Noted agriculturalist Jayaraman, who pioneered the protection and propagation of indigenous paddy varieties in Tamilnadu, passed away in Chennai on Thursday.<br />''<br />''<br />''Hailing from Thiruthuraipoondi, in the heart of Tamilnadu's delta rice bowl, Jayaraman has been credited with documenting and protecting more than 170 paddy varieties.<br />''<br />''<br />''His diligent work in the field of protecting the gene prototypes of indigenous paddy varieties won him the National Award in 2015 and a state award in 2011.<br />''<br />