Name:
Upendra Kumar
Job Title:
Scientist
Email:
Phone Number:
+91 7735574591
Links:
Biography:
Dr. Upendra Kumar is working as Scientist at ICAR- National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, India and also served as Visiting Scientist at CSIRO, Waite Campus, Adelaide, Australia. He obtained his M.Sc and Ph.D. in Agricultural Microbiology from IARI, New Delhi and also received many National and International awards such as NRRI Best Scientist Award, 2017; AZRA Fellow, 2017, Crawford Fund Fellowship Award, Australia, 2016; Edita David memorial Award for best paper contribution by Association of Zoological Research Association, 2014 and best oral and poster presentation awards by different organizations. He has guided more than 10 M.Sc. & Ph.D. Students and published more than 65 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, popular article, and e-publications. He is also serving as the editorial member in four journals and also edited one book published by Springer Singapore. Regarding research, he has developed a unique combo-kit to screen plant-growth promoting microbes and also standardized q-PCR based seven functional genes such as nifH, amoA, nirK, nosZ, npr, apr and acdS. He is also maintaining 102 stains of Azolla germplasms under a controlled condition which is the second largest repository in the world. At present, he is working on various projects related to endophytic diazotrophs (BNF), biocontrol of pest and diseases, Azolla cyanobiont and molecular approach to assess soil microbial community under influence of elevated CO2, long-term application of fertilizers and pesticides which have been funded by several organizations like DBT, NASF, NCIPM and ICAR.
Research Interest: Rice microbiology; Azolla-cyanobiont; Plant-Soil-Microbe Interaction; PGPR; Biocontrol; Soil microbial community.
Research Areas:
- BNF in Rice
- Nitrogen use efficiency in Rice
- Genes related to N-cycle
Current N-related Projects:
- Genetic modifications to improve biological nitrogen fixation for augmenting nitrogen needs of rice
- Nutrient management for enhancing productivity and resource use efficiency in rice
Bibliography:
1. Kumar U, Panneerselvam P, Govindasamy V, Vithalkumar L, Senthilkumar M, Banik A and Annapurna K. 2017. Long-term aromatic rice cultivation effect on frequency and diversity of diazotrophs in its rhizosphere Ecological Engineering. 101: 227-236.
2. Kumar U. 2017. Diazotrophic Microbes in Rice: A Boon to Save Nitrogen Fertilizers. EC Microbiology. 6 (1):1-3.
3. Chatterjee, D., Mohanty, S., Guru, P.K., Swain, C.K., Tripathi, R., Shahid, M., Kumar, U., Kumar, A., Bhattacharyya, P., Gautam, P. and Lal, B., 2018. Comparative assessment of urea briquette applicators on greenhouse gas emission, nitrogen loss and soil enzymatic activities in tropical lowland rice. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 252, pp.178-190.
4. Kumar U, Shahid M, Tripathi R, Mohanty S, Kumar A, Bhattacharyya P, Lal B, Gautam P, Raja R, Panda BB, Jambhulakar NN, Shukla AK, Nayak AK. 2017. Variation of functional diversity of soil microbial community in sub-humid tropical rice-rice cropping system under long-term organic and inorganic fertilization. Ecological Indicators. 73:536-543.
5. Kumar U, Panneerselvam P, Jambhulkar NN, Annapurna K. 2016. Effect of inoculation of Rhizobacterial consortia for enhancement of the growth promotion and nutrient uptake in basmati rice cultivar Pusa Sugandha 4. Oryza. 53(3): 282-287.
6. Kumar U, Dangar TK, Annapurna K. 2013. Functional interaction of diazotrophs and antagonistic rhizobacteria in sustainable development of agricultural products. In: A Chauhan and PK Bharati (Eds.). Environment conservation and biotechnology. Published by Discovery Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India: 149-166.