1. Name of Lab incharge and Lab co-In charge/technical person with photograph.

      Lab Incharge –Anil Khar

      Lab co-Incharge – Dr Brij Bihari Sharma

Application of plant tissue culture-based tools in improvement of vegetable crops is well documented. In vitro based techniques like embryo rescue for successful inter-specific hybridization, induction of haploids and doubled haploids for basic genetic and genomics studies, in vitro based techniques for speed breeding are widely used in improvement of different vegetable crops. The wild relatives of the different crops are reservoir of several economically important traits and could play important role in development of future genotypes with resilience to the emerging and important biotic and abiotic stresses. In this context, the in vitro techniques like embryo rescue and somatic hybridization can play important role in inter-specific and inter-genomic introgression of desirable traits into elite crop varieties. Besides, induced haploids and doubled haploids can facilitate the genomics-based breeding programme in a great way. Therefore, plant tissue culture laboratory can play important role in strengthening the on-going pre-breeding and improvement programme in different vegetable crops

2. Facilities available at the laboratory with photograph brief description of instruments/facility

• Well-equipped culture room
• Inoculation room
• Imaging facility

3. Significant past achievements  of laboratory 

• Protocol for in vitro regeneration of cauliflower, cucumber, capsicum and onion
• Interspecific hybridization in brassica for introgression of male sterile cytoplasm
• Optimization of protocols for induction of haploids and subsequent development of houbled haploids in onion, cucumber, cauliflower and capsicum.

4. Ongoing research programme in laboratory 

• Doubled haploid development in onion, cucumber through in-vitro gynogenesis
• Doubled haploid development in Chilli, Cauliflower through in-vitro androgenesis
• Interspecific hybridization through embryo rescue in Brassica, Okra and Brinjal

5. Others important information if any