EDITOR'S
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor In Chief's
Dr. Anil Kumar
Director of Education, Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi
Dr. Anil Kumar, an eminent teacher, outstanding educationist and scientist of international repute, contributed significantly in the research area of Genomics for Crop Improvement, solving complexity in agriculturally important traits such as the biology of biotic stresses (Fungal Biology) and mineral nutrition on flora and fauna. Also, for these traits (like, first time dissected QTLs for calcium and yield) he identified several gene regulatory networks integrating multi-pronged OMICS approaches and functional genomics, creating thorough understanding on these traits especially in Finger Millets to prove it as a nutraceutical crop. In beginning, he joined G. B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology as Assistant Professor in 1993 and served for 25 years in different capacities, after working with Allopathy medicine in India. After successful completion of two tenures as Professor & Head, Department of Molecular Biology & Genetic Engineering, CBS&H, he joined as Director Education at the Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi in 2018; till date, he is available as Director in office. His current responsibilities include establishing new colleges/ campus, functional research and teaching labs as well as initiating various UG and PG teaching and research programs in agriculture and allied sectors. Recently, Dr. Anil has been ranked amongst the 100 influential agriculture scientists of the country by AD Scientific Index. He has guided 52 students for their PhD, MSc and M.V.Sc degree programs in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology besides 28 students of B. Tech (Biotech) for their project research guidance. Dr. Anil is still actively involved in teaching and sharing his wisdom and experiences for the development of new university of national importance. He is an excellent teacher who developed various study materials including multi-media aids for percolating the problem-solving approaches to students in the most effective manner. Based on his meritorious services for the cause of teaching and research, Dr. Anil has been given the responsibility of Coordinator, Human Resource Development in Agricultural Biotechnology, and Coordinator, Sub-DIC in Bioinformatics and Co-coordinator in Programme Mode Support in Agricultural Biotechnology, all funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, New Delhi. He has successfully handled several DBT, DST, CSIR and DRDO funded projects as Principal Investigator and Programme Co-coordinator. Dr. Anil is a member of several prestigious and professional scientific societies in the field of Life Sciences and Biotechnology. He is an editorial board member and reviewer of various national and international scientific journals and author of more than 250 research articles, with highlighted works in the weekly magazine NATURE. He is also a member of various governmental and international scientific committees and selection boards. He has successfully developed the program on “Agriculture Biotechnology” to improve Brassica, Rice and Finger Millet, and was able to obtain outstanding Programme Mode Support in Phase I & II from DBT, New Delhi. His pioneering work on molecular approaches for combating Karnal bunt of wheat has been cited in several books in the areas of molecular plant pathology, better understanding of the effector functions of fungal pathogenesis and identification of unique diagnostic markers. He was involved in a MOEF–World Bank funded programme for developing regulatory practices for GMOs in India, acted as chairman for brainstorming sessions and review meetings of ICAR and World Bank funded National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP). Dr. Anil has filed 11 patents (out of which 2 were granted) on synthesis of nano delivery vesicles for facilitation of uptake of fat-soluble vitamins, nano-curcuminoids for better bioavailability and nano-iron pro-booster technology for agronomic bio-fortification, and has contributed 240 NCBI GenBank submissions. He identified genes encoding two seed storage proteins namely FimA1 and FimP2 having 9% lysine and 16% methionine. He has developed a sound center on Agricultural Biotechnology which is nationally recognized for its R&D in Biotechnology, now known as the “Pantnagar Biotechnology Programme”. He is a member of the several professional academic bodies and societies such as National Academy of Sciences, India, and Executive Member and Fellow for his scientific contributions in the field of Biological Sciences of the National Academy of Biological Sciences, Chennai and Fellow of Indian Association of Agricultural Biochemists, Kanpur. During his long career, Dr. Anil contributed to the development of modern agriculture at national and international levels. He has been invited as speaker at national and international conferences, symposia and seminars. He has visited several countries and attained excellent research exposure in international institutions including Israel, USA, Hong Kong, China, UK, Japan, Australia, Austria and Netherlands etc. He has been an outstanding teacher and researcher who is credited with many awards and recognitions from different organizations including ICAR, INSA and DBT. He got recognition in the university, state and at national level in the form of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan University Best Teacher Award–2015, Uttarakhand Governor‟s Award three times in the years 2015, 2016 and 2018 for Best Research Paper, Bharat Ratna Dr. C. Subramaniam Outstanding Teacher Award–2015 and INSA Teacher‟s Award– 2014. Besides, he was also recipient of Regional Service Award (IFCC and APACC, 1993), Financial Award (IFCC, 1990), International Bursary Award (UK, 1996), and Food and Agriculture Organization Fellowship Award under ICAR-AHRD scheme from FAO (Rome, 2000–2001). Dr Anil has published >250 research papers both in national and international reputed peer reviewed journals, 21 books and manuals besides hundreds of popular articles, book chapters etc. As per Google 2025, his citation H-index is 44 and i10 index is 158 with a total of 7,526 citations. Dr. Anil has also been awarded the "Shiksha Rattan‟ and "Scientist of Excellence Award‟ for his meritorious services to the cause of Biotechnology education and research. Apart from the Pantnagar Biotechnology Programme, Dr. Anil has organized major agricultural outreach programmes like SUFLAM–2022, Brainstorming on NEP–2020 and Kisan Sangosthis ringing together farmers, FPOs, SHGs, agri-entrepreneurs, students, social workers and start-ups for knowledge exchange and empowerment. He is the most revered teacher who made modern biology look so simple and elegant at a conceptual level. He scintillated young minds and inculcated scientific temperament amongst his students who are serving in important positions at the national and international level. For more information click:
Email: anil.kumar@rlbcau.ac.in
Prof. Dr. Abhijit Mitra
Director of Research, Techno India University, West Bengal
Dr. Abhijit Mitra, is presently serving Techno India University, West Bengal as the Director of Research. He obtained his PhD as NET qualified scholar in 1994 after securing Gold Medal in MSc from University of Calcutta. Since then, he joined Calcutta Port Trust and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), in various capacities to carry out research programmes on environmental science, biodiversity conservation, climate change and carbon sequestration. He has to his credit about 740 scientific publications in various National and International journals, and 62 books of postgraduate standards. Dr. Mitra is presently the member of several committees like PACON International, IUCN, SIOS etc. And has successfully completed about 21 projects on biodiversity loss in fishery sector, coastal pollution, alternative livelihood, climate change and carbon sequestration. Dr. Mitra also visited as faculty member and invited speakers in several foreign Universities of Singapore, Kenya, Oman and USA. In 2008, Dr. Mitra was invited as visiting fellow at University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, USA to deliver a series of lecture on Climate Change. Dr. Mitra also successfully guided 58 Ph.D students. Presently his domain of expertise includes environmental science, mangrove ecology, sustainable aquaculture, alternative livelihood, natural resource management, blue economy, climate change and carbon credit. For more information click:
Email: abhijitresearchmitra@gmail.com, abhijit_mitra@hotmail.com
Scientific Editors
Dr. Lekshmi Gangadhar, Senior Scientific Editor
NanoDot Research, Nagercoil
Dr. Lekshmi Gangadhar is a researcher and a distinguished academic leader in the field of bio technology, Plant Physiology, Medicinal Plants and Nanotechnology, with a particular focus on biosynthesis, nanomaterials, solar cells and its environmental applications, She currently serves as the Director of the Department of Nanotechnology at NanoDot Research Private Limited in Nagercoil, India, where she spearheads innovative research and development initiatives. She earned her doctorate from Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education, where she developed a strong foundation in interdisciplinary scientific research. Her research interests span the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials, their integration into sustainable energy solutions and their potential in biomedical, medical and environmental contexts. In addition to her research, she is an active collaborator on interdisciplinary projects, including advanced material processing techniques. Her leadership and scholarly achievements continue to inspire advancements in nanotechnology and its applications for societal benefit especially in India. For more information click:
Email: dr.lekshmi@nanodotresearch.info
Dr. Kiran Mohan, Scientific Editor
Assistant Professor (Forest Pathology), Kerala Agricultural University
BSc (Hons) Forestry, MSc Forestry (KAU), PhD Forestry (KAU)
Dr. Kiran Mohan is a tree scientist, and one of the most important dendrologist available on current era of the state of Kerala. From childhood onwards his affinity towards forest and its life was tremendous and he is an expert in identification of more than 1000 trees available in Kerala. He gives importance to cultural aspects of land and forest and is a well organized and recognized ‘Chenda' artist from land of Lord Ayyapa at Kerala. He is also an expert in tree disease management and a hyperactive teacher for both the college and State Forest School students. Dr. Mohan has done research and become well established in polypores and forest nursery diseases through his Masters and Doctoral Thesis from Kerala Agricultural University, where he worked on Phytopathogenic fungi and fungal diseases, its characterization, documentation and management. He has several research publications in peer reviewed journals and several rare molecular fungal sequence submissions to repositories. For more information click:
Email: mohan.kiran959@gmail.com
Dr. K. Damodhara Chari, Scientific Editor
Assistant Scientific Officer (Microbiology), National Institute of Plant Health Management, Hyderabad, India.
BSc (Hons) Agriculture, MSc Agronomy, PhD Agronomy (PJTSAU)
Dr. K. Damodhara Chari is currently working as Assistant scientific officer (Microbiology) & Insecticide Analyst (Biopesticides) at National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. He is a notable personality in Indian Agricultural research and extension; conducting training programmes and demonstration of on-farm production of biofertilizers, Production of liquid-based biofertilizers and an Insecticide analyst at Gazette notified Central Insecticide Laboratory (Biopesticides quality control laboratory). During his MSc. (Ag.) and PhD (Ag.) at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University he has assisted several professors for Agriculture courses and achieved hands on experience in Isolation, Identification, Purification and Preservation of Microorganisms from different Sources (soil & food samples) by using Microbiological, Biochemical and Molecular Methods. He is an expert in Quality Control (Microbial and Physicochemical Tests) for Biofertilizers, Biopesticides, Food, Milk, Soil and Water. He has published more than 25 research articles in peer-reviewed journals and hexad of popular articles. He is a life member for Association of Microbiologists of India (AMI) and a delegate active member at Asian PGPR society. For more information click:
Email: asomicroniphm2019@gmail.com
Dr Lekshmi S G, Scientific Editor
Agricultural Officer, Government of Kerala
BSc (Hons) Agriculture (KAU), MSc Post Harvest Technology (KAU), PhD Postharvest Technology (IARI)
Dr. Lekshmi S.G born and bought up in the Kingsley Travancore, earned a Bachelor of Science (Honours) 2016 in Agriculture from College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Trivandrum KAU. She recently defended and received Doctor of Philosophy in Post Harvesting Technology from Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). Her Ph.D. research focused on developing active edible coatings for guava using bioactive extracts derived from ornamental plants. This innovative approach aligns with the principles of circular bioeconomy and green technology, utilizing underexplored plant resources for enhancing postharvest shelf life and maintaining quality of fruits and vegetables. Currently, she is an Agricultural Officer, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of Kerala. She have numerous International and National publication published very recently on high impact factor like Journal of Applied Research on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Food Research International etc. As a master researcher she was actively involved in the study on Feasibility of Pusa Zero Energy Cool Chamber as low cost on farm storage structure under Kerala condition at Vellayani, Trivandrum. Meanwhile she also studied the Post harvest quality parameters of papaya and tropical vegetables stored in Zero Energy Cool Chamber and published in the flagship journal of Kerala Agricultural University ‘Tropical Agriculture ‘. She also have published popular articles on magazine 'Karshakasree' published and printed by Malayala Manorama Publications. On the 10th Horticultural Congress 2023, she achieved first prize in poster presentations and have attended and won on other several Conferences, Trainings and Seminars. For more information click here:
Email: lekshmishaji1994@gmail.com
Dr Sadhana Yadav, Scientific Editor
Senior Rank III Scientist, Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun
BSc Science, MSc Environmental Sciences, PhD Forest Ecology and Environment (FRI), PGDRS&GIS
Dr. Sadhana Yadav has deep knowledge in Environmental geo-sciences. She has strong analytical power, excellent communication & organizational skills. She has sound knowledge in SAR data processing in forest areas and is proficient in optical as well as microwave remote sensing in forestry ‘ENVI, SARSCAPE, ERDAS, IMAGINE, ARC GIS, POLSAR PRO, NEST, ASF TOOLS' etc. While working as a Junior Research fellow in RRSC North ISRO got hands-on API and software experience in Polarimetry, Polarimetric Interferometric technique. While working in IIRS, ISRO she has worked on microwave remote sensing with Polarimetric Work Station and learned Radargrammetry. She was an Academic Associate taking classes for Diploma, M.Sc., M.Tech students in field data collection, software handling, understanding of theoretical concepts on REDD+ Pilot project at Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun REDD+ cell of the academy, while went to UBC, CANADA as a visiting scholar where she expressed her interests in Satellite data processing and unsupervised classification techniques supervised by renowned expert Dr Nicholas Coops. She was involved in Forest Report India, 2018 ICFRE. She worked at FSI to communicate NATCOM-III the third National communication to the UNFCCC submitted on December 9, 2023 it outlines India’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, vulnerability and adaptation to climate transitions, where major parameters like Mangrove and Carbon itself was her interest as Rank II Project Associate, got proficient on IceSAT-2 lidar over mangrove forest with topic “Estimation of Carbon Stock in Mangrove Eco-System in India”. Like any other old-school Northern Forester this young woman currently works as a Forest Fire Ecologist for MoEF&CC, GoI through Forest Research Institute on NCS; organizing national and international universities & institutions. For more information click:
Email: sadhana.shubhi@gmail.com
Mr. Vishal Vijayan, Managing Editor
DPHM, B Sc. (Hons) Forestry
Email: vishal00v@gmail.com