Prof R R Hanchinal

Honorary Fellows, SPR (2022)


Prof. R.R. Hanchinal served as the Chairperson, Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers Rights Authority (Secretary Rank) Government of India besides serving as Vice Chancellor, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad and other key posts. He was advisor to Indonesia Government for the development of Food Crop Research (2003-2005) and also served as Senior Seed Production specialist for the USAID West Africa Seed Alliance-ICRISAT (2008) and established commercial seed industry in five countries viz., Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Ghana. In the year 2017, he was superannuated from the post of Chairman, PPV & FRA and is now the President of Society for Plant Research w.e.f. January 1, 2018.
As a plant breeder, Prof. Hanchinal made significant contribution both in basic and applied research. He has developed and released 23 varieties in different corps. In wheat he developed 17 varieties which include the worlds first semi-dwarf dicoccum wheat var. DDK-1001 which possesses therapeutic quality and recommended for the management of Diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. One of his bread wheat var. 162 is quite popular in Peninsular India and has been released in Indonesia in the name of DEVATA. The variety Dharwad Dry is being used by CIMMYT as check variety in International trials. He developed unique method for the first time by selecting and adopting potential villages for seed production with Modified Seed Village Concept which is popularly known as DHARWAD MODEL. This model became role model for the country and helped to saturate Karnataka region with improved varieties in high volume low value crops viz., groundnut, soybean, pulses and cereals. Under his leadership, by the year 2012, the UAS Dharwad became first in the country among the Universities by producing more than 100,000 qtls. of quality seeds and 10,00,000 planting material. As a plant breeder, Prof. Hanchinal made significant contribution both in basic and applied research. He has developed and released 23 varieties in different corps. In wheat he developed 17 varieties which include the worlds first semi-dwarf dicoccum wheat var. DDK-1001 which possesses therapeutic quality and recommended for the management of Diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. One of his bread wheat var. 162 is quite popular in Peninsular India and has been released in Indonesia in the name of DEVATA. The variety Dharwad Dry is being used by CIMMYT as check variety in International trials. He developed unique method for the first time by selecting and adopting potential villages for seed production with Modified Seed Village Concept which is popularly known as DHARWAD MODEL. This model became role model for the country and helped to saturate Karnataka region with improved varieties in high volume low value crops viz., groundnut, soybean, pulses and cereals. Under his leadership, by the year 2012, the UAS Dharwad became first in the country among the Universities by producing more than 100,000 qtls. of quality seeds and 10,00,000 planting material.
For his outstanding work, he was awarded with as many as 22 national/international Awards. Also a grantee for the Obama-Singh 21st Century knowledge initiative (2012).
Prof. Hanchinal is a Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, National Academy of Biological Sciences and Honorary fellow/fellow of many professional societies and 394 publications at his credit and is the President of SOCIETY FOR PLANT RESEARCH (Vegetos) since 2018. Presently Prof. Hanchinal is working as Consultant-Genetic Resources Conservation & Use, Bioversity International-Country Office- India, NASC Complex, PUSA Campus, New Delhi.