M.S. Aulakh Given IPNI Award
8 January 2008 Dr. Milkha Singh Aulakh was chosen as the winner of the first International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) Science Award for his work at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), India.
Dr. Aulakh, a senior soil chemist and professor, is also director of research at Ludhiana, PAU. His work is focused on balanced and integrated nutrient management to provide optimum yields and quality in field crops while lessening soil losses and environmental impacts of fertilization. He also played a pivotal role in identifying widespread sulfur deficiency in subtropical soils, delineation of sulfur-deficient areas, and development of diagnostic tools for assessing sulfur adequacy in soil and plants, according to IPNI.
“This is the first time we have presented the new IPNI Science Award, and we are honored to announce that Dr. Aulakh has been selected as the recipient,” said Dr. Terry Roberts, president of IPNI. “He has made distinguished contributions in global ecological intensification as related to crop production, with important achievements in research, extension, and education.”
Among Dr. Aulakh’s career accomplishments are the publishing of over 90 research papers in 30 national and international journals, 40 book chapters and scientific reviews, and 80 conference proceedings and technology transfer publications. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Indian Society of Soil Science, and Punjab Academy of Sciences, as well as a member of the International Union of Soil Sciences. Since 2000, Dr. Aulakh has also served on the editorial board of the international journal Biology & Fertility of Soils. He is a recipient of the Canadian Commonwealth Fellowship (1980-1983); the Plant Nutrient Sulphur Research Award from The Sulphur Institute (1990); the International Crop Nutrition Award from the International Fertilizer Industry Association (2001); the Alumni Honour Award from the University of Saskatchewan (2002); and the Pierre Becker Memorial Award from Fertilizer International and British Sulphur (2005). At the national level, his awards earned include the Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Memorial Prize from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR); the Silver Jubilee Award from the Fertilizer Association of India; the Outstanding Research Award from National Fertilizers Ltd.; the Hari Om Ashram Trust Award for Agricultural Sciences Research from ICAR; the Twelfth International Congress Commemoration Award from the Indian Society of Soil Science; and the IMPHOS-FAI Award from the World Phosphate Institute.
Dr. Aulakh is also editor of a new book, entitled 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,” according to an IPNI release.
The IPNI Science Award was created to recognize outstanding achievements in research, extension, or education which focus on improving the efficiency and effective management of plant nutrients. More information on the awards is available at www.ipni.net/awards.
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