Dr. Vignesh Mohanavel | Plant Biotechnology | Young Scientist Award

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India

Dr. Vignesh Mohanavel is a dedicated researcher in the Department of Plant Biotechnology at the Centre for Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore. His research interests span plant molecular biology, genetic engineering, and crop improvement for sustainable agriculture. He has contributed to several peer-reviewed publications and actively engages in collaborative research projects at the national and international levels. Dr. Mohanavel holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology and is committed to advancing innovative solutions in plant science.

Profile:

• Google Scholar 

Academic Qualifications:

Dr. Vignesh Mohanavel holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology, awarded in 2023 by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. He earned his Master of Science in Agricultural Biotechnology (M.Sc. Ag.) from Annamalai University, Chidambaram in 2018. Prior to that, he completed his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (B.Sc. Agri.) from the same institution in 2016.

Research Experience:

• Ph.D. Dissertation: “Developing multiple stress tolerant rice genotypes through marker assisted breeding”
  Supervisor: Dr. M. Raveendran, Director of Research, TNAU, Coimbatore.

• PG Dissertation: “Screening of salinity tolerance in indigenous rice through morphological and molecular characters”
  Supervisor: Dr. S. Murugan, Professor & Head, GPB, Annamalai University.

• Senior Research Fellow (Oct 2023 – Present):
  Project: “Biostimulants Efficacy Testing Structure”
  Funded by: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA
  Supervisor: Dr. M. Raveendran, TNAU, Coimbatore.

Areas of Expertise:

• Molecular breeding and marker-assisted selection in rice

• Genetic diversity analysis using molecular markers

• Advanced molecular techniques: DNA/RNA isolation, PCR, cloning, SDS-PAGE, etc.

• Evaluation of biotic (BPH, BLB, Blast) and abiotic (drought, salinity, submergence) stress tolerance

• Bioinformatics, GWAS, haplotype analysis, metabolomics and proteomics

• Proficiency in HPLC, GC-MS, LC-MS, MALDI-TOF, and 2D protein profiling

Awards and Honors:

• Best Poster Presentation – Annamalai University (2018)

• Best Poster Presentation – National Seminar, TNAU (2024 & 2025)

• Young Researcher Award – Institute of Scholars (InSc), 2024

• Sustainable Agriculture Award – Vigyan Varta Excellence Awards 2024–25

• Young Scientist Award – Vigyan Varta Foundation & Omm Shanti Narayan Trust (2024–25)

• Best Researcher Award in Plant Biotechnology – 2025
  Young Scientist Awards

Professional Memberships:

• Life Member – The Asia Society of Researchers (ASR)

• Life Member – Madras Agricultural Students Union – TNAU

• Postdoctoral Member – American Society for Microbiology

• Life Member – Institute of Scholars (InSc)

• Member – The Young European Biotech Network (YEBN)

Research Publications:

Authored and co-authored over 20+ peer-reviewed research articles published in high-impact journals such as:

• Frontiers in Plant Science

• Biotechnology Reports

• Agriculture (MDPI)

• Plant Physiology Reports

• Indian Journal of Agricultural Research

• Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding

(See complete list above or request separately in journal-wise/table format)

Popular Science Articles:

Published multiple science outreach articles in AgriGate – An International Multidisciplinary e-Magazine (2024–25) on gene pyramiding, drought resilience, and sustainable agriculture.

Book Chapters:

• Current Trends in Agriculture & Allied Sciences, SP Publishing, 2025

• Springer (Accepted): Microarray Analysis for Plant Stress Response

• Topics: Genetic Engineering, Molecular Markers, Crop Improvement

Seminar & Conference Presentations:

• Oral and poster presentations at national and international conferences on plant stress tolerance, GM foods, and rice genomics.

• Participated in Corteva Plant Science Symposium (2019), Bioconcorrenza, and NABS International Conference.

Short Courses & Workshops:

• Genomics of Abiotic Stress – TNAU & USIEF (2022)

• AI in Agriculture (Udemy) – 2025

• Nanomaterials in Biotechnology – NIT Jalandhar (2025)

• HPLC in Metabolomics, GWAS Hands-on Training, and others at TNAU

Webinars Attended:

Actively participated in 15+ international webinars on topics such as:

• CRISPR-Cas, Genome editing, Chickpea improvement, Underutilized crops

• Scientific writing (Editage), Climate resilience in rice, and Genomics & Bioinformatics (Bioingene, IARI, ICAR)

Abstracts Published:

Abstracts published in the proceedings of major events such as:

• National Science Day 2025 – TNAU

• NABS International Conference 2021

• UGC-SAP National Seminars – 2017 & 2018

• Multi-Omics Conference 2024 – TNAU

Citation Metrics (as per Google Scholar):

Total Citations: 89
Citations since 2020: 85
h-index: 6
i10-index: 2

Publication Top Notes:

1. Marker-Assisted Pyramiding of Major Brown Plant Hopper Resistance Genes in an Elite Culture CBMAS14065
   Vignesh M., Valarmathi M., Rakshana P., Bharathi A., Dilip K.R., Sudha M., …
   Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding, 14(1), 1–8 (2023)

2. Evaluation of Black Gram Genotypes for Saline Tolerance at Seedling Stage
   Priyadharshini B., Vignesh M., Prakash M., Anandan R.
   Indian Journal of Agricultural Research, 53(1), 83–87 (2019)

3. Marker-Assisted Breeding Accelerates the Development of Multiple-Stress-Tolerant Rice Genotypes Adapted to Wider Environments
   Mohanavel V., Muthu V., Kambale R., Palaniswamy R., Seeli P., Ayyenar B., …
   Frontiers in Plant Science, 15, 1402368 (2024)

4. Relationship Between Biometric and Biophysical Parameters With Yield in Traditional Rice Varieties in Coastal Saline Belts of Tamil Nadu
   Prakash M., Vignesh M.
   Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge (IJTK), 18(4), 805–817 (2019)

5. Developing Early Morning Flowering Version of Rice Variety CO 51 to Mitigate Heat-Induced Yield Loss
   Ayyenar B., Kambale R., Duraialagaraja S., Manickam S., Mohanavel V., …
   Agriculture (MDPI), 13(3), 553 (2023)

6. Haplotype and Diversity Analysis of Indigenous Rice for Salinity Tolerance in Early-Stage Seedling Using Simple Sequence Repeat Markers
   Mohanavel V., Yesudhas A.S., Sharma A., Ramasamy A., Samy P.M.A., …
   Biotechnology Reports, 31, e00666 (2021)

7. Comparison of Methods for Genomic DNA Extraction Suitable for Whole-Genome Genotyping in Traditional Varieties of Rice
   Priyadharshini B., Vignesh M., Prakash M., Anandan R.
   Agricultural Science Digest, 39(3), 228–231 (2019)

8. Estimation of Morphological and Molecular Genetic Diversity in Blackgram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] Under YMV Hotspot Regime
   Jeevitha S., Karthikeyan R., Vignesh M., Malarkodi A., Tirumalai R., Nainu A.J., …
   Horticultural Biotechnology Research (1970)

9. Genetic Improvement of Drought Tolerance in a Mega-Rice Variety Improved White Ponni Through Marker-Assisted Backcross Breeding
   Seeli F.D.P., Manoharan M., Ayyenar B., Kambale R., Mohanavel V., …
   Agriculture (MDPI), 14(3), 431 (2024)

10. Harnessing Parent-Offspring Regression Analysis to Develop High-Yielding Submergence Tolerant Lines of Oryza sativa L.
    Viswabharathy S., Thulasinathan T., Subburaj S., Seeli F.D.P., Ayyenar B., …
    Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding, 14(2), 675–686 (2023)

11. Comparative Investigation of DNA Extraction Methods in Black Gram Vigna mungo (L.)
    Prakash M., Priyadharshini B., Vignesh M., Anandan R.
    Indian Journal of Agricultural Research, 53(6), 749–752 (2019)

12. Multivariate Analysis of Sesame Genotypes Under Saline Stress
    Priyadharshini B., Prakash M., Vignesh M., Murugan S., Anandan R.
    Indian Journal of Agricultural Research, 52(6), 708–711 (2018)

13. Pilot Scale Genome-Wide Association Mapping Identified Novel Loci for Grain Yield Traits in Rice
    Sundaramoorthy M., Ramasamy S.P., Rajagopalan V.R., Ramalingam A.P., …
    Plant Physiology Reports, 27(1), 11–21 (2022)

14. Mining of Candidate Novel Alleles Using GWAS and Haplotype Identification for Rice Blast Resistance
    Mohanavel V., Ramalingam A.P., Ayyenar B., Rajagopalan V.R., …
    Plant Pathology, 74(3), 873–883 (2025)

15. Identifying Molecular Targets for Modulating Carotenoid Accumulation in Rice Grains
    Palaniswamy R., Kambale R., Mohanavel V., Rajagopalan V.R., Manickam S., …
    Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports, 40, 101815 (2024)

16. CRISPR/Cas9 Mutagenesis Generated Elite Alleles of a Novel Yield Gene An-1 Leading to Increased Grain Number in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
    Ramasamy S.P., Rathnasamy S.A., Manickam S., Rajagopalan V., Mohanavel V., …
    Current Plant Biology, 100511 (2025)

17. Surveying Allelic Diversity of ONAC129 in Aus Rice Germplasm
    Muthurajan R., Rajagopalan V.R., Kambale R., Ayyenar B., Mohanavel V. (2021)

18. Genetic Engineering for Crop Improvement, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics
    Mohanavel V., Ravi A., Sakthivel V., Palaniswamy R., Ramasamy S.P. (Book Chapter)

19. Startup Savvy: Low-Cost Alternative for Tissue Culture Innovations
    Mohanavel V., Manickam S. (Book Chapter)