C. Kuruvilla Jacob, former director of the National Institute for Rubber Training, Rubber Board, has won the B.C. Shekhar Award and gold medal, instituted by the International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRDB) for excellence in research and development in rubber. The award was presented at the International Rubber Conference in Pattaya, Thailand, last week, said a communication here.
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Dr. Kuruvilla was earlier the joint director of the Rubber Research Institute of India and has made significant research contributions in management of diseases in rubber trees and has published more than 180 research papers and 10 books on natural rubber. His research and follow-up field activities helped effectively control the epidemic Corynespora leaf disease in South Karnataka. The effort garnered global acclaim, following which he trained nearly 40 scientists from 12 countries in the management of the disease.
He also developed the nursery crown budding technique as a sustainable control method for rubber leaf disease management. Cost reduction in spraying for rubber diseases was the focus of his research, and he introduced the use of rubber seed oil and mini tractor-mounted equipment for spraying.
He was the editor of the international scientific journal Natural Rubber Research (now renamed as Rubber Science) from 1996 to 2009. Currently, he is a Fellow of IRRDB.