• Name                                            Dr G K MAHAPATRO
  

• Designation                                  Head, ICAR - IARI Regional Station, Pune-411 007

                                                       National Fellow ICAR (2011-17) & Principal Scientist

• Email                                            [email protected], [email protected]

• Telephone No. (Office)               011-24583588 (Off.) Extn. No.4446

•  Discipline & specialization        Entomology – Toxicology & Termite Management

• Current area of research: Environmentally sustainable termite control: integrative & inclusive approach of frontier and indigenous technologies (National Fellow ICAR project 2011-16). Contribution to the scientific advancement:

• Selected as National Fellow ICAR by Search-cum-Selection Committee of ICAR; for the project: Environmentally sustainable termite control: integrative & inclusive approach of frontier and indigenous technologies. Salient contributions under this project.

Data-base development:

• Termite faunistic list of India (261-spp, 51-Genera, 7 Fam.).

• Developed National Termite Depository.Reported Heterotermes indicola – a serious termite as urban-pest from Delhi.

• Gene sequencing accession numbers for 22 Indian termites: acquired from GenBank.

• Associated fungi in the fungal combs: 10 accessions acquired NCBI GenBank.

• Developing Website, TermiteXpert, it includes an android app (Termiteapp) as well. (to be launched soon officially under National Fellow Project). 

Pusa Push-pull-strategy (3P4C):

• Innovated an eco-technology for termite management in wheat-maize agro-ecosystem, i.e. attained with crop residues (pull-site, maize stubbles) and main/target crop (push-site, wheat-rows). The technology was validated, successfully demonstrated to the farmers at Agro-technology Transfer Information Centre, IARI, New Delhi - a milestone achievement. 3P4C can lead to the End-Of-Pipe (EOP) technique in effective biopesticides in termite control.

• Termiticides used in target-crops (wheat, barley, gram & lentil – rabi & maize – kharif crops), were analysed for residues in the harvested commodities; residues were found below detectable levels (BDL) implying safety aspects of termiticides recommended.

•  Seed treatment packages for 5 major crops (wheat, maize, soybean, groundnut & chickpea).

• Termite management module in rain-fed agriculture.

• In view of serious termite infestation in village Jhargaon Ki Jhopdi (Kota district, Rajasthan - that has created major news headlines i.e. Dainik Bhaskar, May 7; & Oct 18, 2013, The Indian Express July 14, 2013);village was surveyed, the causal termite was correctly identified as H. indicola hitherto known Odontotermes. Subsequent recommendations for management were made (Dainik Bhaskar 28 Nov & 2 Mar 2014).

• PATENT (IPA No 1618/DEL/2008); Publication Date: 16/04/2010. The Patent Office Journal, Part I, 16^th, page no.15. (Co-inventor): Methodology and composition of artificial diet for mass rearing of lepidopteran pests (in particular Helicoverpa armigera, Spodoptera litura and Earias vittella). Another artificial diet for Spilarctia obliqua is ready (10-generation) for patent application.

• Tomato transgenic-lines resistant against H. armigera (DBT-project) developed (JNU & ICGEG - main centres) by incorporating the DNA locus encoding 58kDa insecticidal groEL protein and 17kDa insecticidal Pilin subunit of Xenorhabdus nematophilausing Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.

• Reported for the first time in India, a unique record of chloropid pest (rice stem fly Anatrichus erinaceus Loew, Fam - Diptera)(2009).

• Cashew hybrid ‘Poornima’ (H 1593)(State Variety Release Committee, Kerala).

• Identified an induced genotype of cashew by gamma radiation with highest record nut weight in India. Stated Species-spectrum of ants and spiders in cashew ecosystem of Kerala.

• Initiated Ant-technology in India. Articles in Curr. Sci., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. India Sect. B. Biol. Sci. Cashew Bulletin, & Cover-page of Online journal Cashew Week (www.commodityIndia.com).

• Methodology for screening cashew genotypes for tea mosquito bug infestation.

• Methodology for damage scoring for tea mosquito bug infestation.

• Crop-modeling/ Forewarning for insect pest management. Worked as Co-PI in a multi-disciplinary & multi-institutional project (ICAR ad hoc) titled Forewarning Tea mosquito bug in cashew, devised the forewarning tools.

• Teaching & Extension experience 16-yrs, Guided 3 M Sc students, continuing 2 Ph D (Chairman), Co-chairman/member in the Advisory Board 4 students (M Sc & Ph.D).

• National Fellow ICAR (2011-17).

• SPPS Fellow Award (2015)

• Bharat Jyoti Award (2011).

• National Councilor deputed by ADG (HRD),  All India Entrance Examination in Agriculture & allied Sciences (AIEEA) – UG & PG  (2011-15).

• Examiners, Paper Setter & Moderator for National level (ICAR, IARI) and SAUs (2000-16).

• Fellow of Entomological Society of India (F.E.S.I.).

• Best Poster Award 2012. 2^nd International Science Congress, ISCA.

• Best Paper Award 2012, National Symposium. -Dr Niranjan Panda Award of Innovative Research by the Society of Plant Protection and Environment.

• Best Poster Award 2006, National Seminar, organised by IIHR, Bangalore (Ant-technology in cashew).

• Editorial Core Committee Member, Indian Journal of Entomology, Journal of Plant Science & Research; Reviewer to >10 NAAS-rated journals (including Current Science).

• Instrumental in making IARI a voluntary centre for AINP on Soil Arthropod Pests (2012-16).

• Nodal Officer on Termite R&D [AINP on Soil Arthropod Pests (2015)]

• Nodal Officer (Termite Control), IARI (2009 to till-date).

• Nodal Officer, ARIS Cell, North Kerala, Kerala Agril. University (2001-2005).

• Chess-Champion at OUAT, IARI (during student life and service as well), participated Zonal Sports Meet (2014).

• Various awards to my Students (eg. INSPIRE Fellowship for Ph D), ARS etc.

• Awards in my study career 

  • University Gold Medal (Topper PG in OUAT, Orissa) – 1992.

  • Gujarat Gold Medal (OUAT University Topper in Plant Protection subjects) – 1992.

  • University Merit Scholarships, in UG, PG and SRF at Ph D level (ICAR). 

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