Dr. Keshav Raj Kranthi — ICAC Cotton Researcher of the Year 2009

Name: Dr. Keshav Raj Kranthi

Designation: Acting Director & Head, Crop Protection Division

Department: Central Institute for Cotton Research
PB.No.2, Shankarnagar PO,Nagpur. INDIA. 440 010
Tel. No.: 91-7103-275549
Fax No.: 91-7103-275529
E-mail : krkranthi@satyam.net.in

Date of Birth: 26th February 1963

Education: Ph.D (Entomology), Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi

Awards and Honors

1. Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences: 2009

2. Team leader: ICAR Award for outstanding team research 2006. (Cash Prize Rs. 100,000 and a citation) by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, India.

3. Vasantrao Naik Smruti Pratisthan Award 2004. By Vasantrao Naik Smruti Pratisthan, Maharashtra, India, for outstanding contribution to cotton pest management.

4. Project Award: Renewal Natural Resources Knowledge Strategy- international £200,000 award 2000, awarded to the ICAR/ICRISAT/NRI -IRM project for the best CPP program.

5. ISCI award 1999. The Indian Society for Cotton Improvement, India, for outstanding contribution to plant protection.

6. Gold medal in Ph.D at IARI, 1991 for “Outstanding academic performance”.
7. Awarded IARI (Indian Agricultural Research Institute), New Delhi Senior Fellowship for PhD: 1987-1991.

8. Awarded ICAR, New Delhi Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Junior Fellowship for M.Sc: 1985-1987.

9. Awarded National Merit Scholarship: 1979-1981.

10. Recognition: Member of the GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee), the main apex body under the Ministry of Environment, Government of India

11. Recognition: Chairman of the GEAC sub-committee to finalize bio-safety modalities.

12. Recognition: Member of the standing committee of the GEAC committee on event-based approval of GM-crops.

13. Recognition: Member (co-opted) Central Insecticides Board, the main apex body for insecticide regulation under the Ministry of Agriculture.

Patents

1. Patent: Indian patent granted: Rapid detection of Cry1A toxins on lateral flow strip using two anti-Bt-toxin polyclonal antibodies. IPR No. 600/DEL/2002 dated 31-5-02.

2. Patent: Granted in South Africa: Rapid Detection of Bt-Cry Toxin No. IAP 2004-0451; PCT/IN03/00199 granted in 2007.

3. Patent: Granted in China: Rapid Detection of Bt-Cry Toxin No. FP02228-GB/vcd granted in 2008.

4. International PCT applications are in final national phase of south Korea, Uzbekistan, Australia and Mexico.

5. Patent: Rapid kits to detect H. armigera resistance to insecticides: Patent Application No. 7/Mum/2006; 3-1-2006.

Technologies

1. Developed and commercialized four Bt-detection kits. The kits became popular all over the country with sales of US $1,045,000 until March 2009.

2. Developed Insecticide Resistance Management Strategies for cotton and facilitated (as team leader of Technology Mini Mission –II) their dissemination in 1,500 villages in none cotton growing districts in about 200,00 ha with 80,000 participating farmers.

3. Developed resistance management strategies to delay the development of resistance in bollworms to Bt cotton. The strategies were developed based on a stochastic model (Kranthi and Kranthi 2004, Current Science, 87: 1096-1107)

Books

As main author: Insecticide Resistance: K. R. Kranthi, 2005, (160 pp). Published by CICR, Nagpur, Common Fund for Commodities and International Cotton Advisory Committee

As co-editor: Sustainable bollworm control in small scale production systems: (Eds.) D. A. Russell & K. R. Kranthi, 2007, (180 pp) Published by CICR, Nagpur, Common Fund for Commodities and International Cotton Advisory Committee

Projects

Principal Investigator of 17 externally funded projects, with a total funding of US $ 2,400,000.

Publications

Published 28 papers in peer reviewed journals: BMC Evolutionary Biology, Current Science, Crop Protection, Plant Science, Journal of Economic Entomology, Bulletin of Entomological Research, Biocontrol Science and Technology, Pesticide Science, International journal of pest management, Journal of Applied Entomology and correspondence in Nature biotechnology.