- All India Coordinated Research Project on Sorghum, ICAR-IIMR, Hyderabad bagged the prestigious "Chaudhary Devi Lal Outstanding All India Coordinated Research Project Award 2019" during ICARs 92nd Foundation Day celebrations held on 16 July, 2020 ::
- Call for applications for Cohort 7 under RKVY RAFTAAR scheme ::
- International Year of Millets (IYoM) 2023 - News
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses webinar on implementation of Budget in agriculture sector ::
- India is celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’. ICAR has taken up ’75 lecture series’. The scientists, students or other interested audience may click this link to follow URL for joining any lecture ::
- Advertisement no 01/2019 for filling up the post of Assistant may be treated as cancelled due to administrative reasons ::
- Kharif Agro Advisory ::
- ICAR-NAHEP in collaboration with the Crop Science Division of ICAR is organizing Hackathon Kritagya- a National Level Agtech Hackathon on “Speed breeding for Crop Improvement.::
Scientific Staff

Dr. PG Padmaja
Discipline: Agrl. Entomology | Designation: Principal Scientist | At IIMR Since: 1998
Email: padmaja@millets.res.in | Mobile: 09963101952
Profile video Click hereAcademic Qualifications
Degree | Institute/ University | Year of completion | Subject(s) with major field |
---|---|---|---|
Ph. D (Agril Ento) | Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi | 1998 | Agricultural Entomology (Insect Physiology) |
M. Sc. (Ag.) | Agricultural College, Tirupati Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University |
1992 | Agricultural Entomology |
B. Sc. (Ag) | Agricultural College, Tirupati Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University |
1990 | Agricultural Sciences |
Employment Record & Experience (Starting from the present position)
Designation | Organization | Institution & place of posting | Period (From-to) |
Duration (years, months) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Principal Scientist | ICAR | ICAR-Indian Insititute of Millests Research | 5-1-2013 to till date | |
Senior Scientist | ICAR | Directorate of Sorghum Research, Hyderabad | 5-1-2007 to 4-1-2013 | 6 years |
Scientist (Sr.scale) | ICAR | Directorate of Sorghum Research, Hyderabad | 5-1-2003 to 4-1-2007 | 4years |
Scientist | ICAR | Directorate of Sorghum Research, Hyderabad | 5-1-1998 to 4-1-2003 | 5years |
Current responsibilities:
- Chemical ecology of host location in insects
- Host preference of Atherigona spp across millets
- Identification of Kharif grain, sweet and high biomass sorghums resistant to shoot pests
- Stored grain pest management
- Guidance for doctoral students
Recent 3 major contributions:
- Identified herbivore induced defense volatiles in sorghum
- Developed a new technique based on plant volatiles for studying host selection behaviour by shoot fly and stemborer in sorghum
- Identified a Bt transgenic event with Cry1B gene resistant to stemborer
- Registered one germplasm and two shoot fly resistant lines with NBPGR
Recent awards and recognitions:
- Woman Scientist Award, 2019 by Dr B Vasantharaj David Foundation, for commendable contributions to Insect - Plant interactions
- Dr.(Mrs) Jagadiswari Rao Women Scientist Award, 2019 by Applied Zoological Research Association (AZRA).
- Fellow of Royal Entomological Society of London (FRES), 2018
- Dr EK Janaki Ammal Memorial NABS- Best Woman Scientist Award, 2018 by National Academy of Biological Sciences
- Fellow of National Academy of Biological Sciences, 2018
- Life Fellow of Entomological Society of India (FESI), 2017
- Rothamsted International Fellow (RIF) from Rothamsted International, UK, 2010.
- Fellow of Plant Protection of Association of India, 2012.
Current collaborative activities:
- Nil
Recent most significant publications:
- Padmaja, P.G., Shwetha, B.L., Kalaisekar, A. and Vilas A Tonapi 2019. Effect of host plant on growth, tissue proteins and gut enzymes of pink borer Sesamia inferens in millets. Indian Journal of Entomology 81(2):280-285.
- Padmaja, P.G., Shwetha, B.L., Kalaisekar, A., Elangovan, M. and Vilas A Tonapi 2019. Effect of sorghum grain quality on progeny emergence of Sitophiuls oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Indian Journal of Entomology 81(2):261-265.
- Padmaja, P.G., Shwetha, B.L., Swetha, G. and Patil, J.V. 2014. Oxidative enzyme changes in sorghum infested by the sorghum shoot fly, Atherigona soccata. Journal of Insect Science 14 (1) : 193
- Shyam Prasad, G., Srinivasa Babu, K., Sridhar, M., Padmaja, P.G. Subbarayudu, B., Kalaisekar, A. and Patil, J.V. 2015. Resistance in sorghum to Sitophilus oryzae (L.) and its association with grain parameters, Phytoparasitica 43 (3) : 391-399.
- Visarada , K.B.R.S., Padmaja, P.G., Saikishore, N., Pashupatinath , Royer , M., N. Seetharama, N. and J. V. Patil 2014. Production and evaluation of transgenic sorghum for resistance to stem borer. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol.- Plant 50:176–189
Other professional activities
- Life Member, Plant Protection Association of India
- Life Member, Entomological Society of India
- Life Member, Society for Millet Research, Hyderabad