Honorary D Litt for Vadodara agriculture scientist

A Bsc in Physics from the then Baroda College (now M S University),Mistry went to the US where he created his niche in agricultural meteorology.

“When I returned with a PhD,a specialised course in agricultural meteorology was introduced in the AAU in 1963,” said Mistry.

He feels that this area of study should be given more importance as a career option so that more students take it up. Mistry has contributed to climatologic studies of crop growth,energy balance and various other research projects in agriculture.

He was also among the emeritus scientists of AAU and appointed all-India coordinator of agricultural research by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

“Although I have fully retired now,but I have guided the department whenever needed,” Mistry said.

Mistry shares his honorary degree with another Vadodara-based agriculture scientist,A C Pandya,an expert in agriculture engineering,who has been a part of several institutes such as AAU and IIT Kharagpur,where he had headed the department of Agriculture Engineering.

Calling him an ‘ace’ in his field,Mistri revealed that Pandya was his senior.