Prof. Tusar Kanti Behera has over two decades of experience in horticultural research, having served as a Senior and Principal Scientist since 1998. Prior to joining ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru as Director, he led ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi for three years. His academic career includes professorship at IARI, New Delhi, where he guided numerous Ph.D. and M.Sc. students in vegetable science.
Research Accomplishments:
- Developed 26 varieties/hybrids of vegetables like cucumber, gourds, and brinjal.
- Registered 6 promising trait-specific breeding lines with NBPGR.
- Pioneered marker-assisted breeding, mapping key genes in cucumber and bitter gourd.
- Produced the first high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of Momordica balsamina.
- Authored over 125 research papers, 4 edited books, and 15 book chapters.
Awards & Recognitions:
- Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) (2015)
- Indian Academy of Horticultural Sciences (2011)
- Indian Society of Vegetable Science (2017)
- Indian Society of Genetic and Plant Breeding (2021).
- Dr. B.R. Barwale Award for Excellence in PGR (2022) by the Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources.
- Hari Krishna Shastri Memorial Award (2019) by IARI, New Delhi.
- Dr. Kirti Singh Gold Medal for Best Researcher in Vegetable Science (2016) by the Indian Academy of Horticultural Sciences.
- Best Teacher Award in Higher Education (2017) by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi.
- NAAS-Associate (2005) by NAAS, New Delhi.
- DBT-Associate (2006) by DBT, Govt. of India.
- Hooker Award (2010) by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi.
- Dr. Biswajit Chowdhary Memorial Award (2018) by the Indian Society of Vegetable Science, Varanasi.
Prof. Behera’s extensive research, leadership, and contributions to vegetable science continue to shape the future of horticulture in India.