Sushil Kumar (biologist)

Sushil Kumar Charak (21 November 1999) was an Indian geneticist and academic, known for his Plant and microbial genetical genomics, especially the studies on Escherichia coli and Lambda phage as well as on the mutants of Rhizobium.

Moving to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) as a senior grade scientist in 1989, he became the director of the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in 1993, superannuating in that position in 2000.

[7] The researches of Sushil Kumar which focused on the fields of plant and microbial genetical genomics are reported to have assisted in a wider understanding of biotechnology and crop breeding.

[3] He is known to have discovered new genes in Rhizobium, a nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria and developed its mutants which has higher nitrogen fixing capabilities, thus contributing to augmenting the cultivation of crops such as Pisum sativum (Pea), Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) and Triticum aestivum (Wheat).

[8] His work also helped in the genetic improvement which yielded higher levels of artemisinin in Artemisia annua (Sweet wormwood) and essential oil in Mentha arvensis (Wild mint).