Prof. Samiullah, born on December 5, 1942, is professor of Plant Physiology and Chairman, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. He received Ph.D. in Botany of the Aligarh Muslim University in 1971. He has guided 14 M.Phil. and a similar number of Ph.D. thesis, and published over 90 research papers. He has supervised research projects sponsored by Potash Research Institute of India, Department of Environment and Indian Oil Corporation. He worked out the optimum doses of fertilizers, applied through foliar application for a number of crops including cereals, oilseeds, grain legumes, medicinal herbs and aromatic plants. He has also worked out the effect of seed enrichment with vitamin B on seedling establishment, growth and yield of crop plants. In recognition of his contribution to plant physiology, he was made Zonal Secretary (1981-83), and the Vice President of Indian Society for Plant Physiology (1982), and member of the National Organising Committee for International Seminar on Plant Physiology in Coming Years (1983). He became Fellow of the Indian Botanical Society (1987) and the Indian Society for Plant Physiology (1983) and received Senior Award of the Academy for the Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (1994).