I am Dr. B.P. Bhaskar, a dedicated Principal Scientist currently serving at the ICAR-NBSS&LUP Regional Centre in Bangalore. With a distinguished career spanning over three decades in agricultural research, my primary expertise lies in Soil Survey and Land Use Planning. I specialize in executing and interpreting land resource inventory programmes across various scales, from regional to cadastral levels. My approach integrates a strong foundational knowledge of agriculture and geosciences with modern techniques in remote sensing and GIS applications. This allows me to provide comprehensive data analysis and interpretations crucial for sustainable land use planning and resource management, including specialized work in soil geochemistry and soil landscape analysis.

My professional journey began as an ARS Scientist in 1990, advancing through Senior Scientist to my current role as Principal Scientist since 2007. Over this time, I have spearheaded and contributed significantly to numerous high-impact land resource projects. These include the massive-scale Soil Resource Mapping of India (1:250,000) and focused regional projects like resource mapping in rubber growing areas of Kerala/Tamil Nadu and the soils of the Jayakwadi irrigation project. I have extensive practical experience conducting detailed land resource inventories on a 1:50,000 scale in diverse geographical areas, including districts in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and unique environments such as Majuli island. Furthermore, I have led detailed watershed and village-level (cadastral) surveys, consistently translating complex soil data into actionable land management strategies.

This professional commitment is underpinned by a robust academic foundation, culminating in a Ph.D. in Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry. My master’s and doctoral research focused on critical areas: the characterization and classification of laterite soils, and the study of iron nutrition in Groundnut (Arachis hypogaeae L.) in Alfisols, respectively. Beyond fieldwork and management, I have made substantial contributions to scholarly discourse, reflected in a prolific publication record that includes 142 research articles, 20 book chapters, and one full book. My work also involves innovative projects such as developing reflectance libraries for soil sensors, demonstrating a commitment to driving the adoption of cutting-edge technology in soil mapping and land evaluation.