Dr Jagannath V. Patil is Director of the Indian Institute of Millets Research and Head of the Directorate of Sorghum Research, Hyderabad, India Dr Patil was formerly Professor of Botany in 2001 and Head, Department of Botany, MPKV, Rahuri. He has developed 19 varieties of safflower, chickpea, green gram, rajma bean, pigeon pea and sorghum, and has executed several research projects including international collaboration with DFID, ICRISAT-IFAD, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – Hope Project and Mc Knight Foundation USA. Dr Patil has also developed and popularized several crop production technologies, including sowing methods, seed treatment, foliar nutrient application, IPM and in-situ moisture conservation, soil type-based cultivars, protective irrigation and nutrient supply. Dr Patil is recipient of many awards and recognitions such as ICRISAT's Doreen Mashler Award, CGIAR’s King Baudouin Chickpea team Award and a Fellowship of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Dr Patil has been engaged in post-graduate teaching in Genetics and Plant Breeding since 1994, and has published 107 peer-reviewed journal papers, 16 books and 53 other technical publications. Dr. Patil joined as Head, Directorate of Sorghum Research, Hyderabad in 2010.