Veteran Physiological researcher Yash Dev Singh Is No More

MUMBAI: Prof Dr. Yash Dev Singh, the founder director of the Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GIDE), Bhuj ( Kutch), died of cancer on January 11, 2023, at a private hospital in Mumbai. He was 78. He is survived by his wife Vijay, two daughters, Pooja, and Aarti, and two grandchildren. He coordinated a number of projects funded by UNDP, the World Bank, the Netherlands, and the Government of India. As GIDE director, he played a key role in evolving programs for the restoration of the Banni grassland of Gujarat’s Kutch region. Dr. Singh’s contribution as a researcher in physiological and biochemical changes during the growth and development of plants had won national and international acclaim. He has published over 100 research papers. Dr. Singh studied in schools and colleges of Himachal Pradesh and taught at universities in Gujarat. Dr. Singh was a disciple of visionary researcher Prof. J. J. Chinoy who strongly believed that antioxidants like ascorbic acid (vitamin C) play a very important role in the overall growth and development of plants. His most productive research work was in the field of the physiological and biochemical parameters of cotton fiber development. “Our experience with cotton helped us establish a relationship between grain weight and cell enlargement during seed development", he had said in an interview once.” Dr. Singh was brought from Dharmashala, Himachal Pradesh, his home state, for treatment of cancer about six months ago, according to his daughter Aarti Singh. His research work has been published in an e-book, https://vdocuments.mx/.../prof-dryash-dev-singh-plant... Contact details: aarti3107@gmail.com, partha.thakur@gmail.com, pooja0204@gmail.com