Dr. Paramvir Singh Ahuja
Detailed CV could be sought from the Directorate
Dr.
P.S. Ahuja, who took over as Director, IHBT, Palampur w.e.f. 13th
April, 1998 was born on 19th December, 1952 and was Head, Division
of Plant Tissue Culture, CIMAP, Lucknow. He did his B.Sc and M.Sc in
Agriculture in 1974 and 1977 respectively. He earned Ph.D in
Biotechnology from University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK in 1983.
Initially,
at Panjab
Agriculture University(PAU), on wheat Dr. Ahuja identified genes
Lr1 and Lr17 to be beneficial in a multiline breeding programme.Consequently at CSSRI, he supported work in developing a salt tolerant wheat variety. Later at the University of Nottingham, Dr. Ahuja for the
first time established regenerating cell suspensions of wheat. He also developed protoplast culture and regenerating systems in forage legumes, namely alfa alfa, Trifoliums, Lotus corniculatus
and Onobrychis viciifolia. This work laid the foundation for somatic hybridization on temperate forage legumes.
Dr. Ahuja
has made outstanding contribution in conservation and genetic
improvement of medicinal and aromatic plants of the country using
cell culture and molecular techniques. Working at CIMAP, his
group released the first somaclonal variety of Citionella jana named
CIMAP Bio 13 which is widely grown by the farmers in Terrai region of
Uttar Pradesh and Assam.
Four somatic hybrids by protoplast fusion at the intergeneric and interspecific level were produced in the tropane alkaloid bearing
plants. The transgenic hairy roots of the somatic hybrids between
Atropa belladonna + Hyoscyamus muticus produced significantly
higher scopolamine content over the available stocks. He has extensively investigated the
reproductive biology of the endangered species of medicinal plants
widely used in traditional system of medicine and has developed
micropropagation methods for mass propagation of these species, namely Valeriana
wallichi, Rheum emodi, Picrorhiza kurroa, Aconitum heterophyllum,
Rauwolfia serpentine, Dactylorhiza hatagirea and Nardostachys
jatamansi. On the basis of this work he has developed new
strategies for sustainable utilization of bioresources. He was a
special invitee delivering a keynote address to the Seventh Latin
American Congress of Horticulture held at Parana Brazil to present
this work during 1995 and is in the National committees of funding
agencies and Institutions for conduct of strategic research in the area.
After
joining IHBT at Palampur, Dr. Ahuja has focused on developing
transgenics protocol for Kangra Tea which have been extended to
clones from Assam and Nilgiris. An international patent has been
filed for grafting of microshoots.
A range of transgenics in
Tea, potato, Arabidopsis tobacco and yeast have been generated with
genes bioprospected from Himalayan region.
Dr.
Ahuja has played a key-role in the introduction of new crops such
as Stevia/Ginkgo/Lavender and many important MAPs in the region.
This has led to effective diversification and employment generation
in the rural areas.
Presently
he is developing IHBT into an internationally competitive Institute
in bioresource management and research.
Institute of
Himalayan Bioresource Technology,Post Box No. 6 Palampur (H.P.) 176061 INDIA Tel:
+91-1894-230742-43 Fax: +91-1894-230433
E-mail:director@ihbt.res.in