TNAUgenomics, Coimbatore (2026)

TNAU ties up with start-ups, innovators for high-end research at Centre of Excellence in Biotechnology

04/10/2024

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/tnau-ties-up-with-start-ups-innovators-for-high-end-research-at-centre-of-excellence-in-biotechnology/article68713989.ece

TNAU ties up with start-ups, innovators for high-end research at Centre of Excellence in Biotechnology TNAU's Biotech Centre offers research facilities to start-ups, innovators for developing bio-inputs, enzymes, hormones for farmers' benefit.

06/09/2024

https://tnau.ac.in/site/cpmb/next-generation-sequencing-data-analysis/

28/07/2024

Ph.D completed candidates, who are willing to apply DBT-RA programme can apply to my lab. The last date is August 7th, 2024. Contact my mobile at 9842232057

DBT-RA Programme Manup Template

Consensus genetic linkage map and QTL mapping allow to capture the genomic regions associated with agronomic traits in pearl millet - Planta

28/07/2024

Pearl millet linkage map construction at TNAU, great pearl millet scientist Dr. P.Sumathi's contribution to the journey will be remembered in her absence.

The pearl millet mapping population work was initiated by using the PT6029 and PT6129 parental lines at the Department of Millets, TNAU. We selected diverse parents at least having a difference minimum of six morphological characters apart from the variation in beta carotene during 2006, which we also thought of mapping the key agronomical traits. We luckily get a good segregation for grain color and show the difference in beta carotene content. The population development task was initially given to Master students and followed by the three doctoral students. Since pearl millet is protogynous in nature, it is very difficult to maintain the population even after the reaching of F6 progenies a daunting task

The key breeder involved in the project Dr.P.Sumathi got one DBT-supported project in which she initiated the mapping work during 2011-12 and I supported the mapping work. The initial population was handled by Ph.D. students of Dr.Sumathi viz., Miss. Sathya, Mr.Naveen and Miss.Subbulashmi. The work has many challenges for phenotyping followed by SNP genotyping. In the meantime, when the population was ready, my group was moved to the AC&RI, Madurai campus in 2014. It took two years to build the molecular biology lab and install of UHPLC facility at Madurai and we can estimate the beta carotene only the limited samples. The SNP data processing using bioinformatics tools by Miss. Lavanya, Dr.Ranganathan, Dr.Dhasarathan, and Dr Karthikeyan are quite challenging at AC&RI, Madurai. Dr Karthikeyan is the main architect in finalizing the SNP map of peal millet after overcoming many technical challenges.

In the meantime, Dr. Sumathi's health was severely affected during 2017 and she is undergoing treatment in Coimbatore, I was in AC&RI Madurai, and at every meeting, she always insisted to finish the pearl millet linkage map. We decided to send the samples for the SNP genotyping using the DBT project money and the genotyping was almost in the stage of completion but unfortunately, Dr.P.Sumathi died due to ill health in 2018. The student Miss Subbulakshmi started working on the linkage map construction during her PhD time. Fortunately, Dr.Karthikeyan joined my lab at AC&RI Madurai from China, he helped in analyzing the complex SNP data and was finally able to complete the linkage map. The SNP data generation was helped by Dr.Murukarthi from South Korea.

Even though the data is ready, Dr.Subbulashmi joined MAHYCO and Dr. Karhikeyan moved to Korea, Dr.Murukarthi moved to Germany, I also moved to Coimbatore in 2018. Everyone is busy with their experiments, and the paper not taking shape. Further coronavirus entered during 2020 which caused more delays in finishing the paper. During the linkage map construction process, two research groups working on pearl millet started publishing a new paper on pearl millet. The Canadian research group (Moumouni et al. 2015) constructed a genetic map using a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach which was published in Molecular Breeding Journal. Later, Somashekhar et al. 2016 published a linkage map using the USDA population in 2016 in the Plant genome for Leaf Spot Resistance.

We decided to publish the linkage map with agronomical traits even though other groups published some maps of pearl millet with less density maps. Since our linkage map has certain advantages and has agronomic traits data over the season we have high hopes of publishing it in a good journal. Initial hurdles in reviewer comments and after many revisions finally published in the journal PLANTA. Many students initially helped in developing the mapping population. The pearl millet breeder Dr.Iyanar, the Head Dr.Sivakumar, and the Director Dr.Ravikesavan for their full support in maintaining the population at Millet Breeding Station.
The hard work of Dr.Sumathi who spent one decade on the development of pearl millet mapping work is greatly remembered in her absence. The journey started in 2008 and finished by publishing a paper in the July 2024 issue of Planta Journal. Almost 16 years of work after undergoing many turbulences and losing one of our great pearl millet scientists Dr. Sumathi during the journey. I dedicate this paper to my batch mate Dr.Sumathi for her great wonderful journey in pearl millet breeding at TNAU. This paper will remember her dedicated work in pearl millet breeding and I am happy to be associated with her in the long journey.

Link for reading of research paper:
Subbulakshmi et al. (July 2024). Consensus genetic linkage map and QTL mapping allow to capture of the genomic regions associated with agronomic traits in pearl millet. Planta

Consensus genetic linkage map and QTL mapping allow to capture the genomic regions associated with agronomic traits in pearl millet - Planta Main conclusion A genetic linkage map representing the pearl millet genome was constructed with SNP markers. Major and stable QTL associated with flowering, number of productive tillers, ear head length, and test weight were mapped on chromosomes 1 and 3. Abstract Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) i...

27/07/2024

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University organized a workshop on “Nanopore Sequencing”
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s Centre for Plant Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, organized a one-day workshop on “Nanopore Sequencing” on 26.07.2024 at TNAU. The scientists and students of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University participated in this workshop. Dr. E. Kokiladevi, Professor & Head, the Department of Plant Biotechnology welcomed the resource persons and workshop participants. Dr.D.Suresh Kumar, Director, CARDS and Dean, SPGS, TNAU presented the Professor of Practice certificate to Dr.Raman Babu and explained the importance of innovative technologies for agricultural research and the undergraduate students should be exposed to non-academic skills for better placement opportunities, he added.
Dr. N. Senthil, Director, CPMB&B highlighted the significance of sequencing technologies in his introductory speech. He emphasized that collaborations between the public and private sectors would boost research outcomes and provide students with valuable practical experience. Dr. Jaganmay Anand, Business Development Manager at Twist Bioscience India, and Dr. Hemadev Boopalan, Regional Manager at Zelle Biotechnology Pvt Ltd in Mumbai, gave a prelude about the workshop to the gathering.

Dr. Raman Babu, Head of Seeds R & D – South Asia, Corteva Agriscience, Hyderabad & Professor of Practice, TNAU in his presidential address and the follow-on lecture explained the current trends, improvements in plant breeding, and effective utilization of the technology for developing a viable product. He mentioned the five different paradigm shifts in current research including, the development of parent material in a short period of time, utilization of genomic selection for developing representative breeding material, high throughput phenotyping using digital tools, breeding for improvement of quality parameters, its practical implications and about the digital agriculture for precision farming. The students can explore emerging areas of genome editing, stem cell research, and tissue engineering. Also, they can learn specialized skills in the desirable areas for better employment prospects, he added. Finally, Dr. M. Sudha, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Biotechnology proposed a vote of thanks. It is followed by the technical session in which the scientists from industries Dr.Divya Shetty, Senior Field Application Scientist, Zelle Biotechnology Pvt Ltd gave an elaborate lecture on Introduction to Oxford Nanopore and Illumina sequencing and its applications. Dr.Ramesh Vaidyanathan, Business Development Manager, Synthetic Biology, Twist Bioscience explained about the importance of synthetic biology and its applications.