Palpu Pushpangadan
Palpu Pushpangadan is a former Director of the Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute in Kerala. He is also a former Director of the National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow and Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram. He received the Padmashri Award from the Government of India in 2010.
Born on 23 January 1944 at Prakkulam in Kollam district in Kerala, Pushpangadan is known for his contribution to plant sciences. He has got multidisciplinary training in cytogenetics, plant breeding, bioprospecting, biotechnology, conservation biology, ethnobiology, ethnopharmacology and pharmacognosy.
He has published about 317 research papers/articles in various national and international journals, authored/edited 15 books, contributed 41 chapters in books in taxonomy, plant breeding, conservation biology, biotechnology, ethnobiology, ethnopharmacology and IPR, etc. Filed/Awarded 85 patents in herbal drugs/products jointly with other scientists. 15 of his patented products are already commercialized.