Qualification: Ph.D. (University of Kerala). Title: An Assessment of the Economically Important Wild Fruits of Kerala (2000). M. Sc., B. Ed. (University of Kerala).
Specialization: Angiosperm Taxonomy, Threatened and Red Listed Plants, Wild Edible Fruits, Native Mango Varieties, Wild Relatives of Cultivated Plants, Herbarium Management, Germplasm Characterization, Species Documentation, Nutritional Evaluation, ex-situ Conservation and Developing Cultivation Practices.
Specialization : Floristic ecology, dry matter dynamism, edaphology, faunastic association and productivity of ecosystems through tradition management of bio resources.
Specialized in exploration and phyto-geographic mapping of Rare, Endemic and Threatened (RET) plants of the Western Ghats. Established an ex-situ conseratory of wild fruits in JNTBGRI with nearly 570 accessions. Found out 348 lesser-known fruit plants of economic value from the Western Ghats. Established a Field Gene Bank of 128 local mango landraces of Kerala. Published 50 research papers and general articles. Presented papers in several scientific platforms such as the International Seminar on Economic Botany and Ethno Pharmacology held at the Imperial College, London (1996). Currently preparing a ‘Red Data Book’ of plants in Western Ghats and a check-list of plants in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Also revising Acanthaceae and Primulaceae and the genus Strobilanthes.
Projects
- Preparation of Red Data Book and Assessment of Threatened Species of Kerala (Flora including aquatic species), funded by Kerala State Biodiversity Board (Principal Investigator).
- Development of Propagation Techniques and Establishment of Nurseries for Indigenous RET plants and Species Notified under Biological Diversity Act and Promoting Cultivation with the support of Research Organizations, Kudumbasree and MNREGS, funded by Kerala State Biodiversity Board (Principal Investigator).
- Germplasm documentation, evaluation, ex-situ conservation and popularization of the local mango varieties of Kerala, funded by Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department (Principal Investigator).
- Germplasm collection, evaluation of yield potential and exploitation of the fruit crops of Kerala, funded by Kerala State Planning and Economic Affairs Department, Government of Kerala (completed project).
- Survey, exploration and documentation of the floristic wealth of Kerala – documenting local mango varieties of Southern Peninsular India and Taxonomy, phylogenetic evaluation and ex-situ conservation of the family Acanthaceae in southern Western Ghats, India.
Publications
- Nazarudeen, A., Rajkumar, G. and M. Alister (2019). Ardisia agasthyamalayana (Primulaceae), a new species from the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography 74(1) 51-56. https://doi.org/10.1080/00837792.2018.1546922
- Nazarudeen, A., Rajkumar, G., Rohith, M.M. & R. Prakashkumar (2020). Taxonomic notes on the identity of Rungia latior var. anamalayana (Acanthaceae) from Western Ghats, India. Plant Science Today 7(1):23-28. https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.2020.7.1.626
- Ahammed Nazarudeen, Gopalaprabhu Rajkumar, Raveendranpillai Prakashkumar (2020). A new species of Ardisia (Primulaceae) from the Anamalai Hills of Western Ghats, India. Annals of Plant Sciences 9 (6): 3892-3898. http://dx.doi.org/10.21746/aps.2020.9.6.2
- Nazarudeen, A., Rajkumar, G. and M. Alister (2021). A New Variety of Thottea sivarajanii (Aristolochiaceae) from Western Ghats, India. International Journal of Advanced Research 9 (10): 1356-1360. http://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/13690
- Nazarudeen, A., Shareef, S.M., Kalesh, K.S., Salim, M., Hussain, A., Shaju, T., Rajvikraman, R. and Prakashkumar, R. (2022). Wild and lesser-known fruit germplasm in JNTBGRI: An approach for ex-situ conservation. Indian Horticulture. 67(3).
Research Scholar
Work: Phylogenetic relationships among species of Strobilanthes in Kerala by combining evidences from morphology and chemotaxonomy.