Potato in sub-tropics: A saga of success in the revised version of an earlier book entitled “Twenty stems towards hidden Treasure: Technologies that Triggered Potato Revolution in India” published in 2008 by central Potato Research Institute Shimla. Though potato is not a native crop of this cub-continent and was introduced only about 400 years ago. It became a household name today in India. However it remained an insignificant crop till 1949 largely become of poor productivity of introduced European varieties that ware unsuitable for cultivation in sub-tropical Indian plains having shorter winter days. ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute since its inception in the years 1949 developed suitable varieties and technologies that virtually transformed the temperate potato crop to a sub-tropical one enabling its spread from cooler hill region to the vast Indo-Gangetic plains as a rabi ( winter) crop. It triggered a revolution in potato production causing very fast growth in area, production and productivity during next seven decades. As a consequence the country recorded an increase in area under potato from 0.24 million hectares in 1950-51 to 2.14 million hectares in 2017-18 with the corresponding increase in production from 1.66 to 51.31 million tonnes. The preat book narrates in a popular reading fashion development transfer and adoption of twenty path-breaking technologies that established potato as the principle vegetable crop in India. Need – based development to those technologies facilitated transformation of temperate European potato to a subtropical cash crop. Remarkable growth of potato sector during last seven decades driven by those precipitating technologies enabled the country to emerge as the second largest potato producer in the world.
Dr. S. K. Chakrabarti born in Gopinathpur, West Bengal, India on 5 March 1958. Educated at Birsingha Bhagavati Vidyalaya, West Midnapur, West Bengal 1969-76; Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kalyani, West Bengal 197681; Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 198186; B.Sc. (Ag.) Hons. 1980; M.Sc. 1983; Ph.D. 1987. Dr Chakrabarti was Director, ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh since 2016 to March, 2020. He worked as Scientist S1, 1986-91; Scientist (Sr. Scale), 1991-98; Senior Scientist, 1998-2006; Principal Scientist (Biotechnology), 2006-09; Head, Division of Plant Protection, ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, 200912 and Director, ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 2012-16. He received awards like Hari Om Ashram Trust Award for the biennium 2016-17, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, 2019; Shri L.C. Sikka Endowment Award of NAAS; IPA-Kaushalaya Sikka Memorial Award, Indian Potato Association, 2018; Dr. S. Ramanajuam Award, ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, 2014; IPAKaushalaya Sikka Memorial Award, Indian Potato Association, 2014; Biotechnology Overseas Associateship, Department of Biotechnology, 2002-03; Biotechnology National Associateship, Department of Biotechnology, 1995-97; Dr. J.P. Verma Memorial Award, Indian Phytopathological Society, 2010; Recognition Award, Indian Potato Association, 2011; Pioneers in Genomic Education, Ocimum Biosolutions and Gene Logic, 2010. He is the Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi; Indian Phytopathological Society, New Delhi; and Indian Potato Association, Shimla. Confederation of Horticultural Associations of India, New Delhi and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Currently he is the president of Indian Potato Association.
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj born in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, India on 29th Nov., 1972. Educated at Government Sr. Sec. School, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh 1988-90; Dr. YS Parmar University of Hoticulture & Forestry, Solan 1990-1999; B.Sc. (Horti.), 1994, M.Sc. 1996; Ph.D. 2001. Dr. Bhardwaj is Principal Scientist & Act. Head, Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute v
(CPRI), Shimla. He is associated with development of fifteen potato cultivars for cultivation in Indian hills and plains, registered 7 novel elite potato genetic stocks with ICAR-NBPGR, N. Delhi. He has developed an elite parental line possessing Potato virus Y extreme resistance gene Ryadg in Triplex (YYYy) condition. Associated in the development of meiotic tetraploids (MT’s) using unilateral sexual polyploidization (USP), identified potato genotypes possessing multiple resistance genes for Late Blight, Potato Virus Y and Cyst Nematodes. He has handled > 25 projects (current & accomplished) as PI & Co-PI. Currently handling collaborative project from NASF, ICAR and SERB (DST) as PI. He has published more than 70 research articles. Recipient of Dr. S. Ramanujam award, CPRI Best Worker Award, Indian Potato Association Fellow. He got international exposures in Germany, China, Indonesia, Peru, Bangladesh, Canada etc. (Contact: vinay.bhardwaj@icar.gov.in; vinaycpri@gmail.com, +91-9418046415).
