OUR FOUNDERS

Dr. C.A. Barber is the Founder Director of Sugarcane Research Station during 1912 (now called ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute).

⇒ He was the first Government Sugarcane Expert

⇒ He was the Botanist and Breeder at the Institute during 1912-1918

⇒ He was instrumental in identifying the first interspecific hybrid Co 205, released for commercial cultivation

⇒ He was the architect of the first successful inter-generic hybrid in 1916 between S. officinarum clone ‘Vellai’ and Narenga porphyiocana

⇒ He initiated sugarcane breeding in India and brought international recognition to the station by using the wild species (kans) as parent of Co Varieties

⇒ He conducted monumental work on the morphology and classification of Indian canes

⇒ The species Saccharum barberi is named after him

Sir. T.S.Venkatraman was responsible for the spectacular achievement in evolving improved varieties and thereby stabilizing sugarcane industry in the country as it stands today and the worldwide recognition of the Coimbatore Institute. He was acclaimed in sugarcane circles over the world as the “Sugarcane Wizard”. He assisted Dr. C.A. Barber, the Founder Director of Sugarcane Research Station since its inception and took over as the Government Sugarcane Expert after the retirement of Dr. C.A. Barber in 1918.

⇒ He was instrumental in evolving the first inter-specific sugarcane hybrid Co 205 released for commercial cultivation. It proved a remarkable success in North India, particularly in Punjab where it recorded 50% more yield then indigenous varieties.

⇒ He started for the first time, a three species combination involving the tropical sugarcane S.officinarum, the sub-tropical S. barberi and the wild species S.spontaneum and thus helped in evolving Co 213, Co 244, Co 312 and Co 313

⇒ The variety evolved by him, Co 281 became a success in South Africa for which he was made an Honorary Fellow of South African Sugar Technologist Association.

⇒ He was instrumental in evolving the world’s wonder variety Co 419 which saturated the entire tropical belt for about 4 decades and popular in several other countries.

⇒ He did pioneering work in inter-generic hybridization

⇒ He introduced a mosaic of varieties to siut the varied agro-climatic conditions of the country.

⇒ He was honored by the British Government with titles like ‘Rao Saheb’, ‘Rao Bahadur’, CIE and ‘Sir’ . The Government of India honoured with ‘Padhma Bushan. Click here for the historical notes published in Current Science:Vol 106(8), April 2014.