Posted by on December 20, 19100 at 17:21:56:

Name : Dr. S. MUKUNTHAKUMAR
Present Address : Scientist, Plant Biotechnology Division, Tropical Botanic Garden & Research Institute, Palode-695 562, Thiruvananthapuram Dist., Kerala, India.
Phone-91 (0) 472 869226,869626 869622
Fax- 91 (0) 472 869646

Permanent Address Mukuntha Bhavan
12/3, Gandhi Nagar
Thuckalay P. O., PIN: 629 175
Kannyakumari Dist.
Tamil Nadu, India

Date of Birth 09-04-1957
Sex Male
Nationality Indian

Educational Qualification
Degree(subject) College/University Year Class
B.Sc. (Botany) St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli- Madras University, Tamil Nadu, India 1975-'78 First Class
M.Sc. (Botany) St. Joseph's College, (Autonomous) Tiruchirappalli Madras University Tamil Nadu, India 1981-'83 Outstanding
B.Ed. (Biological Science) V.O.C.Teacher's College, Tuticorin, Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamil Nadu, India 1983-'84 First Class
Ph.D. (Tissue Culture). Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, Uthra Pradesh, India 1989-'92 Awarded

Awards /Prizes/Memberships:
a) Received National Scholarship for B.Ed. studies.
b) Awarded Research Fellowship from Kaul Science Foundation, NBRI, Lucknow.
c) Member - Board of examiners, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, India.
Training Undergone

Training Institution Period
Taxidermy Government Museum, Madras, Tamil Nadu, India 16th May - 31st May 1980
Herbarium Methodology a) Central National Herbarium, Calcutta,West Bengal, India
b) Kerala Forest Research Institue, Peechi, Kerala, India. 17th Feb - 14th Mar 1986

21st Nov - 22nd Nov 1986

Projects Handled

Title of the project, Funding agency, Position in the Project, Duration, Total cost
(Rs.)
Tissue culture mediated propagation, selection and genetic upgradation of economically important Bamboos, Kerala Forest Department,
Co-investigator,
1995 April to 2000 March
7.2 Lakhs

Artificial regeneration of economically important Rattans (canes) through embryo and tissue culture.,
Department
of Biotechnology,
Co-investigator,
1997 April to 1999 Nov.,
26 Lakhs

Experience Acquired

Institution, Designation, Field , Period
A) INDIA
The Rapinat Herbarium, St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India, Curator, Plant Taxonomy
(Herbarium), Sept 1978 to
July 1981
Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, Kerala, India, Herbarium Assistant, Plant
Taxonomy
(Herbarium), Feb 1984 to
Jan 1985
Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, Kerala, India, Assistant Herbarium
Keeper, Plant
Taxonomy
(Herbarium), Feb 1985
to
Jan 1990
Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, Kerala, India, Senior Scientific Assistant, Plant Biotechnology
(Tissue Culture), Feb 1990 to
Jan 1995
Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, Kerala, India, Scientist A, Plant Biotechnology
(Tissue Culture), Feb 1995 to
Mar 1997
Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, Kerala, India, Scientist B*, Plant Biotechnology
(Tissue Culture), April 1997 onwards
B) ABROAD
Mowafak Establishment,
Plant Tissue Culture Lab, Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia., Plant Tissue Culture Specialist, Plant Biotechnology
(Date palm Tissue Culture), Jan 1996
to
Feb 1997
* Present position

Research Specialization
a) Plant Tissue Organ and Embryo Culture
b) In vitro short term storage of plant tissues.
c) Artificial seed production in plantsystems.
Current Interest of Research
a) Genetic improvement of ornamental plants
b) Genetic improvement and mass multiplication of Musa spp.
c) Micropropagation of endangered and endemic palm species

List of Publications
Papers / Abstracts Published
Mukunthakumar S (1985). Phytosphere studies in Allium cepa L. Abstract presented in the Annual conference of the Indian Society of Mycology and Plant Pathology, Udaipur, India.
Nayar TS, Koshy KC,Sathishkumar C,Mohanan N and Mukunthakumar S (1986). Flora of Tropical Botanic Garden, Palode, TBGRI, Thiruvananthapuram.
Mukunthakumar S and Vijayan K (1990). A new record of Calamus brandisii Becc. (Arecaceae) from Kerala forest. J.Econ.Tax.Bot. 14:192-194.
Muunthakumar S and Vijayan K (1991). Undescribed fruit of two species of Calamus L. (Arecaceae) from India. J.Econ Tax. Bot. 15 :482-484.
Mukunthakumar S, Jaideep Mathur and Mathur SN (1991). In vitro Studies on some economically important Bamboos. Abstract published in International conference on Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Mukunthakumar S, Mathur SN (1991). Micropropagation of Bambus vulgaris Shrad and Dendrocalamus brandisii Kurz. Presented at International Conference on Plant Physiology, BHU, Varnasi.
Jaideep Mathur, Mukunthakumar S, Gupta SN and Mathur SN (1991). Growth and morphogenesis of plant tissue culture under mineral-oil, Plant Sci., 74:249-254.
Jaideep Mathur, Mukunthakumar S (1992). Micropropagation of Bauhinia variegata and Parkinsonia aculeata from nodal explants of mature trees, Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, 28:119-121.
Mukunthakumar S and Jaideep Mathur (1992). Artificial seed production in the male Bamboo Dendrocalamus strictus L. Plant Sci., 97:109-113.
Nair PKK, Appasamy T, Mukunthakumar S and Jaideep Mathur (1993). Ochlandra tavancorica Gamble a new bamboo resource for wasteland in North India. J.Env. Res.1:27-28.
Mukunthakumar S, Binoy PC, Jose JC, Hemanthakumar AS and Seeni S (1998). Occurrence of Calamus nagabettai Fernandez & Dey in Kerala. J.Econ. Tax Bot .22 :205-206.
Mukunthakumar S, Jaideep Mathur, Nair PKK and Mathur SN (1999). In vitro Morphogenetic Responses of Nodal Explants of Golden Yellow Bamboo Bambusa vulgaris schrad, J.NonTimb.For. Prod., 6:39-43.
Mukunthakumar S, Jaideep Mathur, Nair PKK and Mathur SN (1999). Micropropagation of Dendrocalamus brandisii kurz. using in vitro nodal explants Indian For.125:1239-1243.
Seeni S, Hemanthakumar AS, Mukunthakumar S and Jose JC( ) Rapid propagation of Calamus thwaitesii Becc (Arecaceae) using embryogenic callus cultures Plant. Cell Rep. (Accepted).
Manuscripts in process
Sreekumar S, Mukunthakumar S & Seeni S. Micropropagation of Philodendrons through axillary bud proliferation.
Mukunthakumar S, Jose J C & Seeni S. Organogenesis form zygotic embryos of Calamus andamanicus Kurz. (Arecaceae)
Mukunthakumar S & Seeni S. Mass multiplication of Calamus. thwaitesii (Arecaceae) using zygotic embryos.

LIST OF PLANT SPECIES INVESTIGATED FOR TISSUE CULTURE PROGRAMME DURING THE PERIOD 1999-2000

A. HORTICULTURALLY IMPORTANT PLANTS

a) Phillodendron "Pluto" Red variety*
b) Phillodendron "Pluto" Green variety*
c) Phillodendron "Pink Prince"*
d) Phillodendron "Royal Queen"*
e) Phillodendron "Green Emperor"*
f) Nepenthes khasiana (Pitcher plant)
g) Heliconia psittacorum*
h) Hedychium sp.
i) Anthurium var.
j) Orchid var.
k) Gladiolus var.

B. MEDICINALLY IMPORTANT PLANTS

a) Parkinsonia aculeata*
b) Bauhinia varigata*
c) Nicotiana tabacum
d) Plantago major*
e) Valeriana wallichii
f) Selinium candolii
g) Enseta superba*
h) Steriospermum sp.

C. ECONOMICALLY / SILVICULTURALLY IMPORTANT PLANTS

Palms (Rattans)
a) Calamus. hookerianus
b) C. thwaitesii*
c) C. andamanicus*
d) C. brandisii
e) C. gamblei
f) C. travancoricus
g) C. longisetus
h) Korthalsia sp

Bamboos
a) Dendrocalamus brandisii*
b) Dendrocalamus strictus *
c) Bambusa arundinacea*
d) Bambusa vulgaris*
e) Ochlandra travancorica

D. COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT DATE PALMS

Date palm varieties

a) Ajwa,
b) Burhaee*
c) Hilaly
d) Nabutssaiff
e) Suckri*
f) Sultana*
g) Syagy
h) TawyRed
i) Tawy Yellow

* Protocol developed for mass multiplication

AREA OF INTERESTS
· Plant tissue culture and related research
· Conservation biotechnology
· Commercial multiplication of plants