Janaki Ammal
Botanist and plant cytogeneticist
- Lived
- 86 yrs
- 1897 – 1984
- Works listed
- 0
- Career highlights
- Honours
- 1
- Most recent 1977
- Profile views
- 1
- 0 followers
Janaki Ammal was a botanist who developed high-yielding sugarcane hybrids, co-wrote the Chromosome Atlas of Cultivated Plants and reorganised the Botanical Survey of India. One of the first Indian women to earn a doctorate in botany, she received the Padma Shri in 1977. She died in 1984.
Biography
A rare path
Janaki Ammal grew up in a large family in Tellicherry and chose education over an arranged marriage. She studied botany in Madras and won a Barbour Scholarship to the University of Michigan, where she earned a doctorate in 1931 — among the first Indian women to do so in botany.
Sweeter sugarcane
At the Sugarcane Breeding Institute in Coimbatore in the 1930s she crossed sugarcane with related grasses to produce hybrids suited to Indian conditions, helping India reduce its dependence on imported sugar. Facing discrimination as an unmarried woman from a backward caste, she left for England.
England
At the John Innes Horticultural Institution and later the Royal Horticultural Society garden at Wisley she studied plant chromosomes. With C. D. Darlington she wrote the Chromosome Atlas of Cultivated Plants (1945). A magnolia she bred at Wisley is named ‘Janaki Ammal’.
Return to India
At Jawaharlal Nehru’s invitation she returned in 1951 to reorganise the Botanical Survey of India. In later life she worked on medicinal plants in Madras and supported the campaign to save Kerala’s Silent Valley. She received the Padma Shri in 1977 and died on 7 February 1984.
Timeline
-
1897
Born in Tellicherry, Malabar, Madras Presidency (now Thalassery, Kerala)
-
1931
Doctorate from the University of Michigan
-
1934
Sugarcane research at Coimbatore
-
1940
Moves to England
-
1945
Chromosome Atlas published
-
1951
Returns to reorganise the Botanical Survey of India
-
1977
Padma Shri
-
1984
Dies in Madras
-
1984
Died, aged 86
Awards and honours
-
Padma Shri
1977
Did you know?
-
1
A magnolia cultivar is named after her.
-
2
She chose a scientific career over an arranged marriage.
-
3
India’s environment ministry named a national taxonomy award after her.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Janaki Ammal?
Janaki Ammal was a botanist who developed high-yielding sugarcane hybrids, co-wrote the Chromosome Atlas of Cultivated Plants and reorganised the Botanical Survey of India. One of the first Indian women to earn a doctorate in botany, she received the Padma Shri in 1977. She died in 1984.
When did Janaki Ammal die?
Janaki Ammal died on 7 February 1984 at the age of 86.
Where is Janaki Ammal from?
Janaki Ammal was born in Tellicherry, Malabar, Madras Presidency (now Thalassery, Kerala).
What is Janaki Ammal known for?
Janaki Ammal is best known for Sweeter sugarcane hybrids; the Chromosome Atlas of Cultivated Plants; reviving the Botanical Survey of India.
What awards has Janaki Ammal received?
Notable honours include Padma Shri (1977).
References
- E. K. Janaki Ammal — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- E. K. Janaki Ammal — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- E. K. Janaki Ammal (Q4794782) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “E. K. Janaki Ammal”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
Featured in
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 27 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Janaki Ammal.” TrackFame, last updated 28 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/janaki-ammal
Discussion 0
Sign in or create an account to join the discussion.
No comments yet — be the first.
More in Science
Science
Satish Dhawan
Aerospace engineer who led ISRO after Vikram Sarabhai
1920 – 2002
Science
Meghnad Saha
Astrophysicist known for the Saha ionisation equation
1893 – 1956
Science
P. C. Mahalanobis
Statistician who founded the Indian Statistical Institute
1893 – 1972
Science
U. R. Rao
Space scientist who built India’s first satellite
1932 – 2017
Science
K. Kasturirangan
Space scientist who chaired ISRO and the National Education Policy committee
1940 – 2025
Science
Salim Ali
Ornithologist known as the “Birdman of India”
1896 – 1987