National Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Dr. Kuldeep Singh
FELLOW, ELECTED 2017

Born in Kashmir J&K State, 25 December 1960 Education received B. Sc (Ag.) Hons. from Sukhadia University, Udaipur and M. Sc. (Plant Breeding) and Ph.D. (Plant Breeding) from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana with Gold Medal.

Director ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources 2016 to date.

Started work as Asstt. Wheat Breeder at PAU, Ludhiana from July 1990 till May 1999. During this period was associated with development and release of three wheat varieties and establishment of basic genetic material and protocols for development of wheat haploids through wheat x maize crosses and for Hybrid wheat. Between, April 1992 to October 1995, joined International Rice Research Institute, Philippines as Post-Doctoral Fellow and developed a complete series of secondary trisomics in rice. Since May 1999 till August 2015, worked in different capacities viz Molecular Geneticist, Senior Molecular Geneticist, and Director at the School of Agricultural Biotechnology PAU, Ludhiana and was involved in wide hybridization, gene identification and mapping, molecular breeding and genome sequencing.

Awards/Honours: Hybridization and Gene Mapping: Established large collections of wild species of rice and wheat and used these for identification of novel genes for biotic stresses, abiotic stresses, nutritional traits and productivity related traits in both the crop species. Molecular Breeding: Initiated marker assisted selection (MAS) in rice his led to country's first semi-dwarf and bacterial blight (BB) resistant Basmati variety developed through MAS was released in 2013. Wheat Genome Sequencing: As partner to International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium, led the country for sequencing of chromosome 2A of wheat.

Research Areas: Plant Molecular Genetics and Breeding, Genetic Resources Management

Address: Head Genebank (Consultant), ICRISAT, Patancheru, Hyderabad 502324, Telangana; [Tel: Cell: 9463504004; Fax: (011) 25842495; Email: kuldeep.singh@cgiar.org; kuldeep35@yahoo.com]

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