Faculty Member

Profile

Research Area

Plant molecular biology

Research Program

Deciphering the molecular mechanism of abiotic stress tolerance in C4 model crop foxtail millet

Of the diverse abiotic stresses, drought, salinity, and high temperature-stress contributes extensively to the yield reduction in agronomically valued crops. This urged us to decipher the molecular mechanisms involved in naturally abiotic stress-tolerant plants thus, we selected foxtail millet as our experimental model. In this context, we have examined the change in transcript profiles of foxtail millet at different time points of heat, dehydration, and salinity stress and identified a distinct set of genes in response to these stresses. Till date we have characterized the SiNAC, SiMYB, SiC2H2-type zinc fingers, SiAP2/ERF, SiWRKY, SiDof and SiHD-Zip transcription factor superfamily along with other classes of abiotic stress-related signalling molecules including SiALDH, SiWD40, Dicer-Like, Argonaute & RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase, Si14-3-3, secondary cell wall synthesis-related gene family, SiARFs, SiHSP, SiSET, Aquaporins and C4-photosynthetic pathway associated gene families. Our ultimate aim is to utilize these genomic resources for improvement of highly consumed staple crops like rice through genetic engineering to design climate-smart future crops.

Delineating the physio-genetic basis of nitrogen responsiveness in foxtail millet.

A major part of the investigation aims at dissecting the genetic variability in nitrogen use among diverse foxtail milletaccessions and identify major candidate genes and pathways mediating high and low yield responsiveness, so that crops with better nitrogen use potential can be engineered for sustainable agriculture.

Understanding the molecular mechanism of Tomato leaf curl disease and development of molecular markers for crop improvement through marker assisted selection

India is the 2nd largest producer of tomato. Optimum tomato production is compromised due to several biotic and abiotic factors. Among these factors, viruses are a major threat mainly because of the lack of efficient control measures. Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) causes leaf curl disease in several vegetable crops causing yield losses up to 100%. Lack of resistance sources against this virus prompted us to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying ToLCNDV tolerance in naturally tolerant tomato. We have looked into the role of proteasomal pathway genes, small RNAs, RNA helicases, cysteine proteases, autophagy related genes, etc. in host virus interaction. We are also developing molecular markers for disease identification and crop improvement through marker assisted breeding.