Plant proteomics in India and Nepal: current status and challenges ahead

Abstract

Plant proteomics has made tremendous contributions in understanding the complex processes of plant biology. Here, its current status in India and Nepal is discussed. Gelbased proteomics is predominantly utilized on crops and noncrops to analyze majorly abiotic (49 %) and biotic (18 %) stress, development (11 %) and post-translational modifications (7 %). Rice is the most explored system (36 %) with major focus on abiotic mainly dehydration (36 %) stress. In spite of expensive proteomics setup and scarcity of trained workforce, output in form of publications is encouraging. To boost plant proteomics in India and Nepal, researchers have discussed ground level issues among themselves and with the International Plant Proteomics Organization (INPPO) to act in priority on concerns like food security. Active collaboration may help in translating this knowledge to fruitful applications. Ground-level issues in agriculture, biodiversity and sustainabilityThe Green revolution of the sixties led agricultural practices in the Indian subcontinent to improve, and fulfil the everincreasing demand for plant-based foods. This was concomitant with the consumption of large doses of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides to sustain crop productivity. Despite the transformation of India into a "bread basket", a negative aspect of the then generally beneficial model, was the erosion of crop biodiversity through increasing industrialization of agriculture. This also gave rise to other ecological problems, such as decreasing soil fertility, chemical pollution of land and water resources, pesticide poisoning, and pest infestation due to growing pest resistance to pesticides. Agricultural crops or domesticated plants went through cycles of selections depending on needs and important traits. The traits kept changing as per the demands of particular eco-geography and/or demography, while the cycle of selection continued with limited number of genotypes in particular crop species. This practice resulted in a narrow primary or secondary gene pool of crop plants and their related species causing breeding depression, low polymorphism, and allied problems. Therefore, harnessing the available diversity only within crossable genotypes and/or species now limits conventional breeding. In fact, agriculture on the Indian subcontinent is once again at the crossroads. Further development of sustainable solutions will require deeper understanding of traits at molecular level that are critical in exploring and exploiting the existing molecular diversity in native plants. Molecular understanding of fertility barriers would be equally critical to utilize the well characterized, wider germplasm collections readily available for cereal crops.Managing biotic and abiotic stresses in crop production remains a huge challenge. This is compounded with the perpetually rising numbers of pests and pathogens due to changing climate and pest/pathogen adaptation to chemicals. Harnessing the existing biodiversity in crop plants using their proximate specie...

First Systematic Plant Proteomics Workshop in Botany Department, University of Delhi: Transferring Proteomics Knowledge to Next‐generation Researchers and Students

“…Workshop was organized under leadership of Dr. Renu Deswal along with her research students of the Department of Botany (University of Delhi, India) under India‐Nepal Plant Proteomics Chapter (http://www.inppo.com/Indo-Nepallogo.jsp) of INPPO . Selected participants included 10 research scholars and 10 teachers.…”

10 Standard abbreviations

“…The first chapter established formally was the INPPO-India-Nepal. In this context, an article has been published on the current situation (issues, resources, people, and research) in India and Nepal [5]. Five other chapters (INPPO-China, INPPO-Japan, INPPO-South Africa, INPPO-South Korea, and INPPO-Thailand) are in the pipeline.…”

INPPO Actions and Recognition as a Driving Force for Progress in Plant Proteomics: Change of Guard, INPPO Update, and Upcoming Activities

“…The first chapter established formally was the INPPO‐India‐Nepal. In this context, an article has been published on the current situation (issues, resources, people, and research) in India and Nepal . Five other chapters (INPPO‐China, INPPO‐Japan, INPPO‐South Africa, INPPO‐South Korea, and INPPO‐Thailand) are in the pipeline.…”