Panchanan maheshwari father of
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Panchanan Maheshwari, Indian botanist and microscopist (Jaipur, Rajasthan 09 November 1904 – Delhi 18 May 1966)
Worked embryological aspects of many plants belonging to more than 1000 species
First to describe many embryological features peculiar to aquatic plants
First to study fertilization under experimental conditions
Performed the first experiment of direct pollination of ovules with formation of viable cells in vitro
With N.S. Rangaswamy & K. Kanta. Test tube fertilization in a flowering plant. Nature 194:1214-7, 1962
Standardized the classification of embryo sac types
Authored An Introduction to the Embriology of Angiosperms (1950), the first work in this field and translated into several languages
Developed Maheshwari fluid
HONORS
Panchanania Subramanian & Nair 1966 (Fungi)
Maheshwariella Pant & Nautiyal 1963 (Fossil Seed)
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Panchanan Maheshwari; a botanist known to invent technique of test-tube fertilization of angiosperms
Dr. Panchanan Maheshwari, an eminent botanist specialising in plant embryology, morphology and anatomy, plant physiology and biochemistry established the technique of test-tube fertilization of angiosperms.
Born in the Pink City, Jaipur Dr. Maheshwari's invention has allowed the creation of new hybrid plants that could not previously be crossbred naturally.
Another landmark discovery by Dr. Maheshwari was production of haploids using another culture. This discovery initiated a new era in plant biology and formed the path for developing many improved crop varieties.
Being an educator, Maheshwari used to teach Botany at the University of Delhi, establishing that department as a globally important center of research in embryology and tissue culture.
He established the International Society of Plant Morphologists in 1951, and started the international journal Phytomorphology. His research group i
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Panchanan Maheshwari: A giant of plant biology
Professor Panchanan Maheshwari established a flourishing school of research and teaching in plant biology at Delhi University, where he arrived in 1949. Under his leadership, the botany department at Delhi University became “a centre of world-wide influence in plant morphology, known both for its graduates and the many foreign investigators attracted to Delhi by its fame”, according to his biographer at the Royal Society RC Steward. Maheshwari passed away in 1966 at the peak of his career. He was 62.
Before he came to Delhi, Maheshwari was at Dacca University from 1939. He worked on his landmark book, The embryology of angiosperms, between 1945 and 1947. Published in 1950, this book put Maheshwari and Delhi University on the global map. This treasure is available in Indian bookstores for a princely ₹300.
To appreciate Maheshwari’s contributions, their relevance, and their salience, we need to understand the context of his work on seed plants, particularly flowering ones. Flowering plants are relatively recent arrivals (~250 m
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