PUNJAB ACADEMICIANS-1

Dr. MILLKHA SINGH AULAKH

Dr. Milkha Singh Aulakh took over as Dean, College of Agriculture with effect from 1st February 2008. Prior to this assignment, Dr. Aulakh was Additional Director of Research (Agriculture), the responsibility that he held up to 15th February 2009. A soil scientist by profession and expert on plant nutrition, fertilizer management and agriculture-induced environmental pollution, Dr. Aulakh carries over 35 years of experience and wide exposure dedicated to research and teaching. Born in historic village Attari of General Sham Singh Attariwala in district Amritsar, Dr. Aulakh received his B.Sc. in Agriculture from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar in 1972 and M.Sc. in Soil Science from PAU as first class first in 1974. He joined PAU as a Research Assistant in 1974, and became Assistant Soil Chemist in 1976, Soil Chemist in 1988 and Senior Soil Chemist in 1996, the position on which he served until 2007. In 1979, he was awarded Canadian Commonwealth scholarship to pursue Ph. D. at University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. He completed Ph.D. in Soil Science while winning “Excellence in Doctoral Research Award” of Saskatchewan Institute of Pedology, Canada and returned to PAU in 1984. Later in 1989-90, he was awarded prestigious Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA and served as Visiting Scientist with USDA-ARS. In 1997-99, Dr. Aulakh was Project Scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines, and also worked as Collaborating Scientist at Frounhofer Institute for Atmospheric Environmental Research, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and at University of Freiburg in Germany. He became Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 1996, Indian Society of Soil Science in 2000, and Punjab Academy of Sciences in 2004. Dr. Aulakh is a recipient of the several prestigious international, national and state awards and recognitions. International awards include Plant Nutrient Sulphur Research Award by The Sulphur Institute, Washington, D.C., USA (1990), International Crop Nutrition Award by International Fertilizer Industry Association, Paris, France (2001), Alumni Honour Award by the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada (2002), Pierre Becker Memorial Award by Fertilizer International and British Sulphur, London, UK (2005), and IPNI Science Award by International Plant Nutrition Institute, Norcross, Georgia, USA (2007). For his meritorious services, he has been awarded Recognition Certificate at 15th World Congress of Soil Science, Acapulco, Mexico and Appreciation Certificate and Plaque by IRRI, Philippines. At the national level, he is decorated with several prestigious awards, including the Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Memorial Prize of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 2002, Silver Jubilee Award by the Fertilizer Association of India (FAI) in 1987, Outstanding Research Award by National Fertilizers Limited in 1989, Hari Om Ashram Trust Award for Agricultural Sciences Research by ICAR in 1990, Twelfth International Congress Commemoration Award by Indian Society of Soil Science in 1995, and first IMPHOS-FAI Award instituted by World Phosphate Institute, Morocco in 2002, Citation, Plaque and Felicitation by Govt. of India in 2001, Dhiru Morarji Memorial Award by FAI in 1997, FAI Best Paper Award 1977, and Bharat Jyoti Award and Certificate of Excellence in 2006. At state level, he is the recipient of Punjab Sarkar Parman Patar (2008) as well as Appreciation Certificate by Punjab State Council of Science and Technology. Dr. Aulakh is a member of Panel of Experts for evaluation of Research Projects of Department of Science and Technology and Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India; and on Panel for nomination and selection of IFA International Crop Nutrition Awardees. Dr. Aulakh is well known in academic fraternities, and widely travelled scientist of the university. He has presented state-of-the-art, key and lead papers at several prestigious national and international conferences/symposia. Upon invitation from prestigious organizations including FAO, IAEA, IRRI, IUSS, USDA-ARS, SCOPE, IPCC, he has Chaired and Co-chaired scientific sessions and delivered more than 100 lectures in Asia (China, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Pakistan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia), Africa (Morocco, Uganda, Libya), Australia, Europe (Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey), and North America (USA, Canada, Mexico). From 2000 to 2008, he has served on the Editorial Board of the international journal ‘Biology and Fertility of Soils’ published by Springer. He has published 90 research papers in 25 international and 10 national journals, 4 research bulletins, 40 book chapters and scientific reviews, and 80 conference proceedings and technology transfer publications. Dr. Aulakh is editor of a book, published by Taylor and Francis Group, New York, USA in 2008, titled “Integrated Nutrient Management for Sustainable Crop Production”, which takes a global view of challenges faced in 10 geographically and demographically diverse regions of the world. Dr. Aulakh has also made invited contributions of chapters and review papers in international journals of high repute. Dr. Aulakh has a career dedicated to research work on developing and optimizing nutrient-management strategies for high nutrient-efficient, lower-unit cost crop production while minimizing environmental impacts; and to effective communication of research findings to the state, national and international agricultural community. His on-station and farmer-field research has led to the development of technologies for efficient management of mineral fertilizers integrated with natural resources in field crops including cereals, oilseeds and pulses, which have important implications for improving the fertilizer-use efficiency, buildup of nutrients and carbon sequestration in Punjab soils, crop yield and quality, and net returns. After the crops’ response to nitrogen and phosphatic fertilizers receded in early 70s, he played a pivotal role in identifying widespread sulphur deficiency in Punjab soils, delineation of sulphur-deficient areas, development of diagnostic tools for assessing sulphur-adequacy in soil and plants. He also demonstrated that shallow-rooted rice grown in rotation with wheat, which has a deeper and more extensive root system than rice, is the best approach to efficiently utilize residual nitrogen and minimize leaching of nitrate to groundwater. His work revealed that integrated management of fertilizers with crop residues and green manure in irrigated rice is an ecologically sound practice as it significantly reduces nitrous oxide flux as compared with fertilizer alone. His path-breaking work on role of rice plants in production and emission of methane demonstrated promising approaches to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases from rice fields.