Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation

sreepvfkrishna@gmail.com

Agriculture Research Awardee 2025

Safeguarding chickpea farmers: Harnessing beneficial microbes against dry root rot disease and drought for sustainable farming

Dr. Senthil-Kumar Muthappa

Chickpea farming in Southern India is under serious threat from the combined impact of drought and dry root rot disease, which is causing complete crop loss in many fields. This combined stress results in huge income losses for small and marginal farms, leading to farmer’s distress. Fully resistant plants are almost non-existent, and the pathogen has a broad host range. Hence, a sustainable approach that reduces the pathogen load in the soil while simultaneously enhancing plant defence is essential.
We are attempting to engineer the rhizosphere using a combination of beneficial microbes as a sustainable solution to support crop cultivation. We have identified powerful allies such as mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobacteria, which not only compete with the pathogen but also improve water and nutrient absorption as well as biological nitrogen fixation in chickpea. Our project aims to optimize this unique microbial consortium and rigorously test it under disease hotspot conditions and on farms. This innovative research offers a sustainable strategy to protect chickpea, a vital protein source for much of the Indian population, while supporting farmers’ livelihoods.

Collaborators:

Dr Shyam Kodape

Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur

Chickpea plants affected by dry root rot disease in the field

Damage to the roots of the diseased plants

Application of good microbes like mycorrhiza and rhizobacteria to alleviate dry root rot disease and increase yield

Collaborators:

Dr. Puli Chandra Obul Reddy

Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa

Dr. Sevugapperumal Nakkeeran

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore

Dr. Senjuti Sinharoy

National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi

India is rapidly transforming into a dynamic hub of intellectual innovation and discovery. To support the science and technology ecosystem in the country, the Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation has created peer- reviewed funding programs that recognize exceptional researchers with the potential to achieve ground-breaking results in areas of critical national
importance. Our foundation provides these researchers with generous funding and empowering mentorship to generate knowledge and develop sustainable solutions of the highest quality, particularly in the fields of biomedical and agricultural research. We also work on projects to deploy advanced knowledge and improve the income of small and marginal farmers. We believe that by working together, we can create sustainable solutions that will benefit not only India but also the world.

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