Dr. J. Lydia Pramitha

Dr. J. Lydia Pramitha is a researcher in Genetics and Plant Breeding associated with the Centre for Plant Breeding & Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Her academic and research work focuses on plant breeding, crop improvement, genetic diversity, nutritional quality, abiotic stress tolerance, and climate-resilient traits. Her research contributions encompass rice, small millets, maize, sweet potato, and other crops, with emphasis on genetics, genomics, molecular breeding, and the improvement of nutritional and stress-tolerance traits.

Her research interests include genetic improvement and breeding, genomic approaches for crop improvement, climate-resilient agriculture, abiotic stress tolerance, nutritional quality, and genetic characterization of crop germplasm. She has completed and guided student research projects involving the nutritional diversity of rice landraces, yield traits and drought tolerance in little millet and rice, morphological and molecular characterization of sweet potato, nitrogen use efficiency in foxtail millet, and water use efficiency in foxtail millet. She has handled eight student research projects and has contributed extensively to research on small millets, maize, and climate-resilient crop improvement.

Dr. J. Lydia Pramitha has published 30 research and review articles, contributed 13 book chapters, and authored two books and one monograph. Her publications address small millets, climate resilience, genomics and phenomics, nutritional quality, phytic acid, abiotic stress tolerance, maize breeding, seed longevity, and genetic improvement. Her books include Small Millets: Exploring the Hidden Potential and a forthcoming Handbook of Crop Improvement in Kharif Crops. She has participated in 14 national conferences and seminars and 10 international seminars and conferences, presented 20 abstracts, delivered three guest lectures, conducted five trainings, and attended 13 workshops and training programmes.

Her academic achievements include the Best Oral Presentation Award at the National Conference on Maize for Resource Sustainability, Industrial Growth and Farmer’s Prosperity in 2022, Best Poster Awards at national and international conferences, the Young Scientist Award for contribution to biofortification in maize, the Best Outstanding Young Scientist Award for contribution to maize breeding, the Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Young Scientist Award, the NESA Junior Scientist Award, and the Research Assistance Merit Scholarship for Ph.D. performance from TNAU. She has also received the Dr. V. S. Subramaniam Gold Medal for excellence in Agricultural Extension. She is a life member of the Indian Society of Plant Breeders, Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Indian Science Congress Association, and National Environmental Science Academy, and has served as State Coordinator for the Publication Cell of the All India Agricultural Students Association and as an Editorial Board Member for Just Agriculture Magazine.