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Publications

Journal Article Historical Article Ppublish

PubMed: 42411466 DOI: 10.1002/tpg2.70276

Revisiting the foundation era of plant genomics with a commentary on the pioneering contributions of Prof. Chittaranjan Kole.

Plant Genome 19(3):e70276

Authors: Madhugiri Nageswara-Rao, Sarita Pandey, Poulami Bhattacharjee, Dinesh Kumar Saini, Jaya R Soneji, Bashasab Fakrudin, Lohithaswa Hirenallur Chandappa, Amir Ali Khoddamzadeh, Daniel A Tucker, Jinfa Zhang, Shamseldeen Eltaher, Jauhar Ali, Robert Henry, Ilga Mercedes Porth, Aleksandra Radanović, Kiyosumi Hori, Maria Stefanie Dwiyanti, Ferdinando Branca, Shalini Tiwari, Matthew Blair, Yong Pyo Lim, Renate Horn, Olga Danilevskaya, Sunita Adhikari

Affiliations

  • USDA-ARS Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, Miami, Florida, USA.
  • School of Agriculture and Allied Sciences, The Neotia University, Sarisha, West Bengal, India.
  • Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
  • Bayer Crop Science, Chesterfield, Missouri, USA.
  • Department of Biotechnology and Crop Improvement, University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India.
  • Zonal Agricultural Research Station, GKVK, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
  • Department of Earth and Environment, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA.
  • School of Agriculture, Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, Tennessee, USA.
  • Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Sadat City, Sadat City, Egypt.
  • International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Philippines.
  • Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
  • Department of Wood Science and Forestry, Charles-Eugène-Marchand Pavilion, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada.
  • Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Novi Sad, Serbia.
  • Institute of Crop Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Japan.
  • Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
  • Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
  • Department of Biology, University of the Ozarks, Wilson Science Center, Clarksville, Arkansas, USA.
  • Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
  • Department of Smart Farming, Konyang University, Nonsan, South Korea.
  • Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Plant Genetics, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
  • DuPont Pioneer, Johnston, Iowa, USA.
  • Himalayan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology HICAST(PU), Kathmandu, Nepal.

Abstract

The evolution of plant genomics has been shaped by several pioneering milestones, beginning with the introduction of restriction fragment length polymorphism-based genetic linkage maps in the mid-1980s. Among the global contributors, Prof. Chittaranjan Kole stands as a distinguished figure whose work fundamentally shifted the trajectory of plant genomics and molecular breeding. This tribute highlights his scientific journey and groundbreaking contributions, from being the first Indian scientist to physically map and sequence a plant gene in barley to establishing the foundations of molecular cytogenetics, comparative genomics, and molecular evolution and phylogenetic relationships in plants. His landmark research on Brassica genomics, including high-resolution mapping, Mendelization of quantitative trait loci (QTLs), and innovative use of recombinant inbred lines, enabled unprecedented insights into trait evolution, stress biology, and genome homology between Brassica species and Arabidopsis. Prof. Kole's work on mapping genes and QTLs associated with flowering time, biotic stress resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, and genome evolution has provided a framework now integral to marker-assisted selection, genomic breeding, and climate-resilient crop development. This article offers a scholarly reflection on his pioneering contributions, establishing Prof. Kole as a founding architect of plant genomics research in India and one of its most influential contributors globally.

MeSH

Genes, Genomics, Breeding, Stress, Physiological, Genome, Work, Foundations, Research