Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao
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Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao (5 September 1927 – 27 July 2016) was an Indian geneticist and plant breeder, known for his efforts in developing hybrid varieties of
sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...
, which earned him the moniker, the Father of Hybrid Sorghum. He was the vice chancellor of
Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural University Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), formerly Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (MKV), is an agricultural university at Parbhani in the Indian state of Maharashtra. History The foundation of agricultural research in Parbhani was la ...
and chaired the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. He was a recipient of several national honors including Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award and the
VASVIK Industrial Research Award VASVIK Industrial Research Award is an Indian award, instituted to recognize and promote excellence in industrial research in the areas of science and technology. The award is given annually to individuals or groups and carries a citation and a ca ...
. The
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada''), abbreviated as CSIR, was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the l ...
, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1966, for his contributions to biological sciences.


Biography

N. G. Prasada Rao was born on 5 September 1927 in Korisapadu,
Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...
,
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
and he graduated in agriculture (BSc) with second rank from Agricultural College, Bapatla, then affiliated to
Andhra University Andhra University (IAST: ''Āndhra Vișvakalāpariṣhat'') is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926. History King Vikram Deo Verma, the Maharaja of Jeypore was one of the biggest do ...
(presently affiliated to
Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU) is a public agricultural university with its headquarters at the village Lam, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. History The original Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University was est ...
). After completing his master's degree at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute with a first rank, he secured his PhD from Bihar University in 1958 after which Chandrasekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology awarded him the degree of Doctor of Science (DSc). His career started as a lecturer at
Osmania University Osmania University is a collegiate public state university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad in 1918 , He released a farman to establish OSMANIA UNIVERSITY on the day of 28 August 1918. It ...
but later joined the Indian Agricultural Research Institute as a plant breeder for sorghum where he served for a number of years as a coordinator of ''All India Sorghum Improvement Project'', head of IARI Hyderabad station and as a Professor of Eminence. During his tenure at IARI, he also served as a faculty member at the College of Agriculture, Hyderabad and at IARI campus in New Delhi. Later he also worked as a Sorghum breeder with
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is an international organization which conducts agricultural research for rural development, headquartered in Patancheru (Hyderabad, Telangana, India) with several r ...
in West Africa before serving as the vice chancellor of
Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural University Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), formerly Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (MKV), is an agricultural university at Parbhani in the Indian state of Maharashtra. History The foundation of agricultural research in Parbhani was la ...
, and was associated with the
Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
as a consultant. Rao was known to have done extensive researches in breeding hybrid varieties of sorghum and his efforts were reported to have assisted in the development of three new varieties, CSH-1, CSH-2 and CSH-9, which returned high yield levels. It also helped the
kharif Kharif crops, also known as monsoon crops or autumn crops, are domesticated plants that are cultivated and harvested in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh during the Indian subcontinent's monsoon season, which lasts from June to November depending o ...
cultivation in the arid areas of India and West Africa, in making sorghum a popular crop, comparable to rice and wheat and in the development of hybrid seed industry in India. He proposed new cropping techniques and his efforts also contributed to the development of other crops such as cotton, red gram and castor. His researches have been documented in over 200 papers published by him in peer reviewed journals. He was associated with Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding and the Society for Millets Improvement and presided over both the societies. Rao took ill in 2016 and after a short period of illness, died on 27 July 2016, at the age of 88, in Hyderabad.


Awards and honors

The Indian National Science Academy elected Rao as their fellow in 1979, followed by the
National Academy of Sciences, India The National Academy of Sciences, India, established in 1930, is the oldest science academy in India. It is located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Meghnad Saha was the founder president. Fellows *Suddhasatwa Basu * Sudha Bhattacharya * Ch ...
, in 1988. He was also an elected fellow of the
National Academy of Agricultural Sciences The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) is a Government of India funded agency, established in 1990, is a research platform in the fields of crop husbandry, animal husbandry, fisheries and agro-forestry. It acts as a research base for ...
and the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences. He received the
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, Applied science, applied or Fundamenta ...
, one of the highest Indian science awards, from the
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada''), abbreviated as CSIR, was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the l ...
in 1966, the same year as he received the C. Subramaniam Gold Medal. He received the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in 1974 and the
VASVIK Industrial Research Award VASVIK Industrial Research Award is an Indian award, instituted to recognize and promote excellence in industrial research in the areas of science and technology. The award is given annually to individuals or groups and carries a citation and a ca ...
in 1979. The Government of Andhra Pradesh honored him with two awards, the Atma Gaurav Award in 2003, and the Distinguished Agricultural Scientist Award in 2008.
Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU) is a public agricultural university with its headquarters at the village Lam, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. History The original Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University was esta ...
has instituted an annual award in his honor, for recognizing academic excellence at graduate level courses.


See also

* Indian Agricultural Research Institute


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Biological Science Indian scientific authors 1927 births 2016 deaths People from Prakasam district Telugu people Andhra University alumni Osmania University faculty Food and Agriculture Organization officials Indian geneticists Plant breeding Indian agriculturalists Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India Fellows of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences Heads of universities and colleges in India Scientists from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian botanists Indian officials of the United Nations