genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...

plant breeding Plant breeding is the science of changing the traits of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. It is used to improve the quality of plant products for use by humans and animals. The goals of plant breeding are to produce crop varie ...

basmati Basmati () is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice which originates from the Indian subcontinent, mainly in the regions of Nepal, Punjab, Haryana, Sindh and many other states and provinces of India and Pakistan. The government of India honoured Siddiq in 2011 with the fourth-highest civilian award of

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

.

Biography

E. A. Siddiq was born in 1937 in

Ilayangudi Ilaiyangudi (or "Ilayangudi") is a town in Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu state, India. It is the center of government for the surrounding tehsils. The town has a predominant Tamil Rowthers population. The Tamil Muslim community was traditional ...

, Town in

Sivaganga District Sivaganga District is one of the 38 districts (an administrative district) in Tamil Nadu state, India. This district was formed on 15 March 1985 by trifurcation of Ramanathapuram district into Ramanathapuram district, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunaga ...

, Tamil Nadu, India. His graduate studies were completed in Botany (1959) from the

University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

following which he obtained masters (1964) and doctoral degrees (1968) in

Cytogenetics Cytogenetics is essentially a branch of genetics, but is also a part of cell biology/cytology (a subdivision of human anatomy), that is concerned with how the chromosomes relate to cell behaviour, particularly to their behaviour during mitosis an ...

, under the supervision of renowned botanist,

M. S. Swaminathan Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan (7 August 1925 – 28 September 2023) was an Indian geneticist and plant breeder, administrator and humanitarian. Swaminathan was a global leader of the green revolution. He has been called the main architect of ...

, from the

Indian Agricultural Research Institute The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), commonly known as the Pusa Institute, is India's national institute for agricultural research, education and extension. The name Pusa Institute is derived from the fact that the institute was ...

(IARI). His career started at his alma mater, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, as a cytogeneticist in 1968, a post he held till 1976 when he was promoted as the Senior Scientist. In 1983, he was deputed to Egypt as the Rice Breeder and in 1986, he was transferred to Philippines as the Professor of Genetics. The next year, in 1987, he returned to India as the Project Director of the

Directorate of Rice Research The Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), formerly the Directorate of Rice Research, is a rice research institute located in Rajendranagar near Hyderabad, Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India s ...

, Hyderabad and worked there till 1994. The next move was to

Indian Council of Agricultural Research The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous body responsible for co-ordinating agricultural education and research in India. It reports to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture. Th ...

(ICAR), New Delhi as the Deputy Director General of the Crop Science Division. In 1997 Siddiq was honored as the National Professor of ICAR and in 2002, he took charge of the

Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) is an Indian biotechnology research centre, located in Hyderabad, India, operated by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. CDFD is a Sun M ...

(CDFD) as the Distinguished Chair. On his retirement in 2007, he was appointed as the Adjunct Scientist at CFFD. He also holds the positions of Adjunct Professor of the

University of Hyderabad The University of Hyderabad (UoH) is a prestigious public central research university located in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Established in 1974, this mostly residential campus has more than 5,000 students and 400 faculty, from ...

, Adjunct Professor of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and the Honorary Professor of Biotechnology at

Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU) is a public agricultural university with its headquarters at the village Lam, Guntur district, Lam, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. History The original Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Univers ...

, Hyderabad.

Positions

Siddiq was a member of the scientific advisory council of the

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...

from 2004 to 2009. He sits in the Board of Members of the

International Rice Research Institute The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international agricultural research and training organization with its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, in the Philippines, and offices in seventeen countries. IRRI is known for its w ...

as well as the Executive Committee of the Agri Biotech Foundation. He was a member of the working group for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012) of India. He was also a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, an Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) subsidiary. Siddiq is the chairman of the Farm and Rural Science Foundation of The Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry. He also served as a council member of National Science academy, India from 1998 till 2000.

Legacy

Siddiq is credited with contributions on the scientific, academic and organizational fronts. His research primarily focusses on genetic research and applied breeding of rice, for improving the yield and quality, and is reported to have assisted in the development of ten high-yielding rice varieties. A variety of dwarf basmati rice (Pusa Basmati-1), claimed to be the first high-yielding variety in its class, and quick maturing varieties such as Pusa 2-21, Pusa 33, Pusa 4 and Pusa 834 are credited to Siddiq. His contribution is also reported in the development of DRRH-1, a first-generation Indian hybrid. Siddiq has also done basic research on adaptability, stability and the potential of convergent breeding of various rice breeds. His research has also covered the cytogenetic and phylogenetic aspects of rice breeding. Siddiq was a part of the project for enhancement of rice research in Egypt, under the USAID-funded Rice Breeder programme of

International Rice Research Institute The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international agricultural research and training organization with its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, in the Philippines, and offices in seventeen countries. IRRI is known for its w ...

(IRRI) in 1987 as well as in the establishment of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

-sponsored National Rice Research Institute in Vietnam. Working as a consultant for the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

, he has designed the projects for agricultural development in Assam and Bangladesh. He is credited with two scientific studies, one in Egypt and the other in India, in the capacity of the consultant to the

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

(FAO). On the organizational front, Siddiq has collaborated with the World Bank/

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...

as consultant and advisor and has prepared many project proposals for programs in Egypt, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. He has also helped in the establishment of rice research institutes in Vietnam and Bangladesh. He was a member of the Task Force on Crop Biotechnology, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee and the National Convenor of the Natural Rice Biotechnology Network during the period from 1990 to 2002. Siddiq is credited with over 150 research publications, 16 of which have been listed by

Microsoft Academic Search Microsoft Academic Search (MAS) was a research project and academic search engine retired in 2012. It relaunched in 2016 as Microsoft Academic, which in turn was shut down in 2022. The content of the latter was allegedly incorporated into The L ...

in their online repository and his research findings have been cited in many books and journals. * He has supervised 35 students in their PhD studies and has delivered keynote addresses at many conferences.

Awards and recognitions

Siddiq has received several honors starting with the Hari Om Ashram Trust National Award in 1976. In 1981, he was awarded the VASVIK Industrial Research Award, followed by Amrik Singh Cheema Award in 1988, Silver Jubilee Medal from the

Directorate of Rice Research The Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), formerly the Directorate of Rice Research, is a rice research institute located in Rajendranagar near Hyderabad, Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India s ...

(DRR) in 1990 and

Om Prakash Bhasin Award Om Prakash Bhasin Award for Science and Technology is an Indian award, instituted in 1985 to recognize excellence in the areas of science and technology. The award, given individually or collectively to a group, is annual in cycle and carries a p ...

in 1994. A year later, in 1995, he received the

Borlaug Award The Borlaug Award is an award recognition conferred by Coromandel International for outstanding Indian scientists for their research and contributions in the field of agriculture and environment. The award was created in 1972 and named in honour ...

and the

Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award The Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award was created in 1956 by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 1956 to recognize Indian researchers in the agricultural field. The award is named after Indian Independence activist Rafi Ahmed Kidwai. Award ...

. Indian National Science Academy honored Siddiq in 1997 with the Silver Jubilee Medal. He has also received the GP Chatterjee Memorial Lecture Award of the

Indian Science Congress Association Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Calcutta and it meets annually in the first week of January. It h ...

in 2001, the Agricultural Leadership Award in 2008 and appreciative mementos from the

Government of Tamil Nadu The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...

and the

Government of Egypt The politics of Egypt takes place within the framework of a republican semi-presidential system of government. The current political system was established following the 2013 Egyptian military coup d'état, and the takeover of President Abdel F ...

, besides receiving the Professor Sundar Lal Hora Medal of INSA, (2011) and B. P. Pal Memorial Award of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) (2011–12). In 2011, the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

included him in the Republic day honours, listing him for the fourth highest civilian award of

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

. Siddiq is an elected Fellow of the

Indian National Science Academy The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three b ...

(1995),The Year Book 2014 // Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad and

National Academy of Agricultural Sciences The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) is a Government of India funded agency, established in 1990, is a research platform in the fields of crop husbandry, animal husbandry, fisheries and agro-forestry. It acts as a research base for ...

, New Delhi.

References

External links