Bhubaneswar: Dr Satyabrata Sahoo, former leading scientist of Regional Research Laboratory (RRL), now Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT), in Bhubaneswar, passed away on Wednesday. He was 75.
During his 33-year career at RRL from 1975 to 2008, Sahoo spearheaded a campaign for economic benefit of farmers of aromatic and medicinal (A&M) plants. He developed an indigenous technology for extraction of essential oil from such plants and trained thousands of people.
He ran a scheme of perennial projects to train farmers, industrialists and bank officials in the cultivation of such useful plants and extraction of the oil that was supplied to soap, perfumery, medicine and mosquito repellent manufacturers. Sahoo taught them the techniques of cultivation of A&M plants, distillation process and extraction of essential oil. He was also engaged in kewda oil distillation.
He worked on cymbopogon (palmarosa & lemon grass), ocimum (Tulsi), eucalyptus, pogostemom (patchouli), hyptis (wild Tulsi), and various species of mint on medicinal and biocidal properties. His work on a project of the Coconut Development Board got him a US patent on biocides of coconut pathogens.
Sahoo studied in OUAT and Utkal University. To advance his scientific career at RRL, Sahoo visited several foreign countries including the UK, former USSR and Thailand. He published over 100 research papers on A&M plants in national and international journals.
He was honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award for his contribution to the field of A&M plants. He also featured in the popular scientific TV programme ‘Turning Point’.
Sahoo is survived by wife, three daughters and a son. The scientific community of the state has condoled his demise.
