Academics

Post Doctoral in Soil Biology

USDA-ARS, BARC Beltsville, MD, USA

Ph.D. in Microbiology

TERI New Delhi Jiwaji University Gwalior

M.Sc.(Agri) Nematology

Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur Rajasthan (RAU, Bikaner)

B.Sc Agriculture

SKN College of Agriculture, Jobner, Rajasthan (RAU, Bikaner)

Projects

• Current projects as PI and CO-PI (In House)
• 1. Inoculum development of niche AM fungi for application in soybean-based cropping system funding IRC (as PI)
• 2. Evaluation of drought-tolerant rhizobia with and without AM fungi for enhanced productivity of Soybean (Up to March 2021) fubding ICAR-NBAIM, Mau(as PI)
• 3. Assessing the bio-availability of nutrient and reduction of heavy metals in soils amended with inorganic and organic waste in presence of AM fungi and Biochar (Up to Sept 2020) funding DBT-NER, Govt of India(as PI)
• 4. Effect of long-term use of fertilizer and manure on soil functional diversity and nutrient supplying capacity under different soils and cropping systems- institutional project (2018 Onwards) funding ICAR-IISS Bhopal (as Co-PI)
• 5. Evaluation of tillage and crop establishment and residue management practices for sustaining/improving resources use efficiency, soil health and crop productivity in soybean based cropping systems funding IRC project (as Co-PI)
• 6. Selection of potential fungal and bacterial soybean endophytes and their evaluation against major diseases of soybean funding IRC project (as Co-PI)
• 7. Agronomic bio-fortification of micronutrients in conservation agriculture based soybean-wheat cropping system funding IRC project (as Co-PI)

Publication

• Journal Papers-48
• International Conference Papers-0
• National Conference Papers-0
• Book Chapters-28
• Conference Presentations/Talks-27

Achievements

• Gold medal award by the Rajasthan Agriculture University on having stood first during Master's degree programme
• Awarded DBT-CREST Overseas Award 2012-13 to work on signature fatty acid biomarkers in USDA-ARS, USA
• Awarded competitive travel grants (three times) from SERB, DST Govt. of India for visiting Australia, Portugal & USA to present research work in Rhizosphere 3 International Conference and International Symbiosis Congress held in Perth, Lisbon and Oregon during 2011, 2015 & 2018 respectively
• Best paper award for the contribution entitled “Soil Carbon Sequestration through Glomalin Production by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Soybean-Maize Intercropping System Under Organic and Inorganic Farming Practices” presented during National Workshop on Carbon Sequestration in Forest and Non Forest Ecosystems (February 16-17, 2015) at JNKVV, Jabalpur; Authors (Agnihotri, Sharma and others )
• Best paper award (Thirumalachar young scientist award) for the contribution entitled “Glomalin: A potential soil carbon sequestrator evaluated under organic and inorganic farming practices of soybean-based cropping system” during National conference on fungal biotechnology and 43rd Annual Meeting of Mycological Society of India held at BISR, Jaipur from Nov 16-18, 2016 (Authors: Agnihotri, Sharma and others)
• Best paper poster award for the contribution on “application of moisture tolerant rhizobia recovered from current seed chain soybean varieties with AM fungi enhanced nodulation leghaemoglobin grain yield and saved fertilizers in a field trial” during National conference on enhancing productivity of oilseed in changing climate scenario conference held at ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut Research. Junagarh, Gujarat from 7- 9 April, 2018 (Bharti, Sharma and others)
• Best paper poster award for the contribution on “Coordination of crop and soil management practices built up higher mycorrhizal biomass which enhances soil carbon sequestration assessed in the rhizosphere of soybean in a long field trial” during National Conference on organic waste management for food and environment security held during Feb 8-10, 2018 held at ICAR-IISS, Bhopal (Authors- Agnihotri, Sharma and others)
• Best paper poster award for the contribution entitled “Metabolic Diversity of Root Nodulating Soybean Rhizobia Isolated from Malwa Region of Central” during First Asian PGPR Congress for sustainable Agriculture held at ANGARAU, Hyderabad (21-24 June 2009) authors (Sharma et al.)