Can you describe your previous research interest briefly?

I started my work within plant science at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology/Jena University, Jena, Germany as a PhD student. I chose this institute since they are specialized in plant-insect/pathogen studies. I mainly investigated the various molecular mechanisms that plant employ in defending themselves against insects and pathogen. The highlight of my research was the importance of plant hormones in regulating defense responses in plants. I learnt that plants have a unique ability to orchestrate defense responses by modulating the timely production of phytohoromones.

The experience and the results I gained in Germany, prompted me to take up more challenging work in plant-pathogen interactions and as a result I ended in Denmark at the department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, LIFE, University of Copenhagen. Currently, I am investigating the impact of various climatic factors on plants-pathogen interactions.

What motivated you to study volatile organic compounds in plants?

When I was in India, I used to read research articles which highlighted the novel findings in plant biology. One research article, in particular, published by Gen Arimura and co authors (Nature journal) on plants using scents as defense compounds strongly motivated me to take up plant research seriously.

Why do you find plant-insect/pathogen interaction studies so interesting?

Plants are amazing and fun to work with. In nature, there are many insect predators which can prey on insects that are predominantly feeding on the plants. Now plants use this system very well for its own use. Plants like wild tobacco, when attacked by larvae, alert natural insect predators about their potential prey by releasing volatile organic compounds in the air. Natural predators can smell plant-released volatile organic compounds and make their way towards the plant to find their prey. In this project, I investigated the molecular mechanism by which wild tobacco plants can sense feeding insects, produce and release volatile organic compounds. We highlighted the importance of two plant hormones and a regulatory protein in coordinating the production volatile organic compounds.

They seem to possess an inherent ability to resist specific insects and pathogen in nature effectively. Plants do this in various ways: they can produce secondary metabolites which can slow down the insect feeding, alert predators in nature to feed on the insects, or even initiate localized cell death to starve the advancing pathogen. But on the other hand, pathogen/insects are also capable of suppressing plant defenses. So plants and pathogens are constantly engaged in an ‘arms race’ for superiority. As a plant biologist, I relish the challenge of understanding how the system works at a molecular level. These interaction, are very complex and dynamic and that is exactly what makes plan-pathogen/insect interaction studies so interesting.

Do you feel that current research progress on plant-insect/pathogen interactions can be used in crop improvement?

The amount of knowledge generated in the field of plant-pathogen/insect interactions in really robust. I feel we are attaining clarity in understanding many important aspects of plant associated with pathogen and insect resistance. However, there are major challenges in transferring the knowledge from lab-land which still remains to be resolved. For instance, many of the published research work on plant-insect/pathogen interactions are conducted under lab conditions but not under natural conditions. I guess we need to test any interaction under natural conditions to understand how various naturally prevalent factors can influence plant-insect/pathogen interactions. I feel this as an important step before we start applying the knowledge gained in lab towards crop improvement.

What are your interests other than research?

I usually spend a lot of time when I am out of lab with my family. Other than that I do spend a lot of time watching sports. Cricket and soccer are my favorite games. I love wildlife and travel places to get a glimpse of exotic animals. I am also very much interested in theatre and cultural activities.

Do you speak any European languages?

I speak basic German. I found many words in German having similarity with an ancient Indian language called Sanskrit. I tried to learn French, but it was really hard for me and I gave up. I guess Latin based languages are a bit harder for me to learn. Now that I am in Denmark, I am keen in learning Danish during my spare time. My son is learning Danish at school and I guess he can be my teacher as well.

Growing up in India, how do you cope with the weather in Denmark?

Not too bad, actually. I really enjoy winther, when it snows.