Department of Plant Sciences · Deccan Institute of Science
Seeds of resilience
We find the genes that help plants survive heat and drought, and breed them into rice and millet.
Herbarium of the Rao Lab
- Det.
- Prof. Ananya Rao
- Locality
- Department of Plant Sciences, Deccan Institute of Science
- Collectors
- 13 members
- No.
- 18 papers since 2021
We are geneticists, breeders and field biologists. We search wild relatives and traditional varieties for the genes that let plants survive heat, drought and salt, and bring them into the crops farmers grow.
We work from the molecule to the field, and our seeds, genomes and data are shared openly.
Research
All research
No. 01Heat-tolerant riceGenes from traditional varieties that keep rice flowering in a heatwave.
No. 02Drought and rootsHow root architecture helps millet find water deep in the soil.
No. 03Pangenomes of wild relativesReading the genomes of 300 wild plants for useful genes.
No. 04Breeding with farmersField trials with farming communities, so new varieties are tested where they will be grown.
Lab lineage
Everyone
Prof. Ananya RaoProfessor of Plant GeneticsScientists & postdocs
Staff
Alumni, now
- Dr. Tomás Herrera — Assistant Professor, University of Chile
- Dr. Aisha Bello — Scientist, a seed company in Bengaluru
- Dr. Vikram Shah — Postdoc, Stanford University
We’re recruiting
PhD positions in crop genetics · Postdoctoral researcher: pangenomics · Summer research internships
Funding & affiliations
- National Research Foundation
- Climate-Resilient Agriculture Mission
- Deccan Institute of Science
- Open Seed Consortium
- Food Security Fund