Research Projects

The unique agro-climatic conditions of the Himalayan region make it one of the mega biodiversity hotspots of India. Underutilized species such as Kalazeera, Zinger and turmeric etc. form an important part of the dietary and economic structure of local people and hold immense potential to be developed into valuable genomic resources. The proposed multi-institutional collaborative proposal aims for incentivization of underutilized species of Western Himalayan Bioresources, molecular characterization to assist in examination of genetic diversity, identification of redundancies in their collections to resolve taxonomic relationships, and secure accession stability and integrity for the sustainable utilization of the elite genotypes. The collaboration will involve investigators from Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar; and Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) Imphal.Based on the suggestion of the sub-committee of the STAG Turmeric has now been included.

The seeds of Bunium persicum were obtained with the help of IBSD, and used for isolating genomic DNA. The method for DNA isolation was standardized for dried seeds, and we were able to isolate good-quality samples for long-read sequencing. The DNA was sequenced on both the IlluminaNovaSeq6000 and the PacBio platform. Although the short-read data for B. Persicum was of very good quality and offered sufficient depth, the long-read data acquired from the PacBio platform was not sufficient for a high-quality whole genome assembly. Therefore, we collected fresh samples of B. persicum in the form of young plants, which are being grown in controlled conditions at BRIC-ILS. Genomics DNA was isolated from the young leaves and QC showed that the sample was of high quality. We are currently negotiating long-reads sequencing for these samples. Once done, the whole genome will be assembled using softwares for hybrid assembly. RNA-seq data has been generated and analysed for three varieties each of ginger and turmeric obtained from IBSD, Imphal.