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Dr. Alla Singh

Designation: Scientist Sr.Scale (Ag. Biotechnology)

Qualification: • M.Sc. (Biotechnology) from University of Mysore, Karnataka. • Ph.D. in Life Sciences from National Institute of Immunology, affiliated to Jawahar Lal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Address: ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, PAU Campus. Ludhiana 141 004 (INDIA)

Email: alla.singh@icar.gov.in/allasingh.iimr@gmail.com

Mobile: +91 9971846875

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Work experience:

• Scientist (Agricultural Biotechnology), ICAR – Indian Institute of Maize Research, PAU Campus, Ludhiana 141 004 (India) from April 11, 2016 – to date

 Area of interest:

• To understand molecular mechanisms regulating nutritious maize, including Quality Protein Maize, waxy and low-phytate maize, to prioritize gene targets for genome editing.
• To work on enabling technologies for linking maize products to market, including rapid detection of metabolites.
• To optimize Biomass transformation technologies, utilization of corn lignocellulose for bioethanol.
• To understand molecular mechanism of physiological processes like heterosis, stress memory and stress response, for integration of desirable traits in breeding programmes.

 Most significant achievements (in last five years):

• Developed technology for rapid differentiation of normal maize from Quality Protein Maize, to link QPM with market.
• Prioritized gene editing targets for low phytate in maize, with minimal pleiotropic effects.
• In silico analysis of the likely strategies that can be utilized by Mycobacterium tuberculosis to survive under low pH conditions of maize silage.

 Publications in last five years:

 Research papers 

• Sethi M, Singh A, Kaur H, Phagna RK, Rakshit S, Chaudhary DP. Expression profile of protein fractions in the developing kernel of normal, Opaque-2 and quality protein maize. Scientific reports. (2021) 11(1):1-9
•  Singh A, Karjagi C, Rakshit S. Minimally altering a critical kinase for low-phytate maize. Sci Rep. (2020) 10(1): 6324

• Singh A, Karjagi C, Kumar R, Chaudhary DP, Rakshit S. In-silico characterization of cadmium stress response-associated Abc1-likr protein and its homologues in maize (Zea mays). Ind. J. Agri. Sc. (2020) 90(9): 1685-9.
• Singh A, Chaudhary DP, Kumar R, Rakshit S. Acetate utilization pathways in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a potential pathogen in maize silage. Maize Journa.l (2019) 8(2): 54-58.
• Singh A, Chaudhary DP, Kumar R, Rakshit S. Analysis of granule-associated Starch branching enzyme IIb, involved in amylose extender mutation of maize. Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding. (2019) 10(4):1581-1585

• Sethi M, Kumar S, Singh A & Chaudhary, D.P. 2019. Temporal profiling of essential amino acids in developing maize kernel of normal, opaque-2 and QPM germplasm. Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-019-00724-x
• Singh A, Batra JK. Insight into the functional role of unique determinants in RNA component of RNase P of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Int J Biol Macromol. (2018) 119:937-944.
• Singh A, Ubaid-Ullah S, Batra JK. Functional role of putative critical residues in Mycobacterium tuberculosis RNase P protein. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. (2016);78:141-8.
• Singh A, Ubaid-ullah S, Ramteke AK, Batra JK. Influence of Conformation of tuberculosis RNase P Protein Subunit on Its Function. PLoS One. (2016) 18;11(4):e0153798. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153798.
• Singh A, Ramteke AK, Afroz T, Batra JK. Insight into the role of histidine in RNR motif of protein component of RNase P of tuberculosis in catalysis. IUBMB Life. (2016); 68(3):178-89.

Review/Popular articles

• Das AK, Choudhary M, Kumar P, Karjagi CG, KR Y, Kumar R, Singh A, Kumar S, Rakshit S. Heterosis in Genomic Era: Advances in the Molecular Understanding and Techniques for Rapid Exploitation. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences. (2021) 4;40(3):218-42.
• Choudhary M, Singh A, Rakshit S. Coping with low moisture stress: Remembering and responding. Physiologia Plantarum. 2021;172(2):1162-9.
• Kumar K, Gambhir G, Dass A, Tripathi AK, Singh A, Jha AK, Yadava P, Choudhary M, Rakshit S. Genetically modified crops: current status and future prospects. Planta. (2020) 251(4):1-27.
• Choudhary M, Singh A, Gupta M, Rakshit S. Enabling technologies for utilization of maize as a bioenergy feedstock. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. (2020) 14(2):402-16.

Book chapters  

• Alla Singh, Mehak Sethi, Diksha Verma, Ritu Naliath, Dharam Paul Chaudhary. Benefits and Biohazards of Microbial Recombinants. In Microbial Diversity, Interventions and Scope 2020 (pp. 123-134). Springer, Singapore.
• Pranjal Yadava, Alla Singh, Krishan Kumar, Ishwar Singh. Plant senescence and agriculture. Senescence Signalling and Control in Plants. 2019 Jan 1:283-302.
• Alla Singh, Ramesh Kumar, Vishal Singh and Yogesh Vikal. Agricultural Sustainability: Biotechnological Perspectives. In Birendra Kumar and Rajbir Singh (Ed.), Sustainable Agriculture for food security: Concept and Approaches (pp. 107-117). Astral publishing House, New Delhi. ISBN: 978-81-7622-4116.
• Ramesh Kumar, Vishal Singh, Ganapati Mukri, Alla Singh, Mukesh Choudhary and Sunil Neelam (2017). Agricultural sustainability through plant breeding. In Birendra Kumar and Rajbir Singh (Ed.), Sustainable Agriculture for food security: Concept and Approaches (pp. 139-147). Astral publishing House, New Delhi. ISBN: 978-81-7622-4116.
• Krishan Kumar, Mamta Gupta, Alla Singh, Chetana Aggarwal, Mukesh Choudhary, Ishwar Singh and Pranjal Yadava. Frontier technologies in maize improvement. In Maize Research in India: Retrospect and Prospect. Pp 411-420. 2017. ISBN No. 978-81-928624-2-2.
• Vishal Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, Alla Singh, Pravin Kumar Bagaria, Mamta Gupta, Bhupender Kumar, Chikkappa J. Karjagi, Shankar Lal Jat, Vinay Mahajan and Pardeep Kumar. In Maize Research in India: Retrospect and Prospect. Pp 411-420. 2017. ISBN No. 978-81-928624-2-2.Improvement of industrially important traits in maize.  ISBN No. 978-81-928624-2-2.

Technical Bulletins

• उत्तर प्रदेश के लिए मक्का उत्पादन तकनीकियां (IIMR Publication No. 2019/05) मुकेश चौधरी, आला सिंह, एस. डी. बम्बोरिया, एस. एल. जाट, जे. पी. शाही, बी. एस. जाट, डीप मोहन महला, भारत भूषण, प्रदीप कुमार और सुजय रक्षित
• Suby SB, Lakshmi Soujanya P, MLK Reddy, Jawala Jindal, Maha Singh, Sushant Mahadik, Puttaram Naik, Ravi Kesavan, JC Sekhar, Dharam Paul, Alla Singh and Sujay Rakshit. Identification and management of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) [in Punjabi language]. (2019) Published by: ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana.
• S.D. Bamboriya, Mukesh Choudhary, Alla Singh, SL Jat and Sujay Rakshit. Maize production for food, feed and fodder. IIMR Technical Bulletin (2020). Published by: ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana.

Significant recognition:

• Awarded an Extra Mural Project ‘Rapid Detection of Quality Protein Maize for Increased Farmer Remuneration’ by DST Scheme for Young Scientists and Technologists (SYST) in 2018.
• Keynote Presentation on “Appraisal of maize as a nutraceutical: Prospects and Challenges” at the International E- Conference on Nutrition and Food Science during December 09-10, 2020
• Best Scientist Award of ICAR-IIMR for contribution in research and institutional activities for the years 2018 and 2020.
• Best Poster Award for work: Identification of opaque2 Transcription Factor residues for gene editing towards maize nutrition. Presented in: Life Sciences Symposium on Frontiers in Sustainable Agriculture, held at DAE Convention Centre, 26-28 April 2018.