Dr. P.R. Mehta was born on 1^st July, 1907 in Gujarat State. Completed School education at Allahabad. Was awarded the Associateship of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Mycology and Plant Pathology in 1930 and M.Sc. in Botany from the Allahabad University in 1933.Recipient of the Allahabad University Silver Jubilee Medal and Victoria Readership from meritorious academic achievement. Obtained Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of Minnesota, USA, in 1948, where he worked under Dr. E.C. Stakman. 

Dr. Mehta worked successively as Junior Lecturer, Botany Department, Allahabad University; Assistant Professor of Botany and Plant Pathology, Banaras Hindu University; Technical Assistant, IARI; Assistant Professor and Head of Botany and Plant Pathology, Government Agricultural College, Kanpur and Plant Pathologist to Government of Uttar Pradesh. Joined the Central Government Service as Deputy Director and Head of the Section of Plant Disease in the Directorate of Plant Protection Quarantine and Storage in 1952 and acted as Plant Protection Adviser to the Government of India in 1963. Retired from Government Service in 1964. At present working as Secretary General, Pesticides Association of India, New Delhi. 

Dr. Mehta has published about 45 papers in various scientific journals, two Technical Bulletins and a book on Plant Protection. He is the Honorary Technical Editor of the Journal ‘Pesticides’. He delivered the ‘Mundkur Memorial Lecture’ at the Annual Meeting of the Society in 1971. He is a Fellow of the Society.