Molecular Breeding, Wheat Breeding

Dr. Raju Ram Choudhary (born on 18 June 1995) is a plant breeder and molecular geneticist currently working at SKN Agriculture University, Jobner, Rajasthan. He obtained his Ph.D. (2023) and M.Sc. (2019) in Genetics and Plant Breeding from CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, and his B.Sc. (Agriculture) from College of Agriculture Kumher, Bharatpur (SKNAU, Jobner). Dr. Choudhary is a CSIR-JRF (AIR-20) and ICAR-SRF awardee and has been recognized with several honors including the Best PhD Thesis Award at the 5th National Brassica Conference and multiple Best Poster Presentation Awards at national and international forums.

His research focuses on wheat and mustard improvement, particularly on breeding for abiotic stress tolerance (terminal heat, drought, salinity), heterosis and CMS-based hybrid breeding, and molecular breeding using SSR markers, association mapping, and population structure analysis. His doctoral research led to the identification of heat-tolerant genotypes and stress-specific QTLs in Indian mustard, contributing to climate-resilient crop breeding. Dr. Choudhary has published extensively in high-impact journals such as Plant Molecular Biology Reporter, Frontiers in Plant Science, Genes, Plants, Pathogens, and European Journal of Plant Pathology. He has rich experience in field experimentation, hybrid development, breeder seed production, stress screening, and molecular and statistical data analysis.

He has actively participated in numerous national and international conferences, workshops, and advanced training programs, including an international hands-on training on Genome Editing for Crop Improvement. His work is dedicated to strengthening food and nutritional security through genetic improvement of field crops under changing climate scenarios.