KSCSTE-Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (KSCSTE-JNTBGRI), established in 1979, has been functioning in the major thrust areas: (i) establishment of ex situ conservatories and garden development, (ii) integrated taxonomy and conservation biology, (iii) sustainable utilization of tropical plant resources, (iv) infrastructure development, capacity building through training.

KSCSTE-JNTBGRI, with over 50,000 accessions of 4,800 species in its conservatories, is the largest repository of live plants in India. The Institute so far reported over 800 new life forms (species) of angiosperms, mushrooms and fungi. The institute Herbarium holds 43,000 specimens of nearly 4,021 species. It also has a vast database of traditional and ethno-medical information of the State of Kerala. Institute conservatories, species-mushroom herbaria and seed bank are very useful repositories for students, academicians, foresters and policy makers on our plant wealth.

The lab-based sustainable utilization efforts resulted in peer reviewed publications, patents, Ph.Ds, new secondary metabolites, new essential oil sources, new gene sequences, bioactive molecules and herbal products. Institute on a regular basis organizes seminars, workshops and training programmes.

The Institute located at the foothills of Western Ghats at Palode, 40 kilometres from Thiruvananthapuram, is enroute to the tourist locations Thenmala, Palaruvi waterfalls and Ponmudi. Over 20,000 students and public are visiting its conservatories and labs every year.

Dr V Arunachalam currently serve as Director of Kerala State Council of Science, Technology and Environment- Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (KSCSTE-JNTBGRI) from 25.10.2024.

He was born in 1969 at Palani, Dindigul District of Tamil Nadu. Dr Arunachalam has graduated from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore in BSc Horticulture. Later he moved to Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Pusa New Delhi and completed MSc and PhD in Horticulture with specialization in Floriculture.

He has 28 years of research experience in plant science. He joined the Agricultural Research service in 1996 at Central Plantation Crops research Institute Kasaragod as Scientist and served also as Senior Scientist. He moved to the position of Principal Scientist & Head Horticulture section at ICAR CCARI Old Goa in 2010. He did his PG Diploma in Bioinformatics from Bharathiar University Coimbatore. He holds certificates in Big data computing, Analytical chemistry from IITs. He received DBT post-doctoral fellowship to carry out his gene specific promoters research at ICRISAT Hyderabad at plant genetic transformation laboratory. His work received ICAR team award, He is identified as one of top 45 innovators under India innovation growth program of DST Lockheed Martin award in 2014. His work contributed to identification of three released varieties and two registered genetic stocks of coconut., three kokum varieties, one arecanut variety.

His contributions include a leaf tip mutant in black pepper, pigment rich accession and a nematode susceptible (trapping) accession in amaranth. He has added 74 germplasm accessions to long term storage at National Gene bank at National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) New Delhi. He has served at Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar islands and served in exploration of tuber crop germplasm collection from Goa, Lakshadweep islands. He has 65 peer reviewed journal articles, 40 popular articles and 11 book chapters to his credit.  His publications received more than 1000 citations. He has travelled to France, Malaysia and Philippines and United Kingdom for scientific assignments. He is recognised by five Universities (Dapoli, Goa, Mangalore, Calicut and Kannur) for guiding PhD students. His work received appreciation as applied biodiversity researcher of Goa State Biodiversity Board .

His interests are genetic and genomic resources, bioinformatics, analytical chemistry, ethnobotany, organic carbon, and cropping systems research. He is a recognised fellow of International Society for Noni Science. His book on genomics of cultivated palms by Elsevier is widely accepted as a textbook. He has generated more than 50,000 planting material in horticultural crops and served the farmers of Goa. He received externally funded projects funded by Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, World Noni Research Foundation, Coconut Development Board, Department of Information Technology, SERB (DST), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, ICAR National Seed Project and All India Coordinated Research Projects on palms, and Cashew.