Dr Pavneet Kaur, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana was awarded IAUA Award for Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Research in Agricultural Sciences including Agriculture Engineering category, (Biotechnology) for her Ph.D. Thesis ‘Fine Mapping and Cloning of Brown Planthopper (BPH) Resistance Introgressed from Oryza nivara to O. sativa’. She did her doctoral research under supervision of Dr Kumari Neelam (Biotechnologist), School of Agricultural Biotechnology, PAU, Ludhiana

The study aimed to elucidate the molecular basis of BPH resistance in wild rice species O. nivara (accession IRGC104646). Phenotypic screening of 1000 F2:3 progenies against BPH biotype 4 showed 1:2:1 segregation ratio, confirming single-gene control of Bph34. Genotypic analysis revealed only two breakpoints among the progenies, supporting LOC_Os04g35210 as the candidate gene, while qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated 8.23-fold increase in LOC_Os04g35210 expression in resistant plants 48 hours post BPH infestation. The sequencing of the CDS of LOC_Os04g35210 revealed a single exon of 2706 bp in O. nivara and 2712 bp in PR 122. The Bph34 CDS construct was validated, and mobilized into Agrobacterium strain for T0 plant generation. Sequence comparison revealed a unique LRR domain in O. nivara, potentially involved in detecting BPH attacks and activating plant defenses. Bph34 gene marker was developed for MAS. Rice germplasm ILPAUGS_BPH34 (INGR21008) was registered with the Plant Germplasm Registration Committee (PGRC) of ICAR.

Dr Parmanand Sahu, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, was awarded IAUA Award for Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Research in Agricultural Sciences including Agriculture Engineering category, Farm Machinery and Power (FMP) for his Ph.D. Thesis ‘Kinetic Study on Step Pyrolysis of Biomass’. He did his doctoral research under supervision of Dr Sandip Gangil, Head and LCPC CRP on EA, AEP Division, ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal.

The study focused on the production of higher value-added solid product namely biochar (having properties of higher adsorption level, richer in carbon, lower volatile matters, and higher calorific value) from agricultural crop residues. A detailed process and protocol for step pyrolysis and a laboratory-level pyrolytic reactor system was developed. Kinetic parameters, activation energy, pre-exponential factor and reaction mechanism were estimated along with the thermodynamic balancing indices parameters. Thermogravimetric analysis was done at various heating rates to explore the thermal behaviour of intrinsic biopolymeric of pigeon pea stalks. A noval approach was evolved for identification of biopolymeric phase transition points, based on the acceleration and retarding nature of two intersecting deconvoluted plots during thermal degradation process. These findings will help in solving farmer’s problem of crop burning in the open field, and providing financial support to farmers by selling crop residues to agro-industries.

Dr Prabhdeep Singh, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Jammu, J&K was awarded IAUA Award for Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Research in Horticultural Science including Forestry category (Fruit Science) for his Ph.D. Thesis ‘Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Bael (Aegle marmelos Correa) Genotypes in Jammu Region’. He did his doctoral research under supervision of Dr Akash Sharma, Professor, Division of Fruit Science, Faculty of Horticulture and Forestry, SKUAST-J, Jammu.

The research work concluded that appreciable diversity in seedlings of bael genotypes are available in Jammu region. On the basis of superiority of the seedling bael genotypes, JMU-Bael (Sel-27) had superior traits among all the seedling origin bael genotypes in terms of morphological and biochemical characters compared with NB-5 and NB-9 cultivars. Molecular studies established that JMU-Bael (Sel-27), a seedling selection was genetically diverse and does not belong to the commercial varieties. So, JMU-Bael (Sel 27) having excellent traits of interest and high genetic dissimilarity can be used directly as cultivar after completing all codal formalities for variety release or can be further used in breeding programmes to get segregates and hence the existing bael populations can serve as genetic resource for bael variety development.

Dr Sharun Khan, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, was awarded the IAUA Award for Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Research in Veterinary and Animal Sciences category (Veterinary Surgery and Radiology) for his Ph.D. Thesis ‘Pluronic F127 hydrogel loaded with adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction, mesenchymal stem cells, and conditioned media for the repair of full-thickness skin wounds in a rabbit model’. He did his doctoral research under the supervision of Dr Abhijit M. Pawde, Principal Scientist, Division of Surgery, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

The research work addressed a significant problem in the field of wound medicine, which is directly relevant to veterinary care of farm animals. Farmers often face challenges in managing wounds in livestock due to the animals’ environment, which can lead to infections and prolonged healing times, affecting the overall health and productivity of the animals. His research focused on developing and validating a novel contraction-suppressed full-thickness wound model using rabbits to establish and compare the efficacy of adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (AdSVF), adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSC), and AdMSC-conditioned media (AdMSC-CM) delivered in Pluronic F127 (PF127) hydrogel for accelerating wound healing. When delivered in PF127 hydrogel, these treatments enhanced collagen production, re-epithelialization, and overall wound healing while reducing pain and improving scar quality. Collagen density assessments using Masson’s trichrome and picrosirius red staining methods showed that treatments involving AdMSCs and AdMSC-CM resulted in increased collagen density in healing wounds. The lower post-procedural pain scores in these treatment groups highlighted their potential to minimize discomfort and inflammation during the healing process. These improvements lead to stronger, more organized healing tissue, reducing the risk of infections and complications. The study concluded that AdMSCs and AdMSC-CM, particularly when delivered in hydrogel, can accelerate wound healing, reduce pain, and improve scar quality in rabbit models. Overall, this research represents a significant advancement in wound medicine, with promising implications for both veterinary and human medicine. Once this hydrogel undergoes further studies and is commercialized, it will provide farmers with easy access to stem cell therapy for wound healing, making it a revolutionary advancement in the field.

Dr Basavaprabhu, H.N., ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal was awarded IAUA Award for Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Research in Dairy and Fisheries Sciences category, (Dairy Microbiology) for his Ph.D. Thesis ‘Pre-clinical safety assessment of indigenous probiotic Limosilactobacillus fermentum NCDC 400’. He did his doctoral research under supervision of Dr Pradip V. Behare, Senior Scientist (Dairy Microbiology) Techno-functional Starter Culture Laboratory, Dairy Microbiology Division, ICAR-NDRI, Karnal.

This study integrated the safety and efficacy investigation of the potential probiotic Limosilactobacillus fermentum NCDC 400, whose probiotic attributes are already proven. In vitro assays and whole genome analysis of NCDC 400 using suitable bioinformatics tools highlighted that the strain is potentially free from antibiotic resistance determinants and virulence factors. NCDC 400 is safe in acute, subacute, and subchronic toxicity tests in murine model. In animal study, the daily oral administration of L. fermentum NCDC 400 at 108 (low dose) and 1010 (high dose) cells/ mouse for 15 days did not induce treatment-related toxicity either in terms of physiological behaviors or clinical parameters in cyclophosphamide induced immunocompromised mice model. Episodes of L. fermentum NCDC 400-mediated bacterial translocation to extra-intestinal organs were unnoticed. Oral administration of NCDC 400 augmented the immune status of mice by immune stimulation. L. fermentum NCDC 400 did not foster any adverse effects like genotoxicity even at a high dose. Owing to these findings, a dose of 1010 CFU/mouse/day was considered NOEL. Overall, the results underscore the safe and non-toxic behavior of L. fermentum NCDC 400 and thereby call for and should facilitate further human clinical trials.

Dr Subal Kumar Ghosh, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai was awarded IAUA Award for Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Research in Dairy and Fisheries Sciences category (Post Harvest Technology) for his Ph.D. Thesis ‘Combined Utilization of Fish and Vegetable Waste using Microbes’. He did his doctoral research under supervision of Dr Binaya Bhusan Nayak, Principal Scientist and Head, F.R.H.P.H.M. Division, ICAR-CIFE, Mumbai.

The study uses fish and vegetable mixed composite waste to isolate, characterize, and identify native LAB with lipolytic and proteolytic activities for further use as a starter culture. Combining fish waste (nitrogen) with vegetable waste (carbohydrates) improves the carbon/nitrogen ratio, allowing microorganisms to decompose more quickly. Composite bio-silage (fish to vegetable at 80 to 20 %) was prepared by inoculating starter cultures with treatments T1 (native isolate—Enterococcus faecalis), T2 (non-native—Lactobacillus acidophilus), T3 (a mixture of E. faecalis and L. acidophilus) and compared with control (without starter culture). The findings revealed that native isolate E. faecalis, which can be used as a single or combined with non-native L. acidophilus, performed better in the bio-ensilage process. The present study concluded that composite bio-silage could be used as a novel probiotic feed supplement and a significant source of protein-carbohydrate rich fish feed components to help manage wastes from both fisheries and vegetable sectors.