Devendra Prasad Gupta ( pronunciation , widely known as D. P. Gupta, is an Indian botanist and academician.
Early life and education
Hailing & raised from a family of Vaidhraj commonly termed as olden Ayurvedic physicians, he dynamically partook Indian freedom movements of 1942 as a result of which his studies were discontinued for several years. At the age of eleven years he was a member of Congress Seva Dal from 1944 to 1947. During this period he had been trained as a volunteer and subsequently turned out to be the Nayak/comrade of one unit.
He confronted bullets and suffered from gangrenous wound on the lower part of the left leg with bone exposed. The wound being stated was caused by the three bullets fired by British soldiers under their contingent military operation at Maheshkhunt , district of Monghyr in August 1942. He was even incarcerated and held as one of the captives led by seizure for a year. But in the midst of struggle and persistent hardship of all fellow-Indians they succeeded.
A freedom fighter who had to flee his hometown to avoid arrest for hoisting the Tricolour in his school during the Quit India Movement, joined Ranchi University after a brief stint at the Patna University and University of London.
Gupta is former Vice-Chancellor of Ranchi University. He commenced his academic career as demonstrator (August 1953 – August 1956) and went up to post graduate lecturer (September 1956 – March 1970), reader (April 1970 – January 1984), university professor (February 1984 to till date), principle (June 1983 – January 1986) under Indian University.
He is associated with many International conventions such as First International Congress of Plant Pathology, held in Imperial College London, International Conference of Phytochemical Society, held in University of Hull, Scarborough, England and many others, exhaustive. He was one of the contributors from India who took part in the deliberation of the 3rd International Symposium on verticillium held on August 1981 in Bari, Italy.
He is ex-councillor of Indian Phytopathological Society of India, New Delhi and former member of Bihar Intermediate Education Council, India.
After retirement he served Bethany University, Scotts Valley, California, U.S and other research universities/institutions as an academician and researcher.
Heale, J.B.; Gupta, D.P. (1972). "Mechanism of vascular wilting induced by Verticillium albo-atrum". Transactions of the British Mycological Society. UK: Elsevier. 58: 19. doi:10.1016/S0007-1536(72)80067-6. Heale, J. B.; Gupta, D. P. (1970). "The Utilization of Cellobiose by Verticillium albo-atrum". Journal of General Microbiology. UK: Society for General Microbiology. 63 (2): 175–81. PMID 5534500. doi:10.1099/00221287-63-2-175. Gupta, D. P.; Heale, J. B. (1970). "Induction of Cellulase (Cx) in Verticillium albo-atrum". Journal of General Microbiology. UK: Society for General Microbiology. 63 (2): 163–73. PMID 5534499. doi:10.1099/00221287-63-2-163. Heale, JB; Gupta, DP (1970). "The utilization of cellobiose by Verticillium albo-atrum". Journal of general microbiology. UK: Society for General Microbiology. 63 (2): 175–81. PMID 5534500. doi:10.1099/00221287-63-2-175. Gupta, D. P. (1984). "Histological Changes During the Verticillium Wilting Syndrome in Susceptible and Tolerant Lucerne Cultivars". Phytopathologia Mediterranea. Firenze University Press. Italy: Mediterranean Phytopathological Union. 23 (2–3): 204. JSTOR 42684710. Gupta, D.P. (1973). "Endopolygalacturonase stimulation in Verticullium albo--atrum. [Wilt, alfalfa]". Indian Phytopathology. XXVI (1): 90–106. National Agricultural Library, Beltsville.
Gupta, D. P. (1974). "A Disc Electrophoretic study of the protein of Susceptible, Tolerant and Resistant lucerne with reference to Verticillium wilt". Indian Phytopathology. XXVII (4): 542–548. Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Gupta, D. P. (1975). "A note on endo-Polygalacturonase (endo PG) production by Ozonium taxanum Neel & Waste var. parasiticum Thilm". Indian Phytopathology. XXVIII (4): 543–545. National Agricultural Library, Washington, D.C.
Gupta, D. P. (1977). "Purification of in vitro pectolytic enzymes secreted by Verticillium albo-atrum". Indian Phytopathology. XXX (3): 315–319. Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Gupta, D.P. (1972). "Host relation in Alternaria early blight of potato;Germination of spore". Journal of Bihar Botanical Society. 1 (1-2): 22–26. Gupta, D.P. (1973). "Photodynamic action on spore and pigment production with reference to speciation in Biotypes of V.ablo-atrum and V.dahliae". Journal of Bihar Botanical Society. 2 (1-2): 39–44. Gupta, D.P. (1974). "The Effect of ultraviolet radiation on spore and pigment production in Biotypes of V.albo-atrum and V.dahliae". Journal of Bihar Botanical Society. 3 (1-2): 26–30. Gupta, D.P. (1972). "Host relation in Alternaria early blight of potato;Role of sugars". Journal of Ranchi University. VIII: 264–270. Gupta, D.P. (1978). "In vitro pectic enzyme production by Verticillium albo-atrum". Botanisk Tidsskrift. Danish Botanical Society. 112 (3-4): 16–18. Gupta, D.P. (1970). "Secretion of Pectic enzymes by Alternaria Solani". The Botanical Magazine, Tokyo. The Botanical Society of Japan. 83 (8-11): 15. Gupta, D.P. (1978). "Secretion of pectic enzymes by Alternaria triticina". Annales de Phytopathologie. Institut national de la recherche agronomique. 9 (1-1): 8–9. Gupta, D.P. (1981). Variation in Strains and Species of Verticillium. International Verticillium Symposium (3rd ed.). Bari, Italy: Deutsche Phytomedizinische Gesellschaft e.V. p. 34. Gupta, D.P. (1981). Histological Changes During the Verticillium Wilting Syndrome in Susceptible and Tolerant Lucerne Cultivars. International Verticillium Symposium (3rd ed.). Bari, Italy: Deutsche Phytomedizinische Gesellschaft e.V. p. 35. Prasad Gupta, Devendra (1970). Studies on the Host Parasite Relationship in the Verticillium Wilt Disease of Lucerne (Ph.D.). Diss. King's College London. OCLC 731222588. 
