Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Integrating ecophysiology and metabolomics to unravel mechanisms of maize adaptation to drought stress in North-East India |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Amit Kumar Mishra, Mizoram University, Mizoram |
Timeline Start Year : | 2022 |
Timeline End Year : | 2024 |
Contact info : | amit.bhu.bot@gmail.com |
Equipments : | "Freeze cum freezer ~300 Litre
UV-VIS spectrophotometer
Cooling Centrifuge" |
Details
Executive Summary : | The growth and development of plants get significantly affected when they are exposed to several environmental stresses. Changing rainfall patterns that lead to drought events, particularly over rural agricultural regions of India, is one of the most likely threats to crop growth and its quality. Drought is significant environmental stress resulting in plant death and almost complete crop yield loss. In the North-Eastern region of India, maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the principal food crops, and its production is under threat due to rapidly changing rainfall patterns and rainwater run-off during the growth season. In Mizoram, maize is grown as a rainfed crop and prone to water deficit conditions during the crop season, affecting critical growth stages leading to yield loss and poor grain quality. The fundamental mechanisms of drought-stress tolerance in local maize landraces of Mizoram (mainly classified into three groups based on taste and use, Mimpui, Mimban, and Puakzo) are primarily unexplored. Considering the above facts, the study has been proposed to investigate the adaptive mechanisms of maize landraces under drought stress using integrated phenotypical, physiological, biochemical, and metabolomics approaches. Therefore, the present proposal will allow a unique integrated approach, providing novel insight into how maize germplasms respond to drought stress and which mechanisms can be targeted for adaptive breeding. |
Total Budget (INR): | 32,76,200 |
Organizations involved