Dr. George Mathew

Dr. George Mathew, Scientist G and Programme Coordinator, Forest Health Division, retired on 31 October, 2011 after 34 years of service. He started his career in 1975 as a Ph D student attached to an ICAR project sanctioned to Late Prof. M.G. Ramdas Menon, Sr. Systematic Entomologist, IARI. Under this project, he has made excellent contributions on the taxonomic identities of important crop pests of Kerala. During this period, he also completed his Ph D on the taxonomy of Indian Pyralids which is an economically important group of insect pests in agriculture and forestry. Dr. Mathew joined KFRI in 1977, in the Entomology Department. Initially he has worked on the management of forest insect pests. He has made several studies on the insect pests associated with various forest tree species in plantations, natural forests and nurseries and suggestions were made on their management. He has rendered excellent support to the Kerala Forest Department and various other agencies in identifying insect pes