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 Dr. N. Muraleedharan is currently the Adviser of UPASI- TRF. He had headed UPASI Tea Research Foundation as the Director during 1997-2008. He joined the institute in 1980 after six years of service as Scientist in the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata. He obtained his Ph.D from the Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, affiliated to Madras University in 1976 under the able guidance of the world renowned Entomologist Prof. T. N. Ananthakrishnan. Before becoming the Adviser of the institute, he has served the TRI in different capacities such as Director, Joint Director, Assistant Director, and Head of the Division of Entomology. His pioneering work on shot hole borer management is a landmark in plant protection in tea. His studies on IPM further contributed to the reduction of pesticide load in tea in south India. Many of his findings and recommendations are widely adopted by the tea industry. He has successfully guided eight students for Ph. D. He has more than 200 publications and a couple of books to his credit. His monograph on "Pest management in tea” is an important source of reference on pests of tea in South India. He is member of different committees of Tea Board, Coffee Research Advisory Council and Bureau of Indian Standards. He is a Fellow of the Indian society for Plantation crops. |
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 Dr. P. Mohan Kumar is the Director since June 2008. He joined the TRF in May 2006 and before assuming the office of Director he served as Joint Director and Additional Director of the institute. After his Post Graduate Degree in Genetics and Plant Breeding from Kerala University, he obtained Ph.D (Ag.) from Bose Institute, Kolkata University and specialized in Plant Biotechnology. He worked as a Scientist in Tropical Botanic Garden, Trivandrum for two years and then joined the R&D unit of M/s Tata Tea Limited in Munnar, Kerala where he worked for over 20 years both in their South Indian and North Indian units. He served as a member of Board of studies for the Biotechnology Department in the Kerala University (1995-98) and in the Research Advisory Council of Rain Forest Research Institute, Jorhat, Assam (2004-06). Currently he is a member of board of studies in the Botany division of Bharathiar University and biotechnology division of KSR College, Erode. He is also a member of different committees of Tea Board. He has over 35 publications to his credit and co-guided two Ph.D students.
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 Mr. N. Palani M.Sc. joined the Institute in 1983. He is working as Assistant Director, Quality Assurance and is holding the additional charge of Quality Manger of the Institute. His main area of research is soil and plant nutrition. |
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 Dr. R. Premkumar Assistant Director, Plant Pathology joined the Institute in 1980. His area of research is tea disease management with special reference to blister blight. His work on forecasting of blister blight disease is noteworthy. At present he heads the Division of Plant Pathology. |
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 Dr. R. Raj Kumar Plant Physiologist, joined the Institute in 1984. He is working on photosynthesis, partitioning of assimilates, plant growth regulators, stress physiology and plant tissue culture. He is also receipent of D.Sc., Degree from the Bharathiar University. |
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 Dr. R. V. J. Ilango Senior Botanist and Head of the division of Botany joined the Institute in 1989. His research area includes mechanization of cultural operations, nursery grafting, pruning and harvesting practices and chemical weed control. Currently he is involved in the establishment of a tea germplasm bank at the TRI. |
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 Dr. A. Babu serves as Senior Entomologist in TRF Valparai. He did his Ph.D under the guidance of Prof. Dr. T. N. Ananthakrishnan and a post doctoral research in the Institute of Plant Sciences, Zurich, Switzerland. He had conducted research on the bio- ecology and biological control of important tea pests at Vandiperiyar during 2002-2006. Currently he is heading the Entomology division and working on biological control of tea pests and Semiochemicals. |
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 Dr. A. K. Azad Mandal joined the TRF in the year 2004 as Sr. Scientist in Plant Physiology Division. He is involved in improvement of tea through biotechnology. |
 Dr. V.K. Senthurpandian joined the TRF in February 2002 as Senior Research Fellow. After obtaining his Ph.D. (Plant Chemistry) from UPASI Tea Research Foundation, Valparai (Affiliated to Bharathiar University), he joined the Institute in September 2007 as Senior Chemist and Head of Plant Chemistry Division. He has also served earlier as lecturer in Anand Institute of Higher Technology, Chennai. His main area of research is soil and plant nutrition.
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 Dr. V. A. Shanmugaselvan, Sr. Residue Chemist joined the Institute in 2009. Before joining UPASI had worked in IIBT, Chennai a GLP recognized lab and over ten years in the R&D unit of M/s. Tata Tea Ltd. He has completed his Ph.D during 2007 on Studies on chemical parameters of tea, its relation to quality. His research area includes pesticide residues and heavy metal in tea. He has been trained in GLP mode of analysis, presently he is working on new generation chemicals to fix its safe harvest intervals and MRLs in tea. |
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 Mr. S. Murugesan, joined the Institute in 2001 as senior research fellow in the chemistry division. Presently he is the Tea Technologist and heading the division. His area of research includes, process optimisation of black tea manufacture, quality evaluation of tea, exogenous addition of enzymes for quality improvement and studies on flavour profile of black teas. |
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| Advisory Centers |
 Mr. K. G. Udayabanu M.Sc., Assistant Director, Advisory services joined the Institute in 1982 in an ICAR sponsored project on the bio-ecology of shot hole borer. He is in the advisory wing of the TRF for the past 18 years and based in Karnataka (Koppa).
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 Dr. B. Radhakrishnan Assistant Director, Advisory services, joined the Institute in 1984 and took his doctorate in tea entomology under the guidance of the present Advisor, Dr. N. Muraleedharan. His work on natural enemies of tea aphids is noteworthy. He joined the advisory wing in 1995 and currently in Coonoor centre. |
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 Mr. J. Durairaj joined UPASI in 2008 as Senior Advisory officer.Before joining UPASI, he worked in UPASI KVK for over 22 years. He was engaged in conducting periodical training programs on tea cultivation. Currently he is based in Munnar Advisory centre. |
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 Mr. Siby Mathew M.Sc. joined the institute in 1992. At present he is Senior Advisory officer at the Regional Centre, Vandiperiyar. Earlier he served in the Regional Centre, Meppadi. |
 Mr. G. Venkateswaran joined the Institute in the year 1986. At present he is serving as Advisory Officer and Quality Manager at Regional Centre, Coonoor. |
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