www.spices.res.in

 

Dr. Kantipudi Nirmal Babu
Director
Indian Institute of Spices Research
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Specialization Genetics & Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
Total Publications More than 375
Qualification M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D, PDF(University of California)
Mobile 9447331455
Personal Email Id

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Area of Interest:
Coordinating and Improving spices production and productivity in the country through networking in AICRP on Spices

Working on genetic resources, crop improvement and biotechnology of black pepper, cardamom, ginger, turmeric and vanilla.

Other main areas of work are micro propagation of spices, in vitro conservation of spices germplasm and exploiting somaclonal variation and in vitro selection for crop improvement in ginger, turmeric, cardamom and vanilla.

The present programme also includes development of disease resistant varieties in black pepper using both conventional and biotechnological means, developing microsatellites for pepper and cardamom, finger printing spices germplasm, isolation of resistance genes candidates and developing molecular maps in black pepper for tagging r genes and MAS.

Released 12 crop varieties, reported 2 new species, established world collection of pepper germplasm, digital herbarium of Piper and database of pepper germplasm, in vitro gene bank, DNA Bank, Biotechnology, Accreditation & Hardening facilities. Micropropagation technologies developed for 40 spices and aromatic crops.

Identified resistance source to Phytophthora meadii and Fusarium oxysporum and developed inter specific hybrids in vanilla.

Research guide in Calicut, Kannur, Mangalore and Nagarjuna Universities. Member, board of studie, Calicut and Kerala Universities and guided 8 Doctoral students.
Awards/Recognitions:
  • Fellow, National Academy of Biological Sciences, Society for Applied Biotechnology, Indian Society for Spices and Confederation of Horticulture Associations of India.
  • Dr.C.S. Venkatatam Distinguished Scientist Award, 2014 for outstanding contribution to Plantation Crops.
  • Biotechnology Overseas Associateship,1999-2000 and worked with Professor Richard W. Michelmore, Department of Vegetable Crops, University of California, Davis, U.S. A.
  • Jawaharlal Nehru Award , 1998
  • ICAR Team Research Award, 1996
  • Dr. J S Pruthi Award - three times- in 1996-1997, 1997-1998 and 2004-2005
Expert Assignments
  • Technical expert, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA, Vienna) in Sri Lanka, 9-13 Dec, 2002.
  • Member, RCGM, Ministry of Environmentand Forests, GOI, New Delhi, March 2012 - March 2014.
  • Member, Task force, DUS guidelines for betel vine, PPV&FRA Member- GI Registry on Spices.
  • Member, Editorial Board - The Open Horticulture Journal, Bentham Science Publishers. USA, International Journal of Innovative Horticulture, Journal of Tropical Agriculture, Indian Journal of Horticulture (HSI) and reviewer for many International Journals.
  • President and founder life member, Indian Society for Spices
Others:
  • Co edited - 3 monographs - one each on the genus Cinnamomum, Zingiber and Curcuma, CRC press, USA.
  • Co edited a compendium on Advances in Spices Research, Agrobios, India.
  • Co edited a 5 volume series on Advances in Horticulture Biotechnology, Westville Publisher, India.
Selected Publications
Research Papers
  1. Sinoj J, Sheeja TE, Bhai RS, Suraby EJ, Minoo D, Soji J, Jayakumar VN, Anandaraj M, Bansal KC and Nirmal Babu K (2014) Somatic embryogenesis and transgenics development in black pepper for delayed infection and decreased spread of foot rot caused by Phytophthora capsici, Journal of Plantation Crops, 42(1): 20-28
  2. Utpala Parthasarathy, Nandakishore OP, Nirmal Babu K, Senthil Kumar and Parthasaraty VA (2013) Comparative effectiveness of inter- simple sequence repeats and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA markers to study the genetic diversity of Indian Garcinia, African Journal of Biotechnology, Academic Journals, 12(46): 443- 451.
  3. Rebijith KB, Asokan R, Ranjitha HH, Krishna V and Nirmal Babu K (2013). In silico mining of novel microRNAs from coffee (Coffea arabica) using expressed sequence tags Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology 88 (3) 325–337
  4. Minoo Divakaran, Jayakumar VN, Veena SS, Vimala J, Basha A, Saji KV, Nirmal Babu K and Peter K. V (2008) Genetic variations and relationships in cultivated Vanilla planifolia and few related species using RAPD polymorphism. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 55:459-470
  5. Yamuna G, Sumathi V, Geetha S P, Praveen K, Swapna N and Nirmal Babu K (2007) Cryopreservation of In Vitro grown shoot of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc). CryoLetters. 28(4):241-252.
  6. Minoo Divakaran, Nirmal Babu K and Peter KV (2006) Conservation of Vanilla species - In vitro Scientia Horticulturae 110: 175-180.
  7. Minoo Divakaran, K Nirmal Babu, Ravindran PN and Peter KV (2006) Inter specific hybridization in vanilla and molecular characterization of hybrids and selfed progenies using RAPD and AFLP markers. Scientia Horticulturae. 108:414-422.
  8. Anu A, Nirmal Babu K and Peter KV (2004) Variations among somaclones and its seedling progeny in C. annuum L, Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture, 76 : 261-267.
  9. Delphine Sicard, Erik Legg, Sarah Brown, Nirmal Babu K, Oswaldo Ochoa and Richard. W. Michelmore (2003). A Genetic map of the lettuce downy mildew fungus, Bremia lactucae, constructed from molecular markers and avirulence genes. Fungal Genetics and Biology. 39:16-30.
  10. Nirmal Babu K, Sajina A, Minoo D, John CZ, Mini PM, Rema J and Ravindran PN (2003) Micropropagation of camphor tree Cinnamomum camphora (Presl.). Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 74 (2): 179-183.
  11. Nirmal Babu K, Anu A, Remashree AB, and Praveen K (2000) Micropropagation of curry leaf tree, Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 61 (3): 199-203
  12. Samsudeen K, Nirmal Babu K Minoo D and Ravindran PN (2000) Plant regeneration from anther derived callus cultures of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.). J. Hort. Science and Biotechnology, 75 (4): 447 – 450.
  13. Nirmal Babu K Samsudeen K and Ratnambal MJ (1992) In vitro plant regeneration from leaf derived callus in ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc). Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture, 29(2):71-74.
Book chapters
  1. K. Nirmal Babu, Samsudeen K, Minoo Divakaran, Geetha S Pillai, Sumathi V, Praveen K, Ravindran PN and Peter KV (2016) Protocols for In Vitro propagation, conservation, synthetic seed production, embryo rescue, micro-rhizome production, molecular profiling and genetic transformation in ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe.). pp 403-426. In SM Jain (Ed), Springer Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology 1391, Protocols for In Vitro Cultures and Secondary Metabolite Analysis of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants, (Second Edition) Springer, USA.
  2. K. Nirmal Babu , Minoo Divakaran, Geetha S. Pillai, Sumathi V, Praveen K, Rahul P. Raj, Akshita H.J, Ravindran PN and Peter KV (2016) Protocols for In vitro propagation, conservation, synthetic seed production, micro-rhizome production and molecular profiling in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) pp 387-401. In SM Jain (Ed), Springer Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology 1391, Protocols for In Vitro Cultures and Secondary Metabolite Analysis of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants, (Second Edition) Springer, USA.
  3. Nirmal Babu K, Minoo Divakaran, Yamuna G, Ravindran PN and Peter KV (2016) Protocols for improvement of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) utilizing biotechnological tools pp 367-385. In SM Jain (Ed), Springer Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology 1391, Protocols for In Vitro Cultures and Secondary Metabolite Analysis of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants, (Second Edition) Springer, USA.
  4. Minoo D, Nirmal Babu K and Peter KV (2016) Protocols for biotechnological interventions in improvement of Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews.) pp 47-63. In SM Jain (Ed), Springer Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology 1391, Protocols for In Vitro Cultures and Secondary Metabolite Analysis of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants, (Second Edition) Springer, USA.
  5. K Nirmal Babu, E.V.D. Sastry, K.V. Saji, Minoo Divakaran, H.J. Akshitha, S. Aarthi, A. Sharon, P.N. Ravindran and K.V. Peter (2015) Diversity and Erosion in Genetic Resources of Spices, In MR Ahuja and SM Jain et al eds Sustainable Development and Biodiversity 7.Genetic Diversity and Erosion in Plants Indicators and Prevention,Volume 1 Springer, Switzerland, p: 225-261
  6. Nirmal Babu K, Minoo Divakaran, Rahul PR, Anupama K, Peter KV and Sarma YR (2015) Biotechnological approaches in improvement of Spices – a review, in B. Bahadur, M. Venkat Rajam, L. Sahijram, K.V. Krishnamurthy (Eds.) Plant Biology and Biotechnology - Vol.2, Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Springer .p: 487-516.
  7. Sarma YR, K. Nirmal Babu and Aziz S (2014) Spices and Aromatics, In Neal Van Alfen (Ed).. Encyclopedia of Agriculture and Food Systems, Vol. 5, SanDiego: Elsevier, pp.211-234.
  8. Nirmal Babu K, Rajesh M. K., Samsudeen K., Minoo D., Suraby E. J., Anupama K., and Ritto Paul (2014) Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and Derived Techniques, in Pascale Besse (ed.) Molecular Plant Taxonomy: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology, Vol.1115, Springer Science + Business Media, New York, p.191-209
  9. Nirmal Babu K, Yamuna G, Praveen K, Minoo D, Ravindran PN and Peter KV (2012) Cryopreservation of Spices Genetic Resources, In Igor I. Katkov (Ed). Current Frontiers in Cryobiology , ISBN- 978-953-51-0191-8, InTech-Open Access Publisher.(Croatia) P. 457- 484
  10. Nirmal Babu K, Shiva KN, Sabu M, Minoo D and Ravindran PN (2011) Turmeric, In Ram J. Singh (Ed), Genetic Resources, Chromosome Engineering and Crop Improvement, Medicinal Plants -Volume 6, CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA. pp. 451- 511.
  11. Nirmal Babu K, Sabu M, Shiva KN, Minoo D and Ravindran PN (2011) Ginger, In Ram J. Singh (Ed), Genetic Resources, Chromosome Engineering and Crop Improvement, Medicinal Plants - Volume 6, CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA. pp. 393- 450.
  12. Minoo Divakaran, Nirmal Babu K and Michel Grisoni (2010) Biotechnological applications In Vanilla, pp. 51-73 In Eric Odoux and Michel Grisoni (Eds), Vanilla, CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA.
  13. Nirmal Babu K , Minoo D, Geetha SP, Sumathi V and Praveen K (2007) Biotechnology of Turmeric and Related Species, pp- 107-125. In PN Ravindran, K Nirmal Babu and K Sivaraman (Eds), Turmeric – The genus Curcuma, CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA
  14. Ravindran PN, Nirmal Babu K and Shiva KN (2007) Botany and Crop improvement of Turmeric, pp- 15-70 In PN Ravindran, K Nirmal Babu and K Sivaraman (Eds), Turmeric – The genus Curcuma, CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA.
  15. Nirmal Babu K, Samsudeen K, Minoo D, Geetha SP and Ravindran PN (2005) Tissue culture and Biotechnology of Ginger, pp. 181- 210. In PN Ravindran and K Nirmal Babu (Eds), (2005) Ginger – The genus Zingiber, CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA.
  16. Ravindran PN, Nirmal Babu K, and Shiva KN (2005) Botany and crop improvement of Ginger, pp. 15- 86, In PN Ravindran and K Nirmal Babu (Eds), (2005) Ginger – The genus Zingiber, CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA.
  17. Ravindran PN, Nirmal Babu K, and Krishnamoorthy B (2004) Botany and crop improvement of Cinnamon. pp. 14- 79. In PN Ravindran, K Nirmal Babu and R Shailaja (Eds), Cinnamon and Cassia – The genus Cinnamomum, CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA.
  18. Ravindran PN, Nirmal Babu K, Sasikumar B and Krishnamoorthy KS (2000) Botany and crop improvement of black pepper, pp. 23-142, In PN Ravindran (Ed.), Black pepper, Piper nigrum. Harwood Academic Publishers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

 

 



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