The ICP Hopes to Create a Roadmap for Pulses for the Next 5-10 years

Dr. Rajeev K. Varshney wants to increase pulses productivity - he will discuss the contribution of pulse genomes sequencing and trait-mapping for his ICP keynote presentation

Dr. Rajeev K. Varshney is a Global Research Program Director of Genetic Gains at The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). His role encompasses a variety of disciplines, including Genebank, Pre-Breeding, Genomics & Trait Discovery, Cell & Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, Forward and Integrated Breeding, and Seed Systems. He is also currently a Winthrop Research Professor at the University of Western Australia. He is internationally recognized for his contribution in genome sequencing of pigeon-pea, chickpea, peanut, pearl millet, sesame, mungbean, and adzuki bean and the development of molecular breeding products in chickpea, pigeonpea and peanut. According to Reuters, he is a “Highly Cited Researcher” and has been published over 300 times. He recently won the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award for Biological Sciences, the most prestigious award from the Government of India.

Click here to view Varshney’s full keynote presentation at the 2016 International Conference on the Pulses.

Why are pulses important now?

Pulses are an important component of the human diet, especially in developing countries and, in recent years, pulses productivity has not increased. Therefore, it is essential to have scientific interventions for enhancing pulses productivity, especially in developing countries where they provide most of the protein to the poor.

What do you hope to take away from the conference?

This conference will provide a platform for discussions on many different topics related to pulses research and development. I expect to personally benefit and learn from the discussions and, in turn, my organization, ICRISAT, will also benefit.

How does this conference affect the future of pulses?

I am very much hopeful that this conference will help the pulses community define a roadmap for pulses research and development for the next 5-10 years. This will certainly contribute to enhance crop productivity.