Bom on 1st July, 1928, Dr. Akhtar Husain obtained his Master's degree in Agriculture from the Govermment Agricultural College, Kanpur with high academic honours. A recipient of research fellowship from the North Carolina State University, he obtained his Ph.D. in 1959 and received outstanding Ph.D. student and "Phi Kappa" award. After one year as Assistant Plant Pathologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station, New Havens (U.S.A.), he returned in 1958 as Plant Pathologist and Head of the Centre of Indian Council of Agricultural Re-search at Kanpur, and then joined the Regional Research Laboratory. Jammu in 1963 where he established and headed the Division of Agricultural Sciences dealing with medicinal and aromatic plants. He was also incharge of drug farms and factories responsible for cultivation and processing of medicinal and aromatic plants in Jammu & Kashmir. Dr. Akhtar Husain joined as Deputy Director at Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in 1975 and became its Director in 1977. It was during his period that CIMAP developed as one of the major centre of research and development on medicinal and aromatic plants in Asia with modern laboratory facilities and other infrastructure. Some of their major achievements during this period are the introduction of Ergot of Rye (Claviceps purpurea) in India, cultivation of Belladonna (Atropa belladonna), Egyptian Henbane (Hyoscyamus muticus), Duboisia myoporoides etc. besides intro-duction of Bulgarian rose, Lavender and Clarysage in Kashmir valley. The Institute also developed advanced agrotechnologies for cultivation of Japanese mint, Peppermint, and Spearmint which is now one of the Indian export items. After his retirernent Dr. Husain established the Jamia Hamdard University, and was its first Vice-Chancellor. The institution is mainly devoted to the research in traditional medicine with special reference to medicinal plants. He is now an Emeritus Scientist at Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants.
Dr. Husain has published more than 150 research papers and three books on essential oils and medicinal plants to his credit. He is a fellow of Indian National Science Acaderny and National Academy of Science. Dr. Husain is a widely travelled and has worked as Consultant to World Health Organization in a number of projects in Asian and African Countries, namely, Egypt, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Dr. Akhtar Husain earlier authored the 'Status Report on Medicinal Plants for NAM Countries' published by the Centre last year (1993).
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