Research Projects

The Trans-Himalayan Ladakh region is a sensitive ecological region with extreme climatic conditions, influenced by global climate change. This affects the physiology, metabolic and reproductive processes, phenology, and geographic distributions of plants, including the unique plants with medicinal and nutraceutical potential. Lepidium latifolium, a native plant in the Ladakh Himalayas, is a significant source of glucosinolates, which play a significant ecological role in insect interactions. Glucosinolates are derived from primary metabolites, such as amino acids, sugars, and sulfur, and their turnover depends on the level of precursor metabolites. Changes in glucosinolate metabolism can lead to increased herbivory and altered insect interactions. To understand glucosinolate metabolism and their adaptive potential, an eco-metabolomic approach is needed. The study will analyze metabolic reconfiguration in native plant populations of Lepidium latifolium growing at different altitudes in Ladakh. The extreme environmental conditions will be mimicked on the plants in the growth chamber to validate metabolic changes. Glucosinolates and their hydrolysis products will be analyzed to correlate the trade-off between primary and secondary metabolites. Insect herbivory and oviposition studies will be conducted with the specialist insect, Plutella xylostella, to understand insect interactions during differential metabolic regimes. The results will provide insights into the adaptive role of specific metabolites and future insect interactions. The knowledge generated could also be applied to other vegetable species where increased insect infestations are predicted in the future.