Plant-Microbe Interactions, Biodegradation, Microbial Ecology, & host-pathogen interaction.

Understanding the role of microorganisms in sustainable agriculture, aim of my research group is to study various aspects of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria especially endophytic bacteria. This includes molecular diversity, temporal dynamics of endophytic bacteria in field grown crop plants, characterization of different plant growth promoting and biocontrol properties (nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, indole-3-acetic acid production, induced systemic tolerance and induced systemic resistance and antagonistic activities) and mechanism for endophytic colonization. One of the major questions we are trying to answer is: how do host plants modulate their immune response in beneficial (endophytic) and harmful (pathogenic) bacterial interactions. Our long term goal is to understand molecular mechanism involved in plant-endophytic bacteria interaction employing proteomic and transcriptomic approaches.

 

Another work addresses amelioration of abiotic stressors, major factors affecting plant growth, using PGPB. These PGPB can promote plant growth in saline soils by reducing level of stress-ethylene, helping in maintaining osmotic balance and Na+/K+ ratio, other mechanisms. We are studying the effect of PGPB on host physiology using proteomic approaches. https://researchmatters.in/news/how-does-bacteria-help-plants-thrive-salty-conditions.

Owing to their high chemical and thermal stability, commercial mixtures of PCBs were widely used in various industrial applications such as lubricants, plasticizers, dielectric fluids, hydraulic fluids in compressors and flame retardants. Although PCBs are no longer in use, but because of their extreme toxicity and persistence, they are still found as contaminants in the natural environments due to their past usage and continued to pose potential threats to human health. These compounds tend to resist biodegradation and persist in environment by attaching strongly to soil sediments and matrices, bioaccumulate in organisms especially at higher trophic level and finally enter food chains. We are making an attempt to screen and characterize PCB-degrading bacteria, understand the mechanistic pathway of PCB degradation, and to formulate the bacterial inocula to eliminate PCB from polluted soil.