Our group is working on sustainable agricultural systems which include crop diversification, improved production and process technologies of medicinal, aromatic and industrial crops, carbon sequestration, precision farming; climate change adaptation. We have developed agro technologies for medicinal and aromatic plants, viz., damask rose, Aromatic marigold, German chamomile, rosemary, scented geranium, saffron, quinoa, chia, clary sage, lemongrass, lavender, kutki, kuth etc.

Fellowships of National Academies/ Societies

Fellow, Indian Society of Agronomy, New Delhi (2025)

Associateship, Indian Society of Agronomy, New Delhi (2010)

Awards

Rashtriya Vigyan Team Puraskar (RVP)  (2025)

CSIR-Technology Award-Certificate of Merit for Life Sciences-2021

Ultra International Team Award (2018)

 Recognitions
Member, Senate, Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, UP (2026-2028)

Member, National Academy of Science, India (NASI) (2023)
Included in Stanford University’s top 2 per cent world’s scientists list during 2022 & 2023.

Technologies & IPRs
National/ International R&D Projects (Coordinator; Convener; Nodal; PI & Co-PI): 45

Technologies developed: 25

Human Resources Development
Ph.D. scholars guided: 6
M.Sc. Scholars guided:2
Human resources Development Post-Doc/ Project Associates/ Project Trainees: 62

 International visits

Germany, Japan, Israel, Ethiopia, Taiwan, Switzerland, Nepal. 

Editors Peer-reviewed Journals
Associate Editor, Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, (2026-2029)

Member Editorial Board of the Publication Committee of the Essential Oil Association of India (2026-2028)

Member, Editorial Board Himachal Journal of Agricultural Research (2026-2027)

 Membership (Scientific Societies/ Academies)

Life member, Indian Society of Agronomy, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India.

Life member, Himachal Journal of Agricultural Research, CSKHPAU, Palampur, HP, India.

Life member, Journal of Agrometeorology, Anand Gujrat, India.

Life member, Essential Oil Association of India, Ghaziabad, New Delhi

Member, Indian Society of Agronomy, CSKHPAU, Palampur Chapter.

Member, MASHAV, Tel Aviv, Israel

Member, Agriculture Productivity Organization (APO), Tokyo, Japan

Publications during the last Five year

1.         Nidhi Negi, Sumedha Thakur, Swati, Swati Walia, Arup Gosh, and Rakesh Kumar*. 2026. Harnessing the power of red algae: Optimized application of Solieria chordalis-derived biostimulants boosting Tagetes minuta L. growth and essential oil in acidic soils. Journal of Applied Phycology. DOI : 10.1007/s10811-026-03873-1. (IF3.6)

2. Swati Dhiman, Ankush Garla, Aman Kumar and Rakesh Kumar*. 2026. Post-harvest handling effect on chemical composition and antibacterial properties of rose-scented geranium essential oil cultivated in the Western Himalayas. Indian Journal of Natural Product Research.17(1):144-154 DOI: 10.56042/ijnpr.v17i1.21499. (IF 0.6).
3. Akhilesh Kumar Sharma, Ankush Garla, Swati, Aman Kumar, Vidyashankar Srivatsan and Rakesh Kumar* 2026. Chemical diversity and bioefficacy of aromatic grasses grown in western Himalayas: A Comparative Study. Plant Biosystems. 160(79), https://doi.org/10.1007/s44473-026-00087-8 (IF 1.3).
4. Akhilesh Kumar Sharma, Saizal Jamwal, Swati Dhiman, Ankita Kumari, Yogendra Padwad, Arup Ghosh, and Rakesh Kumar*. 2026.  Modulation of growth, essential oil yield, and cytotoxic properties of Cymbopogon martinii through biostimulant application in the sub-humid western Himalayas. BMC Plant Biology. DOI: 10.1186/s12870-026-08243-0  (IF 4.8).
5. Shalini Jariyal, Swati Dhiman, Swati Walia, Avnesh Kumari and Rakesh Kumar* 2026. Micronutrient-mediated modulation of biomass, essential oil yield and composition in aromatic marigold from the western Himalayas. Journal of Essential Oil Research. DOI: 10.1080/10412905.2026.2621856. (IF 2.1).
6. Shalika Rathore, Swati Walia, Monika Rana, Vijay Dhyani and Rakesh Kumar*. 2026. Revitalizing Tagetes minuta L. in the Western Himalayas: A Nutrient-Driven Approach to Enhance Biomass and Essential Oil Composition. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. http://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-025-02833-x.  (IF 3.1).
7. Surbhi Sharma, Aman Kumar, Lalrinsangpuii, Lalchhandami Tochhawng, Aparna Maitra Pati and Rakesh Kumar*. 2026. Seasonal variation effect on yield, chemical composition and antibacterial activity of aromatic grasses cultivated in the North eastern Himalayas. Journal of Biologically Active Products from Nature. http://doi.org/10.1080/22311866.2026.2619175. (IF 1.0)
8. Aditya, Shubham and Rakesh Kumar*. 2026. Digital Convergence in Agri-Tech: Reviewing the Role of Advanced Technologies in Enabling Precision and Sustainability. Agronomy Journal Doi: http://Doi.org/10.1002/agj2.70310. (IF 2.0).
9. Swati Dhiman, Nidhi Negi, Akhilesh Kumar Sharma, Avnesh Kumari, Arup Ghosh and Rakesh Kumar*. 2026. Seaweed-Derived Organic Fertilizer Enhances Biomass, Essential Oil Yield, and Bioactive Compounds in Pelargonium graveolens L’Her.: A Sustainable Approach to Agricultural Productivity. Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants. 10.1080/0972060X.2025.2604608 (IF 1.8).
10. Yog Raj and Rakesh Kumar. 2026. Optimizing seaweed extract for enhanced biomass yield and pharmacologically active speacialized metabolites in  St. John’s wort. South African Journal of Botany. 189 30-39. http://Doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2025.1.023.  (IF 2.7).
11. Raj, Y., Ali N, Pati A.M., Kumar, R., and Kumar R. 2025. St. John's wort root-associated beneficial bacteria with vermicompost augment specialized metabolites without penalizing biomass yield by improving photosynthesis and soil microbial properties.  Journal of Applied Research on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants 49 (2025) 100670 (IF 3.6).
12. Akhilesh Kumar Sharma, Aman Kumar and Rakesh Kumar*. 2026. Unveiling the chemical composition and antimicrobial potency of palmarosa essential oil in the western Himalayan Region. New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticulture Science. http://doi.org/10.1002/nzc2.70076. (IF 1.5).
13. Suman Gusain, Rakesh Kumar, Rohit Joshi. 2025. Elicitation with CaCl₂ and SNP enhance antioxidant defense and regulate transcriptional changes in drought‑stressed saffron. Plant Cell Reports. 44:202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-025-03590-y. (IF 4.5).
14. Neha Chaudhary, Tanya Bhangalia, Swati Walia, Pradipkumar Vaghela, Arup Ghosh* and Rakesh Kumar*. 2025. Evaluation of red seaweed derived biostimulants and nutrients effect on quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) performance in the Western Himalayas. Journal of Applied Phycology https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-025-03633-7. (IF 3.0).
15. Sumedha Thakur, Swati Walia, Babita Thakur, Arup Ghosh and Rakesh Kumar*. 2025. Unleasing the potential of seaweed biostimulants—a comparative evaluation for enhancing saffron (Crocus sativus L.) yield with different corm sizes in the Western Himalayas. BMC Plant Biology.  25:946.          https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06955-3 (IF 4.8).
16. Shalika Rathore and Rakesh Kumar*. 2025. Assessing growth performance and agrometeorological indices of Matricaria chamomilla L. governed by growing season length and salicylic acid in the Western Himalaya.  Horticulturae 11: 485.  https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11050485 (IF 3.1).
17. Keerti Sharma; Savita Chaudhary; Anish Tamang; Naorem Priyaluxmi Devi; Pooja Bhardwaj; Rakesh Kumar; Nanocha Sharma; Pradeep Bhardwaj; Vipin Hallan*. 2025. Prevalence, Genetic Diversity, and Phylogenetic Analysis of Apple Stem Grooving Virus in Low-Chilling Apple Cultivars. Virus Disease. Vol.:(0123456789) https://doi.org/10.1007/s13337-025-00931-z. (IF 2.083).

8. Raj, Y., Dindhoria K, Kumar, P., Pati, A.M., Kumar, R*., and Kumar R. 2025. Sculpturing Hypericum perforatum L.-rhizosphere with plant-specific and un-specific beneficial rhizobacteria distinctively tailors rhizosphere bacterial community structure to accumulate differential amounts of specialized metabolites. Ind. Crops Prod. Volume 226, 120670 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2025.120670(IF 5.6).
9. Anjali Thakur, Babita Thakur and Rakesh Kumar* 2025. Post-Harvest Management of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Current Trends and Recent Advances. Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants https://doi.org/10.1080/0972060X.2025.2461495. (IF 2.1).
10. Saizal Jamwal,  Avnesh Kumari, Veeraprakasam Veeragurunathan, Kamalesh Prasad, Arup Ghosh*,  and Rakesh Kumar*, 2025. Enhancing growth, yield, essential oil content, and composition of holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum L.) using red algae-based bio-stimulant under acidic conditions of the Western Himalayas. BMC Plant Biology. 25:84 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06064-1. (IF 4.3) 
11. Jamwal, S., Thakur, M., Walia, S. and Kumar., R. 2024. Effect of season on essential oil content and composition of Palmarosa [Cymbopogon martini (Roxb.) Will. Watson] cultivated in the mid-hill conditions of the Western Himalayas. Indian Journal of Natural Products and Resources, 15(4), 546-554. DOI: 10.56042/ijnpr.v15i4.10342 (IF: 0.8).
12. Thakur, P., Paul, A., Raj, Y. and Kumar, R. (2024). Apple Cultivation in Nontraditional Areas: Novel Perspectives and Advances- A Review. Journal of Horticultural Research, 32(2), DOI: 10.2478/johr-2024-0017.
13. Saizal Jamwal, Meghna Thakur, Swati Walia and Rakesh Kumar* 2024. Variation in productivity and essential oil composition of aromatic grasses grown in mid-hill conditions of the Western Himalayas. Horticulture Environment and Biotechnology. 65:817–829. DOI:10.1007/s13580-024-00610-w  (IF 2.4).
14. Shalika Rathore, Kanchan Kundlas and Rakesh Kumar*, 2024. Variability in essential oil content and constituent profile of damask rose (Rosa damascena Mill.) at altered intervals of harvest in the Indian Western Himalaya. Journal of Applied Research on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmap.2024.100537 (IF 3.8).
15. Yog Raj, Anil Kumar, Sareeka Kumari, Rakshak Kumar, and Rakesh Kumar. 2023. Comparative genomics and physiological investigations supported multifaceted plant growth-promoting activities in two Hypericum perforatum L.-associated PGPR for microbe-assisted cultivation. Microbiology Spectrum. 10.1128/spectrum.00607-23. (3.7).
16. Shalika Rathore, Srijana Mukhia, Rakshak Kumar and Rakesh Kumar*. 2023. Essential oil composition and antimicrobial potential of aromatic plants grown in the mid-hill conditions of the Western Himalayas. Scientific Reports. 13:4878https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31875-3. (IF 4.996).
17. Neha Chaudhary, Deepak Kothari, Swati Walia, Arup Ghosh Pradip Kumar Vaghela and Rakesh Kumar*. 2023. Biostimulant enhances growth and corm production of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) in non-traditional areas of North western Himalayas. Frontiers in Plant Science. Sec. Plant Nutrition. Vol.14 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1097682. (IF 6.627).
18. Neha Chaudhary, Swati Walia and Rakesh Kumar*. 2023. Functional composition, physiological effect and agronomy of future food
    quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.): A review. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 118 (2023) 105192. (IF 4.52).
19. Swati Walia, Pawan Kumar, Dinesh Kumar and Rakesh Kumar*. 2023. A preliminary study on suitability of growing ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) in the western Himalayan region. Plant Soil and Environment  69(2): 71-80. https://doi.org/10.17221/288/2022-PSE. (IF 2.40).
20. Yog Raj, Nilofer Ali, Aparna Maitra Pati and Rakesh Kumar,* 2022. Cleaner production technologies for the amelioration of soil health, biomass, and metabolites in Ocimum basilicum L. under Indian western Himalayas. Frontiers in Plant Science. Sec. Plant Physiology 13:976295. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.976295 (IF 6.627).
21. Amit Kumar, Mamta Devi, Rakesh Kumar and Sanjay Kumar. 2022. Introduction of high value Crocus sativus (Saffron) cultivations in new non-traditional regions of India through ecological modelling. Scientific Reports 12, 11925 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15907-y. (IF 4.996).
22. Shalika Rathore and Rakesh Kumar*. 2022. Dynamics of phosphorus and biostimulants on agro-morphology, yield and essential oil profile of German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) under acidic soil conditions of the western Himalaya. Front. Plant Sci., Sec. Plant Physiology. .https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.917388  (IF 6.627).
23. Shalika Rathore  and Rakesh Kumar* 2022. Essential oil content and compositional variability of lavandula species cultivated in the mid hill conditions of the western Himalaya. Molecules. 2022 Jun; 27(11): 3391. doi: 10.3390/molecules27113391 (IF 4.927).

34.      Kumar, A., Singh, S., Pal, PK, Kumar, R Sharma, RK., Kumar. D. 2022. CSIR-IHBT-TM-09 (IC0630603; INGR20103), a Marigold (Tagetes minuta) Germplasm with High biomass yield 58.11kg/plot (24sqm). Essential Oil Content 0.343%.  Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources 35 (1), 131-131.

5. Singh, S., Kumar, A., Pal, P.K., Kumar, R., Sharma, R.K. and Kumar D 2022. CSIR-IHBT-RD-04 (IC0635435; INGR20105), a Damask Rose (Rosa damascena) Germplasm for High Flower Yield 4.92 kg/plot (12sqm). Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources 35 (1), 132-132
6. Shalika Rathore, Srijana Mukhia, Smita Kapoor, Vinod Bhatt, Rakshak Kumar and Rakesh Kumar. 2022. Seasonal variability in essential oil composition and biological activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. accessions in the western Himalaya. Scientific Reports 12, 3305 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07298-x (IF 4.379).
7. Swati Walia, Shalika Rathore, Saizal Jamwal and Rakesh Kumar. 2022. The combined response of elevated CO₂ and temperature on Valeriana jatamansi Jones with worm manuring in the western Himalaya: Integrating growth, biomass and quality. Horticulture Environment and Biotechnology. 63, 161–172. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-021-00386-3 (IF 1.842).
8. Swati Walia, Shalika Rathore and Rakesh Kumar. 2022. Elucidating the mechanisms, responses and future prospects of medicinal and aromatic plants to elevated CO2 and elevated temperature. Journal of Applied Research on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. Volume 26, February 2022, 100239.   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmap.2021.100365 (IF 3.4).
9. Ramesh Chauhan, Sanatsujat Singh, Vikas Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Amit Kumari, Shalika Rathore, Rakesh Kumar and Satbeer Singh. 2022.  A comprehensive review on biology, genetic improvement, agro and process technology of German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.).  Plants, 11, 29. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11010029 (IF 4.658).
10. Shalika Rathore, Yog Raj, Pritam Debnath, Manish Kumar, and Rakesh Kumar. 2022. Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, agrotechnology, and conservation of Inula racemosa Hook f. - A critically endangered medicinal plant of the western Himalaya. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 283: 114613 (IF 5.195). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2021.114613
11. Janardan Singh, Rakesh Kumar, Anil K. Choudhary, Shilpa and Shalika Rathore 2021. Agricultural diversification through medicinal and aromatic crops – A review. Indian Journal of Agronomy. 5th IAC Special Issue: Volume II: 73-83.
12. Swati Walia, Tirthankar Banerjee and Rakesh Kumar*. 2021. Efficacy of weed management techniques on weed control, biomass yield and soil herbicide residue in transplanted wild marigold (Tagetes minuta L.) under high rainfall conditions of western Himalaya. Agronomy. 11, 2119. https://doi.org/10.3390/ agronomy11112119 (IF 3.949).
13. Shalika Rathore and Rakesh Kumar*. 2021. Agronomic interventions affect the growth, yield, and essential oil composition of German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) in the western Himalaya. Industrial Crops and Products 171, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2021.113873.  (IF 5.645).
14. Swati Walia and Rakesh Kumar. 2021. Elucidating the yield and quality response of Tagetes minuta L. intercropped with Zea mays L. under different spacing in the western Himalayas. Industrial Crops and Products. Volume 171, 1. Doi:   171.113850. (IF 6.449).
15. Shalika Rathore, Vinod Bhatt and Rakesh Kumar, 2021. Post-harvest storage and distillation time of Cymbopogon flexuosus (Nees ex Steud.) W. Watson biomass affects essential oil content and composition in the Western Himalaya. Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants. 24:4, 826-840.DOI: 10.1080/0972060X.2021.1957721  (IF 1.699).
16. Yog Raj, Anil Kumar, Sampa Das, Vidyashankar Srivatsan, Dinesh Kumarand Rakesh Kumar. 2021. A comparative analysis of compositional and phytochemical attributes in fruits of low chilling apple varieties cultivated in eastern and western Himalaya. Scientia Horticulturae. 286; 110221. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2021.110221 (IF 4.342).
17. Deepak Kothari, Rajesh Thakur and Rakesh Kumar.  2021. Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) - Gold of the spices: a comprehensive review. Horticulture Environment and Biotechnology. 62 (3) DOI. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-021-00349-8.(IF 2.138).
18. Meenakshi Thakur and Rakesh Kumar. 2021. Light conditions and mulch modulates the damask rose (Rosa damascena Mill.) yield, quality and soil environment under mid hills conditions of the western Himalaya. Industrial Crops and Products.  Volume 163, May 2021, 113317 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2021.113317 (IF 6.449).

PhD students guided   6

Total Publications 140

Booklets   3

Book Chapters  5

Training manual/Souvenir                   6

Popular articles       19  

Technical Brochures  18

 Proceedings/Workshops/Conference papers/ abstracts   63  

Patents

 Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs/ superior cultivars/ varieties) registered by Plant Germplasm Registration Committee (PGRC), ICAR, GOI:

       i.        HIM BASANT (CSIR-IHBT-RD-04) Registration No. INGR20105- Rosa damascena

     ii.        HIM Swarnima (CSIR-IHBT-TM-09) Registration No. INGR20101- Tagetes minuta

    iii.        HIM Devsugandh (CSIR-IHBT-AM-02) Registration No. INGR20060- Artemisia maritima

Technical staff

Dr Kiran Singh Saini, Senior Technical Officer (III)

Dr Arvind Kumar Verma, Senior Technical Officer (I)

PhD students

Mr Akhilesh Kumar Sharma

Project staff

Dr Neha Thakur

Ms Sumedha Thakur

Ms Niharika Gurung