Head of the Division of Genetics and Plant Physiology at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute at Karnal (1974); honorary Professor for guidance of post-graduate students enrolled by the Haryana Agricultural University and the Kurukshetra University. Over 30 students have obtained their M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees by working under his guidance. He has also served as senior member of the Post- Graduate Faculty in the Division of Genetics (1963-1974).

Awards and Honors: He has the distinction of receiving IARI Jubilee Merit Award (1959); Indo-UK Exchange Award for Young Scientists (1968- 1969); ICAR awards of the National Fellow (1980); Professor of Eminence (1985) and Dr. H.B. Singh Memorial Award (2012-2013). Dr Rana is Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India; President of the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding (1987-89) and Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources (1993-95)..

Research area: His main fields of research are Plant Genetic Resources and PGR Policy.


M. Rai, Ph.D. President, ISGPB – 2000 - 2001

Born on June 30, 1947 at Ghazipur (U.P.), India, Dr. Rai obtained his B.Sc. (Ag.) degree from Gorakhpur University in 1967; M.Sc. (Ag.) and Ph.D. degree from Banaras Hindu University in 1969 and 1973, respectively. He has served as Vice-Chancellor, G.B. Pant University of

Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar (2015-16); Member/Vice President, Board of Governors viz IRRI, ICRISAT, CIMMYT, Biodiversity Board, Rome, IIM, Bengluru, etc. varying between 2-7 years; Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, GOI & DG, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (2003-09); Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences) (1997-2003); Assistant Director

General (Policy & Perspective Planning) (1994-97); Assistant Director General (Seeds) (1988-94); OSD (Technology Mission on Oilseeds) (1986-88); Project Coordinator (Linseed) (1981-86); Plant Breeder-cum-Reader, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar (1978-81); Scientist (S-1/S-2), Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (1975-78) and Junior Plant Breeder at R.B.S. College, Agra. .

Awards and Honors: He has the distinction of receiving the D.Sc. (h.c.) from 16 universities. He is a fellow of a number of professional bodies.

Research area: His main fields of research are Genetics, plant breeding, seeds, management, policy and perspective planning.


M. C. Kharkwal, Ph.D.President, ISGPB – 2007 – 2008

Born on June 5, 1948 at Champawat,

Uttarakhand, India, Dr. Kharkwal obtained

his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree in Botany from

D.S.B. College, Nainital and Ph.D degree from

Agra University in 1966, 1968 and 1978 respectively. He has served as

Scientist, Senior Scientist, Principal Scientist and Project Leader for

more than 40 years at Division of Genetics, IARI, New Delhi. He was

Trustee of the XV Genetics Congress Trust for six terms from 1994 to

2009 and Secretary, Genetics Club, Division of Genetics, I.A.R.I., New

Delhi (1996-97 & 1997-98).

He has published more than 135 research papers and book chapters. He

has made significant contributions in the field of mutation breeding by

developing four high yielding chickpea mutant varieties – Pusa-408,

Pusa-413, Pusa-417 and Pusa-547 and has also contributed 172 chickpea

mutant genotype entries, several mutant entries from this are BGM-405

(desi), BGM-418 (desi), BGM-425 (desi), BGM-429 (kabuli), BGM-430

(kabuli), BGM-448 (kabuli), BGM-456 (green seeded), BGM-505 (desi)

possessing high yield, disease resistance. .

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving “Outstanding Contribution” award from the Vice-President of India (2005). He served the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding as President (2007-08), Secretary (2000-01, 2002-03, 2004-06), Treasurer (1994-97, 1997-99) and Editor (2004–06). Dr. Kharkwal is a fellow and life member of Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, New Delhi; Indian Society of Pulses Research & Development, Kanpur, U.P.; Indian Nuclear Society, BARC, Mumbai and Indian Society for Nuclear Techniques in Agriculture & Biology, NRL, New Delhi.

Research Area: His main fields of research are mutagenesis and mutation breeding.


P. L. Gautam, Ph. D.President, ISGPB – 2009 – 2010

Born on December 12, 1947 at Bilaspur,

Himachal Pradesh, India, Dr. Gautam

obtained his B.Sc. degree from Himachal

Agriculture College, Solan in 1968, M.Sc. and Ph.D.

from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New

Delhi in 1970 and 1974, respectively. Presently, he is the Vice Chairman of Trust

for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences and Vice Chancellor of Career Point

University, Hamirpur (HP). He has served as president of National Academy of

A g r i c u l t u r a l S c i e n c e s ; C h a i r p e r s o n , P P V E R A ,

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare; Chairman, NBA, Ministry of

Environment, Forests and Climate Change in the rank of Secretary to Govt. of

India; DDG (Crop Science-ICAR); National Director, NATP-ICAR; Vice

Chancellor (two terms) G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology,

Pantnagar; Director, NBPGR- ICAR; Dean, College of Forestry, Dr. Y.S. Parmar

University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan (HP) and Managing Director,

U t t r a k h a n d S e e d s & T e r a i D e v e l o p m e n t C o r p o r a t i o n .

He has published several research papers and was actively involved in the development and release of 12 improved varieties of wheat, foxtail millet, soybean, rice bean, amaranth and buckwheat. He has contributed for many national and international initiatives/events, to name the few are: drafting of the Biological Diversity and Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers' Right Acts, negotiation of International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for food & Agriculture of the FAO and UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Awards and Honours: He has the distinction of receiving the Agriculture Today Life Time Achievement Award; Dr. Harbhajan Singh Memorial Award; Life Time Achievement Award; Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Award; Indira Gandhi Priyadarshni Award; CABI Award, Indra Ghandi Sadbhavana Award and Amit Krishi Rishi Award. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding; Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources; National Academy of Biological Sciences and National Academy of Environmental Sciences. He was the President of the Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources and the Indian Society of Genetics & Plant Breeding. He is Vice Chairman of Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences and immediate past president of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Research Areas: His main fields of research are Genetics and Plant Breeding, Plant Genetic Resources.


H. S. Gupta, Ph.D. President, ISGPB – 2011 - 2013

Born on July 1, 1953 at Rudrapur, U.P., India, Dr Gupta obtained his B.Sc. degree from National Degree College, University of Gorakhpur in 1971, M.Sc. degree from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and

Technology, Pantnagar in 1974, Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 1978. He did his postdoctoral fellowship from University of Nottinghum, U.K. (1987-88) and Washington State University, Pullman, USA (1993-94). He has served as Director General, Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), New Delhi (2014-16); Director, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi (2009-14); Director, Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Almora (2000-2009); Joint Director (H.Q.), (1999-2000) and Head, Division of Plant Breeding (1989-1999) at ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Barapani.

Awards and Honors: He has the distinction of receiving ICAR Team Award (1994-96, 2006-07 and 2008-09); Dr. Rajendra Prasad Award (2004); NRDC's Meritorious Invention Award (2006); Hari Om Asharam Trust Award (2007); NRDC's Societal Invention Award (2007); WIPO Gold Medal (2008); Dr. Amrik Singh Cheema Award (2010). He was President, Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding from 2011-13. He is a fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Science, Indian Society of Agricultural Biochemists; Indian Society of Genetics & Plant Breeding; Indian Society of Agricultural Engineering (Hon); Rockfeller Foundation's Career Fellow.

Research Areas: His main fields of research are Crop breeding and biotechnology.


Dr. Jeet Singh SandhuPresident, ISPGB – 2016-2017

Born in Sri Ganaganagr, Rajasthan, India on 1 August 1955. Educated at Senior Secondary School, Bundi, 1973-75; Govt College, Bundi, 1975-78; G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, 1979-85; M.Sc. Plant Breeding 1982 & Ph.D. 1985.

Vice-Chancellor, ND University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Faizabad, Febuary 2018 to date.

Assistant Plant Breeder (Pulses), 1986-91; Plant Breeder (Pulses), 1991-99, and Senior Scientist (Pulses),1999-07, Incharge Pulses, 2007-10 Department of Plant Breeding, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; Assistant Director General (Seed), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, 2010-13; Agriculture Commissioner, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, GoI, 2013-15; Deputy Director General (Crop Science), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, 2015-17.

Awards/Honours: Team Award (Chickpea): CGIAR'S King Baudouin Award 2002 and ICRISAT Doreen Mashler 2002; Award of Plaque to Best Research Worker for the year 2007-08, PAU, Ludhiana; and Indian Society of Pulses Research and Development (ISPRD) Recognition Award, 2009. President (Acting), 2011-12; Vice President, 2010-2012; Indian Society of Pulses and Development, Kanpur; President, Indian Society of Genetics & Plant Breeding, 2016-2017 and Vice-President, Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources, 2016-2017.

Fellow: Indian Society of Pulses Research and Development, Kanpur; Honoary Fellow: Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding

Research Areas: Plant Breeding and Genetics (Pulses genetics and breeding)


Dr. Trilochan MohapatraPresident, ISGPB – 2018-2019

Born in Kharibil, Cuttack, India on 20 April 1962. Educated at Laxmi Narayan High School, Eranch, Cuttack, 1973-78; Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, 1978-80; Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, 1980-85, Indian Agricultural Research

Institute, 1985-91; B.Sc. 1985; M.Sc. 1987; Ph.D. 1992.

Secretary to Government of India, Department of Agricultural Research & Education (DARE) and Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, 2016 to date.

Scientist, 1992-99, Senior Scientist, 1999-2005, and Principal Scientist, 2005-12, National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, IARI, New Delhi; Director, Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odisha, 2012-15; Director, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 2015-16.

Awards/Honours: INSA Young Scientist Award, 1994; INSA Prof. L.S.S. Kumar Memorial Award, 1994; NAAS-Tata Young Scientist Award, 2001; IARI B.P. Pal Memorial Award, 2002; DBT National Bioscience Award, 2003-04; NASI-Reliance Industries Platinum Jubilee Award 2007; Indian Science Congress Platinum Jubilee Lecture 2014; Indian Genetics Congress Lifetime Achievement Award 2014; Lifetime Achievement Award of the Indian Genetics Congress 2015; Shri Om Prakash Bhasin Award 2016; IMS Diamond Jubilee Memorial Award 2016; Dr. D. Sundaresan Memorial Oration Award 2017; Dr. Amrik Singh Cheema Award 2017 by the Young Farmers Association, Punjab; NASI Lecture Award 2017; Life Time Achievement Award 2017 by the Indian Society of Agricultural Biochemists; Life Time Achievement Award 2017 by the Society for Community Mobilization and Sustainable Development Associate Editor, BMC Genetics, 2011 to date, Associate Editor, Journal of Genetics, 2012-14; D.Sc. (honoris causa) from YS Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, H.P., Amity University U.P., Siksha `O' Anusandhan University, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Veterinary & Animal Sciences University, U.P.

Fellow: National Academy of Sciences, India; Indian National Science Academy, Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding

Research Areas: Molecular genetics and genomics.


Dr. G.P. SinghPresident, ISGPB – 2020

Born in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India on 17 March 1964. Educated at Central Hindu School, Varanasi, 1979-81; Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, B.Sc. (Hons), 1981-84; M.Sc. (Ag.), 1986-88, Chandra Shekhar Azad

University of Agriculture & Technology, Ph.D. 1992.

Director, Indian Institute of Wheat & Barley Research, P.B. No. 158, Kunjpura Road, Karnal.

Scientist, National Research Centre for Soybean, Indore, 1993-94; Scientist, Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, 1994-96; Scientist & Scientist (Senior Scale), Directorate of Wheat Research, Karnal; Senior Scientist & Principal Scientist, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 2001-2008 & 2009-2016.

Awards/Honours: V.S. Mathur Memorial Award, 2014, Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, New Delhi.

Fellow: Society of Advancement of Wheat Research, Karnal; Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, New Delhi, India; Society for Scientific Development in Agriculture and Technology, Jhansi.

Research Areas: Wheat improvement, abiotic stress, physiological phenotyping, MARS & MABB


Dr. Shiv Mangal Singh Tomar

Secretary, ISGPB – 2007-2011

Born in Dahemun, Budaun, Uttar Pradesh, India on 5 January 1946. Educated at Radhey Lal Inter College, Kachchla, Budaun 1958-64; N.D. College, Shikohabad, 1964-67; Govt. Agricultural College, Kanpur 1967-69; Indian

Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 1979-83; Plant Breeding Institute, Cambridge, U.K. 1988; B.Sc. (Ag) 1967; M.Sc. (Ag) 1969; Ph.D. 1984.

Senior Research Assistant (Off-season Nursery, IARI RS Wellington, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu) 1971-75; Scientist S0, 1975-76, Scientist S1 1976-82, Scientist S2, 1983-85, Senior Scientist, 1986-98, Principal Scientist, 1998-2008, and Emeritus Scientist, Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 2008-11.

Awards/Honours: Gaya Prasad Maheshwari Memorial Gold Medal 1967; DWR Plaque of Honour 1997; Dr. B.P. Pal Memorial Award 2000; IARI Certificate of Appreciation for developing variety, 2001-02 & 2006; TNAU Recognition Certificate for developing variety, 2010; Secretary, Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding 2007-11; Editor, Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 2014 to date..

Fellow: Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding; Member, National Academy of Sciences, India.

Research Areas: Wheat genetics, cytogenetics and breeding, rust genetics, heterosis breeding


Dr. Sanjay Singh

Secretary, ISGPB – 2016-2019

Born in Mau, Uttar Pradesh, India on 16th July 1966. Educated at N.D. University of Agriculture & Technology, Kumarganj, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, B.Sc. (Hons), 1988; N . D . U n i v e r s i t y o f A g r i c u l t u r e &

Technology,Kumarganj, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh M.Sc. (Ag.), 1990, N.D. University of Agriculture & Technology, Kumarganj,Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, Ph.D. 1994.

Principal Scientist, ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant biotechnology, New Delhi, 2013- till date

Senior Scientist, Division of Crop Improvement, Regional RainfedLowland Rice Research Station Garua Assam under CRRI, Cuttack (ICAR), 2001-2004; Senior Scientist, Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-CRRI, Cuttack 2004-2008; Senior Scientist & Principal Scientist, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 2008-2009 & 2009- 2013.

Awards/Honours: Eminent Scientist Award 2014, Bharat Jyoti Award 2011, Beat extension worker awarded, Best Paper awards, National conference on Recent trends in rice management, Cuttack .

Fellow: Applied Zoologists Research Association, , CRRI, Cuttack, Odisha, Bioved Research Society of Bioved Research Institute of Agriculture & Technology, Allahabad, National Environmental Science Academic, Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, New Delhi ISGPB Fellow Directory

Research Areas: Rice & Wheat improvement, biotic & abiotic stress, MARS & MABB


Dr. Ram Kumar Sharma

Secretary, ISGPB – 2020

stBorn in Haridwar, Uttarkhand, India on 1 Sept 1958. Educated at PB Municipal I n t e r m e d i a t e C o l l e g e , H a r i d w a r , Uttarakhand, 1968-1975; College of Science, Gurkul Kangri University, Haridwar,

Uttarakhand, B.Sc ., 1976-78; G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUA&T), Pantnagar Udam Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand, M.Sc. (Ag), 1981; G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUA&T), Pantnagar Udam Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand, Ph.D.,1995

Principal Scientist, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 2008- continue

Scientist, Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan VPKAS, Alomra, Uttarakhand, 1985 - 1992; Scientist (Sr Scale), Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan VPKAS, Alomra, Uttarakhand, 1992 - 2003 and Senior Scientist, Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan VPKAS, Alomra, Uttarakhand, 2003 - 2005, Senior Scientist, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 2005 – 2008

Fellow: Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Society of Advancement of Wheat Research, Karnal

Research Areas: Crop improvement in Rice, Lentil, Soybean, Forage sorghum and presently working for development of rust resistance, terminal heat tolerant varieties of bread

b. p. pal, ph. d. padma vi bhushan, padma bhushan

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