Dr Dilip Ghosh takes charge as new Dir of Citrus Institute
   Date :30-Apr-2021

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Principal Correspondent :
 
The prestigious ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute (ICAR-CCRI) received a new regular Director in the form of Dr Dilip Ghosh, a distinguished Principal Scientist (Plant Pathology-Virology). He took the charge as Director of this high profile Nagpur-based research institute under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. Dr Ghosh was selected for this position by the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB), New Delhi. “It is an honour to have been given this great responsibility.
 
It is a new beginning to provide scientific direction to a young group of qualified and experienced staff for the growth of the citrus industry. I am sure with the whole hearted participation and dedication of everybody in the institute as a team and the valuable guidance from the honorable Director General and Deputy Director General (Horticulture) in ICAR, this institute will surely fulfill the expectations of the citrus growers of the country in the coming years,” said Dr Ghosh. After completing his Masters and PhD degree from IARI, Pusa, New Delhi, Dr Ghosh joined this institute as Scientist in 1995. During last 26 years, he has made valuable scientific contributions for the citrus industry of the country by developing rapid and sensitive disease diagnostic tools that have been successfully used to implement citrus budwood certification program. More than forty five lakhs disease-free nursery plants have been developed at this institute for the citrus growers of the country, so far.
 
As a member of the multidisciplinary team of scientists, Dr Ghosh was involved in the development and release of five citrus varieties at this institute namely, Cutter Valencia, US Pumelo-145, Flame Grape fruit, Nagpur Mandarin Seedless-4 and NRCC Pumelo-5 for commercial cultivation. Recently, Dr Ghosh has developed user friendly and low cost Rapid Diagnostic tools for citrus greening disease and citrus tristeza virus. He has also first time reported the infection of Candidatus Phytoplasma cynodontis and Hop stunt viroid of citrus.
 
A widely travelled professional, Dr Ghosh worked as a visiting scientist twice at University of Florida (USA), visited many citrus growing countries like Brazil, China, Vietnam, Thailand, etc., to share his research findings at various international forum. As an international FAO Consultant, Dr Ghosh worked for two months in Nepal on citrus rejuvenation and for a week in Bhutan. He also organised three international training programmes for the scientists from Oman, Bhutan and Nepal in Nagpur that was funded by respective foreign governments.
 
In collaboration with IIT-Roorkee and University of Central Florida (USA), Dr Ghosh recently identified and demonstrated the efficacy of anti-microbial 2S Albumin protein (obtained from Pumpkin seeds) to inhibit citrus greening disease and jointly published one US patent. A fellow of four different Scientific Societies, Dr Ghosh was also awarded prestigious Prof J F Dastur Memorial Award of Indian Phytopathological Society in 2020. He was instrumental bringing several externally-funded research projects from DST, DBT, ICAR, MIDH etc., guided six PhD students and published his work in reputed international journals including his recent publication in Scientific Reports (Nature). In order to complete his transition from an eminent Principal Scientist to a top research administrator, Dr Ghosh needs to address a variety of issues and challenges facing the Indian citrus industry at the moment. Identification of new citrus root stock resistant to Phytophthora, draught and salinity, biotechnological approaches for management of citrus greening disease, introduction of new seedless and pigmented citrus cultivars, implementation of region specific citrus budwood certification program in major citrus producing states, expansion of production hub in new areas, popularising contract farming, production of more export quality fruits, mechanisation of farm activity, thrust on citrus export, doubling the income of citrus growers and their quality of life etc are some of the challenges the Institute will be concentrating on.