Rare yam species in Western Ghats named after Kerala police officer
Speaking to Onmanorama, Dr Balakrishnan said his time in Wayanad gave him the opportunity to work with the late Dr M S Swaminathan at MSSRF.
Speaking to Onmanorama, Dr Balakrishnan said his time in Wayanad gave him the opportunity to work with the late Dr M S Swaminathan at MSSRF.
Speaking to Onmanorama, Dr Balakrishnan said his time in Wayanad gave him the opportunity to work with the late Dr M S Swaminathan at MSSRF.
A newly discovered yam species from the Western Ghats has been named in honour of a Kerala police officer for his pioneering research and contribution to biodiversity conservation in Wayanad.
The tuber, Dioscorea balakrishnanii, has been named after Dr V Balakrishnan Pattali, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kerala Police. The findings were published in the latest issue of the international journal Species. Earlier, another plant, Tylophora balakrishnanii, was also named after him.
Researchers Pichen M Salim (MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Wayanad), Dr Jose Mathew (Sanatana Dharma College, Alappuzha) and Dr M M Safeer (Kerala Agricultural University, Thiruvananthapuram) said the plant was named after Dr Balakrishnan in recognition of his significant role in documenting and conserving Wayanad’s biodiversity.
Dr Jose Mathew recalled that Balakrishnan had initiated research on edible species in the late 1990s while serving in Wayanad. “We are only continuing the work he had begun,” he said.
Speaking to Onmanorama, Dr Balakrishnan said his time in Wayanad gave him the opportunity to work with the late Dr M S Swaminathan at MSSRF. “That experience changed my life. Inspired by him, I pursued a PhD in the genetic diversity of wild edible species in the Southern Western Ghats under his guidance, with Dr N Anilkumar as my co-guide,” he said.
For his doctoral research, he lived with tribal communities to document their traditional knowledge. “They are the real plant scientists. Preserving their languages is as vital as protecting their knowledge,” he noted.
He also assisted Dr Swaminathan in drafting the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001, and helped prepare India’s first Village Biodiversity Register at Thrikkaipatta, Wayanad. “I had to stop my research in 2003, but I am glad young scientists have carried it forward,” he added.
Originally from Aravat in Kasaragod, Dr Balakrishnan lives with his wife Sudha, a teacher at Uduma Government Higher Secondary School. The couple has two children, Dhyan and Teertha.
The newly identified Dioscorea belongs to the wild relatives of cultivated yams like “kachil” and “kavath.” Wayanad alone hosts more than 23 yam varieties across 14 species, forming an important part of the indigenous communities’ diet.