Academic Department
Plant Physiology
Constituent Department under College of Agriculture
The Department of Plant Physiology, (Earstehile Crop Physiology) Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat was established in the year 1986 with the following mandates:1. Teaching: Imparting fundamental and applied knowledge of plant physiology for application in agriculture.2. Research: Basic and applied research on physiological problems faced by the farmers at different agro-ecological situation of Assam.3. Extension: Extension activities on identification of physiological disorders/ problems of various crops and their remedial measure.
Thrust research trust areas of the department:
I. Physiological manipulation for enhancing yield potential:1) Enhancing source activity and sink potential in crop plants for higher economic yield.2) Plant architecture and crop productivity.3) Identification of plants with low CO 2 compensation point.4) Improvement of photosynthesis and productivity through increase in the radiation use efficiency (RUE), by increasing the rubisco specificity factor.
II. Abiotic stress tolerance:1) Physiological basis of abiotic stress tolerance in crop species, with specialemphasis on exploitation of genetic variability to identify genetic sources for component traits and superior alleles.2) Identification of traits/enzymes/genes regulating grain growth in rabi (winter) season crops in relation to terminal heat stress.3) Role of elicitors/phyto-hormones in manipulation of root architecture and biochemical pathways for enhanced stress tolerance.
III. Crop Adaptations and Resilience to Climate Change:1) Mitigation of high temperature induced changes in the grain quality characters in wheat and rice.2) CO 2 mitigation technologies such as carbon sequestration, bio energy crops, needs to be exploited and developed.3) Exploiting genetic variability to identify high temperature tolerant donors.4) Crop adaptation to interactive effects of rising CO 2 with temperature and other abiotic stresses.5) Nutrient dynamics in plant and soil under rising CO 2, temperature and moisture stress.
IV. Plant Nutrition-Physiological and Molecular aspects:1) Studies on biological nitrogen fixation in non-legume plants.2) Enhancement of nutrient use efficiency (NUE) – germplasm evaluation for efficient nutrient acquisition and utilization under deficient and toxic conditions.3) Prevention of N loss from above ground parts during reproductive phase of the plants.4) Development of crop plants with efficient ion transporters for uptake and remobilization.5) Phosphorus uptake and use efficiency through improvement of root architecture, physiological and molecular interventions.6) Development of micronutrient rich (Fe, Zn, Se) food crops and enhancement of bio-availability.
V. Post-Harvest Physiology :1) Physiological and molecular basis of enhanced storability of perishable and non-perishables.2) Enhancement of shelf/vase-life of horticultural crops through physiological andmolecular approaches.3) Physiological studies on shelf-life of underutilized perishable fruit crops.
Future Plan of the Department:
Short Term goal:
Short-Term Actions (1-3 years):1. Infrastructure & Skills:o Install key equipments and upgrade infrastructure for advanced plant phenotyping and physiological analysis.o Organize hands-on technical workshops, refresher courses to build contemporary research of skills of faculty and students.2. Teaching, Research & Extension:o Form interdisciplinary "Scientific Teams" to address specific crop-physiological challenges (e.g., Drought Resilience in Local Staples).o Integrate specialized teaching modules on climate change and digital agriculture into the curriculum.o Launch a "Science Communication for All" initiative where faculty and students create public-friendly content (blogs, videos) on plant science.o In alignment with the AAU mandates some short courses will be formulated keeping in view the involvement Plant Physiological knowledge and skill.o Guiding /training students for clearing competitive exams Viz. NET, SRF, JRF
Long Term goal (5 years and above): Understanding plant function, translating physiological insights into sustainable solutions for food security and climate resilience.Establish a "Centre for Climate-Resilient Crops" with controlled-environment facilities, such as advanced growth chambers, phytotron etc. (We are already having research facilities like OTC, TGT, Bioreactor, Rainout shelter phenotyping facilities) utilizing grants from funding agencies of India and abroad. Emphasis will be given on the aspects of nutrient-use efficiency, carbon sequestration in crops, phytoremediation. o Attempts will be made to develop product such as silica based nanoparticles for mitigating multiple abiotic stresses.o Attempts will be made to solve the issues of quality seed production of important crops in collaboration with major agencies of India and abroad and encouraging agri-tech startups by providing technical supports to translate research into practical applications.o File patents for intellectual property, including novel physiological traits, bio-stimulants and AI driven diagnostic tools.
Number of Graduates produced by the Department (Upto 2024-2025)
Thrust research trust areas of the department:
I. Physiological manipulation for enhancing yield potential:1) Enhancing source activity and sink potential in crop plants for higher economic yield.2) Plant architecture and crop productivity.3) Identification of plants with low CO 2 compensation point.4) Improvement of photosynthesis and productivity through increase in the radiation use efficiency (RUE), by increasing the rubisco specificity factor.
II. Abiotic stress tolerance:1) Physiological basis of abiotic stress tolerance in crop species, with specialemphasis on exploitation of genetic variability to identify genetic sources for component traits and superior alleles.2) Identification of traits/enzymes/genes regulating grain growth in rabi (winter) season crops in relation to terminal heat stress.3) Role of elicitors/phyto-hormones in manipulation of root architecture and biochemical pathways for enhanced stress tolerance.
III. Crop Adaptations and Resilience to Climate Change:1) Mitigation of high temperature induced changes in the grain quality characters in wheat and rice.2) CO 2 mitigation technologies such as carbon sequestration, bio energy crops, needs to be exploited and developed.3) Exploiting genetic variability to identify high temperature tolerant donors.4) Crop adaptation to interactive effects of rising CO 2 with temperature and other abiotic stresses.5) Nutrient dynamics in plant and soil under rising CO 2, temperature and moisture stress.
IV. Plant Nutrition-Physiological and Molecular aspects:1) Studies on biological nitrogen fixation in non-legume plants.2) Enhancement of nutrient use efficiency (NUE) – germplasm evaluation for efficient nutrient acquisition and utilization under deficient and toxic conditions.3) Prevention of N loss from above ground parts during reproductive phase of the plants.4) Development of crop plants with efficient ion transporters for uptake and remobilization.5) Phosphorus uptake and use efficiency through improvement of root architecture, physiological and molecular interventions.6) Development of micronutrient rich (Fe, Zn, Se) food crops and enhancement of bio-availability.
V. Post-Harvest Physiology :1) Physiological and molecular basis of enhanced storability of perishable and non-perishables.2) Enhancement of shelf/vase-life of horticultural crops through physiological andmolecular approaches.3) Physiological studies on shelf-life of underutilized perishable fruit crops.
Future Plan of the Department:
Short Term goal:
Short-Term Actions (1-3 years):1. Infrastructure & Skills:o Install key equipments and upgrade infrastructure for advanced plant phenotyping and physiological analysis.o Organize hands-on technical workshops, refresher courses to build contemporary research of skills of faculty and students.2. Teaching, Research & Extension:o Form interdisciplinary "Scientific Teams" to address specific crop-physiological challenges (e.g., Drought Resilience in Local Staples).o Integrate specialized teaching modules on climate change and digital agriculture into the curriculum.o Launch a "Science Communication for All" initiative where faculty and students create public-friendly content (blogs, videos) on plant science.o In alignment with the AAU mandates some short courses will be formulated keeping in view the involvement Plant Physiological knowledge and skill.o Guiding /training students for clearing competitive exams Viz. NET, SRF, JRF
Long Term goal (5 years and above): Understanding plant function, translating physiological insights into sustainable solutions for food security and climate resilience.Establish a "Centre for Climate-Resilient Crops" with controlled-environment facilities, such as advanced growth chambers, phytotron etc. (We are already having research facilities like OTC, TGT, Bioreactor, Rainout shelter phenotyping facilities) utilizing grants from funding agencies of India and abroad. Emphasis will be given on the aspects of nutrient-use efficiency, carbon sequestration in crops, phytoremediation. o Attempts will be made to develop product such as silica based nanoparticles for mitigating multiple abiotic stresses.o Attempts will be made to solve the issues of quality seed production of important crops in collaboration with major agencies of India and abroad and encouraging agri-tech startups by providing technical supports to translate research into practical applications.o File patents for intellectual property, including novel physiological traits, bio-stimulants and AI driven diagnostic tools.
Number of Graduates produced by the Department (Upto 2024-2025)
| Ph.D | 19 |
| M.Sc. | 153 |
| # | Course No. | Course Title | Credit | Syllabus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AS (CP) -312 | FUNDAMENTALS OF CROP PHYSIOLOGY | 2 (1+1) | |
| 2 | PP(Elect)-414(i) * | Physiology of Plant Nutrition and Hydraulics | 4 (3+1) | |
| 3 | PP(Elect)-414(ii) * | Physiological Approaches for Improving Crop Productivity under Changing Environment | 4 (3+1) | |
| 4 | PP-313 * | FUNDAMENTALS OF CROP PHYSIOLOGY | 3 (2+1) |
* indicates compulsory courses.
| # | Course No. | Course Title | Credit | Syllabus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PP 501 * | Principles of Plant Physiology-1 : Plant Water Relations and Mineral Nutrition | 3 (2+1) | |
| 2 | PP 502 * | Principles of Plant Physiology-II : Metabolic Processes and Growth Regulation | 3 (2+1) | |
| 3 | PP-503 * | Plant Developmental Biology: Physiological and Molecular Basis | 3 (2+1) | |
| 4 | PP-504 | Physiological and Molecular Responses of Plant to Abiotic Stresses | 3 (2+1) | |
| 5 | PP-505 | Hormonal Regulation of Plant Growth and Development | 3 (2+1) | |
| 6 | PP-506 | Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Mineral Nutrient Acquisition and their Functions | 3 (2+1) | |
| 7 | PP-507 | Photosynthetic Processes, Crop Growth and Productivity and Concepts of Crop Modelling | 3 (2+1) | |
| 8 | PP-508 | Physiology of Field Crops | 2 (2+0) | |
| 9 | PP-509 | Physiology of Horticulture Crops | 2 (2+0) | |
| 10 | PP-510 * | Seed Physiology | 3 (2+1) | |
| 11 | PP-511 | Phenotyping Physiological Processes | 2 (2+0) | |
| 12 | PP-512 | Crop Growth Regulation and Management | 2 (2+0) | |
| 13 | PP-591 | Masters Seminar | 1 (1+0) | — |
| 14 | PP-599 * | MASTER’S RESEARCH | 0 (0+0) | — |
* indicates compulsory courses.
| # | Course No. | Course Title | Credit | Syllabus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PP 601 * | Functional genomics and genes associated with a few physiological processes | 2 (2+0) | |
| 2 | PP 602 * | SIGNAL PERCEPTIONS AND TRANSDUCTION AND REGULATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES | 2 (2+0) | |
| 3 | PP-603 | MOLECULAR APPROACHES FOR IMPROVING PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS THROUGH TRAIT INTROGRESSION | 3 (2+1) | |
| 4 | PP-604 | PLANT PHENOMICS-NEXT GENERATION PHENOMICS PLATFORMS | 2 (2+0) | |
| 5 | PP-605 | EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES TO CHARACTERIZE PLANT PROCESSES FOR CROP IMPROVEMENT | 2 (0+2) | |
| 6 | PP-606 | GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND CROP RESPONSE | 2 (2+0) | |
| 7 | PP-607 * | PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR ASPECTS OF SOURCE-SINK CAPACITY FOR ENHANCING YIELD | 3 (3+0) | |
| 8 | PP-608 | SEED AND FRUIT GROWTH AND THEIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT | 2 (2+0) | |
| 9 | PP-610 | WEED BIOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF HERBICIDE ACTION | 2 (2+0) | |
| 10 | PP-691 * | DOCTORAL SEMINAR I | 1 (1+0) | — |
| 11 | PP-692 * | DOCTORAL SEMINAR II | 1 (1+0) | — |
| 12 | PP-699 * | DOCTORAL RESEARCH | 0 (0+0) | — |
* indicates compulsory courses.
Department Faculty Members
6 Faculty
.jpg)
Department Achievements & Accolades
4 Records1. National Conference on Plant Physiology organised by AAU, Jorhat and ISPP, New Delhi on 5th –7 November 2009
2. ICAR sponsored summer institute on “Climate variability and its impact on crop production–physiological perspective towards mitigation strategies” for 21 days (23rd August to 12th September 2011) at Assam Agril University , Jorhat.
3. Thematic meeting on Application of Radiation Technology and radioisotope in the field of Agriculture, Food and Health” on 28-29th May, 2014.
4. ICAR sponsored summer Institute on 'Abiotic and Heavy Metal Stress Management in Crop through Physiological, Phytoremediation and Proximate sensing approaches (September 02, 2016 to September 22, 2016).
5. International conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture’ (ICCBSA-18) held on 13-16th December, 2018 :
6. ICAR Sponsored Winter School on ‘Abiotic Stress: Advances, impact and prospects’ w.e.f. February 06, 2019 to February, 26, 2019.
7. International Conference n Biodiversity, Food security, Suistainability & Climate Change (ICBFSCC-2023) during 25-28 April, 2023.
1. Methane emission in paddy field is a common phenomenon observed in kharif, Boro, Ahu rice. Traditional local cultivars emit high amount of methane compared to high yielding varieties.
2. Incorporation of Azolla in rice field is an innovative approach that presents a novel opportunity to expand and diversify the supply of fertilizers and production of rice crop through tapping CO2 and enhancing the O2 evolution system under changed environmental conditions. This is revealed in the research project ‘“Tapping Of Carbon Dioxide In Rice Ecosystem Through Azolla Cultivation.”
3. In a project entitled ‘“Crop condition assessment under abiotic stress of few selected major crops of NER using remote sensing technique.”, the spectral data NDVI on different crops have been developed to understand the various strategies adopted by plants to cope with abiotic stresses viz., elevated CO2, high temperature and varying level of nitrogen fertilizations. The study identified genotypes viz., Inglongkri and Banglami, developed model for modifying cultivation and nutrient application pertaining to the changed climatic situations.
4. Impacts of high temperature and elevated CO2 on different crops like rice, chili and garlic etc. have been studied and high CO2 & temperature responsive rice lines like Inglongkiri, and Banglami have been identified.
5. From the growth parameters and carbon sequestration data, B. tulda followed by Bambusa balcooa showed high carbon sequestration potential among the five bamboo species viz.,Bambusa tulda (Jati), B. balcooa (Bhaluka), B. nutans (Makal), B. bambos (Kata) and Dendrocalamus hamiltonii (Kako). In addition to these, the species of bamboo Dendrobium hemiltoni could be used by farmers to obtain highest profit because it has the highest biomass production capacity. Considering the carbon sequestration potential, this species can be used extensively for plantation in farmers field and in certain uncultivated lands as a solution to the menace of global warming.
6. Nitrogen deposited through aerosol of oxides of nitrogen ranges from 6.0-38kgha-1yr-1, whereas nitrogen deposited from aerosol of ammonia is in between 7-24 kgha-1yr-1 in Assam.
7. ‘Wheat 231’ is a physiologically efficient wheat variety identified for higher NUE with higher yield and its attributes. Moreover, dose response studies indicated that either N @ 150 kg ha1 (as granule) or N @ 1500 ppm (as foliar spray) in the form of Urea, was found to be effective in augmenting the nitrogen use efficiency.
8. Srimanta, a variety of Sali rice genotype, has been found to be viable for delayed sowing situations in Assam, where the sowing is needed to be deferred by more than one month owing o recurrent flood.
9. Wheat crop varieties viz.C-306 and PBW-343 have been identified as physiologically efficient under rain fed situation of Assam.
10. Breaking of potato bud dormancy: Just after harvest, potato tuber has a dormancy period. These tubers can be induced to sprout for the second crop by treating with 10 ppm GA3.
11. Cold hardening of Boro rice: Boro rice seedling can withstand adverse effect of low temperature and grow well when sprayed with 10 ppm of GA3.
12. Yield and quality improvement of ratoon pineapple: NAA @ 100 ppm plus Zn
@ 0.2% when sprayed on the developing fruit of ratoon pineapple results in 30% increase in yield and quality of fruit.
13. Storage of ginger: Ginger variety ‘Nadia’ when packed in perforated polythene bag can be well stored for 5 – 7 months.
· Sonalika wheat seeds when soaked with 1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate improves yield under rainfed condition.
14. When rice seedlings are dipped (roots) in 2% Calcium chloride solution and then planted, can tolerate iron toxicity to a great extent.
· Priming rape seed with 0.05% ascorbic acid and when sown is found to increase yield and other yield attributing character etc.
15. Rice ecotypes viz. IET 17509. Bandana and Govind have been found to perform better under aerobic situation compared to irrigate one during ‘Ahu’ season.
16. Vase life of gladiolus spikes can be increased up to eight days compared to control by combined application of Salicylic acid 150ppm+10ppm Nanosilver +4% Sucrose in the holding solution.
17.
The Department particiapted in the Mega Farmers' Fiar, 2026 held at Assam Agricultural Univeristy, Jorhat
Dr. Soibam Helena Devi, Assistant Professor, Dept of Plant Physiology, AAU, Jorhat has been awarded Prof. M. Udaykumar Memorial Young Scientist Award 2025 at 6th International conference on Plant Physiology 2025 (ICPP-2025), organized at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India during 15-18th December, 2025
Research & Extension Projects
20 Total Projects
Ongoing Projects (11)
Up-scaling of Livelihood : Implication through Smart Agriculture and Agri-eco-tourism”
“Establishment of climate resilient village in Tinglijan of Karbi Anglong district”, funded by G.B. Pant NIHE
“Detection of crop responses to elevated CO2 and temperature, drought, light and submergence stress using close-range hyperspectral, thermal imaging i
Tribal Sub Plan
Promotion of double cropping under rice based cropping system
All India coordinated Rice Improvement Project (AICRIP)
Development of varieties suitable for direct seeded condition of Assam
Improved mechanization in post-harvest to reduce losses and improve quality
Study of diversity of Rice in Karbiangang district of Assam : Implication for biodiversity and conservation under Chanfe climate condition
_page-0001.jpg)
· Total of 130 genotypes collected from various place of Karbialong, Dimahaso district of Assam and Nagaland for screening for high temperature tolerance
Out of 130 line was tested and grouping was done as per following criteria:Highly tolerant (HT): Plants survive >30 days; Moderately tolerant (MT), taken from the HT : Plants survived >25 days; Susceptible: Plants died at 20 days or less
Places HT MT Susceptible Total
Dima Hasao 1 6 2 9
Karbi Anglong 10 28 26 64
Nagaland 10 25 22 57
The magnitude of stress tolerance potential were tested in tolerant
genotype by comparing with control and
susceptible genotype ( Due to covid pendamic we and budget were not
able to tested all the tolerant genotypes only Maibee, Songhai, Dimrou,
Maihagona,Sokbijor,Inglongkiri,Mijupupung,Maizubiron, Mapoktruk, Maibee
tested in second year study .
· Tolerant genotypes had some degree of tolerance against elevated temperature and CO2 and this could be attributed to their higher photosynthesis, accumulation of NSC, growth performance, reduction of ROS,, water relation parameters, MSI, CSI, NR activity, osmotic adjustment, modification of morphological parameters.
- Tolerant genotypes could maintain almost normal physiological conditions less affecting yield and its related parameters The susceptible genotypes invariably reflected more metabolic de-arrangements in terms of the above mentioned parameters which ultimately affected the yield.
Note : Due to COVID pandemic and lack fund we are not able to conduct the third year experiment. May be in coming year when budget will available we will again revaidate data with more line .
Exploring rhizospeheric micrbiome (PGPR and AM Fungi) for regulating the expression of zinc transporter genes (ZRT) n rice to augment the zinc nutrition As CO.PI
Assam Agri-Business and Rural Transformation (APART)
Completed Projects (9)
Management of low temperature ---N.E. India
(PI/Co-PI/Associated Scientist : Dr. Prakash Kalita)
APART
(PI/Co-PI/Associated Scientist : Dr. Pradip Chandra Dey)
Understanding mechanisms of tolerance to low light intensity in rice
(PI/Co-PI/Associated Scientist : Dr. Bhagawan Bharali)
Development of Improved moisture stress tolerant variety in Indian Mustard through mutation breeding
Crop condition assessment under abiotic stress of some selected major crops of NER using remote sensing technique
Tapping of carbon dioxide in rice ecosystem through Azolla cultivation
APPLICATION OF CARBON SEQUESTRATION IN THE TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM OF ASSAM FOR LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY
Crop adaptation strategies and carbon sequestration for climate resilient agriculture in unutilized and degraded land if north-eastern region of India
Atmospheric deposition of Nitrogen and productivity of winter cereal crops in Northeast India.
(PI/Co-PI/Associated Scientist : Dr. Bhagawan Bharali)
Department Photo Gallery
1 Photos