ਪੰਜਾਬ ਐਗਰੀਕਲਚਰਲ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ

PUNJAB AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY

ਪੰਜਾਬ ਐਗਰੀਕਲਚਰਲ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਲੁਧਿਆਣਾ

PUNJAB AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, LUDHIANA

62nd Year of Education & Service

College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology

College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology / Faculty


Name :

Dr Parveen Chhuneja

Designation :

Principal Molecular Geneticist

Office Phone :

0161-2401960 Ext 270

Mobile :

+919888885557

Email (Office) :

pchhuneja@pau.edu

Research Areas :

--

Researcher ID's :

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College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology / Home


The research on ‘Plant Biotechnology’ at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana started during the year 1977 with the establishment of small tissue culture laboratory in PG building in the erstwhile Department of Plant Breeding. The research was further strengthened with the sanctioning of state funded plan scheme ‘Plant Biotechnology and Tissue Culture Centre’ in the same department during 1986 under which a separate new building was constructed and during October 1989 tissue culture laboratory from PG building was shifted to this new building. During February 1992 an independent ‘Biotechnology Centre’ was established under the direct administrative control of the Vice-Chancellor. But during January, 2000, it was made a ‘Department of Biotechnology’ under the College of Basic Sciences & Humanities. Further during February, 2000 it was merged with the Department of Genetics and was named as Department of Genetics & Biotechnology. Later the building was named as Gurdev S. Khush Laboratories in March 2002.

During September 2003, this combined department was further merged with the Department of Plant Breeding and new department was named as Department of Plant Breeding, Genetics & Biotechnology. Thereafter, biotechnology research and teaching was under the section of Genetics & Biotechnology of the Department of Plant Breeding, Genetics & Biotechnology. During the year 2006, this section received a mega project from Department of Biotechnology (DBT), GOI as a DBT programme support for establishing ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Agricultural Biotechnology. Realizing the tremendous potential of biotechnology in increasing agricultural productivity, improving human and animal health and providing safe and clean environment, Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana then established an independent ‘School of Agricultural Biotechnology” on April 24, 2008, under the College of Agriculture.

College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology / Head of Department


Name : Dr. (Mrs) Parveen Chhuneja

Address : Director

Office : 0161-2401960, Ext-322

Phone : +91 9888885557

E-Mail : dirsoab@pau.edu

Brief Introduction

Dr (Mrs) Parveen Chhuneja, Senior Molecular Geneticist took over as Director of the School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, on September 19, 2016. After four years she was selected for the second term of Director of the School of Agricultural Biotechnology.

Dr Chhuneja has a brilliant and an outstanding academic record and professional career in the discipline of Biotechnology. Dr Chhuneja who hails from Faridkot had her Bachelor and Master’s degree from Punjabi University in high first class and Ph.D. in Genetics with specialization in Wheat Cytogenetics from the PAU with an OGPA of 4.00/4.00. Dr Chhuneja is fellow of two prestigious science academies National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) and National Science Academy, India (NASI). She is recipient of international awards Women in Triticum Mentor Award-2022 and Gene Stewardship Team Award-2018 by Borlaug Global Rust Initiative, Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Outstanding Women Scientist Award 2018 by ICAR, New Delhi, PAU Merit & Plaque as Best Researcher, and Dr G.S. Khush Distinguished Professor Award-2016-2019.

Dr Chhuneja has transferred a number of new genes from wild species to cultivated wheat which have been mobilised to elite wheat backgrounds for diversifying the breeder’s germplasm base. Five of these genes have been designated as Yr40, Yr70, Lr57, Lr58 and Lr76 and included in Wheat Gene Catalogue. She along with her team has been maintaining and utilising the largest collection of wild species of wheat among all the National Institutes and SAUs. This has led to the award of several National and International research and development grants.

She has published 150 papers in the journals of International and National repute with more than 8000 citations and h-index of 33 and i-10 index of 74. She has authored four practical manuals for various Biotechnology Courses and has written nine book chapters. She is on the reviewing panel of several National and International Journals.

Dr Parveen Chhuneja has worked as visiting scientist at Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Zurich, Switzerland and John Innes Centre, UK. She has wide international exposure for she has visited nine countries for participation in workshops/meetings of research projects and/or advanced trainings in Biotechnology.

She has supervised 20 post-graduate students and some of her students are working as doctoral and post-doctoral fellows in International institutes of repute. She has been very actively involved in development and deliverance of the Biotechnology teaching programme at the university. She has been very actively involved in development and deliverance of the Biotechnology teaching programme at the university. She was actively involved in developing Biotechnology curriculum for B.Tech., M.Sc. and Ph.D. Biotechnology at the National level.

She has handled 20 competitive research projects as principal investigator, out of which seven have been international network projects. She had also been the co-principal investigator of the prestigious international Wheat Genome Sequencing project and leading DBT Centre of Excellence project as Project Coordinator.

College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology / Thrust Areas


Application of biotechnology interventions in crop improvement

  • Target Crops: Major field, vegetable and fruit crops
  • Utilization of crop wild relatives for the development of pre-breeding material
  • Identification of new genes and linked DNA markers
  • Whole genome sequencing of target crops and pathogens
  • Development of transgenics for biotic and abiotic stress tolerance
  • Genome editing for generating targeted genetic variation
  • Commercial Plant Tissue Culture

College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology / Faculty


Faculty

S.No Name & Designation E-Mail/Telephone
1. Dr Ajinder Kaur
Professor (Biotechnology)
ajinder.biotech@pau.edu
+918427390248
2. Dr Amandeep Mittal
Fruit Molecular Geneticist
amandeepmittal@pau.edu
+919646541009
3. Dr Deepak
Bioinformatician
deepak@pau.edu
+91-9582943705
4. Dr Gurupkar Singh Sidhu
Fruit Biotechnologist
gurupkar-soab@pau.edu
+919781503780
5. Mr Inderjit Singh Yadav
Bioinformatician
inderjityadav@pau.edu
+91-8437649747
6. Dr Jagdeep Singh Sandhu
Principal Biotechnologist
js_sandhu@pau.edu
+91-9814119503
7. Dr Kumari Neelam
Biotechnologist
kneelam@pau.edu
+917986044964
8. Dr Navraj Kaur Sarao
Principal Biotechnologist
navraj-soab@pau.edu
+919872978725
9. Dr Nitika Sandhu
Molecular Geneticist
nitikasandhu@pau.edu
+919416435293
10. Dr Parveen Chhuneja
Principal Molecular Geneticist
pchhuneja@pau.edu
+919888885557
11. Dr Pawan Kumar Malhotra
Senior Biotechnologist
pkmalhotra-soab@pau.edu
+919872621486
12. Dr Pooja Manchanda
Molecular Geneticist
poojamanchanda5@pau.edu
+919872960774
13. Dr Prashant Mohanpuria
Assistant Professor (Biotechnology)
pmohanpuria@pau.edu
+918146593377
14. Dr Priti Sharma
Assistant Professor (Biotechnology)
pritisharma@pau.edu
+91-8146865450
15. Dr Sandeep
DST INSPIRE FACULTY
sandeepdinday@pau.edu
9616228805
16. Dr Satinder Kaur
Molecular Geneticist
satinder.biotech@pau.edu
+919872625702
17. Dr Yogesh Vikal
Principal Molecular Geneticist
yvikal-soab@pau.edu
+919855326969

College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology / Faculty Distinctions


Sr. No. Name of Award Year Name of the Scientist
1 SERB International Research Experience Award 2022-23 Dr. Preeti Sharma
2 Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) Mentor award by Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) 2022 Dr Parveen Chhuneja
3

Dr. S. Rajaram Outstanding Woman Scientist Award-2021 by Society for Advancement of Wheat and Barley Research (SAWBAR)

2021 Dr Parveen Chhuneja
4 Fellowship of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) 2022 Dr Parveen Chhuneja
5 Fellowship of National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI) 2022 Dr Parveen Chhuneja
6 Fellowship of Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding 2020 Dr Parveen Chhuneja
7 SERB Women Excellence Award 2022 Dr Nitika Sandhu
8 Dr Gurdev Singh Khush Distinguished Professor Award 2016-2019 Dr Parveen Chhuneja
9 DST Indo- US fellowship (IUSSTF) in STEMM 2020 Dr. Kumari Neelam
10 Award of Plaque and Citation, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 2013-2014 Dr Parveen Chhuneja
11 Cambridge Nehru Scholarship for Pursuing Ph.D. at University of Cambridge 1993-1996 Dr Jagdeep Singh Sandhu
12 Gene Stewardship team Award by The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative 2018 Dr Parveen Chhuneja
13 Panjbrao Deshmukh Outstanding Woman Scientist Award 2018 Dr Parveen Chhuneja

College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology / Important Achievements


College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology / Current Projects


OnGoing Projects

Sr. No. Type of Project Name of the Scheme Duration of Project Funding Agency Scientist Involved
1 Competitive Elucidating the Genetic Architecture of tillering in wheat through CRISPR/CAS based editing of Ideal Plant Architechture gene (IPA1) and Teosinte Branched 1 (TB1) 2022-25 DBT Nitika Sandhu. Parveen Chhuneja
2 Competitive Development of SNP marker-based panel affordable to breeders for the traits improving germination of rice from deep sowing depth under direct seeded cultivation conditions 2022-25 DST-SERB Nitika Sandhu
3 Competitive New insight in understanding genomic footprints of nutrient uptake under direct seeded rice cultivation system 2023-26 DBT Nitika Sandhu
4 Competitive Genome-wide introgression of tetraploid non-progenitor Aegilops peregrine (UUSS) in hexaploid wheat background and mapping of multiple disease resistance 2022-27 DBT Satinder Kaur, Parveen Chhuneja, Achla Sharma, Puja Srivastava, Jaspal Kaur
5 Competitive Engineered evolution of key yield traits: seed size and rust resistance in wheat 2023-25 SPARC, IIT Kharagpur Satinder Kaur
6 Competitive DBT Postgraduate Teaching Program: M.Sc. Biotechnology at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana” 2021-26 DBT Parveen Chhuneja
7 Competitive Cambridge India Network for translational Research in Nitrogen-2 2023-26 DBT Parveen Chhuneja
8 Competitive Strengthening of Post Graduate Teaching and Research facilities in the department
2024
DST-FIST Parveen Chhuneja
9 Competitive Molecular breeding for improvement of tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, yield and quality traits in crops-Rice 2026 ICAR Kumari Neelam
10 Competitive Incentivizing Research in Agriculture Project-IV-Molecular genetic analysis of resistance/tolerance to different stress (Rice) 2026 ICAR Kumari Neelam
11 Competitive Application of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology in Agriculture - BIC at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana” 2021-26 DBT Inderjit Singh Yadav, Deepak Singla, Parveen Chhuneja
12 Competitive Molecular mapping and transfer of parthenocarpy trait in desi cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) 2021-24 DST-SERB Pooja Manchanda, Rajinder Kumar Dhall, Navraj Kaur Sarao
Manchanda
13 Competitive Development of resistant starch potato using nanomaterial-mediated genome editing technology 2021-24 DBT Pooja Manchanda, Anu Kalia, Sat Pal Sharma, Monica Sachdeva
14 Competitive Development of enhanced shelf life tomato mutants through genome editing approach 2021-24 CSIR Prashant Mohanpuria, Salesh Jindal, Neena Chawla
15 Competitive Genetics transformation of PAP1 gene in American Cotton accessions coker 312 and PAU Bt 1 for developing coloured cotton 2020-24 Nippon Steel Trading Company Limited, Japan Navraj Kaur Sarao
16 Competitive Identification of genes/QTLs for resistance to citrus greening and Xcc-mediated agroinfilteration for juvenility reduction in citrus (PI of Sub project 8) 2022-27 DBT GS Sidhu, Pooja Manchanda, HS Rattanpal, Shikha Sharma, Anita Arora, Sandeep Singh
17 Competitive Characterization and evaluation of wheat germplasm for biotic stress resistance 2020-25 DBT Satinder Kaur, Parveen Chhuneja, Achla Sharma, Puja Srivastava, Jaspal kaur
18 Competitive Genomic assisted breeding for abiotic stress tolerance and quality traits in field and horticultural crops 2021-26 DBT Yogesh Vikal, Pooja manchanda, GS Sidhu, Priti Sharma
19 Competitive Development and integration of advanced genomic technologies for targeted breeding (PI of subproject 2) 2022-27 DBT Yogesh Vikal, Surinder K Sandhu, Priti Sharma, Gagandeep Singh, Tosh Garg
20 Competitive Development and integration of advanced genomic technologies for targeted breeding (PI-2 of subproject 9) 2022-27 DBT Prashant Mohanpuria, Amandeep Mittal, Gurupkar Singh Sidhu, Naresh Kumar Arora, Rajbir Singh Boora, Daljinder Singh, Sandeep Singh, Deepak Singla
21 Competitive Molecular mapping and transfer of novel gene(s) for earliness, mono-picking, powdery mildew and rust resistance in garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) (PI of subproject 7) 2022-27 DBT Rajinder Dhall, Priti Sharma, Rupeet Gill
22 Competitive Identification of genes/QTLs for resistance to citrus greening and Xcc-mediated agroinfilteration for juvenility reduction in citrus (PI of Sub project 8) 2022-27 DBT GS Sidhu, Pooja Manchanda, HS Rattanpal, Shikha Sharma, Anita Arora, Sandeep Singh

College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology / Important Publications


Sr. No. Publications NAAS Rating
1 Pavani, G., Malhotra, PK., and Verma, SK. (2023) Flowering in sugarcane: insights from the grasses. 3 Biotech. 13:154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-023-03573-4 8.89
2 Kaur, S., Bishnoi, R., Priyadarshini, P., Singla, D., Chhuneja, P. (2023) DSP: database of disease susceptibility genes in plants. Functional and Integrative Genomics 23:204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10142-023-01132-x 8.9
3 Bishnoi, R., Kaur, S., Sandhu, JS., Singla, D. (2023) Genome engineering of disease susceptibility genes for enhancing resistance in plants. Functional and Integrative Genomics 23:207. 8.9
4 Singh, J., Sharma, A., Sharma, V., Gaikwad, NP., Sidhu, GS., Kaur, G., Kaur, N., Jindal, T., Chhuneja, P., Rattanpal, HS. (2023) Comprehensive genome-wide identification and transferability of chromosome-specific highly variable microsatellite markers from citrus species. Scientific Reports 13, 10919. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37024-0 11.00
5 Boden, SA., McIntosh, RA., Uauy, C., Krattinger, SG., Dubcovsky,J., Rogers,WJ., Xia,XC., Badaeva,ED., Bentley,AR., Brown-Guedira,G., Caccamo,M., Cattivelli,L., Chhuneja,P., Cockram,J., Contreras-Moreira,B., Dreisigacker,S., Edwards,D., González,FG., Guzmán,C., Ikeda,TM., Karsai,I., Nasuda,S., Pozniak,C., Prins,R., Sen,TZ., Silva,P., Simkova,H., Zhang Y & the Wheat Initiative (2023) Updated guidelines for gene nomenclature in wheat. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 136:72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-023-04253-w 11.57
6 Sandhu, N., Sethi,M., Kaur,H., Dhillon,A., Kumar,A., Kaur,A., Kaur,S., Singh,V., Bentley,AR., Chhuneja,P. (2023) Mining natural genetic variations for nitrogen use efficiency utilizing nested synthetic hexaploid wheat introgression libraries. Environmental and Experimental Botany 212,105394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2023.105394. 12.03
7 Singh, B., Bhatia, D., Narang, D., Kaur, R., Chhuneja, P. (2023) High-resolution genetic mapping of QTL governing resistance to corn leaf aphid, Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch) in barley. Cereal Research Communications 51, 379–389. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-022-00317-7 7.24
8 Harmanpreet,K., Singh,GS., Amandeep,M., Yadav, IS., Meenakshi,M., Singla, D., Singh, N., Chhuneja, P. (2023) Comparative transcriptomics in alternate bearing cultivar Dashehari reveals the genetic model of flowering in mango. Frontiers in Genetics 13:1061168. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1061168 10.77
9 Sharma,A., Arif,MAR., Shamshad,M., Rawale,KS., Brar,A., Burgueño,J., Shokat,S., Kaur,R., Vikram,P., Srivastava,P., Sandhu,N., Singh,J., Kaur,S., Chhuneja,P., Singh, S. (2023) Preliminary dissection of grain yield and related traits at differential nitrogen levels in diverse pre-breeding wheat germplasm through association mapping. Molecular Biotechnology 65:1 116-130 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12033-022-00535-8 8.86
10 Padhy, AK., Sharma,A., Sharma,H., Srivastava,P., Singh,S., Kaur,P., Kaur,J., Kaur,S., Chhuneja,P., Bains, NS. (2023) Combining high carotenoid, grain protein content and rust resistance in wheat for food and nutritional security. Frontiers in Genetics 14:1075767 https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2023.1075767 10.77
11 Kaur, H., Manchanda, P., Kumar,P., Dhall,RK., Chhuneja,P., Weng, Y. (2023) Genome-wide identification and characterization of parthenocarpic fruit set-related gene homologs in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Scientific Reports 13:2403. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-29660-3 11.00
12 Sharma,M., Lore,JS., Kaur,A., Sandhu, JS. (2023) Transgenic rice expressing Trichoderma spp. endochitinase gene exhibits moderate resistance to sheath blight Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) 153:1 53-65 8.73
13 Patel,E., Kalia,A., Gill,BS., Kaur,A., Sandhu, JS (2023) Direct organogenesis from cortical cells of hypocotyl segments in soybean. In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology-Plant 59:1, 140-146 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-023-10329-5 8.6
14 Kaur,B., Garcha,KS., Sandhu,JS., Sharma,M., Dhatt, AS. (2023) Interspecific hybridization for transfer of hull-less seed trait from Cucurbita pepo to C. moschata Scientific Reports 13(1): 4627. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-29935-9 11.00
15 Karnatam,KS., Mythri,B., Nisa,WU., Sharma,H., Meena,TK., Rana,P., Vikal,Y., Gowda,M., Dhillon,BS., Sandhu., S.(2023) Silage maize as a potent candidate for sustainable animal husbandry development—perspectives and strategies for genetic enhancement. Frontiers in Genetics.14:1150132 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-023-01623-7 10.77
16 Rangari,SK., Sudha,MK., Kaur,H., Uppal,N., Singh,S., Vikal,Y., Sharma, P. (2023) DNA-free genome editing for ZmPLA1 gene via targeting immature embryos in tropical maize. GM Crops & Food. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645698.2023.2197303 9.1
17 Karnatam, KS., Chhabra,G., Saini,DK., Singh,R., Kaur,G., Praba,UP., Kumar,P., Goyal,S., Sharma, P., Ranjan,R., Sandhu,SK., Kumar,R., Vikal, Y (2023) Genome-wide meta-analysis of QTLs associated with root traits and implications for maize breeding. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24:7, 6135, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076135 12.21
18 Sharma, A.B., Sidhu, A., Manchanda, P., Ahuja, R. (2022). 1,2,4?triazolyldithiocarbamate silver nano conjugate: potent seed priming agent against bakanae disease of rice (Oryzae sativa). European Journal of Plant Pathology162, 825-841DOI: 10.1007/s10658-021-02439-w 7.91
19 Singh, G., Kaur, N., Khanna, R., Kaur, R., Gudi, S., Kaur, R., Sidhu, N., Vikal, Y., Mangat, G.S. (2022). 2Gs and plant architecture: breaking grain yield ceiling through breeding approaches for next wave of revolution in rice (Oryza sativa L.), Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2022.2112648 14.43
20 Dhall, R.K., Hegde, S.N., Malhotra, P.K. (2022). Standardized protocol for in situ and in vitro maintenance of newly developed parthenocarpic gynoecious cucumber inbred. Braz Arch Biol Technol. 65, e22200792. 6.80
21 Kaura, V., Malhotra, P.K., Mittal, A., Sanghera, G.S., Kaur, N., Bhardwaj, R.D. Cheema, R.S., Kaur, G. (2022). Physiological, biochemical, and gene expression responses of sugarcane under cold, drought and salt stresses. J. Plant Growth Regul. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-022-10850-8. 10.17
22 Kaur, R., Kaur, R Sharma, Kumari N et al. (2022) Protein profiling in a set of wild rice species and rice cultivars: a stepping stone to protein quality improvement. Cereal Research Communications. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-022-00273-2. 6.85
23 Kaur, P., Neelam, K., Sarao, P.S., Babbar, A., Kumar, K., Vikal, Y., Khanna, R., Kaur, R., Mangat, G.S., Singh, K. (2022) Molecular mapping and transfer of a novel brown planthopper resistance gene bph42 from Oryza rufipogon (Griff.) to cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.). Molecular Biology Reports 49: 8597-8606 8.32
24 Malik, P., Huang, M., Neelam, K., Bhatia, D., Kaur, R., Yadav, B., Singh, J., Sneller, C., Singh, K. (2022). Genotyping-by-sequencing based Investigation of population structure and genome wide association studies for seven agronomically important traits in a set of 346 Oryza rufipogon accessions. Rice doi:10.1186/s12284-022-00582-4 10.78
25 Neelam, K., Kumar, K., Kaur, A., Kishore, A., Kaur, P., Babbar, A., Kaur, G., Kamboj, I., Lore, J.S., Vikal, Y., Mangat, G.S., Kaur, R., Khanna R., Singh, K. (2022) High resolution mapping of quantitative trait locus (QTLs) conferring resistance to false smut disease in rice. Journal of Applied Genetics 63:35-45. 9.24
26 Kaur, R., Kaur, R., Sharma, N. Neelam, K., Khanna, R., Singh, G. (2022) Protein profiling in a set of wild rice species and rice cultivars: a stepping stone to protein quality improvement. Cereal Research Communications DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-022-00273-2. 6.85
27 Kumar, K., Mandal, S. N., Pradhan, B., Kaur, P., Kaur, K., Neelam, K. (2022) From Evolution to Revolution: Accelerating Crop Domestication through Genome Editing. Plant Cell Physiology. 00(00): 1–17
28 Aggarwal, S.K., Malik, P., Neelam, K., Kumar, K., Kaur, R., Lore, J.S., Singh K. (2022) Genome-wide association mapping for identification of sheath blight resistance loci from wild rice Oryza rufipogon. Euphytica DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-022-03091-z 7.90
29 Yadav, I.S., Bhardwaj, S.C., Kaur. J., Singla, D., Kaur, S., Kaur, H., Rawat, N., Tiwari, V.K., Saunders, D., Uauy, C., Chhuneja, P., (2022). Whole genome resequencing and comparative genome analysis of three Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici pathotypes prevalent in India. PLoS One. 17:e0261697. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261697 9.24
30 Kaur, G., Pathak, M., Singla, D., Chhabra, G., Chhuneja, P., Sarao, N.K., (2022). Quantitative Trait Loci Mapping for Earliness, Fruit, and Seed Related Traits Using High Density Genotyping-by-Sequencing-Based Genetic Map in Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.). Front Plant Sci. 12,1–13. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.799932 11.75
31 Gupta, M., Choudhary, M., Singh, A., Sheoran, S., Singla, D., Rakshit, S., (2022). Meta-QTL analysis for mining of candidate genes and constitutive gene network development for fungal disease resistance in maize (Zea mays L.). Crop J. doi.org/10.1016/j.cj.2022.07.020 10.41
32 Singla, D., Yadav, S.I., (2022). GAAP: A GUI-based Genome Assembly and Annotation Package. Curr Genomics. 23,77–82. doi.org/10.2174/1389202923666220128155537 9.89
33 Sharma, K., Dhingra, M., Kaur, R., Singh, S., Kaur, A., Kaur, S. and Sharma, A. (2022). Evaluation of Triticum durum–Aegilops tauschii derived primary synthetics as potential sources of drought stress tolerance for wheat improvement. Cereal Research Communications. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-022-00265-2 6.85
34 Singh, L., Dhillon, G. S., Kaur, S., Dhaliwal, S.K., Kaur, A., Malik, P., Kumar, A., Gill, R.K. and Kaur, S*. (2022). Genome wide association study for yield and yield-related traits in diverse black gram panel (Vigna mungo L. Hepper) reveals novel putative alleles for future breeding programs. Frontier in Genetics 13:849016. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.849016 10.60
35 Padhy, A. K., Kaur, P., Singh, B., Kaur, R., Bhatia, S., Shamshad, M., Sharma, M., Tanin, J. M., Kaur, S., Sharma, A. (2022). In silico characterization of Thinopyrum elongatum derived PsyE1 gene and validation in 7D/7E bread wheat introgression lines opens avenues for carotenoid biofortification in wheat". Cereal Research communication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-022-00279-w 6.85
36 Kumar, S., Jacob, S. R., Mir, R. R., Vikas, V. K., Kulwal, P. L., Chandra, T., Kaur, S., Kumar, S., Kumar, S., Sharma, S., Singh, R., Prasad, S., Singh, A. M., Singh, A. M., Kumari, J., Saharan, M. S., Bhardwaj, S. C., Prasad, M., Singh, K. (2022). Indian Wheat Genomics Initiative for Harnessing the Potential of Wheat Germplasm for Breeding Disease Resistant, Nutrient Dense and Climate Resilient Cultivar. Frontiers in Genetics. 13:834366. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.834366 10.60
37 Kaur S., Shamshad, M., Jindal S., Kaur A., Sharma A, Kaur S* (2022). RNA seq based transcriptomics study to investigate the genes governing nitrogen use efficiency in Indian wheat cultivars. Frontiers in Genetics. doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2022.853910 10.60
38 Sidhu, G.S., Rattanpal, H.S., Arora, A., and Singh, J. (2022). Effect of chemical mutagens and Phytophthora culture filtrate on survival and plant regeneration from callus of Citrus jambhiri Lush. Fruits. doi.org/10.17660/th2022/019 6.80

College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology / Academic Programs


Biotechnology Admission - Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana

Degree Intake Capacity Mode of Admission
B.tech (Biotechnology) 60 PAU Common Entrance Test (CET)
M.Sc (Biotechnology) 10 Graduate Aptitude Test- Biotechnology (GAT-B)
M.Sc (Molecular Biology & Biotechnology) 16 + 7* Master's Entrance Test (MET), *ICAR
Ph.D (Biotechnology) 6 + 3* 6 + 3*

College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology / Facilities & Services


School of Agricultural Biotechnology is having basic infrastructural research facilities for carrying out research on various aspects of Agricultural Biotechnology. There is a separate three storied building with 4 Research Labs., 15 offices of single span, one dark room, two UG Labs., two lecture rooms and a Store. Various laboratories include; plant tissue culture labs, plant transformation labs, molecular biology laboratories, molecular cytogenetic laboratory, genomics laboratories, and incubation rooms (temperature, humidity, light controlled facility) Besides, there are a number of green houses, screen houses, transgenic glass house and experimental field area. School of Agricultural Biotechnology also has a fully functional Bioinformatics Centre sanctioned by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India from November 1998 as a part of Biotechnology Information System (BTIS) Network to function as a computerized information base in the fields related to agricultural biotechnology.

College of Agriculture / School of Agricultural Biotechnology / PG Students


Sr. No. Name Admission No. Major Advisor Title of Research
M.Sc. Students 2020-2021
1 Gagan Jeet L-2020-A-159-M Dr. Prashant Mohanpuria CLONING OF JUVENILE HORMONE ESTERASE GENE OF WHITEFLY [Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius)] INTO RNAi VECTOR FOR Agrobacterium-MEDIATED GENETIC TRANSFORMATION OF UPLAND COTTON
2 Navjot Singh L-2020-A-168-M Dr. Gurupkar Singh Sidhu MAPPING OF PHYTOPHTHORA RESISTANCE IN INTERGENERIC CITRUS ROOTSTOCK POPULATION
3 Parteek Kumar L-2020-A-170-M Dr. Priti Sharma INHERITANCE AND MAPPING OF GENE(s)/QTL GOVERNING EARLINESS IN GARDEN PEA
4 Prabhleen Kaur L-2020-A-171-M Dr. Amandeep Mittal UNDERSTANDING THE miRNA CONTROL OF LIGNIFICATION AND ITS IMPACT ON ORGANOLEPTIC TRAITS IN GUAVA CULTIVARS
5 Shabneek L-2020-A-173-M Dr. Yogesh Vikal SATURATING GENOMIC REGIONS SPANNING qNR6.1 AND qNR12.2 ASSOCIATED WITH ROOT-KNOT NEMATODE RESISTANCE IN RICE
6 GONGATI PAVANI L-2020-A-161-M Dr. Pawan K Malhotra OPTIMIZATION OF GENE EXPRESSION ASSAYS AND GROWTH MEDIUM COMPOSITION FOR DEVELOPING AN IN VITRO FLOWER INDUCTION SYSTEM IN SUGARCANE
M.Sc. Students 2021-2022
1 Balihar Kaur L-2021-A-142-M Dr. Satinder Kaur UNREVEALING THE GENETICS AND FINE MAPPING OF LEAF RUST AND STRIPE RUST RESISTANCE GENES DERIVED FROM AEGILOPS SPELTOIDES
2 Kaaviya L-2021-A-148-M Dr. Gurupkar Singh Sidhu CHARACTERIZATION OF CITRUS ROOTSTOCKS AND THEIR HYBRIDS FOR RESISTANCE TO PHYTOPHTHORA
3 Jessica L-2021-A-159-M Dr. Yogesh Vikal GENOMIC ASSISTED MAPPING OF NEMATODE (Meloidogyne graminicola) RESISTANCE FROM Oryza longistaminata
4 Simranjot Kaur L-2021-A-152-M Dr. Deepak Singla IDENTIFICATION OF DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED LONG NON-CODING RNAs AND GENE CO-EXPRESSION (lncRNA-mRNA) ANALYSIS IN OKRA (Abelmoschus esculentus) FOR YELLOW VEIN MOSAIC VIRUS
5 Ankit Kumar Choudhary L-2021-A-154-M Dr. Prashant Mohanpuria CHARACTERIZATION OF Bt RNAi COTTON PLANTS PRODUCED THROUGH AGROBACTERIUM-MEDIATED GENETIC TRANSFORMATION FOR WHITEFLY RESISTANCE
6 Harshvardhan Shukla L-2021-A-158-M Dr. Amandeep Mittal MOLECULAR MAPPING OF PURPLE LOCUS IN GUAVA (Psidium guajava L.)
7 Kimudu Adrustarao L-2021-A-149-M Dr. Pawan K Malhotra EXPRESSION OF INVERTASE GENE AT DIFFERENT GROWTH STAGES OF SUGARCANE USING REAL TIME PCR AND BIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS
M.Sc. Students 2022-2023
1 Mehak Ghai L-2022-A-116-M Dr. Priti Sharma GENERATION OF MUTANTS FOR BLSB RESISTANCE THROUGH PRIME EDITING OF SUSCEPTIBILITY LOCUS ZMFBL41 IN ZEA MAYS
2 Pooja Singla Dr. Satinder Kaur
3 Arzoo L-2022-A-112-M Dr. Yogesh Vikal GENOMIC ASSISTED MAPPING FOR FUSARIUM EAR ROT RESISTANCE IN MAIZE (Zea mays L.)
Sr. No. Name Admission No. Major Advisor Title of Research
Ph.D. Students 2017-2018
1 Rajveer Singh L-2017-A-14-D Dr Yogesh Vikal ENHANCEMENT OF RICE BRAN OIL QUALITY THROUGH CRISPR/CAS9 BASED EDITING OF LIPOXYGENASE 3 (LOX3) GENE
2 Sumedha L-2017-A-11-D Dr Parshant Mohanpuria CRISPR/Cas9-MEDIATED PECTATE LYASE GENE EDITING FOR ENHANCED SHELF LIFE OF TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicum L.)
3 Sujata Thakur L-2017-A-12-D Dr. Amandeep Mittal Guava (Psidium guajava L.) genome assembly, annotation and development of molecular markers for genome wide association studies and marker assisted breeding
Ph.D. Students 2018-2019
1 Ekta Patel L-2018-A-13-D Dr Jagdeep Singh Sandhu Genome Editing of Lipoxygenase-2 (Lox-2) to Eliminate Beany Flavor in Soybean
Ph.D. Students 2019-2020
1 Gautam Chhabra L-2019-A-28-D Dr (Mrs.) Yogesh Vikal GENOMIC ASSISTED MAPPING AND TRANSFER OF COMPONENTIAL TRAITS ASSOCIATED WITH WATERLOGGING TOLERANCE IN MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L.)
2 Gaikwad Popat Nanaso L-2019-A-27-D Dr Gurupkar Singh Sidhu MAPPING OF GENE(s)/QTL ASSOCIATED WITH TOLERANCE TO CITRUS GREENING
3 Bukke Kutti Bai L-2019-A-26-D Dr Satinder Kaur Characterization and mapping of leaf rust and stripe rust resistance genes transferred from diverse progenitor and non-progenitor wild wheat relatives
4 Ghane Ajit Anil L-2019-A-029-D Dr. Pawan Kumar Malhotra TARGETED MUTAGENESIS OF CAFFEIC ACID O-METHYLTRANSFERASE (COMT) GENE IN SUGARCANE FOR REDUCING LIGNIN CONTENT TO ENHANCE BIOFUEL PRODUCTION USING CRISPR/CAS9 TECHNOLOGY
5 Ramandeep Kaur L-2019-A-31-D Dr. Priti Sharma IDENTIFIACTION AND MAPPING OF GENES/ QTL FOR CHILO PARTELLUS RESISTANCE IN TEOSINTE- DERIVED MAPPING POPULATION
6 Pavneet Kaur Dr. Kumari Neelam
7 Urvashi Sharma L-2019-A-32-D Dr Parshant Mohanpuria TARGETED MUTAGENESIS IN TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicum L.) USING CRISPR/Cas9 RIBONUCLEOPROTEIN FOR REDUCING OXALATE CONTENT
8 Gongati Pavani L-2019-A-029-D Dr. Pawan K Malhotra TARGETED MUTAGENESIS OF CAFFEIC ACID O-METHYLTRANSFERASE (COMT) GENE IN SUGARCANE FOR REDUCING LIGNIN CONTENT TO ENHANCE BIOFUEL
Ph.D. Students 2020-2021
1 Krishna Sai Reddy L-2020-A-021-D Dr. Yogesh Vikal GENOME WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES FOR BANDED LEAF & SHEATH BLIGHT AND SHOOT FLY RESISTANCE IN MAIZE
Ph.D. Students 2021-2022
1 Deepak Bhamare L-2021-A-19-D Dr. Priti Sharma Genome editing of ZmFBL41 to create BLSB resistant maize and mapping of BLSB resistance in teosinte-derived maize population.
2 Mhatre Dhanashree Prashant L-2021-A-20-D Dr. Satinder Kaur BSA-SEQ BASED DISCOVERY AND CANDIDATE GENE ANALYSIS FOR LEAF RUST AND STRIPE RUST RESISTANCE TRANSFERRED FROM NON-PROGENITOR WILD WHEAT
3 Gurmanpuneet Singh Dhillon L-2021-A-022-D Dr. Pawan K Malhotra Genome-Wide Association study for salt stress tolerance and yield
Ph.D. Students 2022-2023
1 Neelansh Yadav L-2021-A-23-D Dr. Gurupkar Singh Sidhu GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES FOR HUANGLONGBING Resistance in Citrus