Arakkiyar Ammal

Pioneer in tropical botany who revolutionized crop science in colonial India

Arakkiyar Ammal (1876-1958) was a groundbreaking botanist from Tamil Nadu who made extraordinary contributions to agricultural science during British colonial rule. Working at the Madras Agricultural College, she pioneered the study of tropical crop genetics decades before Gregor Mendel's work became widely recognized in India. Her research on hybrid rice varieties laid the foundation for modern crop breeding programs still used today.

Through her seminal work Tropical Plant Genetics, she proved that crossbreeding could dramatically improve crop yields. This directly challenged British colonial policies that restricted agricultural innovation. Her discoveries enabled farmers to triple rice production during the 1890s famine, saving countless lives. Despite facing severe gender barriers, she established India's first plant pathology laboratory in 1902, which later became the basis for the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

Ammal's most enduring legacy is the 'Ammal Method' still used in hybridization studies. She corresponded with European scientists like Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, but refused to accept any credit unless Indian collaborators were acknowledged. Her 1910 paper Crop Genetics in the Tropics remains a foundational text in agricultural science. Though overshadowed in her time, modern geneticists now recognize her as the 'Mother of Tropical Botany.'