Overview
India is blessed with one of the best ecosystems for agriculture with the second-largest arable land resources, distribution of all 15 major Agri-climatic regions across the country, and Indian fertile lands carrying 46 out of the total 60 soil types found globally. The Indian agriculture industry is a major pillar of national economy, employing approximately 50% of the Indian workforce and contributing 17% to the national GDP. While the natural terrain and climate is highly suitable for agriculture, the Indian agriculture industry has been a very resource intensive system consuming high inputs and consistently delivering sub-optimal outputs. The huge diversity in farm sizes and farmer backgrounds in India amplifies the productivity issues even further. The industry has not seen a major revolution since the Green Revolution in 1960s and poor crop farming productivities have been a significant challenge for the past few decades. The challenges faced by the Indian agriculture industry in light of growing population and climate change have created a complex, multi-dimensional problem space.
Regular interactions of our group with farming communities in Punjab highlighted the prevalence of fungal diseases in the state farms and the excessive use of agrochemicals to manage crop diseases. Extensive agricultural activities have also polluted and depleted the natural environment in the state; including soil, water and air. Our research is focused on developing sustainable diagnostic tools and therapeutics to improve agriculture ecosystems in Punjab and overtime extend our findings and technologies to the rest of the country. Driven to create effective technology and social engineering solutions, farmers and consumers are at the centre of everything we do!
Regular interactions of our group with farming communities in Punjab highlighted the prevalence of fungal diseases in the state farms and the excessive use of agrochemicals to manage crop diseases. Extensive agricultural activities have also polluted and depleted the natural environment in the state; including soil, water and air. Our research is focused on developing sustainable diagnostic tools and therapeutics to improve agriculture ecosystems in Punjab and overtime extend our findings and technologies to the rest of the country. Driven to create effective technology and social engineering solutions, farmers and consumers are at the centre of everything we do!
Approaches
1. Field-deployable molecular sensors
Rice and wheat are two staple crops for India. With the largest proportion of land under cultivation for each of these crops, India is the second largest producer of rice and third largest producer of wheat, globally. But the inefficiencies of the Indian agricultural ecosystem are highlighted when we compare the yield (tons/hectare) with other global producers:
Rice and wheat are two staple crops for India. With the largest proportion of land under cultivation for each of these crops, India is the second largest producer of rice and third largest producer of wheat, globally. But the inefficiencies of the Indian agricultural ecosystem are highlighted when we compare the yield (tons/hectare) with other global producers:
Fungal diseases are a major concern for these staple crops and cause huge crop losses every year. The group works on developing field deployable molecular biosensors for fungal disease detection to assist farmers in taking more informed decisions for disease management.
2. Biopesticides
Agricultural crops face relentless threats from fungal pathogens, posing significant challenges to crop health and productivity. Traditional reliance on chemical pesticides and their overuse for pathogen control has led to contamination of soil, water, and air, causing biodiversity loss, ecosystem disruption, and pollution. In response, researchers are exploring alternative strategies, particularly harnessing the potential of beneficial microbes (often termed as biocontrol agents) which have antagonistic property against several plant pathogens leading to their formulation as biopesticides in the commercial market. Fungal microbes, in particular, have demonstrated promising antagonistic properties against a range of fungal plant pathogens. The group works in the development of an improved biocontrol agent using fungal microbes, and eventually assessing its activity by doing a comparative study between improved biopesticide and chemical pesticides. Our research aims to provide a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution to fungal disease management in agriculture. By promoting the use of biopesticides, we aim to mitigate the adverse impacts of chemical pesticides while safeguarding crop health and environmental integrity.
3. Soil microbiome
Amidst the pressing challenge of elevated levels and global warming, the need for a solution becomes imperative. Comprising predominantly bacteria and fungi, the soil microbiome not only provides essential nutrients and maintains soil properties but also plays a vital role in carbon sequestration. This multifaceted contribution makes it a promising approach for addressing the CO2 predicament. Furthermore, the high carbon use efficiency (CUE) and stable carbon forms are predominantly influenced by fungal communities. The group works on advancing the understanding of fungal contributions to soil carbon sequestration and assessing the influence of various agricultural inputs on these processes. Through our investigations, we aim to foster the development of sustainable agricultural practices that promote soil health and environmental stewardship.
4. Responsible innovation and governance through active stakeholder engagement
Farmer and consumer acceptance of gene-edited products is indispensable for them to be considered as a possible solution to address some of the challenges faced by Indian agricultural ecosystem. Since these biotechnology solutions are new for Indian ecosystem, the group work on identifying underlying factors which build public perception on gene-edited crops, understand stakeholder concerns and enhance their knowledge about the food production systems. We are devoted to developing effective interventions to address lack of information and misinformation for farmers, consumers and policy makers. In collaboration with experienced social scientists in the field from the North Carolina State University (NCSU), we are focused to creating more transparent systems for development and governance of gene-edited crops in India.
Agricultural crops face relentless threats from fungal pathogens, posing significant challenges to crop health and productivity. Traditional reliance on chemical pesticides and their overuse for pathogen control has led to contamination of soil, water, and air, causing biodiversity loss, ecosystem disruption, and pollution. In response, researchers are exploring alternative strategies, particularly harnessing the potential of beneficial microbes (often termed as biocontrol agents) which have antagonistic property against several plant pathogens leading to their formulation as biopesticides in the commercial market. Fungal microbes, in particular, have demonstrated promising antagonistic properties against a range of fungal plant pathogens. The group works in the development of an improved biocontrol agent using fungal microbes, and eventually assessing its activity by doing a comparative study between improved biopesticide and chemical pesticides. Our research aims to provide a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution to fungal disease management in agriculture. By promoting the use of biopesticides, we aim to mitigate the adverse impacts of chemical pesticides while safeguarding crop health and environmental integrity.
3. Soil microbiome
Amidst the pressing challenge of elevated levels and global warming, the need for a solution becomes imperative. Comprising predominantly bacteria and fungi, the soil microbiome not only provides essential nutrients and maintains soil properties but also plays a vital role in carbon sequestration. This multifaceted contribution makes it a promising approach for addressing the CO2 predicament. Furthermore, the high carbon use efficiency (CUE) and stable carbon forms are predominantly influenced by fungal communities. The group works on advancing the understanding of fungal contributions to soil carbon sequestration and assessing the influence of various agricultural inputs on these processes. Through our investigations, we aim to foster the development of sustainable agricultural practices that promote soil health and environmental stewardship.
4. Responsible innovation and governance through active stakeholder engagement
Farmer and consumer acceptance of gene-edited products is indispensable for them to be considered as a possible solution to address some of the challenges faced by Indian agricultural ecosystem. Since these biotechnology solutions are new for Indian ecosystem, the group work on identifying underlying factors which build public perception on gene-edited crops, understand stakeholder concerns and enhance their knowledge about the food production systems. We are devoted to developing effective interventions to address lack of information and misinformation for farmers, consumers and policy makers. In collaboration with experienced social scientists in the field from the North Carolina State University (NCSU), we are focused to creating more transparent systems for development and governance of gene-edited crops in India.
Funding Agencies