Experience Profile

• Joined as Scientist at ICAR-NAARM, Hyderabad from 01.07.2012 to 29.09.2012
• Joined as Scientist at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi from 04.10.2012 to 15.04.2013
• Joined as Scientist at ICAR-CICR, Nagpur from 15.04.2013 to 01.07.2021
• Joined as Senior Scientist at ICAR-CICR, Nagpur from 02.07.2021 to 08.07.2022
• Joined as Senior Scientist at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad from 11.07.2022 to till date

Awards/Honors/Medals

• University Merit Scholarship for all four years of Graduation (B.Sc. Agri) at UAS, Dharwad.
• Qualified Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Exam for M.Sc. Biotechnology (4th Rank).
• Junior Research Fellowship from July 2007-June 2009 by ICAR for M.Sc. (Genetics) (1st Rank in Plant Science Group).
• Qualified IARI Ph.D. Entrance Exam (1st Rank) for Ph.D. (Genetics) in 2009.
• Qualified the National Eligibility Test in 2010 conducted by Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB), ICAR, India.
• Junior Research Fellowship in Life Sciences from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India.
• Innovation in Scientific Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Fellowship from Department of Science & Technology (DST), Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India.
• Best M.Sc. student of IARI-2009 Award for overall outstanding performance in Master of Sciences Degree Programme from P.G. School, IARI, New Delhi.
• ‘Best Oral Presentation Award” for the presentation on “Wild Species and Introgression Breeding in Cotton” at National Seminar on “Technology for Development and Production of Rainfed Cotton & Farmers' Day” at Bharuch, Gujarat during 24-26 October, 2013.
• Awarded ‘YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD’ from the Society of Scientific Development in Agriculture & Technology (SSDAT) in 2015.

Research Experience

• Maize (Breeding for resistance to pink stem borer Sesamia inferens and diversity analysis using molecular markers)
• Chickpea (desi x kabuli introgression breeding for seed yield and size improvement, selection response analysis, diversity analysis using SSR markers)
• Cotton (Breeding upland cotton for early maturity, jassid tolerance and compact plant type, transgene introgression breeding, molecular markers and DNA fingerprinting, and pre-breeding)

Research Interests

• Abiotic stress tolerance
• Genetic diversity
• Transgenic breeding

Research Achievements

• Products (Varieties/hybrids/genetic stocks/advance breeding lines etc.)
• 01. Bt cotton variety ICAR-CICR SURAJ Bt - released for rainfed conditions of Maharashtra
• Bt cotton variety ICAR-CICR GJHV374 Bt - released for rainfed conditions of Maharashtra
• Bt cotton variety ICAR-CICR PKV081 - released for rainfed conditions of Maharashtra
• Bt cotton variety ICAR-CICR 16 Bt - released for irrigated conditions of central zone (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat)
• Bt cotton variety ICAR-CICR 23 Bt - released for rainfed conditions of south zone (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh)
• Bt cotton variety ICAR-CICR 21 Bt - released for rainfed conditions of central zone (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat)
• Bt cotton variety ICAR-CICR 25 Bt - released for rainfed conditions of south zone (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh)
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• Colour cotton variety CICR-H NC Cotton 53 (Vaidehi 1) - a naturally colour cotton variety of Gossypium hirsutum released for rainfed conditions of south zone (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh)
• Bt cotton variety Yugank Bt – identified for release for rainfed conditions of central zone (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat)
• Bt cotton variety Tejas Bt - identified for release for rainfed conditions of central zone (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat)
• Bt cotton variety Namami Bt - identified for release for rainfed conditions of central zone (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat)
• Bt cotton variety Samrat Bt - identified for release for rainfed conditions of south zone (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh)
• Other Significant achievements
• 01.DNA fingerprint of upland cotton varieties of cotton: Developed DNA fingerprint of 48 upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) varieties of cotton using 68 identified polymorphic markers. The developed fingerprint has probability of identical match by chance of 2.47×10-3 with high goodness of fit (r2=0.86) indicating its robustness in varietal identification, differentiation and protection.
• 02.DNA fingerprint of desi cotton varieties of cotton: Developed DNA fingerprint of 24 desi cotton (Gossypium arboreum) varieties of cotton using 48 identified polymorphic markers. The developed fingerprint has probability of identical match by chance of 2.68×10-6 with goodness of fit of 0.65 indicating its robustness in varietal identification, differentiation and protection.
• 03.Identification of promising lines in upland cotton for traits of interest: Most promising genotypes/germplasm lines were identified for compact plant architecture, jassid tolerance, early maturity, boll weight, seed cotton yield and fibre quality traits in upland cotton upon replicated evaluation of germplasm.
• 04.Microsatellite marker-based DNA fingerprinting of cotton (Gossypium spp.) hybrids and their parents: One intra-arboreum hybrid, four intra-hirsutum hybrids and one hirsutum × barbadense hybrid along with their respective parental lines were molecular characterized using SSR markers and hybridity was confirmed.
• 05.Introgression of transgenic events (Tg2E13 and CH12) into elite genotypes under contained facility: The introgression of transgenic cotton events viz., Tg213 (cry1Ac gene; developed by Prof. Deepak Pental and Team, DUSC, Delhi) and CH12 (cry2Ax1 gene; developed by Prof. Udayasuriyan and Team, TNAU, Coimbatore) in the background of Gossypium hirsutum cv. Coker310 to elite cotton varieties viz., Suraj (south zone), NH615 (central zone) and CISH3178 (north zone) was carried out under contained facility of ICAR-CICR, Nagpur through marker assisted backcross breeding.
• 06.Molecular characterization of Wild and Unadapted Germplasm of Cotton: Molecular diversity among 19 diploid species, 6 races of G. arboreum, 5 races of G. hirsutum, 10 exotic accessions of G. hirsutum, 4 varieties of cultivated species of cotton along other important accessions and related species (Thespesia lumpas) were characterized using polymorphic SSR markers.
• 07.Elucidated the molecular basis of drought tolerance in six cotton genotypes: The occurrence of different mechanisms of drought tolerance was studied in six cotton genotypes. Genotype IC325280 and LRA5166 exhibited ABA mediated expression of stress responsive genes and traits. Molecular basis of drought tolerance in IC357406, Suraj, IC259637 and CNH 28I genotypes could be attributed to ABA independent pathway.
• 08.Standardization of embryo culture method for accelerated introgression of transgenic events: An embryo culture protocol was standardized for rapid generation advancement in cotton through exploration immature embryos from green, unopened bolls, 30-40 days post-anthesis. This will help in taking multiple generations of cotton crop in a calendar year and across cotton growing zones in general and at central zone in particular.
• 09.Development and updation of ‘CICR Cotton App’: I was associated with the development and updation of ‘CICR Cotton App’ which was released by Secretary, DARE and DG, ICAR at NASC Complex, New Delhi on April 3, 2019.

Publications

• Rakshit S., Santosh HB#, Sekhar JC, Nath R, Shekhar M, Chikkappa GK, Gadag RN and Dass S. (2011) Analyses of genetic diversity among maize inbred lines differing for resistance to pink borer and post-flowering stalk rot. Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 20(2): 173–181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13562-011-0043-8 (#equally credited as first author) (NAAS Rating – 7.04)
• Santosh HB*, Kumar J and Bharadwaj C. (2011) Genetic analysis of protein content and protein quality in chickpea. Crop Improvement, 38(1): 88-91 (*corresponding author) (NAAS Rating – 3.7)
• Santosh HB, Sekhar JC, Rakshit S, Gadag RN and Dass S. (2012). Detection of epistatic interaction for susceptibility towards pink borer (Sesamia inferens Walker) in maize (Zea mays L.). Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 72(3): 284-289. (NAAS Rating – 6.47)
• Vignesh M, Selvakumar T, Santosh HB and Prabhakar I. (2013) Biofuel concept: Prospects and challenges - A Review. Agricultural Reviews, 34(2): 152-156. (NAAS Rating – 4.37)
• Raghavendra KP, Sheeba AJ and Santosh HB. (2013) Sucrose synthase, a major biomarker for sink strength in cotton. Cotton Research Journal 5(2): 158-171. (NAAS Rating – 3.45)
• Angadi C, Manjula SM, Patil SS, Madhura C, Basavaradder AB and Santosh HB. (2016). Correlation and path coefficient analysis of yield component and fiber quality traits of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) International Journal of Agricultural Science and Research 6(1): 171-176. (NAAS Rating – 4.13)
• Abd El-Moghny M, Santosh HB*#, Raghavendra KP, Sheeba JA, Singh SB and Kranthi KR (2017). Microsatellite marker based genetic diversity analysis among cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) accessions differing for their response to drought stress, Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 26(3): 366–370. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13562-016-0395-1 (#equally credited as first author; *corresponding author) (NAAS Rating – 7.04)
• Santosh HB*, Bharadwaj C, Santosh S, Raghavendra KP and Kumar J (2017). Genetic diversity analysis for productivity enhancement through desi-kabuli introgression breeding in chickpea. Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding, 8(1): 125-133. https://doi.org/10.5958/0975-928X.2017.00018.7 (*corresponding author) (NAAS Rating – 4.97)
• Kranthi S, Satija U, Pusadkar P, Kumar Rishi, Shastri CS, Ansari S, Santosh HB, Monga D and Kranthi KR (2017). Non Bt seeds provided by seed companies in India- are they suitable as refuge for Bt-cotton? Current Science, 112 (10): 1992-1993. (NAAS Rating – 6.76)
• Das J, Raghavendra KP, Santosh HB, Sabesh M, Kranthi KR (2017). Cotton DNA Traceability Technologies, ICAC RECORDER, 35(3): 5-15. (NAAS Rating – NA)
• Chidambaranathan P, Jagannadham PTK, Satheesh V, Kohli D, Santosh HB, Bharadwaj C, Kumar J, Jain PK, Srinivasan R. (2018). Genome-wide analysis identifies chickpea (Cicer arietinum) heat stress transcription factors (Hsfs) responsive to heat stress at the pod development stage, Journal of Plant Research, 131: 525-542. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-017-0948-y (NAAS Rating – 8.08)
• Santosh HB*, Bharadwaj C, Hegde VS, Savitha S, Angadi C and Kumar J. (2019). Relative potential of seed yield component traits as selection criteria in the segregating generations of a desi × kabuli cross of chickpea. Legume Research 42(4): 473-478 https://doi.org/10.18805/LR-3909 (*corresponding author) (NAAS Rating – 6.34)
• Santhy V, Meshram M, Santosh HB and Kranthi KR. (2019). Molecular diversity analysis and DNA fingerprinting of cotton varieties of India. Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding 79(4): 719-725. https://doi.org/10.31742/IJGPB.79.4.10 (NAAS Rating – 6.47)
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• Waghmare VN, Raghavendra KP and Santosh HB. 2019. E-book on Molecular Approaches for Cotton Improvement available at https://cbp.icar.gov.in/Ebook.aspx
• Raghavendra KP, Kumar R, Das J, Santosh HB, More SA, Ramakrishna N, Chawla SG, Kranthi S, Kranthi KR. (2020) Quantitative real-time PCR based evaluation and validation of reference genes in Gossypium arboreum. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 90(1): 40–47. (NAAS Rating – 6.25)
• Abdelmoghny AM, Raghavendra KP, Sheeba JA, Santosh HB, Meshram JH, Singh SB, Kranthi KR, Waghmare VN (2020) Morpho-physiological and molecular characterization of drought tolerance traits in Gossypium hirsutum genotypes under drought stress. Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants 26, 2339–2353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-020-00890-3 (*Equal contribution as first author) (NAAS Rating: 8.01)
• Santosh HB, Meshram M, Santhy V, Waghmare VN (2021) Microsatellite marker-based diversity analysis and DNA fingerprinting of Asiatic cotton (Gossypium arboreum) varieties of India. Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology https://doi.org/10.1007/s13562-021-00675-z (NAAS Rating: 6.77)
• Balasubramani G, Raghavendra KP, Das J, Kumar R, Santosh HB, Amudha J, Kranthi S, Kranthi KR (2021) Critical Evaluation of GM Cotton. In: Rahman M., Zafar Y., Zhang T. (eds) Cotton Precision Breeding. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64504-5_16
• Raghavendra KP, Das J, Kumar R, Gawande SP, Santosh HB, Sheeba JA, Kranthi S, Kranthi KR, Waghmare VN (2021) Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the plant specific LIM genes in Gossypium arboreum under phytohormone, salt and pathogen stress. Scientific Reports. 11(1):9177. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-87934-0 (NAAS Rating –10.01)
• Santhy V, Balasubramani G, Biswas A, Santosh HB, Puttawar M, Raut P, Waghmare VN, Prasad YG. Determination of minimum sample size for testing proportion of non-Bt seeds under Refuge-in-Bag (RIB) for Bt cotton (under review)
• Santosh HB, Ashwini Bargat, Santhy V, Raghavendra KP, Kranthi KR, Waghmare VN. Microsatellite marker-based DNA fingerprinting of cotton (Gossypium spp.) hybrids and their parents (under review)

Association in Professional Studies

• Life Member, Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding (ISGPB), New Delhi
• Life Member, All India Agricultural Students Association (AIASA), New Delhi
• Life Member, Agricultural Research Service Scientists' Forum (ARSSF), New Delhi
• Life Member, Indian Society for Cotton Improvement (ISCI), Mumbai
• Life Member, Society of Scientific Development in Agriculture & Technology (SSDAT), Meerut