Research

Dr Rakhi Chaturvedi has contributed immensely to the broad field of Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture. Her research group is involved in large scale propagation of plants of medicinal and commercial value using in vitro techniques. The unique capacity of plant cells called ‘Totipotency’ has found many applications in plant improvement, multiplication and conservation. This has surmount the limitations of vegetative/conventional propagation and hasten the production of clonal plant material at a faster rate, round the year, from a small piece of tissues, irrespective of seasons and regions.

The tree species with long generation cycle are mostly highly heterozygous in nature due to strict cross pollination and are considered to be recalcitrant (difficult to regenerate in vitro). The genetic improvement of these plants and development of homozygous lines (pure) is either very challenging or impossible using the conventional methods, because the cross pollination is a rule. This limitation has completely been overcome by the research group of Dr Chaturvedi while working on two complex tree species, Neem (Azadirachta indica) and Tea (Camellia species).

Prof. Chaturvedi’s laboratory has also involved in developing Plant Cell Culture Technology as an alternative to whole plant extraction for the production of secondary metabolites of medicinal and commercial values. Although these compounds can also be isolated from naturally grown whole plants, continued destruction of plants for the purpose may pose a major threat to species getting extinct. Her research group is able to identify, purify and isolate three main categories of bioactive metabolites: essential oils, coumarins and alkylamides, from in vitro elite cell lines of medicinal plants. Some of these compounds are complex triterpenoids which are difficult to synthesize chemically.

Her research interests include but not limited to the following:

Mass multiplication of medicinally and economically valuable plants, round the year, by in vitro Plant Tissue Culture Technology, to replenish the depleting/endangered/endemic species, irrespective of seasonal / geographical variations

In vitro haploid and doubled-haploid plant production in tree species, like Neem and Tea, to generate homozygous (pure) breed plants for improved plant yield

Triploid plant production to induce seedlessness

Somatic embryogenesis for synthetic seed production

Production of commercially and medicinally important plant secondary metabolites and their scale-up in bioreactors, an effort to safeguard the natural vegetation from continued destruction for commercial purposes

Project Statistics

Project Title	Funding agency
1. Seedless plant production and mass scale propagation of Musa balbisiana (Bhim Kol) of NER using invitro approaches. 2. Mapping Yellow Mosaic Virus (YMV) tolerance trait loci in Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek using doubled haploids 3. In vitro production of doubled haploids in Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) 4. Yield enhancement strategies for production of therapeutic compounds by cell and tissue cultures of Tinospora cordifolia (willd.) Miers ex Hook. F. & Thoms. 5. In vitro production of haploids in Tea (Camellia sinensis L.)
6. In vitro Morphogenesis and biochemical analysis of neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) 7. Large-scale propagation of non-caloric commercial plant Stevia rebaudiana, from lab to farm using in vitro and in vivo means and imparting knowledge on its cultivation among farmers, plant growers and entrepreneurs

Project Title

Funding agency

1. Seedless plant production and mass scale propagation of Musa balbisiana (Bhim Kol) of NER       using invitro approaches.

2.   Mapping Yellow Mosaic Virus (YMV) tolerance trait loci in Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek using       doubled haploids

3.   In vitro production of doubled haploids in Tea (Camellia sinensis L.)

4. Yield enhancement strategies for production of therapeutic compounds by cell and tissue        cultures of Tinospora cordifolia (willd.) Miers ex Hook. F. & Thoms.

5.   In vitro production of haploids in Tea (Camellia sinensis L.)

6. In vitro Morphogenesis and biochemical analysis of neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss)

7. Large-scale propagation of non-caloric commercial plant Stevia rebaudiana, from lab to farm using in vitro and in vivo means and imparting knowledge on its cultivation among farmers, plant growers and entrepreneurs