Name: Dr. Ajay Kumar Singh

Designation: Head & Principal Scientist (Agricultural Biotechnology)

Date of Birth: 06.03.1973

Area of Specialization: Plant molecular biology, gene regulation system in plants, virus   induced and RNAi-mediated gene silencing in plants, virus-based over expression system in plants

Email Id: ajay.singh4@icar.gov.in; ajaysingh73ansh@gmail.com

Mobile: +91-9404929022; Phone: 02112-254057, Fax: 02112-254056

Education

Professional History

Publications

Published about 51 research publications including research articles in national and international journals, review papers, book chapters, popular articles, technical bulletins. h-index 18, i10-index 24 with about 1549 citations in international literature.

Publications List: (15 best only)

• Tiwari, R., Singh, A.K. & Rajam, M.V. (2023) GmPARPs differentially regulate the drought and heat stress tolerance in soybean. Plant Growth Regulations https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-023-01047-4
• Tiwari  R , Singh AK, Rajam MV (2022) Improved and reliable plant regeneration and Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation in soybean (Glycine max L.). Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology. 26:1-10. DOI:10.1007/s12892-022-00179-9
• Singh AK, Raina SK, Kumar M, Aher L, Ratnaparkhe MB, Rane J, Kachroo A (2022). Modulation of GmFAD3 expression alters abiotic stress responses in soybean. Plant Molecular Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-022-01295-4.
• Rane J, Singh AK, Tiwari M, Vara Prasad PV, Jagadish K (2022). Effective use of water in  crop plants in dryland agriculture: Implications of reactive oxygen species and antioxidative system. Front. Plant Sci. 12:778270.
• Rane J, Singh AK, Kumar M, Boraiah KM, Meena KK, Pradhan A, Prasad PVV  (2021). The adaptation and tolerance of major cereals and legumes to important abiotic stresses. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 22:12970.
• Ratnaparkhe MB, Marmat N, Kumawat G, Shivakumar M, Kamble V, Nataraj V, Ramesh SV, Deshmukh MP, Singh AK, Sonah H, Deshmukh R, Prasad M, Chand S, Gupta S (2020). Whole genome re-sequencing of soybean accession EC241780 providing genomic landscape of candidate genes involved in rust resistance. Current Genomics. 21:    504-511.
• Rao SS, El-Habbak MH, Havens WM, Singh AK, Zheng D, Vaughn L, Haudenshield JS, Hartman GL, Korban SS, Ghabrial SA (2014). Overexpression of GmCaM4 in Soybean Enhances Resistance to Pathogens and Tolerance to Salt Stress.  Molecular Plant Pathology. 15:145-160.
• Singh AK, Fu DQ, Mohamed A, Navarre D,  Kachroo A, Ghabrial S (2011). Silencing genes encoding omega-3 fatty acid desaturase alters seed size and accumulation of Bean pod mottle virus in soybean.            Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions. 24:506-515.
• Goel D, Singh AK, Yadav V, Babbar SB, Murata N and Bansal KC (2011). Transformation of tomato with a bacterial codA gene enhances tolerance to salt and drought stress.    J. Plant Physiol. 168: 1286-1294.
• Singh AK, Verma SS, Bansal KC (2010). Plastid transformation in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.). Transgenic Res. 19: 113-119.
• Singh AK, Tavva VS, Palli SR, Collins GB (2010).  Improvement of ecdysone receptor gene switch for applications in plants: Locusta migratoria retinoid X receptor (LmRXR) mutagenesis and optimization of translation start site. FEBS J. 277: 4640-4650.
• Goel D, Singh AK, Yadav V, Babbar  SB,  Bansal KC (2010). Overexpression of osmotin gene confers tolerance to salt and drought stresses in transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.).  Protoplasma. 245: 133-141.
• Singh AK, Varshney R, Sharma M, Agarwal SS, Bansal KC (2006). Regeneration of plants from alginate-encapsulated shoot tips of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, a medicinally important plant species.            J. Plant Physiol. 163: 220-223.
• Singh AK, Chand S (2003). Somatic embryogenesis and efficient plant regeneration from cotyledon explants of a timber-yielding leguminous tree- Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. J. Plant Physiol. 160: 415-421.
• Singh AK, Chand S, Pattnaik S, Chand PK (2002). Adventitious shoot organogenesis and plant regeneration from cotyledons of Dalbergia sissoo Roxb., a timber-yielding tree legume. Plant Cell Tissue Organ Cult. 68:203-209.

Technologies/Products/Patents

• US. Patent No. 8,115,059 (Expression Modulation System for Use in Plants and Method for Modulating Gene Expression in Plants). Inventors: Subba Reddy PalIi , Lexington, KY (US); Ajay Kumar Singh, Lexington, KY (US).
• Developed Virus Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) system in soybean and successfully silenced FAD3, Farnesyltransferase (Fnsl), 1-amino cyclopropane synthase (ACS) and Ethylene insensitive-2 (EIN2) genes in soybean.
• Developed RNAi constructs for silencing Fnsl and ACS genes in soybean
• Associated with visible and IR-based field phenotyping technology developed by Dr. Jagadish Rane.
• Developed in vitro system for Root System Architecture (RSA) studies in soybean, wheat and mungbean.

Awards/Fellowships/Recognitions

• Recipient of  Dr. O.P. Dubey award for standing first  in  M.Sc. Botany in 1994.
• Awarded Senior Research Fellowship extended (SRF-extended) by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Govt. of India, New Delhi (2001-2002).
• Awarded Research Associateship (RA) by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Govt. of India, New Delhi (2002-2006).
• Worked as DBT JRF during Ph.D 1996-2001.
• Transgenic Research paper, Singh et al. (2010). Highlighted by Faculty of 1000 Biology.
• US patent (US. Patent No. 8,115,059). Developed a novel ecdysone receptor based gene switch for plant transgenomics.

Member of Professional bodies

• Member of American Phytopathological Society (APS)
• Member of American Society of Virology (ASV)