Noted AAMU Researcher-Retiree Remains True to Profession (1100 hits)
Huntsville, Ala. ---- An internationally respected and retired agronomist is still BishnoiWeb.jpgreceiving invitations globally because of his productive decades-long affiliation with Alabama A&M University.
Dr. Udai R. Bishnoi is an incredibly active professor emeritus of agronomy and seed technology in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, formerly Plant and Soil Sciences. Bishnoi had hardly finished publishing his landmark book, Fundamentals of Seed Production and Testing, before he decided to accept a volunteer assignment from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Farmer to Farmer Program in Kenya.
As an integral part of the USAID program’s success, Bishnoi helped train Kenyans in seed processing, grading and quality control at a seed company just Kenya2.jpg southeast of Nairobi. Within a span of three weeks, he trained nearly a dozen men and women. The ultimate result of the training, notes Bishnoi, will be the sale of high quality seed of maize, sorghum, greengram and cowpea crops.
“The high quality seed of these crops will be planted on about 400 small farms in dry land area of Machakos,” says Dr. Bishnoi. “The results of using these high quality seeds include good field stand of these crops, as well as a 12-15 percent increase in yields per acre.” He adds the increase in production will help Kenya achieve food production sustainability.
Bishnoi earned his Ph.D. in seed science and technology from Mississippi State University and amassed more than 40 years of experience in teaching and research in seed science. He is also the recipient of all academic honors and awards in his discipline.
