RAJENDRA KUMAR BEHERA
Lecturer
M.Sc. -1996; M.Phil. - 1997; Ph.D. - 2002
Sambalpur University
Honours:
Orissa Bigyan Academy Young Scientist Award 2003.
Photobiology & Cancer Biology
Post-Doctoral experience:
Central University, Hyderabad;
Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore
Publications: 7 (International
6, National 1)
Research summary:
Exposure of plants to irradiation in excess to saturate photosynthesis,
leads to reduction in photosynthetic capacity without any change
in bulk pigment content, is know as photoinhibition. Photoinhibition
is followed by destruction of carotenoids, bleeching of chlorophylls
and increased lipid peroxidation due to formation of reactive
oxygen species. For sustainable maintenance chloroplast function
under high irradiance, plants develop various photoprotective
strategy. Xanthophyll cycle perform essential photoprotective
roles in chloroplast by quenching the triplet Chl and scavenging
singlet oxygen. Apart from this, other processes such as early
light inducible protein, D1-protein turn over and several enzymatic
defense mechanisms operate in the chloroplast, either for tolerance
or to neutralize the harmful effect of high irradiance.
Elected life member: Indian
Photobiology Society (IPS).
Selected papers
1. Srinivas, A., Behera, R.K., Kagawa, T., Wada, M. and Sharma,
R. (2004) High pigment-1 mutation negatively regulates phototropic
signal transduction in tomato seedlings. Plant Physiol. 134: 790-800.
2. Behera RK and Choudhury NK: High irradiance-induced changes
in carotenoid composition and increase in non-photochemical quenching
of Chl a fluorescence in primary wheat leaves. J. Plant Physiol.
160: 1141-1146, 2003.
3. Behera RK, Mishra PC and Choudhury NK: High irradiance and
water stress induces alterations in pigment composition and photochemical
activities of chloroplasts of primary wheat leaves. J. Plant Physiol.
159: 967-973, 2002.
4. Choudhury NK and Behera RK: Photoinhibition of photosynthesis:
Role of carotenoids in photoprotection of chloroplast constituents.
Photosynthetica 39: 481-488, 2001.
5. Behera RK and Choudhury NK: Photosynthetic characteristics
of chloroplasts of primary wheat leaves grown under different
irradiances. Photosynthetica 39: 11-15, 2001.
