Research Projects

Makhana (Euryale ferox Salisb), commonly known as fox nut or gorgon nut is an important aquatic plant cultivated mainly in India and other parts of Asia. Makhana is predominantly cultivated in the Indian states of Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam. Bihar stands as the leading producer, contributing over 85% of India total makhana production. The primary cultivation regions within Bihar include the districts of Madhubani, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Saharsa, Katihar, Purnia, Supaul, Kishanganj, and Araria. Makhana cultivation in India spans an area of approximately 35,240 hectares according to estimates from the National Research Center for makhana, Darbhanga (ICAR). From this area, an estimated 2,00,000 metric tons of makhana seeds are produced annually. After undergoing processing, these seeds yield around 40,000 metric tons of the final product, commonly known as makhana pop. The seeds of E. ferox are rich in starch, proteins, vitamins, minerals and many other nutritional ingredients. In present studies, makhana are focused on seed dormancy and germination traits, genetic diversity, and the antioxidant activity in the seeds. However, there are few reports describing the stages of seed development in makhana in the literature. It is particularly important for seeds to explore the morphological changes and the accumulation of medicinal components. Seed size of makhana poses a severe challenge for farmers in Bihar, particularly in the North part of Bihar especially in Madhubani, Darbhanga, Katihar and Purnia district. So far, no any report on transcriptome analysis and identification of candidate gene(s) controlling seed size has been found. Hence, the main purpose of this proposal is to find out the reason behind the huge different seed size of makhana. Still, it is unknown that diversity of seed size is environmental or genetic effect. Further, this study aims to identify key genes involved in large and small seed size, laying the groundwork for identification of candidate gene(s) controlling seed size in makhana to support farmers and improve crop. Hence, the present project is focused on identification and functional validation of gene(s) controlling seed size in makhana at four developmental stages (10, 20, 30, and 40 days) after anthesis on the basis of morphological characteristics. In order to study their molecular mechanism, next generation sequencing is used. This work will contribute to a basic understanding of the molecular mechanisms of Euryale ferox against seed size as well as understanding the transcripts associated with the various metabolic functions including seed size related genes.