Ashok Kumar Thakur Editor

Ratikanta Maiti, Ph.D., D.Sc., is a renowned Botanist of international repute with specialization in crop Physiology and Botany. He worked for nine years as a senior botanist in Jute Agricultural Research Institute, Barrackpore (I.C.A.R.), Kolkata, West Bengal, and for 10 years as a senior Plant Physiologist in ICRISAT, Patancheru, A.P., India. Then, he worked as Senior Professor and Senior Research Scientist (CONACYT, Mexico, for 18 years) in two Universities in Mexico for 20 years. During his scientific career, he has developed innovative techniques for the screening of salinity and drought of several crops. As author of more than 30 books, he has won several international awards such as international Scientist award offered by IBC, Cambridge and Ehanobotanist Award-2003 sponsored by Friends University, U.S.A. and U.N.D.P. and gold medal for India 2008 offered ABI.

Dr. Ch. Aruna Kumari is working as Assistant Professor, Department of Crop Physiology, at Agricultural College, Jagtial, Professor Jaya Shankar Telangana State Agricultural University. She has seven years of Research Experience in varied ICAR Institutes and in seed industry (Vibha Seeds). She is the Recipient of CSIR Fellowship, Govt. of India during her doctoral studies. She has been an Author in 2 books viz., Glossary in Plant Physiology, Advances in Cotton, Chilli. Her field of specialization is Seed Dormancy.

Narayan Chandra Sarkaris a faculty member at Visva-Bharati, Department of ASEPAN, Palli Siksha Bhavana (Institute of Agricultural Sciences), Sriniketan, West Bengal, India. He has worked in Vibha Seeds, Syngenta India Ltd and Nagaland University. He has received his PhD in Agronomy from Indian Agricultural Research Institute in 2005. His current research area is soil fertility in rice.

Ashok Kumar Thakur is a faculty member at the Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Department of Seed Science and Technology, in district Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. He has obtained Ph.D. in 2002 in Horticulture with specialization in Vegetable Breeding from same working University. He has 25 research publications, 04 manuals/books, 06 book chapters and 07 extension publications in the form of popular articles, folders etc. He has experience in working with Vibha Seeds, Bharti Delmonte India Pvt Ltd, ACME Cold Chain Solutions Pvt Ltd. His current area of research is vegetable seed technology.