Somashekhar Punnuri, Ph.D.

SOMASHEKHAR PUNNURI

Research Professional

1005 State University Drive

120 Stallworth Building

Fort Valley, GA 31093

Phone: 478-825-6519

Fax: 478-827-3023

Email: punnuris@fvsu.edu

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Plant Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 2011

M.Sc. (Agriculture, Plant Biotech), Institute of Agri-Biotech, Univ of Agri Sc, Dharwad, Karnataka, India, 2004

B.Sc. (Agriculture), Univ of Agricultural Science, Dharwad, Karnataka, India, 2001

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Research Professional at Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, GA since May 2012.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research interests are focused on physiological improvement through the genetics and genomics of cereal crops and biofuel crops. I am currently screening for leaf spot disease resistance in pearl millet using marker-assisted selection. My research areas also include development of insect and disease resistance varieties in crops with emphasis on the use of host-pant resistance through recently evolved genomics-assisted breeding and genomic selection.

PUBLICATIONS

1. Punnuri, S. M., J. G. Wallace, J. E. Knoll, K. E. Hyma, S. E. Mitchell, E. S. Buckler, R. K. Varshney, and B. P. Singh. 2016. Development of a High-Density Linkage Map and Tagging Leaf Spot Resistance in Pearl Millet Using Genotyping-by-Sequencing Markers. Plant Genome 9. doi:10.3835/plantgenome2015.10.0106


2. Punnuri S and Singh BP (2013) Chapter 18: Oil Palm In: Bharat P. Singh (ed.) Biofuel Crops: Production, Physiology and Genetics of biofuel crops. CABI, London, UK. pp-392-414 (Book Chapter)


3. Punnuri S, Huang Y, Steets J, Wu Y (2013) Developing new markers and QTL mapping for greenbug resistance in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Euphytica 191(2):191-203


4. Liu L, Huang L, Punnuri S, Samuels T, Wu Y, Murthy M (2013) Development and integration of EST-SSR markers into an established linkage map in switchgrass. Molecular Breeding-Online First DOI 10.1007/s11032-013-9921-1


5. Reddy PS, Fakrudin B, Rajkumar, Punnuri SM, Arun SS, Kuruvinashetti MS, Das IK, Seetharama N (2008) Molecular mapping of genomic regions harboring QTLs for stalk rot resistance in sorghum. Euphytica 159:191–198


6. Kotresh H, Fakrudin B, Punnuri SM, Rajkumar BK, Thudi M,Paramesh H, Lohithaswa H, Kuruvinashetti MS (2006) Identification of two RAPD markers genetically linked to a recessive allele of a Fusarium wilt resistance gene in Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Mill sp.). Euphytica 149:113–120


7. Assefa, M. , Shimelis, B. , Punnuri, S. , Sripathi, R. , Whitehead, W. and Singh, B. (2014) Common Bean Germplasm Diversity Study for Cold Tolerance in Ethiopia. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 5, 1842-1850. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2014.513198.