Paramjit Khurana
Tags: Science, History, Genetics, Plants, Women

Agriculture is one of the largest sources of livelihoods in India. But environmental stressors, like temperature, humidity, soil pH, and pests, can gravely hamper the growth and development of crops. Each environmental stressor could lead to morphological, physiological, biochemical, molecular and cellular changes in plants that enable them to survive. A leading expert in India, Dr. Paramjit Khurana, has made major contributions to plant biotechnology, molecular biology and plant genomics, increasing stress tolerance in crops and sustainable agriculture.

Education and Career

Born on August 15th in 1956, Paramjit attended the Government Girls High School, Jheel, Khurenja in Delhi. She finished high school in 1972, receiving the Best Student Award. With an interest in science, she attended the University of Delhi for Botany, completing her BSc in 1975 and receiving the National Merit Award. She continued her studies earing her Master of Sciences (MSc) in 1977 and receiving the National Merit Award a second time.

After her MSc., Paramjit enrolled and completed her Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) in 1978 from the University of Delhi. She then followed this with her PhD in Botany, graduating in 1983. She started her career at University of Delhi, working in the Unit for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology Unit from 1983–1984.

In 1984, Paramjit took on a position as a lecturer teaching plant molecular biology, plant genetics, cell biology and plant physiology at the Plant Biology Department at the S.G.T.B. Khalsa College. In 1987, Paramjit started a Research Associate position at the Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA. For the next year, Paramjit studied the symbiotic relationship of legumes and the bacteria, Rhizobium. Her work shed light on the cell-to-cell communication and the role of pectin in mediating the cell wall porosity.

After returning from USA, Paramjit rejoined the University of Delhi in the Department of Plant Molecular Biology, first as a lecturer (1989–90), then an associate professor (1990–98), and finally as a professor (1998 to date). She even headed the department from 2004–07 and again in 2016–19.

Paramjit’s work has included the genetic transformation of Indian wheat for resistance against cereal cyst nematode and environmental stress tolerance, developing mulberry transgenics capable of withstanding drought conditions, developing genetic engineering techniques for increasing stress tolerance in crops and sustainable agriculture. Her major contribution has been to develop all-weather crops which would enable rise of the India’s productivity several fold.

Research on Wheat

Wheat contributes substantially to global food and nutritional security. But the factors responsible for the first green revolution are exhausting rapidly, and there is now a growing need to develop technologies which can increase wheat production in a sustainable manner without adversely affecting natural resources. Understanding abiotic stress factors on wheat agriculture such as temperature, drought tolerance, and biotic stress tolerance traits such as pest and pathogen resistance, is paramount to counter climate change related adverse effects on the productivity of wheat crops.

Disease cycle of cereal cyst nematode. Image by Kylie Fowler.

Paramjit’s research has contributed greatly to genetically transforming Indian wheat to resist against the detrimental pest, a cereal cyst nematode (i.e. a microscopic worm). These worms are some of the most economically damaging pests to wheat production resulting in stunted and poor plant growth. The crop appears in patches across a field with reduced number of tillers, and more yellow than the surrounding healthier plants. They complete one life cycle annually, with juveniles hatching and invading roots in early spring. While Paramjit’s group has developed a strain of wheat that is resistant to the worm, more work needs to be done to understand and implement it into sustainable agriculture.

Mulberry Research

Mulberry is cultivated in almost all states of India, and its leaves are the only form of food for silkworms, making it a major economic component of sericulture (silk farming). By growing mulberry, farmer also gets fodder, fuel and fertilizer. But drought, soil salt levels and pH have accounted for up to 60 per cent loss of mulberry yield in the country.

She pioneered mulberry biotechnology that would give it greater tolerance to high UV, heat and stress. This modified mulberry was recently tested at the Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute in Mysore, and the results show that the modified mulberry can be cultivated in wastelands with little groundwater. Where mulberry plantations are affected from drought and soil conditions, and high yielding mulberry cultivators have high demands for water, Paramjit’s work has been integral for sustainability of the livelihood of the sericulture.

Image of Mulberry and wheat

In the past few years, Paramjit’s group research has been directed towards understanding the molecular basis of somatic embryogenesis in an attempt to enhance plant height and increase seed yield in wheat. Her group is also using wheat transcriptomics to develop effective genetic engineering strategies for greater stress tolerance in crop plants and sustaining agriculture under changing climatic conditions. Her work revolves around understanding the processes of Plant Embryogenesis and Heat Stress Tolerance in Wheat, and Mulberry Genomics, gene function identification, and allele mining for abiotic stress tolerance.

Awards and Accolades

The list of awards and accolades that Paramjit has accumulated over her career is impressive. She’s held a number of Fellow positions including at the National Academy of Sciences, India (2003), at the Indian Academy of Sciences (2010), at the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (2014), and at The World Academy of Sciences, Trieste, Italy, 2016. She also holds the Prof. J.C. Bose Fellowship by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India from 2012–17 and a second one from 2017–22.

She is a member of various Academic and Selection Committees of various universities. Member of various Advisory Committees or Task Forces of Department of Science & Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, University Grants Commissions and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. She is also a member of the Editorial Board of a few Indian Journals and a Life Member, Third World Organization for Women in Science, Italy.

There is also no shortage of list of awards that Paramjit has earned. Paramjit is the recipient of the ‘Certificate of Honour’ awarded by the Gantavaya Sansthan on International Women’s Day (2011), the Professor Archana Sharma Memorial Award of the Indian Science Congress Association in 2011–2012, the Shri Ranjan Memorial Lecture Award by the National Academy of Sciences India in 2014, the Street Memorial Lecture Award 2013–2014 by the Plant Tissue Culture Association (India), and most recently Prof. Archana Sharma Memorial Lecture Award (2019) by The National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI).

When asked about her rate limiting factor, she said grants! Truer words have not been spoken!