Scientists

Infrastructure/Facility Creation: Established geo-informatics lab. in the Division of Plant Exploration and Germplasm Collection, for geo-referencing, diversity mapping and identifying gaps in collections (2012).

Germplasm Collections:  19 explorations conducted in diversity rich areas of 12 states including one in Natural Calamity affected areas of Uttarakhand (2013).  Collected over 834 germplasm accns. comprising of cultivated (759) and wild (75); mainly crop landraces, trait-specific, potential and CWR of different agri-horticultural crops.

Trait-Rich Germplasm Explored

• Drought tolerant wheat accessions (IC614987, IC614988) collected from Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh and validated through phenotypic evaluation.
• 60 trait-rich germplasm of rice landraces were collected from Hooghly, Malda, Nadia, Dakschin Dinajpur, Uttar Dinajpur, North-24 Parganas and South-24 Parganas of West Bengal.

• Green colour coriander seed germplasm collected first time from Guna, Madhya Pradesh including landraces- Kumbhraj, Mithi dhana and Kudi dhana, used in beer industry.
• Canna indica having edible rhizomes collected first time from Cachar districts of Assam and established in field gene bank at CTCRI, Trivanthapuram for further studies.
• Stixis sauveolens: a wild edible fruit collected from Mizoram
• Hodgsonia heteroclita (Cucurbitaceae) ‘Kathai’, collected from parts of Manipur, seed/kernel used as food and medicine by tribal communities of NEH region.

Gap Analysis Study Completed: Collected germplasm accessions screened, geo-referenced and gaps identified  in rice (44,898), maize (8,375), pigeonpea (5,906), sesame (4,801), brinjal (5,374), sorghum (11,148), pearl millet (6,455), Tomato (1,167), Black gram (5,806)  and minor millets-5 (15,628).   

Data Base Management: Over 85,000 geo-referenced databases were generated, manage and updated for diversity mapping and identification of gaps in collection using GIS tools.

PGR Education: Teaching two courses as faculty in the Division of Plant Genetic Resources of ICAR-IARI, New Delhi (PGR 501: Exploration and Germplasm Collecting, and PGR 600: Advances in Exploration and Germplasm Collecting); guided one M.Sc and one Ph.D. student; currently guiding two Ph.D. Students.

Conference/workshop/meeting organized

1. PGR awareness programme organized at KVK, Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh (2019). Organizer (PPV & FRA funded).
2. Plant Genetic Resources Awareness and Diversity Fair organized at Chakarata, Dehradun, Uttarakhand (2018), Organizer (ICAR-NBPGR funded).
3. Medicinal Plants of Himalayas-Conservation Issue: At HAPPRC, Srinagar (Garhwal) Uttarakhand (2009), Convener (NMPB, New Delhi, funded).
4. Less Known Ethno-medicinal Plants of Okhimath Block,Uttarakhand- Their Abundance, Distribution and Conservation Issues: At Okhimath, Uttarakhand (2006), Convener/Organizing Secretary, (NMPB, New Delhi, funded)

   Training organized

1. Management of Plant genetic Resources & Herbarium Management at NBPGR, New Delhi, For the Scientists of Iraq (2019), Organizer/Resource person (Govt. of Iraq funded)
2. Crop Wild Relatives: Identification, Collecting and Utilization at ICAR-NBPGR (2015), Convener/Resource person (ICAR funded).

  Externally funded projects (ongoing/completed)

1. Interacted genomic strategy for accelerating Domestication of rice bean (Vigna umbellata). 2018-2021, Co-Principal Investigator, DBT, Rs.103L
2. Mainstreaming Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation & Utilization in Agricultural Sector to Ensure Ecosystem Services & Reduce Vulnerability. 2017-2022, Co-Principal Investigator, GEF/Bioversity International, Rs.150L
3. Utilization of ex situ collections and climate analogues for enhancing adaptive capacity to climate change. 2011-2015, Co-Principal Investigator, CCAFS, CGIAR CRP-7, $1,00,000.
4. Evaluation of Biodiversity and Ethno-Botanical studies in Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary, Uttaranchal, Central Himalaya. 2003-2006, Principal Investigator, DST, Rs.12L.

1. Best oral presentation award 2016 (Sri Aurobindo College, University of Delhi) on “Climate Analogue Tools: Application in Plant Genetic Resources Management” on 22^nd October, 2016 during National Seminar on “Emerging Issues of Climate Change: Sustainability and Economic Implications” organized by Sri Aurobindo College, University of Delhi.
2.  SK Seth prize 2005 (Awarded by FRI, Dehradun)- in 2007 by Forest Research Institute, Dehradun for Best research paper published in the Journal The Indian Forester in the category of Ecology and Environment.
3.  Awarded DST Young Scientist fellowship (2003) by Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi
4.  Awarded CSIR Pool Scientist fellowship (2001) by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi

    Peer recognitions

1. Foreign visits (Research paper presentations)

• University Technology Malaysia (UTM) Malaysia (2004)
• Keio University Tokyo, Japan (2005)

2. Guest Editor, Journal Medicinal Plants vol. 6(4): (2014)
3. Edited a book (as co-author) entitled “The Plant Wealth of Uttarakhand” (2010)