Dr. Rajashekara H

Dr. Rajashekara H. is a Plant Pathologist specializing in the diagnosis, molecular characterization and integrated management of plant diseases. His current research focuses on identifying pathogens associated with cashew, understanding disease epidemiology, and developing sustainable disease management strategies to improve crop health and productivity.

Prior to joining ICAR–Directorate of Cashew Research, he served at ICAR-VPKAS, Almora, where his research primarily focused on blast disease of rice and finger millet. He characterized races of Magnaporthe oryzae from the North-Western Himalayan region, developed an efficient spore-drop isolation technique, improved pathogen sporulation methods, and identified effective blast resistance genes for deployment in breeding programmes.

His research also contributed to the identification of blast-resistant rice germplasm registered with NBPGR and the development of several disease-resistant rice, finger millet and maize varieties. He has extensive experience in molecular diagnostics, pathogen characterization and integrated disease management for economically important crop diseases.

At ICAR-DCR, he is actively involved in developing integrated disease management strategies for cashew, investigating the role of the plant microbiome in enhancing productivity, and strengthening disease surveillance through advanced molecular diagnostic approaches.