Abdul Rashid (agriculturist)

Abdul Rashid, (Ph.D. from University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii, USA), (born 1950) is a Pakistani agricultural scientist, who has served as Member (Bio-sciences) of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) from 2008 to 2011 and Director General of Pakistan's National Agricultural Research Center (NARC) from 2006 to 2008.
Early life and career.
Dr. Abdul Rashid had studied mechanisms of zinc deficiency in rice, wheat, and corn from 1973 to 1979. Those studies and establishments, led him to a position, a collaboration at the "Micronutrients Project" in Pakistan. Eventually, he obtained BSc (Honors) and MSc (Honors) from University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan and after winning an East-West Center scholarship, he received his PhD in agronomy and soil science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu in 1986. There, he worked under guidance of professor Robert Fox on a micronutrient problem, which was of high importance to him and his country at the time. After the graduation, Abdul Rashid had returned to the National Agricultural Research Center in Islamabad and immediately began studying soil fertility and plant nutrition.
In 1970, Dr. Abdul Rashid had observed boron fertilization in calcareous soils, but the research and development did not receive enough attention, because at that time, the facilities were inadequate and the scientists lack expertise in analysis of boron. Because of it, Abdul Rashid had established plant boron analysis, a tactic of systematic nutrient indexing and diagnosing macro- and micronutrient deficiencies in farmer-grown crops which was studied at various greenhouses.
From mid-1980s to 2008, Dr Rashid led a well conceived R&D program in soil fertility and plant nutrition at National Agricultural Research Center, Islamabad. In particular his research team established that deficiency of boron micronutrient in rice crop reduces yield as well as impairs grain quality. Also, he established incidence of widespread deficiency of boron and zinc micronutrients in cotton crop. His extensive and consistent field and laboratory research resulted in development of highly cost-effective farmer friendly technologies of boron fertilizer use in rice, boron and zinc fertilizer use in cotton, use of zinc-enriched rice nursery, and 50% fertilizer saving phosphate band placement technology for wheat.
From 2006 to 2008 he was Director General of the National Agricultural Research Centre.
Since 2008, Dr Abdul Rashid is a member of the "HarvestZinc Project", a multi-national research initiative, under the leadership of Prof. Ismail Cakmak of Sabanci University in Turkey, which has established farmer-friendly technology of enriching staple cereal grains with zinc, iodine and selenium by agronomic biofortification approach. Despite his retirement from formal service in 2011, he is vigorously involved in agricultural R&D related activities.
He has published widely peer reviewed papers, book chapters, encyclopedia chapters, books, technical reports, and advisory materials. Also, his farmer-friendly fertilizer use technologies are formally recommended and widely adapted in Pakistan.
As a member of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, he administered agricultural and biotechnological research and development at four establishments (i.e., NIA, Tandojam; NIAB, Faisalabad; NIFA, Peshawar; and NIBGE, Faisalabad), and managed 18 Nuclear Medicine and Oncology Cancer Hospitals located throughout Pakistan.
Dr. Rashid is on the Editorial Boards of "European Journal of Agronomy" (Elsevier) and "Communications in Soil Science & Plant Analysis" (Taylor & Francis).
Awards.
Abdul Rashid is affiliated with Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Soil Science Society of America, American Society of Agronomy, Indian Society of Soil Science, East–West Center, Association of Former PARC Scientists, and Soil Science Society of Pakistan, of which he is a Past-President.
Dr. Rashid is the 2013 IFA Norman Borlaug Award recipient for excellence in plant nutrition research (www.fertilizer.org/En/About_IFA/Awards/Norman_Borlaug_Award/2013_Abdul_Rashid.aspx); in 2017 he was chosen as an IPNI Science Award winner. The same year, he also became the recipient of J Benton Jones Award for his contributions in soil testing and plant analysis. Additionally, he is East-West Center Distinguished Alumnus; Fellow of Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Indian Society of Soil Science and Soil Science Society of Pakistan; PARC Silver Jubilee Laureate, Pakistan's Scientist of the Year, and National Book Foundation Awardee.
In 2005, Abdul Rashid had become Pakistan's Dr Norman Borlaug Award recipient.