ICAR Director Dr. Maganti Sheshu Madhav honoured with NAAS fellow award 

Dr. Sheshu Madhav Maganti awarded NAAS Fellow for contributions to sustainable rice and tobacco production in agriculture.

Director of the ICAR-Central Tobacco Research Institute Dr. Sheshu Madhav Maganti has been awarded the prestigious National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) Fellow Award for his outstanding contributions to agricultural sciences, particularly his work on the sustainable production of rice and tobacco. According to a press release, the award ceremony took place in New Delhi on Wednesday, coinciding with the Foundation Day of NAAS.

Hailing from Warangal Hanamkonda, Dr. Madhav is a distinguished postdoctoral fellow from Ohio State University in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. With over three decades of experience in agricultural research and management, he has made significant advancements in rice and tobacco cultivation.

Dr. Madhav’s research primarily addresses biotic stresses impacting rice productivity. His team has identified and cloned two major rice blast resistance genes, Pi54 and Pi68(t), and mapped the Xa33 gene, which confers resistance to bacterial leaf blight (BLB). These genes have been crucial in developing biotic stress-resistant rice varieties and pre-breeding lines, greatly contributing to global rice improvement efforts.

Additionally, his lab has pioneered the development of rapid marker assays for traits such as blast resistance, aroma and kernel length after cooking (KLAC), thereby expediting the creation of superior rice lines. Utilizing molecular breeding toolss, Dr. Madhav has successfully bred six rice varieties released through the Central Varietal Release Committee (CVRC), benefiting the regions where they have been introduced.