7 months ago
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Horticultural idiosyncratic G. Karunakaran, who is credited with popularising dragon effect cultivation and identifying the Siddu jackfruit variety, was conferred connected Dr. Kalayya Krishnamurthy National Award 2024 by the University of Agricultural Sciences -Bengaluru (UAS-B) connected the juncture of its 60th Foundation Day, connected Thursday.
Dr. Karunakaran, who is moving arsenic Principal Scientist (Horticulture) successful Division of Fruit Crops astatine the ICAR–Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, is renowned for his enactment successful popularising effect varieties that are not lone suitable for the parched conditions, but besides fetch remunerative incomes to farmers. He has besides worked connected the worth summation aspects related to effect crops, including the neglected crops similar tamarind and jackfruit to assistance summation farmers’ incomes.
With implicit 26 years of work successful the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Dr. Karunakaran has made pioneering contributions to the betterment and commercialisation of respective effect crops, including banana, papaya, jackfruit, dragon fruit, avocado, rambutan, Coorg mandarin, and tamarind. His innovative enactment connected effect familial resources, harvest improvement, and worth concatenation improvement has near a lasting imprint connected tropical horticulture.
He has played a cardinal relation successful the merchandise of high-yielding varieties specified arsenic Arka bid Avocado, Rambutan, Pepper, Wax Apple, and Jamun, arsenic good arsenic respective farmer-bred varieties, including jackfruit selections Siddu and Shankara and tamarind assortment Lakshmana. His efforts successful exertion improvement person led to the instauration of ready-to-serve and ready-to-eat fruit-based products, and his engagement with Farmer Producer Organisations has helped fortify community-based effect worth chains.
He has besides published implicit 40 probe papers, 3 books and 12 method bulletins. The grant recognises his sustained contributions to horticultural harvest research, familial improvement, and worth concatenation development.
Dr. Karunakaran received the grant from Home Minister G. Parameshwara successful the beingness of Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy. In all, awards were presented to 96 antithetic personalities. UAS-B Vice-Chancellor S.V. Suresha was besides present.
