Completed B.Sc. (Agri.) in 1992 & M.Sc. (Soil Science) in 1994 from Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur; Ph.D. (Soil Science) from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana in 1999. Joined as Assistant Professor (Training) at PAU Regional Training Centre, Ballowal Saunkhri; Assistant Soil Physicist, Soil Physicist and presently as Principal Soil Physicist in the Department of Soil Science, PAU, Ludhiana. Area of interest pertains to ‘Assessing field water balance, crop water productivity by field experiments and simulations’. one-year Advance training on impact of climate change on Crop and water productivity using crop models and GIS at University of Minnesota, Paul, USA. Published more than 70 research papers in national/International journals. Handled projects funded by Space Application Centre (ISRO), DST and by the University of Cambridge. Coordinated a mega project funded by ICAR-NAHEP-CAAST – School of Natural Resource Management with rupees 20 crores budget outlay. Awarded as Fellow of the Indian Association of Soil & Water Conservationists.

Professional Accomplishment:

Selected Research Publications

1. Vashisht B.B., Maharjan B., Sharma Sandeep, Yadav M., Kaur Samanpreet and Jalota S.K. 2025. Crop yield and resource use efficiency as influenced by crop establishment and conservation tillage in the rice-wheat cropping system. Field Crops Research 331 (2025) 109991. (NAAS Rating – 11.60) 
2. Yadav Manish, Vashisht B.B., Niharika Vullaganti, Prem Kumar, S.K. Jalota, Arun Kumar and Prashant Kaushik 2024. UAV-enabled approaches for irrigation scheduling and water body characterization. Agricultural Water Management, 304: 109091. (NAAS Rating- 11.90)
3. Jyolsna T., Vashisht B.B., Yadav M., Kaur Ramandeep, Jalota S.K. 2024. Field and simulation studies on yield, water and nitrogen dynamics and use efficiency in rice-wheat crops in sequence. Field Crops Research 311(2024)109366. (NAAS Rating – 11.60)
4. Yadav Manish, Vashisht B.B., Jalota S.K., Jyolsna T., Singh S.P., Kumar Arun, Kumar Amit, Singh Gurjeet 2024. Improving Water Efficiencies in Rural Agriculture for Sustainability of Water Resources: A Review. Water Resources Management https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-024-03836-6 (NAAS Rating– 9.90)
5. Kaur Tarandeep, Sharma P.K., Brar A.S., Vashisht B.B., Choudhary A.K. 2024. Optimizing crop water productivity and delineating root architecture and water balance in cotton–wheat cropping system through sub-surface drip irrigation and foliar fertilization strategy in an alluvial soil. Field Crops Research 309(2024)109366.(NAAS Rating – 11.60)

Ongoing Projects:

1. Development of technologies for efficient water and nutrient management for sustainable crop production Plan scheme

Awards/Honor/Distinction:

1. Coordinated World Bank funded (Rs. 20 cr) ICAR-NAHEP project on Natural Resources Management
2. Dr. M.S. Randhawa Best Book Award
3. Fellow, Indian Association of Soil & Water Conservationists