Advanced Crop Improvement, Volume 1

Dr. Aamir Raina is currently working as Assistant Professor in Department of Botany, at Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. Dr. Raina obtained his Masters in Botany in 2013 with specialization in "Genetics and Plant Breeding" from University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Dr. Raina earned the Degree of Doctorate in 2018 for his research work on "Induced Mutagenesis in Cowpea" from the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. His current research interests are the selection for novel mutations induced by radiations in pulses and elucidation of physiological and molecular mechanisms in response to radiations and looking for suitable germplasm donors for breeding purpose. Working on the mutagenesis of plants, Dr. Raina has found a significant role of radiations in the regulation of plant growth and development and have suggested that radiations could play an important role in improving the yield and yield attributing traits of pulses. Recognizing the contribution of Dr. Raina in the field of mutation breeding, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria appointed him as Technical Corporation Expert and Lecturer to conduct National level mutation breeding training in Sudan. The successful conduct of Dr. Raina in different IAEA projects as an expert supported his research in mutation breeding of pulse crops and proved his ability to work in a multicultural environment. Dr. Raina had been an active and core team member of the pilot project for "Development of e-contents" sponsored by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India.  Considering all his achievements and outstanding contributions in the field of Plant Science he has been conferred with various research fellowships including CSIR JRF, DBT-SRF, GATE, and Nuffic OKP and awards including National Environmental Science Academy (NESA)Young scientist and Bharat Vikas Award. He has been recognized as Young Scientist of the Year 2018, receiving the award from President of NESA, India. Dr. Raina has published more than 35 journal articles and 20 book chapters. Dr. Raina has edited special issue on research topic entitled "Legume Breeding in Transition: Innovation and Outlook" in Frontiers in Genetics. He is among the editorial board members of many scientific journals such as Frontiers in Plant Science, Frontiers in Genetics, Scientific Reports, BMC Plant Biology. Dr. Raina has participated and presented several research papers in different national and international conferences. Dr. Raina has also attended many workshops, training and short courses under scholarships from national and international funding agencies.
Dr. Mohammad Rafiq Wani is currently working as Assistant Professor (Selection Grade) in the Department of Botany at Abdul Ahad Azad Memorial Degree College Bemina, Cluster University Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Dr. Wani did his Masters' degree in Botany in 2003 with a specialization in "Genetics and Plant Breeding" from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. After obtaining the Degree of Doctorate in 2008 for his research work on "Chemical Mutagenesis in Mungbean" from the same University, he joined the Department of Higher Education, Jammu and Kashmir Government in 2009. He teaches a range of bioscience-related subjects at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Dr. Wani's research interests are primarily focused on induced mutagenesis and molecular biology in food crops more particularly in pulse crops. As a part of his research endeavour, Dr. Wani has extensively researched and written on the issues of induced mutagenesis in food crops, with special reference to pulses. He has published more than 65 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and 20 book chapters in various research-oriented volumes. Dr. Wani, while constantly working for his academic and research interests, has so far edited six (06) volumes of books on the subjects of P

Plant Breeding from Classical Genetics to Molecular Approaches for Food and Nutrition Security.- Nanotechnology in Agriculture.- Contribution and Impact of Mutant Varieties on Food Security.- Mutation Breeding: Protocol and Role in crop improvement.- Transgenic Techniques for Plant Improvement: A brief Overview.- Mutagenesis and Transgenesis in Plant Breeding.- Crop Biofortification: Plant Breeding and Biotechnological Interventions to Combat Malnutrition.- In Vitro Techniques in Plant Breeding.- Crop improvement for sustainable food and nutritional security: Applications of mutagenesis and in vitro techniques.- Forward and Reverse Genetics in Crop Breeding.- Genetic mutations and molecular detection techniques in plant breeding.- RNA interference (RNAi) technology: an effective tool in plant breeding.- Doubled Haploid Production- Mechanism and Utilization in Plant Breeding.- TILLING and Eco-Tilling: Concept, Progress and its role in crop improvement.- Genome-Wide Association Study: A Powerful Approach to Map QTLs in Crop Plants.- Genome Editing - Mechanism and Utilization in Plant Breeding.- CRISPR/CAS: The Beginning of a New Era in Crop Improvement.- Next Generation Sequencing in Plant Breeding: Challenges and Possibilities.