Profile
Ashwani Pareek is a prominent plant biologist and educator noted chiefly for his contribution in the area of plant molecular biology and biotechnology. He is currently working as a Professor of plant molecular biology and biotechnology at the School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. His lab at NABI exploits the use of genetic, genomic, molecular, and physiological approaches to tap the broad genetic base of rice for identifying genes and creating physical, chemical and genetic mutants, attributing abiotic stress tolerance and enhancing yield. His keen interest also lies in unraveling the signaling mechanisms involved in plant abiotic stress tolerance. His research using the tools of functional genomics and mutation breeding has translated into the development of new rice types for enhanced salinity and drought tolerance along with nutritional improvement. Presently, his lab is using CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing tools for the key signaling genes and transcription factors in a fashion leading to abatement of abiotic stress tolerance in rice.
Current Focus Areas
We are currently using the tools of gene editing, mutation breeding, MUTMAP+ and genomic selection to improve stress tolerance and nutritional value in rice.
Selected Publications
1. Nongpiur RC, Rawat N, Singla-Pareek SL and Pareek A (2024). OsRR26, a type-B response regulator, modulates salinity tolerance in rice via phytohormone-mediated ROS accumulation in roots and influencing reproductive development Planta 259:1-17Anders, S., Cowling, W., Pareek, A., Gupta, K. J., Singla-Pareek, S. L., & Foyer, C. H. (2021). Gaining acceptance of novel plant breeding technologies. Trends in Plant Science, 26(6), 575-587. Nutan, K. K., Singla-Pareek, S. L., & Pareek, A. (2020). The Saltol QTL-localized transcription factor OsGATA8 plays an important role in stress tolerance and seed development in Arabidopsis and rice. Journal of Experimental Botany, 71(2), 684-698. Pareek, A., Joshi, R., Gupta, K. J., Singla-Pareek, S. L., & Foyer, C. (2020). Sensing and signalling in plant stress responses: Ensuring sustainable food security in an era of climate change.