Mandayani Jeersannidhi Thirumalachar, Indian mycologist and biochemist (Malleswaram, Bangalore 22 September 1914 – Walnut Creek, California 21 April 1999)

Son of mycologist and plant pathologist Mandayam Jeersannidhi Narasimhan

Authored over 460 papers

Identified more than one hundred antibiotics and in the development of at least 50 of them to a commercial level such as Hamycin (1961), Dermostatin (1966) and Aureofungin (1966), all of them antifungal, Antiamoebin (anti-protozoal/anti-helminthic), Antiprotozoin (antiprotozoal/antifungal), Tetraenenin, MYC-4 and Necrocitin (anti-tumour activity)

DEVELOPED

New derivatives of established antibiotics with better performance and lesser toxicity

Jaimycin process for antibiotics production

Chemotherapeutants for the control of a wide range of fungal, bacterial and mycoplasma diseases such as DPS (against leaf curl viruses of solanaceous plants), CPN No. MJN1891 and Gopi-80 (against plant diseases) and Jai-Pro (for arthritis and muscular pain)

Systemic fungicides such as Phyton 27 (patented) and KI-19827(for control of Dutch elm disease and oak wilt)

A process for oil extraction from tar-sands

Showed that Ravenelia esculenta causes malformation on Acacia eburnea

With M.J. Narasimhan & M.C. Srinivasan established the morphological basis for differentiating Entomophthora from Conidiobolus

Found new microorganisms for biocontrol of plant parasitic nematodes and fungi

DESCRIBED FUNGI TAXA

Genera

Acervulopsora 1945

Angiosorus 1974 with O’Brien

Astomella 1947

Backusia 1965 with Whitehead & Mathur 

Biharia 1953 with Mishra

Caudophoma 1968 with Patil 

Chainia 1955

Cyclodomella 1959 with Patil & Bhatt

Dicksonomyces 1957 with Rao & Salam

Didymopsorella 1950

Elateraecium 1966

Franzpetrakia 1957 with Pavgi

Georgefischeria 1963 with Narasimhan

Hapalophragmiopsis 1950

Hiratsukamyces 1975 with Kern & Patil

Jamesdicksonia 1961 with Pavgi & Payak

Kernella 1949

Mehtamyces 1945

Mundkurella 1944

Narasimhella 1965 with Mathur

Narasimhania 1952 with Pavgi

Romanoa 1954

Santapauella 1945 with Mundkur

Sclerophthora 1953 with Narasimhan & Shaw

Thermomucor 1977 with Subrahamanyan & Mehrotra

Tolyposporidium 1977 with Neergaard

Volutellospora 1965 with Mathur

Zundelula 1952 with Narasimhan

Species

About 300

Others

4 species in genus Streptomyces 

3 species in genus Xanthomonas

A fungal species Geotrichum marinum that uses oil as a carbon and nitrogen source

HONORS (Fungi)

Thirumalacharia Rathaiah 1981

Thirumalachariella Sathe 1974