Dr. Chivukula Krishna Moorthy's Biography (1921-1981).

Early life and background 

Dr. Chivukula Krishna Moorthy was born on March 15, 1921, in Dondapadu, Andhra Pradesh, to Mr. Chivukula Narayana and Mrs. Chivukula Sitamma. He began his hometown education and later pursued advanced studies in Hyderabad.

 Education

 He joined the B.Sc. (Chemistry) degree program at Nizam's College and obtained his degree with distinction. Recognizing his talent and brilliance, HE.H. the Nizam's government of Hyderabad State offered him a scholarship to study for a Bachelor's in Agriculture at the Agricultural College, Coimbatore. His academic performance at the Agricultural College was extraordinary, and he has remained unbeaten. He obtained a B.Sc.(Agriculture) degree with distinction from the University of Madras and earned ten Gold Medals. He secured the first First Class in Agriculture from that college. Dr.Krishna Moorthy was awarded a fellowship at the University of California, US, to work for a doctoral degree in soil science. At the University of California, he had an opportunity to work and interact with scientists of repute whose contributions were globally recognized, and he was also a member of the prestigious honor society in the United States, 'Phi Beta Kapa.' He earned his doctoral degree in 1949, and his contributions to understanding the cation exchange properties of soils, which formed a part of his thesis work, have been unmatched. His work led to the Krishna Moorthy and Overstreet (1950) equation, which yielded satisfactory equilibrium constants for exchanging metal cations on selected bento ite clays, soil colloids, and synthetic resins. This is a classical work that, even today, is frequently quoted by soil scientists worldwide.

 Career 

On his return from the United States, he served the Government of the erstwhile Hyderabad State as an Agricultural Assistant, Research Assistant, Assistant Agricultural Chemist, and Agronomist. Subsequently, his services were sought by the government of India as a Soil Conservation Officer at the Soil Conservation Training and Research Institute, Bellary. At this center, he worked on the chemistry of soil phosphorous. He developed empirical relationships between phosphate availability and properties of soils, which formed the basis for determining precise fertilizer phosphorous recommendations based on soil tests. In 1966, he was appointed the first Director of Research at the Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, in which capacity he served with distinction until October 1970. He moved to the national system after joining the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. He served as Assistant Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the first Project Director of the All India Coordinated Research Project on Dryland Agriculture at Hyderabad until 1978. It is a unique project composed of natural resources and crop scientists working for the first time in drylands with a preamble of more crops per raindrop and Canadian Scientists in operational research project mode. Thus, he distinguishedly served dryland agriculture farmers in the country. This project augured the template for the country's 'crop life saving' research, including all cropping systems and water management facets. His equation for evaluating intercrop systems initiated a new research field worldwide. In 1978, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations appointed him Technical Advisor, and subsequently, he also served as Agricultural Advisor to the Government of Thailand. Dr. Krishna Moorthy's professional career was not confined to India. He had an enviable record of scientific achievements. He had an opportunity to study agricultural research and development in progressive and developing countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. His global impact is evident from his role as the Vice-President of the prestigious Indian Society of Soil Science. His contributions to soil science, plant nutrition, and dryland agriculture are well-recognized in the scientific world. 

 Institution builder 

Dr. Ch. Krishna Moorthy was pivotal in establishing The Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) in Hyderabad. This institute was formed by elevating the Project Directorate of the All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture (AICRPDA) network with the assistance of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Following his passing in 1984, in recognition of his significant contributions, an auditorium at the CRIDA office was dedicated in his honor and named the Dr. Ch. Krishna Moorthy Auditorium. 

Personal Life

Dr. Ch. Krishna Moorthy married Krishna Veni in 1948. They were blessed with two sons: Krishna Prasad, who is a legal advisor at Rain Industries, and Srinivas, who was the senior technical officer at CRIDA.

Death 

On 29th August 1981, the world lost a remarkable and highly esteemed individual, Dr. Ch. Krishna Moorthy, to a fatal heart attack while he was in Bangkok, Thailand.

Publications and Awards 

He published more than forty research papers in reputed scientific journals, authored several status reports, and edited the proceedings of scientific seminars. In 1976, the country honored him with the prestigious Norman Borlaug Award in recognition of his contributions to the development of dryland agriculture.

Dr Chivukuka Krishna Moorthy's Achievements.