Avtar Handa

Title:

Professor

PhD Granting Institution:

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai

Contact:

Email Address: ahanda@purdue.edu
Office Phone: 765-494-1339

Primary Training Group:

Plant Biology

Current Projects:

Significant decrease in crop productivity results from high temperature stress and inability to control senescence processes during postharvest storage of fruit and vegetable crops. The Goal of research is to characterize the molecular mechanisms, including identifying genes, which regulate biological processes in crops that effect agronomical performance, postharvest quality and shelf life and yield of processed products made from fruit crops. Among the projects being perused include: 1) Signal transduction pathways by which polyamines regulates various plant growth and developmental processes including levels of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins in plant tissues; 2) Functions of protein chaperon in regulating stress responses, especially to heat stress, during plant growth and development effecting crop yield and biomass accumulation; and 3) Biochemical mechanisms that regulate fruit shelf-life, texture, ripening and processing quality. Approach: Transgenic genetics, Biochemistry and physiology, Molecular biology, Cell biology