Born at Sakharkherda Dist. Buldana, Maharashtra State, India on July 15, 1946.  Educated at MES High School, Mehkar (MS) 1959-61; College of Agriculture, Akola, 1961-65; College of Agriculture, Nagpur, 1965-67; Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 1968-72.  B.Sc. (Agri.) (1965); M.Sc.(Agri.) (1965); Ph.D, IARI (1972).  Post Doctoral, Alexander von Humbolt Fellow, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart (Germany) 1980-82 and 1986; Re-visited 1986. 

Adjunct Professor, Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi 2012 to date; Chairman, Agri. Finance Corporation Mumbai 2010 to date;, Member, African Biosafety Network Expertise, Burkina Faso 2014 to date ,Executive Board Member, International Service for  Acquisition Agri-Biotech Applications, USA 2006 to date. 

Assistant Virologist, Punjab Agricultural University,Ludhiana,1972-74; Plant Pathologist Rice, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (1974-75); Professor and Head, Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani, 1976-1991 and 1993-1995; Associate Dean, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, 1991-93; Associate Director, NARP, Aurangabad, 1995-97; Vice-Chancellor, MAU, Parbhani, 1997-2000; Director, Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur, 2000-2003; Agriculture Commissioner; Govt. of India, New Delhi; 2003-2004; Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, New Delhi ;2004-2011. 

Awards/Honours: Prof. M.J. Narasimhan Academic Award,1074; V.P. Gokhale Award, 1998; Vasantrao Naik  Krishi Award, 2002; Outstanding Team Research Award, 2003; Dr. B. Vishwanath Award, 2005;  Life Time Acievement Awards, 2008, 2011, 2012 ;Lekhiram Memorial Award,2009; Doda Raghav Reddy Award,2010; Leadership Award 2010; Amit Prabudh Manishi Award,2012; IPS Recognition Award,2012; Sasya Suraksha Mahajani Award,2012; D.Sc.(Honoris Causa), Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa Samastipur (Bihar),2009;OUAT, Bhubaneshwar(Orissa),2010 and Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat (Assam),2010; President, Indian Society for Cotton Improvement, 2008 to date,President Indian Phytopathological Society,1997-98; SMPP,Udaipur,2006-09, Doctor’s Krishi Academy,Lucknow,2006-11; CRDA,Hissar,2010-11, Chief Editor ,IPS New Delhi,2004-06;  Member, International Cotton Genome Initiative, USA., since 2004 Charman, Agri. Finance Corporation Ltd, 2010 to date, Member, African Biosfety Network Expertise, Burkina Faso,2014 -2017. 

Fellow:  Maharashtra Academy of Sciences. Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology

Research Areas: Plant Ptahology-Epidemiology and Management, Oilseed Pathology,Human Resource Development, Cotton Improvement