Hyderabad, Jun 11 : Dr. Rahul Kumar, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad (UoH) has been selected for the coveted Commemorative YS Murty Medal 2021 of the Indian Botanical Society (IBS).
Dr Rahul will receive the Medal in a felicitation function during the forthcoming 44th All India Botanical Conference of the IBS, to be held from October 18-20 at the UGC Centre of Advanced Studies in Botany, JN Vyas University, Jodhpur (Rajasthan), the University said in a release here Today.
The primary research in Dr. Rahul’s laboratory is focused on understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) in plants, for which his group have already identified and characterized several candidate genes.
Additionally, they have identified tomato cultivars which perform better under limited Pi availability.
His group is also focused on understanding the role of plant hormones in the regulation of developmental processes such as reprogramming of root system architecture under Pi starvation or fruit ripening in tomatoes.
His lab along with his collaborators has also developed a Nano-Pi fertilizer with enhanced agronomic use efficiency.
Overall, his group aims to develop crops with high PUE and cut down phosphorus usage in farming using technological interventions to make agriculture more sustainable.(UNI)