Chandrakant T. Patel, (11 July 1917 – 25 December 1990) was a cotton scientist, who developed the first commercial cotton hybrid, known as Hybrid-4 (Sankar-4), in 1970, which was later cultivated commercially in the states of Gujarat and
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
.
Biography
Chandrakant T. Patel was born in Sarsa in the
Kaira District of
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
and obtained his MSc degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics from
Bombay University
University of Mumbai is a public state university in Mumbai. It is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 549,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges.
It was est ...
in 1954. He is known as Father of Hybrid cotton. He worked at Surat Agricultural University and after two decades of continuous research efforts, successfully developed an
intraspecific hybrid
In biology, a hybrid is the offspring resulting from combining the qualities of two organisms of different varieties, subspecies, species or genera through sexual reproduction. Generally, it means that each cell has genetic material from two di ...
by crossing
Gujarat-67 X
American Nectariless variety, known as Hybrid-4 (H-4),
which produced about 80 to 100 qt of Kapas/ha. Earlier research practices.carried out for nearly two decades helped to procure 213–304 kg.lint/ha. But the Hybrid-4 variety produced a record high of 6,918 kg kapas/ha (i.e.:2,352 kg lint/h]
H-4 became highly successful in Central India, giving more than twice the yield compared to the parent varieties Gujarath-67.
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
Sardar Patel University (SPU) is a public state university in Vallabh Vidyanagar, a Anand City Gujarat, India. It is named after politician Vallabhbhai Patel and was founded in October 1955 by an Act of the Legislative Assembly of the then-Bomb ...
in
Vallabh Vidyanagar
Vallabh Vidyanagar, also known as V.V.Nagar, is a town and a Anand Municipal Corporation in Anand district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. It is located between Ahmedabad and Vadodara, from the town of Anand, Guj ...
, Gujarat, bestowed an honorary
D.Sc.
A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world.
Africa
Algeria and Morocco
In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...
degree on him in 1978.
Patel died in 1990 as result of a car accident.
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.
Honours
He was the recipient of 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.
* Posthumous NAU Lifetime Achievement Award May 2024
Sources
* Indian Society for Cotton Improvement (ISCI), Mumbai.
Further reading
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patel, C. T.
Scientists from Gujarat
People from Kheda district
Textile scientists
1917 births
1990 deaths
Indian genealogists
Textile industry in Gujarat
20th-century agronomists
Honors and Legacy
Dr. C. T. Patel Gold Medals (2023): At Navsari Agricultural University’s 2023 convocation, meritorious students were honored with gold medals in Dr. Patel’s name, presented by the Honorable Governor of Gujarat, Shri Acharya Devvrat. This initiative, made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Patel’s elder son’s family, ensures that his vision continues to inspire new generations of agricultural scientists.
Posthumous NAU Lifetime Achievement Award in May 2024.
On 1 May 2024, Navsari Agricultural University (NAU) posthumously awarded Dr. Chandrakant T. Patel a Lifetime Achievement Award during its 20th Foundation Day celebration. The award was received by his grandson, Shri Pareshbhai Patel, and granddaughter-in-law, Smt. Vona Patel. NAU Vice Chancellor Dr. Z.P. Patel performed a traditional ritual involving kumkum, tilak, and akshat (rice grains) as part of the presentation.
Foundation Day Celebration of Navsari Agricultural University – YouTube
(award segment from 1:29:39 to 1:38:47; ritual at 1:32:35). Uploaded by Navsari Agricultural University, 1 May 2024.
References