Dr Aparna Tiwari is the cofounder and Chief Executive Officer at the Foundation for Advanced Training in Plant breeding (ATPBR), where she leads professional training, technology liaising, awareness sessions, and other capacity building activities. She also serves as a conference secretary and coordinates the annual 5F Farming national conferences. She has worked previously in various positions with the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), Monsanto India Pvt Ltd, ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics), and the MGM–Institute of Technology. She obtained her MSc and PhD degrees from the Wageningen University, The Netherlands, and her Bachelor’s (BSc) from Banaras Hindu University. She has authored a book” title” and published several research papers in peer reviewed international journals and conferences. Dr A R Sadananda, an expert in agricultural research and technology management,has more than 40 years of experience in the seed industry and in international and national public research institutions, including the International Centre for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT), where he was associated as Maize Seed Systems Specialist for Asia. His various roles and responsibilities have included plant breeding, product development, and seed system management. After retiring from CIMMYT, he has pursued consultancy activities through the firm, AGREEVA. He has managed R&D activities in multinational and Indian seed companies for over 17 years and has facilitated the development and deployment of Bt cotton hybrids (BG1& BGII) and maize hybrids in the shortest possible time. He has developed 47 hybrids and varieties in different field crops, and served on various industrial bodies for biodiversity, variety protection, and biotechnology. Dr Sadananda holds a PhD in Genetics from IARI, New Delhi. Dr Sharan P Angadi is a plant breeder; worked for 17 years in India, first with UAS, Bangalore, and then as an Agricultural Research Service Scientist with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), contributing to the genetic improvement of oilseed crops and horticultural crops. He then devoted 22 years to Pro Agro PGS and Nunhems Seeds, Netherlands, where he served as Head of Breeding for Asia Pacific and Global Coordinator for peppers, spanning several countries in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. He has specific experience in applying emerging technologies to viable commercial plant breeding programs. Dr Angadi has a PhD from IARI, New Delhi; MSc (Agri.) from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore; and a BS(Agri.) from UAS, Bangalore. After superannuation he continues to provide expert R&D advice to seed companies in India and abroad, besides serving on various expert bodies. The Asia & Pacific Seed Association (APSA) honored him with The Most Influential Plant Breeding Researcher forHorticultural Crops award for the year 2021. Dr Suresh B Kadaru has nearly 15 years of industry research experience in developing superior seed products for farmers, using modern breeding tools, technologies, and data analytics. He is currently working as a Senior Scientist and Lead Plant Breeder for the medium maturity rice breeding program at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Banos. He completed his BSc (Agri.) at Acharya NG Ranga Agriculture University, Rajendranagar, and his MSc (Biotechnology) from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India. After completing his PhD in Agronomy & Applied Statistics from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, he worked as a Marker Data Analyst in Syngenta, USA, pioneering the application of molecular markers in plant breeding. Then relocating to India, he has provided functional leadership and served on the regional Seeds Product Development Leadership Team, which defines R&D strategies for maize and rice crops in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to his publications, he has a joint patent and considerable training experience to his credit. He has received several internal awards in Syngenta for his markers assisted breeding work on rice and corn hybrids. Dr Surinder Kumar Tikoo, currently Co-Founder & Director Research—Breeding & Development, Tierra Seed Science Pvt Ltd, Pune, has five decades of experience as a successful vegetable breeder, teacher, and research & development manager. He has held global leadership positions over long periods in two private sector organizations, as well as spent 20 years with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) as a vegetables breeder, teacher, and research guide. He has developed several nationally and internationally released varieties and hybrids of tomato and okra, some of which are market leaders in their respective segments. He has served onseveral advisory committees of the Government of India and various professional bodies. Dr Tikoo, a PhD from Bangalore University, has published over 50 research and review papers. He also holds one patent. He has been conferred the Life Time Achievement Award for Excellence in Translational Research, jointly by the Society of Plant Biochemistry & Biotechnology and Springer. Dr M J Vasudeva Rao (PhD in Genetics, IARI; MSc in Plant Breeding, UAS, Bangalore) has spent 15 years as a plant breeder in the public sector, and then nearly 35 years in the private seed sector. While at ICRISAT, he won the Hari Om Ashram Award from ICAR for his work on Striga resistance in sorghum; he also did pioneer work on early-maturing groundnut. His responsibilities in multinational and national seed companies in India ranged from Breeding and Research Management to include Supply Chain, Sales, Marketing, and Business Opportunities. He last servedas President, Agricultural Technology, at Metahelix Life Sciences Private Ltd (a TATA enterprise). His contributions to plant breeding in developing successful new varieties and hybrids, new selection technologies, and in mentoring plant breeders, have won him the Life Time Achievement Award in Plant Breeding by the ATPBR (Foundation for Advanced Training in Plant Breeding). He has published extensively and served on many committees to promote the science of Plant Breeding.
