Address:  Room No. F-14, Horticulture Science

                                                                ICAR - CCARI,               

                                                                Old Goa 403 402

                                                                Email:  theivanaiccari@gmail.com

 

 

Academic background:

Ph.D.  - ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi (2023)

M.Sc. - Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Horticultural College& Research Institute, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (2016)

B.Sc.  - Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Horticultural College& Research Institute, Periyakulam, Tamil Nadu (2014)

 

Research interests and current focus

 

• Crop production, improvement and management of perennial horticultural crops

• Modern propagation techniques for clean planting material production in fruit crops

Membership in professional societies            

1. Indian Academy of Horticultural Science (IAHS)

2. Indian Society of Horticultural Research and Development (ISHRD)

3. Indian Society for Arid Horticulture (ISAH)

Awards and Honours

1. 2024- Budding Scientist Award by ISHRD, Uttarakhand, India.

2. 2024- IARI Ph.D merit medal - Selected and contested from the discipline of Fruit Science,ICAR-IARI, New Delhi.

3. 2024- Best Oral Presentation Award by Progressive Horticulture Conclave 2024

4. 2023- Best Oral Presentation Award by Progressive Horticulture Conclave 2023

5. 2019- Best Oral PresentationAward in National Seminar at CAF, Jhalawar, Rajasthan

6. 2018- Best Poster PaperAward by Indian Society for Arid Horticulture

7. 2018- Best Oral PresentationAward by Indian Society for Arid Horticulture

8. 2017- IARI Senior Research Fellowship by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi.

Research Publications

Journals

• Theivanai M., Awasthi O. P., Hussain Z. andShukoor A.2025. Hormone autotrophy and habituation-mediated culture technique on embryogenic stability, synchrony, and somaclonal variation in Kinnow mandarin.In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology-Plant, 1-14.(NAAS ratings 8.20).

• Theivanai M., Awasthi O. P., Singh B. and Rudra S. G. 2024. In vitro mutagenesis using habituation and PBR autotrophy based indirect somatic embryogenesis (ISE) system in Kinnow mandarin. Physiology and Molecular Biology-Plants, 30(8): 1297-1312. (NAAS ratings 9.40).

• Theivanai M., Awasthi O. P., Bharadwaj C. and Shankar K. 2024. The EMS induced in vitro mutagenesis for solid mutant induction and validation of mutants using morphological and molecular tools in Kinnow mandarin. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 94 (6): 644–649. (NAAS ratings 6.30)

• TheivanaiM., Awasthi O. P., Singh S. K., Chawla G., Solanke A. U., Kumar S. and Jha G.K. 2023. Molecular and histological validation of modified in ovulo nucellus culture based high competency direct somatic embryogenesis and amplitude true-to-the-type plantlet recovery in Kinnow mandarin. Frontiers in Plant Science. 14: 1- 17. Published, (NAAS ratings 10.10)

• Theivanai M., Awasthi O.P., Singh S.K., Dubey A.K. and Kanika K. 2022. Modified protocol to overcome in vitro recalcitrance of premature micro-shoots abscission by silver supplementation in Kinnow mandarin (Citrus nobilis L. × Citrus deliciosa T.).Indian Journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics. 59(6): 687-695. (NAAS ratings 7.50).

• Theivanai M., Kavitha C., Ganga M. and Hemaprabha K. 2020.  Standardization of micropropagation protocol for grape rootstock Dog Ridge. Indian Journal of Horticulture, 77(4): 590-596. (NAAS ratings 4.00)

• Theivanai M., Awasthi O. P., Prusty R. and Pandey R. K. 2020. CRISPR/Cas: A modern fruit breeding tool. Progressive Horticulture, 52(2): 213-219. (NAAS ratings 4.90)

• Shankar K., Awasthi O. P., Saha S., Prakash J., Pandey R., Theivanai M. andDolatabadian, A. 2024. Unravelling metabolomics and antioxidant potential of sweet orange cultivar Pusa Sharad grafted on various citrus rootstocks under sodium chloride stress. Plant Stress, 14, 100562. (NAAS ratings 12.80

• Singh K., Awasthi O. P., Dubey A. K., Sharma V. K., Sharma R. M., Kumar S. and Theivanai M. 2022. Effect of gamma irradiation on tree growth and leaf nutrient composition of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) cv. Mosambi. Indian Journal of Horticulture, 79(1): 23-29. (NAAS ratings  4.00)

Book Chapters

 

• Awasthi O. P., Theivanai M.  2025. Fruit industry: Livelihood options for Ladakh, opportunities and challenges. In: Training manual on “Technical Education and Skill development Through Practical Training in Horticulture (Fruit Science) for ITI’s of UT Ladakh”. Awasthi O. P., Kumar C.,  Sharma N. and Thakre M. (eds). Division of Fruits and Horticultural Technology, ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. pp. 1-5.

• Awasthi O. P., Theivanai M., Shankar K. and Devachandra N. 2024. Advances in rootstock research of fruit crops. In:  Frontiers in Horticultural Technologies. Dwivedi S. K., Srivastava R. and Singh S. S. (eds). Daya, Astral, New Delhi, India. pp. 23-35.

• Awasthi O. P. and Theivanai M. 2023.In vitro mutagenesis in fruit crops: Basic steps and achievements. In: Next generation molecular tools for accelerating the breeding efficiency in horticultural crops – A training manual. Goswami, A.K., Kumar N., Goswami S., Kumar C., Vinutha T. and Awasthi O.P. (eds.). ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. pp. 136-139.

• Theivanai M., Thulasinathan, Mahalle M., Sareen B., Mithra S.V.A. and Solanke A.U. 2022. Development of genetic fidelity testing protocol for citrus plants. In: Solanke A.U. and Mithra S.V.A. (Eds.) Training manual on genetic fidelity testing of tissue culture-raised plants under NCS-TCP. ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi. pp. 85-86.

• Awasthi O. P. and Theivanai, M. 2022. Mutagenesis in fruit crops. Delivered by the first author. In: National Seminar on Fruit production in Eastern Tropical Region of India: Challenges and Opportunities organized by Central Horticultural Experiment Station (ICAR-IIHR), Bhubaneswar, Odisha in collaboration with Society for Promotion of Horticulture (ICAR-IIHR), Bengaluru. pp. 36-42.

• Theivanai M., Kumar S., Singh K. and Prusty R. 2019.In vitro mutagenesis in fruit crops. In: National seminar – Technological Advancement in horticulture for 21^st century organized by College of Horticulture and Forestry, Jhalawar, Rajasthan, Agriculture University, Kota. pp 185-189.

Others

• Theivanai M., Awasthi O. P., Shukoor A. and Rai A. 2024. Tissue culture based clean planting material: A niche and profitable venture. Indian Horticulture. 69 (3): 22-24.