Research Projects

Rice cultivation in India faces challenges due to various biotic and abiotic stresses, with drought stress leading to severe reductions in yield. Drought stress-related alterations in plants are linked to phytohormone Abscisic acid (ABA), which initiates signaling cascades to reduce water loss, increase root length, and produce osmoprotectants. Overexpression of ABA biosynthesis and signaling genes provides drought tolerance, but normal growth conditions result in poor growth. To overcome these drawbacks, plants need to be engineered for more ABA production under drought-stress conditions. Reduced Gibberellic acid (GA) levels confer drought tolerance, and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) is channelized for ABA synthesis pathways under drought stress. Phytohormones induce transcriptomic changes, and Mediator complex proteins (MED proteins) play a crucial role in RNA polymerase II recruitment and modulation of transcriptomic alteration under different stresses.