Ruchi Bansal

• PhD (Plant Physiology)
• Senior Scientist at Indian Agricultural Research Institute

Root foraging and root physiology such as exudation of carboxylates into the rhizosphere are important strategies for plant phosphorus (P) acquisition. We used 100 chickpea ( Cicer arietinum ) genotypes with diverse genetic backgrounds to study the relative roles of root morphology and physiology in P acquisition. Plants were grown in pots in a low...

Black gram (Vigna mungo L.) is waterlogging sensitive legume crop. We studied the effect of waterlogging stress on membrane stability index (MSI), lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence in four Vigna genotypes namely (Uttara, T-44, IC530491, IC519330). Stress was imposed for 10 days...

Cultivars with efficient root systems play a major role in enhancing resource use efficiency, particularly water absorption, and thus in drought tolerance. In this study, a diverse wheat association panel of 136 wheat accessions including mini core subset was genotyped using Axiom 35k Breeders’ Array to identify genomic regions associated with seed...

Cadmium (Cd) is a hazardous heavy metal, toxic to our ecosystem even at low concentrations. Cd stress negatively affects plant growth and development by triggering oxidative stress. Limited information is available on the role of iron (Fe) in ameliorating Cd stress tolerance in legumes. This study assessed the effect of Cd stress in two lentil (Len...

With climate change projections indicating an increase in the frequency of extreme heat events and irregular rainfall patterns globally, the threat to global food security looms large. Terminal heat stress, which occurs during the critical reproductive stage, significantly limits lentil productivity. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve le...

Mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) holds significant importance as a pulse crop contributing to food and nutritional security. It is mainly cultivated in South Asia. Mung bean productivity is hampered by different abiotic stresses, particularly salinity. Salinity is a serious constraint that restricts the growth and development of mung bean. Identificati...

The current study identified two new climate-resilient groundnut-based cropping systems (GBCSs), viz., groundnut–fenugreek cropping system (GFCS) and groundnut–marigold cropping system (GMCS), with appropriate system-mode bio-compost embedded nutrient management schedules (SBINMSs) for semi-arid South Asia. This 5-year field study revealed that the...

Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) is one of the important warm-season food legumes, contributing substantially to nutritional security and environmental sustainability. The genetic complexity of yield-associated agronomic traits in mungbean is not well understood. To dissect the genetic basis of phenological and agronomic traits, we evaluated 153...

Iron and zinc malnutrition is a global humanitarian concern that mostly affects newborns, children, and women in low- and middle-income countries where plant-based diets are regularly consumed. This kind of malnutrition has the potential to result in a number of immediate and long-term implications, including stunted growth, an elevated risk of inf...

The world’s most challenging environmental issue is climate change. Agricultural productivity and nutritional quality are both substantially threatened by extreme and unpredicted climate events. To develop climate resilient cultivars, stress tolerance along with the grain quality needs to be prioritized. Present study was planned to assess the effe...

There has been a lot of research on biotic stresses in lentils because they are visible and lead to decline in production and quality losses. Abiotic stresses, on the other hand, are rapidly being identified as key reasons for the low and unpredictable yield of lentils in many regions. Changes in climate, soils, and climate-soil interactions affect...

Phosphorus (P) is a major limiting nutrient reducing crop yields especially in weathered soils of the subtropics and tropics. P exhibits poor mobility and availability to plants in soil. To overcome P deficiency in soil, phosphatic fertilizers are added. Global phosphate rock reserves are finite, and the addition of phosphatic fertilizers is not fi...

Waterlogging is an important abiotic factor affecting crop productivity worldwide. Black gram (Vigna mungo L.) is very sensitive to waterlogged conditions. A field experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design to evaluate three black gram genotypes for waterlogging tolerance. Stress was imposed by maintaining the water level above th...

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) is important rainfed winter season grain legume for diversification of cereal-based cropping system worldwide. The crop originated in Near East and spread to different region establishing in wide range of agro-ecology. Lentil is cultivated in more than 50 countries. Lentil grains are rich sources of protein, prebioti...

Waterlogging is an important abiotic factor affecting crop productivity worldwide. Black gram (Vigna mungo L.) is very sensitive to waterlogged conditions. A field experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design to evaluate three black gram genotypes for waterlogging tolerance. Stress was imposed by maintaining the water level above th...

Sesame is the oldest oilseed crop known to humanity, though it contributes a small share in the global vegetable oil production. Sesame oil contains nutrients, including lignans, tocopherols, phytosterols, natural antioxidants, and bioactive compounds. It provides various health benefits such as anti-lipogenic, hypo-cholesterolemic, anti-degenerati...

Yield limitation and widespread sulphur (S) deficiency in pearl-millet-nurturing dryland soils has emerged as a serious threat to crop productivity and quality. Among diverse pathways to tackle moisture and nutrient stress in rainfed ecologies, conservation agriculture (CA) and foliar nutrition have the greatest potential due to their economic and...

Micronutrient malnutrition or hidden hunger remains a major global challenge for human health and wellness. The problem results from soil micro- and macro-nutrient deficiencies combined with imbalanced fertilizer use. Micronutrient-embedded NPK (MNENPK) complex fertilizers have been developed to overcome the macro- and micro-element deficiencies to...

Micronutrient malnutrition or hidden hunger remains a major global challenge for human health and wellness. The problem results from soil micro- and macro-nutrient deficiencies combined with imbalanced fertilizer use. Micronutrient-embedded NPK (MNENPK) complex fertilizers have been developed to overcome the macro- and micro-element deficiencies to...

The development of phosphorus-efficient crop cultivars boosts productivity while lowering eutrophication in the environment. It is feasible to improve the efficiency of phosphorus (P) absorption in lentils by enhancing phosphorus absorption through root architectural traits. The root architectural traits of 110 diverse lentil genotypes of Indian an...

Rice production is facing serious threats due to frequent outbreak of brown plant hopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål.) population. Globally, four biotypes of N. lugens has been recorded, of which biotype-4 is the utmost damaging one prevailing in Asian subcontinents particularly in India. Therefore, effective management of N. lugens requires durable...

Availability and cost of sulphur fertilizers is also beyond the reach of the poor farming community of pearl millet cultivating dryland ecologies. A field study was undertaken during rainy seasons of 2020 and 2021 to quantify the effect of foliar fertilization of sulphur through ammonium thiosulphate (ATS) on growth and yield performance, profitabi...

Agricultural production is facing serious threat from various biotic and abiotic stresses specifically under climatic challenges. It is becoming increasingly difficult to fulfill global food demand from limited arable land by cultivating modern cultivars with low buffering capacity. Primitive cultivars and landraces are evidently proven to be rich...

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is one of the major cool-season pulse crops worldwide. Its increasing demand as a staple pulse has led to the unlocking of diverse germplasm collections conserved in the genebanks to develop its superior varieties. The Indian National Genebank, housed at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Bure...

Pearl millet-based cropping systems with intensive tillage operations prior to sowing have limited sustainable productivity in the low-irrigation conditions of semi-arid farming ecologies, such as those in the north Indian plains. The adoption of improved management practices such as zero tillage with residue retention (ZTR) and diversification wit...

Phosphorus (P) is an essential, non-renewable resource critical for crop productivity across the world. P is immobile in nature and, therefore, the identification of novel genotypes with efficient P uptake and utilization under a low P environment is extremely important. This study was designed to characterize eighty genotypes of different Lens spe...

Drought is the most critical environmental factor across the continents affecting food security. Roots are the prime organs for water and nutrient uptake. Fine tuning between water uptake, efficient use and loss determines the genotypic response to water limitations. Targeted breeding for root system architecture needs to be explored to improve wat...

Phosphorus (P) is one of the major constraints for crop growth and development, owing to low availability and least mobility in many tropical soil conditions. Categorization of existing germplasm under P deficient conditions is a prerequisite for the selection and development of P efficient genotypes in the mungbean. In the present investigation, 3...

Phosphorus (P) is one of the major constraints for crop growth and development, owing to low availability and least mobility in many tropical soil conditions. Categorization of existing germplasm under P deficient conditions is a prerequisite for the selection and development of P efficient genotypes in the mungbean. In the present investigation, 3...

An atypical morphotype of pea (Pisum sativum L.) was identified during the germplasm characterization programme at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi. This accession was recognised with prominent and intact funiculus on the seed. To explore the possible role of the extended funiculus, i...

Lentil grains with high nutritional value qualify as a promising candidate for alleviation of micronutrient malnutrition in South Asia and North Africa. Genetic variation for micronutrient concentration in germplasm is prerequisite for biofortification of this crop. In the present study, ninety-six lentil genotypes consisting of Indian (released va...

An increase in technological interventions and ruthless urbanization in the name of development has deteriorated our environment over time and caused the buildup of heavy metals (HMs) in the soil and water resources. These heavy metals are gaining increased access into our food chain through the plant and/or animal-based products, to adversely impa...

Cadmium (Cd) is a hazardous heavy metal, toxic to our ecosystem even at low concentrations. Cd stress negatively affects plant growth and development by triggering oxidative stress. Limited information is available on the role of iron (Fe) in ameliorating Cd stress tolerance in legumes. This study assessed the effect of Cd stress in two lentil (Len...

Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) is an early maturing legume grown predominantly in Asia for its protein-rich seeds. P deficiency can lead to several physiological disorders which ultimately result in a low grain yield in mungbean. The genetic dissection of PUpE (P Uptake efficiency) and PUtE (P utilization efficiency) traits are essential for b...

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using six different multi-locus GWAS models and 35K SNP array to demarcate genomic regions underlying reproductive stage salinity tolerance. Marker-trait association analysis was performed for salt tolerance indices (STI) of 11 morpho-physiological traits, and the actual concentrations of Na⁺ and...

Drought is one of the major constraints in wheat production and causes a huge loss at grain-filling stage. In this study we highlighted the response of different wheat genotypes under drought stress at the grain-filling stage. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate 72 wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes under two water regimes: irrigated a...

The need of collection, characterization, evaluation, conservation and sustainable use of agro-biodiversity has been felt and acknowledged universally. The importance of characterization and evaluation has been realized in terms of management as well as for the utilization of genetic resources. In broader sense, the activity of evaluation deals wit...

Drought is a major abiotic stress affecting wheat production worldwide. Present study was conducted to identify drought tolerant wheat lines. In this study, field screening was done in multi-environment for four years followed by validation at molecular level for identifying stable drought tolerant wheat genotypes. In field screening, based on elev...

Low availability of inorganic phosphorus (P) is considered a major constraint for crop productivity worldwide. A unique set of 266 chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes, originating from 29 countries and with diverse genetic background were used to study P-use efficiency. Plants were grown in pots containing sterilised river sand supplied with P...

The present study was conducted to study genotypic variability in biochemical attributes and yield parameters in response to water logging. Plants were exposed to water-logged conditions after 40 days of sowing in pot experiment as well as under field conditions. Different biochemical parameters and yield were recorded in pigeon pea genotypes; ICPL...

Wheat is an important cereal crop and securing an increase in wheat production is necessary to feed the growing population. Integration of drought tolerance into new varieties attracts researchers as it helps to develop climate resilient wheat. Here, we tried to identify new sources of drought tolerance in crops using the targeted germplasm collect...

Trait specific reference set comprising of 210 T aestivum, 103 T durum and 3 T dicoccum accessions were phenotyped for two years and 42 lines were identified as promising for terminal heat tolerance.

We studied the effect of waterlogging on root anatomical changes and nitrogen content in pigeonpea, a waterlogging sensitive crop. A pot experiment was conducted with pigeonpea genotypes; ICPL-84023 (waterlogging tolerant) and MAL-18 (waterlogging susceptible). Stress was imposed after 20 days of sowing for 6 days. Aerenchyma development was observ...

The present study was conducted to document the indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants used for management of diseases and ailments in Narmada, Gujarat Province, India. The qualitative data was collected through semi structured questionnaires and personal interviews from 50 informants. The informants revealed the use of 23 medicinal plant species...

Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) is an economically important medicinal plant and is a seed propagated crop. Storage conditions play important role in determination of seed germination potential. In the present study, effect of storage was studied on seed germination behaviour in Kalmegh. Germination of seeds was carried out under controlled condi...

Isabgol is a commercially cultivated medicinal crop valued for its mucilaginous husk. Changes in sugar metabolism were studied in the developing seeds of Isabgol. Seed samples were collected after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after anthesis (DAA). Results showed that the post anthesis reduction in soluble sugar content was 67 and 82.8 % in the seed and se...

Wheat is the most important cereal crop and staple diet for more than one third of the world population and contributes more calories and protein to the world diet than any other cereal crop. In view of global climate change drought stress is becoming major constraints for the productivity of wheat and hence the breeding for drought tolerance is ga...

Heat stress in the last 20–30 years has emerged a serious threat for wheat production worldwide. In India, it is expected 20–30% less yield production till 2020. Therefore, there is a need to identify germplasm lines having substantial level of heat tolerance based on heat tolerance associated/supportive traits like stay green and cooler leaf tempe...

Conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources is essential to meet the demand for future food security. The world is facing the challenge of increasing the food production to feed the population growing at unprecedented rate. The unpredictable climate conditions have put immense pressure on our agricultural production systems. The situation...

Wheat is an important cereal crop and securing an increase in wheat production is necessary to feed the growing population. Integration of drought tolerance into new varieties attracts researchers as it helps to develop climate resilient wheat. Here, we tried to identify new sources of drought tolerance in crops using the targeted germplasm collect...

Waterlogging stress is a major abiotic stress having detrimental effects on crop production. Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is a waterlogging sensitive legume crop. Effect of short term waterlogging stress was studied on the activity of antioxidant enzymes in two pigeon pea genotypes, viz., ICPL-84023 (waterlogging resistant) and MAL-18 (w...

We studied the effect of waterlogging stress on photosynthetic and biochemical parameters in pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Mill sp.] genotypes viz. ICPL-84023 (waterlogging resistant) and MAL-18 (waterlogging susceptible). Plants at early growth stage (20 days) were subjected to stress by keeping the pots in water filled containers. Stress was impo...

The importance of wheat as staple food is well known as it is most popular, widely grown cereal crop of the world (Breiman and Gaur, 1995). Due to fast growing population of the world especially in the developing countries the demand of wheat is keep on increasing (Rajaram, 2000; Nagarajan, 2005). The present global wheat demand is about 640 Millio...

Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] is a waterlogging-sensitive legume crop. We studied the effect of waterlogging stress on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities in two pigeonpea genotypes viz., ICPL-84023 (waterlogging resistant) and MAL-18 (waterlogging susceptible). In a pot experiment, waterl...