H Rembold

Biography

Professor H. Rembold has richly contributed to our understanding of the biochemical basis of caste determination and regulation in honeybees. By supplementing the dilute royal jelly with different compounds of yeast extract he was able to increase the number of queens differentiating in the colony as well as their survival. By closely following the juvenile hormone (JH) and ecydosone (EC) titres during the development of honeybees, he substantiated the role of JH III in caste determination of the bees. His extensive work using GC and HPLC techniques for quantifying the hormone and evaluating their role in growth, differentiation and morphogenesis of bees inspired him to extend his work on pests of agriculture importance. Realising the fact that synthetic pesticides induce resistance among the pests, affect non-target organisms and deteriorate environmental quality. Professor Rembold was interested in evolving harmless third generation pesticides of plant origin. He is a pioneer in the area of neam research. He has isolated and purified about 8 isomers of the principal neam compound azairachtin. By substitution reactions he is trying to increase their stability with the goal of synthesising the compounds and making their application in pest management commercially feasible. He has also isolated a bioactive compound from 'Krill' which enhances the survival of the fry of aquarium fish.

Research Interest

Biochemistry