Bhubaneswar: Eminent rice scientist and former professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics, OUAT Dr Ashutosh Ray passed away on Saturday. He was 83.
Dr Ray was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. He is survived by his wife and two children.
He was instrumental in the release of more than 46 high yield varieties of rice, prominent being Lalat, which is among the top five rice varieties of Asia. Released in 1988 for the irrigated ecology of the state, it was not only the most popular variety in Odisha but also adjoining states.
The other varieties of rice founded by Dr Ray include Khandagiri, Badami, Bhanja and Konark. He published 35 research publications in national and international journals.
For his outstanding contribution to botany, he was awarded by the Orissa Botanical Society, senior scientist award by Odisha Bigyan Academy conferred by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2010, Krushak Bandhu award in 1997 and honoris causa (Doctor of Science) by then governor SC Jamir during OUAT’s 35th convocation in 2016.
His poetry collection Maru Manasi has been widely appreciated by literature lovers.
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