Following APSA’s recent announcement and recognition of the 2021 most influential seed scientists in the Asia-Pacific (see end info for link), Asian Seed reached out to the five awardees for interviews to find out more about what drives them. These interviews were published on APSA’s December 2021
This week’s interview features Dr. Sharan Angadi from Ankur Seed & ATPBR Foundation (India) – North Asia sub-region, who was recognized as a 2021 most influential plant breeding researchers for horticulture crops (private sector) in the Asia-Pacific. Having worked in vegetable seeds R&D for nearly three decades, Dr. Angadi has made tremendous contributions in the APAC region. Having previously worked for the firm as R&D Head and Head of Breeding Asia Pacific, he was instrumental in setting up breeding stations and research facilities, hiring breeders and scientists and developing a strong R&D team, guiding them in the successful development of several successful vegetable hybrids. Furthermore, Dr. Angadi has mentored breeders and scientists in more than 12 companies in India, which includes both national and multinational seed companies, who all continue to work towards shaping the vegetable seeds R&D in the APAC region. Now retired from Nunhems, Dr. Angadi is working as a Director in the Foundation for Advanced Training in Plant Breeding (ATPBR), where he is working with other stalwarts from the seed industry to train and develop the next generation of plant breeders in India. Following is his interview:
It is said `When you love your work, it feels like a choice more than a burden.’ I love my work and plant breeding has been my passion. This, I think, is the biggest inspiration in my everyday work. I fell in love with plant breeding in 1970, the very first year of my undergraduate studies, the year Dr Norman Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his phenomenal research on wheat. His advice on `listening to the whisperings of the plants` inspired me to no end and the seed of plant breeding was sown in my mind. Over the past fifty years plant breeding has nurtured me as a passionate professional and has been my everyday motivator. When I was in full time active employment with Nunhems, I woke up every morning looking forward to the joy of interaction with my scientists in experimental plots and laboratories. Periodical program updates from my local and global colleagues and the ensuing discussions kept me ever enthused. Now, even as an R&D adviser, my days begin with the expectations of exciting news from the breeding teams. I am always eager to know about their progress and provide help. All these activities are my constant motivators.
Reconciling sustainability with agricultural productivity in the face of climate change and unpredictable weather fluctuations will be the greatest challenge, which will force the plant breeders to find urgent, innovative solutions. As we have over exploited and have almost exhausted the available and utilizable genetic variability, finding newer and unconventional sources for biotic and abiotic stress tolerances and their effective utilization can be an enormous challenge. The growing importance of Intellectual Property Rights and countries tightening their regulations to protect the IPRs on genetic resources can become formidable blocks to the free and fair exchange of germplasm. New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPBTs) like speed breeding, allele mining, cisgenesis, intragenesis, TALEN, CRISPR Cas 9 can provide opulent opportunities for development of innovative crop varieties to face the challenges.
Be research driven in your approach but focus on market-driven plant breeding. Keep track of changing trends and plan in advance to breed for the emerging problems. Always be futuristic in your thinking and planning. Think ahead of the competition. Have clear goals and prepare definitive plans of action with specific timelines. Dare to be different and devise your own innovative approaches. Pursue plant breeding and allied areas of seed research with sustained interest. Do not be disappointed by the delays. When things do not go as planned take a relook at your approach and carefully scrutinize the improvement areas. Persevere with patience and optimism. Use your ingenuity at all times. A right mix of Pre breeding, Molecular Marker Assisted Selection, Plant pathology, Entomology, and Crop physiology is essential for success. Be a good team player and establish an effective network with all the scientists concerned. Working together works better than slogging in isolation. Success in plant breeding comes when the team players from diverse disciplines join hands and put in their best efforts. So please remember that you are an important cog in the wheel of progress and feel responsible and proud of your contributions. You may be doing your best but realize that there are better ways and approaches to achieve results more effectively and strive to excel. Always be open to ideas and constructive criticisms that will help you to improve your performance.
I am immensely impressed by Luther Burbank’s quote “The secret of improved plant breeding, apart from scientific knowledge, is love.” ‘Progress with tradition’, the credo of Nunhems, is my motto because I believe in the power of traditional plant breeding. I believe that the advances in the science of crop improvement and latest supporting technologies at their best can only be the adjuncts or tools to enhance the value of plant breeding. The ultimate success depends on how effectively you use the judicious mix of advanced technologies in developing innovative hybrids. This belief is the basis of my efforts to keep the conventional plant breeding knowledge relevant in the modern technology laden days. My philosophy in work and life is ‘simple living, high thinking’. Do your best always and leave the rest to God. It is good to be important but it is more important to be good.
Read more about Sharan Angadi and the other awardees and their accomplishments in our story here. See also, full interview with Dr. Krishna Reddy of ICAR here, Dr. Manuel Logroño here, and Dr. Conrado Balatero here.