Chandrakant T. Patel

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Chandrakant T. Patel (1917 - 25 December 1990) was a world renowned cotton scientist who developed the world's first ever commercial cotton hybrid, known as Hybrid-4 (Sankar-4), in 1970,^[1]^[2] which was later cultivated commercially in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

1 Biography
2 Service
3 Honour
4 Sources
5 References
6 Further reading
7 See also

[edit] Biography

Patel was born in Sarsa in the Kaira District of Gujarat and obtained his M.Sc. degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Bombay University in 1954. He worked at Surat Agricultural University and after two decades of continuous research efforts, he successfully developed an intraspecific hybrid by crossing Gujarat-67 X American Nectariless variety,^[3] known as Hybrid-4 (H-4),^[4] which produced about 80 to 100kg of Kapas/ha. H-4 became highly successful in Central India, giving more than twice the yield compared to the parent varieties Gujarath-67.^[4] The fibre properties were excellent and its adaptability makes it still popular. This was the first successful hybrid of commercially cultivated cotton and was a turning point in the Indian Cotton Development programme. He devised many innovative methods in plant breeding, the most popular being the nursery-cum-pot irrigation and telephone system, for successful cotton cultivation. The Sardar Patel University in Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, bestowed a Honorary D.Sc. degree on him in 1978.

Patel died in 1990 as result of a car accident.

[edit] Service

Indo American Hybrid Co, as a Scientist.
Gujarat Agricultural University, Visiting Professor for Post Graduate Students and Cotton Specialist.
CIMF-CDRA’s Research Co-Coordinator,
A Zonal Co-Ordinator, Gujarat Unit, for AICCI Project of ICAR.
M. S. Nath Agro, Research Foundation, Research Executive.
M/S Hoechst Seed Project Center, as a Cotton Specialist.

[edit] Honour

He was the recipient of many prestigious awards and medals:

Hari Om Ashram Award.
FICCI Award, Tata Endowment Award, by Indian Merchants Chamber Award.
Federation of Gujarat Mills and Industry Award.
National Tonnage Club Award.
Hexamar Award, instituted by The Indian Society for Cotton Improvement (ISCI), Bombay.
Vasvik Industrial Research Award for Agricultural Science & Technology, 1977.^[5]

[edit] Sources

Indian Society for Cotton Improvement (ISCI), Mumbai.
Laxmivenkatesh, H R (2005). My Spin Lab.

[edit] References

^ Murugkar, M; B. Ramaswami; M. Shelar (2007-09-15). "Competition and Monopoly in Indian Cotton Seed Market". Economic and Political Weekly 42 (37): p. 3781.
^ Cotton in India (HTML). Greenpeace. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ Patel, C. T. (1981-04-20). "Evolution of hybrid-4 cotton". Indian Academy of Science, Current Science 50 (8): pp. 3446.
^ ^a ^b R, Paroda (2004). "Scaling-up: how to reach a billion resource-poor farmers in developing countries". 4th International Crop Science Congress: p.9. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
^ Award Winners for Agricultural Sciences & Technology. Vasvik Industrial Research Awards. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.

[edit] Further reading

Patel, C. T. (1981-04-20). "Evolution of hybrid-4 cotton". Indian Academy of Science, Current Science 50 (8): pp. 343–346.
Menon, M (September 2003). Organic Cotton: Re-inventing the Wheel. Kalpavriksh: Deccan Development Society, p.13.
Rukmani, R. (ed.) (2007). Measures of Impact of Science and Technology in India: Agriculture and Rural Development. M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation/Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, pp. 67-72. ISBN 81-88355-05-4.