Scientists

Research

Dr. Vartika Srivastava obtained her M.Sc. from GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar and Ph.D. from BHU, Varanasi in Horticulture discipline. Her Ph. D. thesis entitled “Biochemical changes in micropropagated banana (Musa sp.) cv.Dwarf Cavendish (AAA) due to arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation during ex vitro acclimatization”. Presently, she is working as Scientist (Sr. Scale), Division of Germplasm Conservation (Tissue Culture and Cryopreservation) at ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi. She has over 10 years of research experience in tissue culture. Her current research includes development of in vitro conservation and cryopreservation protocols for horticultural crops. She has developed in vitro protocols for shoot multiplication and slow growth of various horticultural crops including Musa sp., Garcinia indica, Momordica dioica, Colocasia esculenta etc. In addition to development of micropropagation protocols, she is involved in the in vitro conservation of banana (Musa spp.) and taro (Colocasia esculenta) germplasm and has standardized the protocol for re-establishment of plantlets infected with endophytic bacteria. She is associated in the DBT funded Network Project “Leveraging Genetic Resources for Accelerated Genetic Improvement of Linseed using Comprehensive Genomics & Phenotyping approaches” Sub Project 06: Wide Hybridization and Genetic Enhancement (Component-I) as Co-PI and standardized the embryo rescue and in vitro regeneration protocols in Linseed. She is recipient of ICAR’s JRF (2005) and UGC-Academic Fellowship, BHU (2007). She was Visiting Scholar at Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium (2019) and the recipient of “Young Woman Scientist Award-2020” for outstanding contribution in the field of Horticulture by Agro-Environmental Development Society.

Publications

1. Srivastava V, S Hajong, R Chandora, A Agrawal (2022) Desiccation and freezing tolerance of recalcitrant seeds and embryonic axes of Prunus napaulensis (Ser.) Steud.: a crop wild relative of cherry. Genet Resour Crop Evol. 69, 1571–1583. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-021-01320-3 (NAAS: 7.52)
2. Srivastava, V., Bhatt, K.C. & Agrawal, A. In vitro medium-term conservation of Garcinia indica: a tropical recalcitrant seeded fruit tree of India. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-022-10288-3 (NAAS: 8.25)
3. Ranjan P, P Brahmi, V Tyagi, JK Ranjan, V Srivastava, SK Yadav, SP Singh, S Singh, PC Binda, SK Singh and K Singh (2022) Global interdependence for fruit genetic resources: status and challenges in India. Food Security. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-021-01249-6 (NAAS: 13.4)
4. Agrawal A, R Gowthami, S Chander, V Srivastava (2022) Sustainability of In vitro genebanks and cryogenebanks. Indian Journal of Plant Genetic Resources. 35(3): 180-184 (2022). DOI 10.5958/0976-196.2022.00065.1 (NAAS: 5.54)
5. Yeddula N, SE Topno, V Srivastava, V Bahadur, VM Prasad, SK Singh (2022) Effect of chemical priming on seed germination and seedling growth in papaya (Carica papaya L.). Pharma Innovation 11(5):2542-2546. (NAAS rating: 5.23)
6. Agrawal A, N Sharma, S Gupta, S Bansal, V Srivastava, EV Malhotra, S Chander, R Gowthami and K Singh (2022) Biotechnological applications for plant germplasm conservation at ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, India – Recent achievements. Acta Horticulturae 1339: 29-41. DOI 10.17660/ActaHortic.2022.1339.
7. Srivastava V, DK Nerwal, A Kandan, J Akhtar, N Sharma, R Kiran, S Bansal and A Agrawal (2020) Management of microbial contaminants in the In Vitro Gene Bank: a case study of taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott]. In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant. doi.org/10.1007/s11627-020-10125-5
8. Srivastava V and AK Singh. Mycorrhization alters root morphology, leaf starch and nutrient content of micropropagated banana under water stress. Indian J. Hort.,76(1): 44-49
9. Pradhan S, AK Goswami, SK Singh, Jai Prakash, S Goswami, Chinnusamy V., Akshay Talukdar, V Srivastava and A Kumar (2017) Physiological and biochemical alterations due to low temperature stress in papaya genotypes. Indian J. Hort., 74(4): 491-497.
10. Prakash Jai, Srivastava V, Goswami A.K, Singh K. and Singh A.K. (2016). Nutritional composition in fruits of gynodioecious papaya genotypes. Indian J. Hort., 73(2): 183-187.
11. Srivastava V, Singh A.K. and Singh S.P. (2014). Effect of mycorrhizal inoculation on water stress tolerance of tissue cultured banana (Musa × paradisiaca) plants. Indian J. of Agril. Sci., 84(2): 124-126.
12. Srivastava V, Singh A.K. and Singh S.P. (2012). Optimization of BAP and IAA concentration on shoot induction, proliferation and rooting in shoot-tip culture of Banana cv. Dwarf Cavendish. Indian J. Plant Physiol., 17(2): 179-184.

Other

1. Visiting Scholar at Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Belgium (Nov-Dec. 2019)
2. Assistant Professor (Horticulture) at Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agriculture University (SKRAU), Bikaner (July-Dec 2013).
3. Research Associate in USAID supported Agricultural Innovation Partnership project at Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, Varanasi.
4. Senior Research Fellow in All India Coordinated Research Project on Onion & Garlic, Agriculture Research Station- Durgapura, Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, Rajasthan.

1. Received Best oral presentation award for her paper entitled “Ex situ conservation studies in Garcinia indica: a recalcitrant seeded indigenous underutilized fruit tree” in national conference on underutilized horticultural genetic resources: conservation and utilization (NCUHGR-2022) from 3-4 June, 2022.
2. Received third best oral award for her paper entitled “Conservation studies in recalcitrant seeded Prunus napaulensis (Ser.) Steud.: an important indigenous underutilized fruit tree of North-eastern India” in 2^nd Indian Horticulture Summit from 27-29th April, 2022
3. Conferred with “Young Woman Scientist Award-2020” by Agro Environmental Development Society (AEDS) during International Web-Conference on “New Trends in Agriculture, Environmental & Biological Sciences for Inclusive Development (NTAEBSID-2020)”
4. Received best oral presentation award in ‘Indian Horticulture Summit-2020’ for paper entitled “In vitro conservation of taro genetic resources: a case study of landraces restoration to farmers’ field” organized by Society for Horticultural Research Development (SHRD) during Feb., 14-16, 2020, at, Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrakoot.
5. Indian Council of Agricultural Research NET –  2009
6. University Grant Comission (UGC) Academic fellow, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) – 2007
7. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) – Junior Research Fellow (2005)