R. Krishnamourthy
Encyclopedia
Rajagopalan Krishnamurthy (born 27 March 1928) is an authority on cotton
research in India
. He is a prolific India
n plant breeder who introduced a myriad of cotton varieties for commercial cultivation. He served in the Department of Agriculture of Tamilnadu for one decade and almost 28 years in Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR). He has released as many as 6 varieties from G. Hirsutum, two from G. Barbadense and three hybrids during his tenure in ICAR Service. All of them are prominent and accepted by the farmers as well as the textile mills at Tamilnadu and elsewhere. He completed B. Sc.(Agri.) and M. Sc. (Agri.) in plant breeding and genetics from Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
. He is also the Director of Rasi Seeds Co. Pvt. Ltd.
3. 20 Bt cotton hybrids are at advanced stages of testing, while 6 Bt hybrids are awaiting approval for commercial release. During 2007, 9 Bt hybrids were proposed for RGGM trial all over the country.
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
research in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He is a prolific India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n plant breeder who introduced a myriad of cotton varieties for commercial cultivation. He served in the Department of Agriculture of Tamilnadu for one decade and almost 28 years in Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Indian Council of Agricultural Research , New Delhi, India is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India...
(ICAR). He has released as many as 6 varieties from G. Hirsutum, two from G. Barbadense and three hybrids during his tenure in ICAR Service. All of them are prominent and accepted by the farmers as well as the textile mills at Tamilnadu and elsewhere. He completed B. Sc.(Agri.) and M. Sc. (Agri.) in plant breeding and genetics from Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
. He is also the Director of Rasi Seeds Co. Pvt. Ltd.
Famous varieties
- Suvin cotton
- It is the Jewel in the Indian cotton crown. The king of cotton and India's pride. “Suvin” variety was released in 1979 by cross breeding Sujatha (Indian cotton variety) with St.Vincent (Sea-Island cotton variety). Suvin is the finest cotton being produced in India and has no parallel and alternative in the world today. It is the only commercially available fiber in the world with spinability up to 240s count. The highest production of Suvin was 36,000 bales (170 kg), achieved in the year 1989-90. However, the production of Suvin has depleted steadily over the years and currently stands at 300 MT i.e. around 1250 bales.
- Among other varieties:
- MCU-5 (VT) in 1982
- LRA-5166
- LRK-516
- Surabhi
- Sujata
Hybrids developed in the private sector
- Responsible for developing and releasing 43 cotton hybrids.
- Under the Bt Cotton Programme, involving Bollgard-1 and Bolgard-2 genes, 14 Bt cotton hybrids have been released for the North, Central and South zones of India & Bt hybrids have been released through other cotton seed companies in the country.
3. 20 Bt cotton hybrids are at advanced stages of testing, while 6 Bt hybrids are awaiting approval for commercial release. During 2007, 9 Bt hybrids were proposed for RGGM trial all over the country.
Awards and accolades
- Rafi Ahmed Khidwai Memorial prize, for the biennium 1966–67 for outstanding contribution in the field of Plant Breeding (December, 1973)ICAR Award for Team Research in Agriculture for the biennium 1975–76, for significant contributions to Cotton Improvement (January, 1976), The Indian Merchant Chamber Award for the year 1974, for the outstanding contribution in the field of Agriculture (February, 1976) Award by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, New Delhi for outstanding contribution in the area of life sciences including agriculture (1977)SIMA Cotton Development and Research Association, Coimbatore, for excellence in Cotton Development and for outstanding contribution for the development and releasing of high yielding medium staple Cotton variety, LRA-5166. (1988), Rao Bahaddur Ramanath Iyer AwardRao Bahaddur Ramanath Iyer AwardThe Rao Bahaddur Ramanath Iyer Award was instituted to promote the cotton research work, in India. This is being bestowed by the Indian Society for Cotton Improvement. Mumbai. Ramanath Iyer was a prominent cotton breeder in Tamil nadu, during the early part of 20th Century....
, 1990–91, by ISCI, Mumbai. For outstanding contribution in the field of Cotton Breeding and Genetics. (1992)
- ABLE Award, for excellence in Agriculture Sciences (2007).
- Honorary Fellowship to Sri. R. Krishnamourthy, by ISCI on 16th June, 2007.
- Sri. Krishnamourthy has been continuously involved in Cotton research for more than 5 decades and whose Research output has been commercialized extensively. Cotton hybrids developed by him have benefited the nearly 1 to 1.5 million farming community, during the Non Bt cotton days and 1.5 to 2 million farmers during the introduction of Biotech Cottons, in India. The cottons have impressive yield advantage compared to other hybrids and accomplished a peak coverage of 21,200 km² during 1997–98 and 2760000 acres (11,169.3 km²) during 2006—07. The sizable coverage led to an additional cotton production of 3,000,000 bales in the country, which accounts for approximately 30% of cotton production.
- Out of the 62 Bt cotton hybrids approved by the Regulatory Authority for Commercialization in India, 21 Bt cotton hybrids have been developed by Sri. Krishnamourthy, under the Rasi Seeds banner. Constituting 33.9% of the total Bt cotton hybrids released for commercialization, they occupy 29% of the hybrid cotton area in India.
- Rasi seeds have bagged, “DSIR National Award for R&D efforts in Industry (2005) in the commercialization of Technologies Acquired from others.”
- ISCI Awards, published on June 16th, 2007, by the Journal of ISCI, Matunga, Mumbai – 400 019.
Publications
He has published over 35 research papers in journals of high repute.- Krishnamurthy, R Breeding for Fibre Quality Improvement of Cotton (2007)