Dr Sat Pal Saini, Former Principal Soil Scientist, Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), has been awarded “Life Time Achievement Award” by the Soil Conservation Society of India. He received the award from Dr BR Kamboj, Vice-Chancellor, Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar and Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, during the 33rd National Conference on “Land and Water Management for Ecological Restoration And Agricultural Sustainability,” held at PAU from December 8-10, 2025. This award has been conferred on Dr Saini for his outstanding contribution to the field of resource conservation and management. In his 34 years of service, he has contributed immensely to the upliftment of the farming community, resource conservation and management, and nutrients management in crops. Dr Saini was born on May 24, 1962, in Kurukshetra, Haryana; he did his B. Sc. (Ag.) from CCR Degree College, Muzaffar Nagar (UP), India in 1984; M. Sc. (Soils) from PAU, Ludhiana, Punjab in 1987; Ph. D. from CCS HAU, Hisar in 1996; and joined the service in 1988 in PAU. He has also worked in various capacities at State Agricultural Universities such as Scientist, Deputy Director (Training), Associate Director (Training), Professor and also as Dean, UCoA, Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda.
His research contributions included the development of site-specific technologies for INM, use of biofertilizers in cereals, judicious and efficient use of fertilizer for various field and vegetable crops, and Sulphur (Bentonite-S) requirement of wheat, gobhi sarson and potato through recommendations. He has to his credit more than 250 publications including 64 scientific research papers in reputed national and international journals, 169 popular/scientific articles, 2 books (authored/edited), 10 review papers and book chapters, and 53 proceeding papers among others.
Dr Saini has been instrumental in designing new courses in Soil Science and taught several courses related to soils at B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D levels, besides guiding M.Sc. and Ph.D. students, and developing farm field and establishing seven soil testing laboratories in different KVKs of Punjab under the aegis of ICAR. Dr Saini has also handled 12 adhoc projects as PI & Co-PI, amounting to Rs.2.95 crore. Up to now, he has been honored with 33 awards at the state and national levels. As Dean, UCoA worked for NAAC PEER team visit, accredited with Grade A++ by NAAC.
Further, Dr Saini has also popularized different resource conservation technologies viz. paddy straw management, tensiometer, leaf colour chart, direct seeding of rice, laser land leveler and Happy Seeder in the Punjab state, in addition to green house/net- house technology and raising of vegetable nursery under low-tunnel technique. He has conducted 138 adaptive research trials of 53 varieties, released in Punjab, given demonstrations at farmer’s field and received appreciation from DDG (AE), ICAR-New Delhi, Dr. P. Das.
Dr Gosal and the Soil Conservation Society of India congratulated Dr Saini for the great honour i.e. “SCSI Life Time Achievement Award-2024”