Scientists

Plant Protection

• Identified accessions with resistance and field tolerance in cowpea, cultivated, wild and weedy sorghums, chillies, onion and garlic to diseases and pests for further utilization:
• Cowpea – resistant to BICMV – IC519745; collected from Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh; Accession was tested both in field and under artificial conditions to establish resistance
• Sorghum – 45 accessions comprising 15 species from four sections, parasorghum [S. australiense Garber and Snyder, S. brevicallosum Garber, S. timorense  (Kunth) Buse, S. nitidum (Vahl) Pers. and S. matarankense Garber and Snyder from Australia], one species from Africa (S. versicolor Anderss.), and one species from Africa and Asia [S. purpureosericeum (Hochst. Ex A. Rich.)], heterosorghum (S. laxiflorum Bailey), chaetosorghum (S. macrospermum Garber), and stiposorghum (S. angustum S. T. Blake, S. ecarinatum Lazarides, S. extans Lazarides, S. intrans F. Muell. ex Benth., S. interjectum  Lazarides, S. stipoideum (Ewart & Jean White) C. Gardener & C. E. Hubb. All from Australia),  exhibited immunity to downy mildew. Cultivated types and wild races of section Sorghum showed the greatest susceptibility (mean downy mildew infection of 62 and 46%, respectively), while accessions of S. halepense (L.) Pers. were comparatively less susceptible (36% mean downy mildew infection). Potential new sources of resistance genes from wild and weedy sorghums were identified that could be used to develop resistant cultivars to control downy mildew. In addition, IS 14383, a cultivated guinea sorghum from Zimbabwe was also identified as resistant to Downy mildew in successive inoculations.  Further, 32 accessions of these wild sorghums were also identified as highly resistant/immune to shoot fly damage under both field and greenhouse conditions and exhibited very high levels of antibiosis to sorghum shoot fly (Atherigona soccata) and spotted stem borer (Chilo partellus).  Therefore, these wild relatives with different mechanisms of resistance can be used as a source of alternate genes to increase the levels and diversify the basis of resistance in sorghum.
• Chillies – Associated in identification of accession resistant to leaf curl caused by thrips and mites – IC565015(Warangal); and to thrips and powdery mildew – IC505489 (East Godavari)
• Dolichos Bean – Associated in identification of field tolerance to Anthracnose and aphids – IC383192 (Chhattisgarh)
• Onion – Accessions were identified with field tolerance to Purple blotch and Stemphyllium blight were identified – IC42900, IC47972 (Maharashtra); IC47998, IC48575 (Gujarat); IC48710, IC49812 (Uttar Pradesh)
• Garlic – Accessions were identified with field tolerance to Purple blotch – IC35286, IC43398 (Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh); and Stemphyllium blight – IC48157, IC49373 (Rajasthan), IC49382, IC100507, IC100539, IC100582 (Maharashtra)

Germplasm Exploration and Collection

• Successfully, coordinated and led 22 scientifically well planned field explorations in different agro-ecological zones of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka including difficult terrains of Eastern Ghats for collection of germplasm diversity in pulses (blackgram, greengram, cowpea, rice bean, yardlong bean), leafy vegetables, onion & garlic and medicinal plant species and crop wild relatives; and preparing herbarium voucher specimens.  Collected and conserved over 1800 accessions of cereals, millets, pulses, vegetables, and rare/endangered/endemic medicinal plants and wild edible legumes.

Germplasm Characterization and Evaluation

• Characterized and evaluated over 2000 accessions of seven crop species for important agro-morphological traits using sound experimental designs and statistical techniques. These include 700 for blackgram, 300 for cowpea, 100 for pillipesara bean, 850 for sorghum, 100 for amaranthus spp, and 300 for brinjal.
• Identified promising accessions of blackgram, cowpea, wild sorghum, and brinjal for further utilization: Blackgram – pods/plant  IC 343812, IC-436676, clusters/plant – IC519801; Cowpea – clusters/plant  – IC-282089; pods/plant IC-519723; resistant to BICMV – IC519745; high protein content IC257836, and IC261228 –Sorghum – 45 accessions of wild sorghums representing 15 species resistant/immune to sorghum downy mildew, sorghum shoot fly and spotted stem borer; brinjal - fruits/plant– IC-446675, IC-261008.
• Initiated and completed a pilot study on spectral signatures to establish inter- and intra- specific differences in germplasm in collaboration with National Remote Sensing Agency.

Germplasm Registration with NBPGR (ICAR)

• Eight  accessions with special traits were registered with the ICAR - Cowpea accession INGR 08084 resistant to Black eye cowpea mosaic virus; Chillies accession INGR 08097 for resistance to thrips and powdery mildew;Chillies accession INGR 08095  for resistance to thrips & mites; jatropha accession INGR 08087 for high oil content; linseed accessions - INGR 10027 - High oleic acid content (32%),  INGR 10028 - High oil content (42.6%); dolichos bean – INGR 110311 – field tolerant to Anthracnose and mites; bottle gourd – INGR 10064 – unique spindle shape; greengram - IC0546478 (KSAS-06/105; INGR13010) – photosensitivity; blackgram - IC0426765 (BAR-062; INGR13057) photosensitivity.

Varietal Release

• Associated with release of yardlong bean variety ‘Arka Mangala’ as a pure line selection by IIHR from an accession IC582850 (KV/TSA-27), collected from Jeypore, Orissa. 
• Associated with release of yardlong bean variety ‘Mithra’ as a pure line selection by KAU, from an accession IC582850 (KV/TSA-27), collected from Jeypore, Orissa
• Associated with release of yardlong bean variety ‘Kakatiya Kaluva’ as a pure line selection by Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University (SVRC) from an accession IC-582859  (KV/ TSA-35) collected from Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh

Germplasm Documentation

• Associated with the development of the exploration passport data base of collected germplasm and the Quarantine import and export database of the NBPGR; developed a simple-to-use user manual on quarantine import and export database of NBPGR.
• Documented passport data and agro-morphological traits of germplasm after characterisation and evaluation

Germplasm Conservation

• Safely conserved the collected germplasm in the National Genebank at NBPGR, New Delhi for their ready availability and efficient utilization for the economic benefit of our nation, better health of our citizens and the protection of our nation’s biodiversity and intellectual property
• Multiplied and deposited over 2000 accessions of different crops in National Genebank for their long term conservation. 
• Maintaining over 70,000 germplasm samples of diverse crops in medium term storage facility at NBPGR Regional Station, Hyderabad.

Germplasm distribution for research

• Over 2000 germplasm samples supplied to crop-based national and state research institutions for collaborative research.

• Recipient of the Dr. R.K. Arora Best Paper Award of the Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources for the year 2014 for her outstanding research paper entitled " Germplasm collection and Diversity Analysis in Yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis) from Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha” published in the Indian Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 27 (2): 171-177