Udupi : Dr. Satheesha Nayak Alambi, has grown one of the tallest tapioca plants (botanical name: Manihot esculenta) of the world in his garden. The average height of the tapioca plant is 10-15 feet. The tallest recorded height of tapioca plant (in the Limca book of records) is 45 feet. Dr Nayak’s plant has grown beyond this height and is nearly 50 feet now. The plant is about 1.5 years old and had fallen down and partly broken due to the monsoon rains and breeze. Dr Nayak helped it to grow over the mango tree by giving necessary supports. The plant has reached near the top of the mango tree and is about to overshoot the mango tree.

Dr. Nayak is currently working as Professor of Anatomy, at Melaka Manipal Medical College, a constituent institute of Manipal Academy of Higher Education. He is one among the top 2% Scientists of the world as rated by the Stanford University, USA. Though he is a specialist in Human Anatomy, he has keen interest in plant behaviour and plant Anatomy too. He spends his free time, experimenting with the plants around his village.