Hugh Martin-Leake

Hugh Martin-Leake (28 October 1878 – 29 April 1977) was a British economic botanist who worked in India, primarily on the improvement of indigo and opium cultivation.

He also had to solve seed dormancy issues, which he achieved by having them fed to ducks or by mechanical abrasion.

His attempts however were cut short due to the decline in the indigo industry following the synthesis of aniline.

Leake was offered a position in the Indian Agricultural Service in 1904 and served briefly as garden in-charge at Saharanpur.

Leake also worked on opium production with demand for morphine rising during World War I.

Leake left India in 1923, and worked briefly in Sudan on cotton and also served as a principal at the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture in Trinidad.