Education: B.Sc. PAU, Ludhiana, (2001); M.Sc. PAU, Ludhiana (2003); Ph.D. PAU, (2008)

Positions held:Assistant Seed Production Specialist, University Seed Farm, Ladhowal, (4.4.2008 to30.11.2009); Assistant Forage Breeder (Forage and Millets Section) (1.12.2009- 3.4.2020); Senior Forage Breeder (4.4.2020 – Till date)

Field of Specialization: Forage Breeding (Oats and Bajra Napier Hybrid)

Research

1. Area of specialization/Research interest (in about 100 words)
2. Developing high fodder yielding, resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses and nutritionally superior varieties in different fodder crops viz; Oats, Napier bajra hybrid, through various conventional and non-conventional breeding approaches.

Ongoing Projects:

• All India coordinated Improvement Project on Forage crops and Utilization

Projects Accomplished: –

• Developing guidelines for conduct of DUS test for oat, cowpea and guinea grass funded by PPV and FRA. (ad-hoc as PI)
• Alien genes introgression in oat by developing oat maize addition lines funded by UGC. (ad-hoc as PI)4.
• Development of pearl millet forage hybrids and pearl millet-napier (PN) hybrids for high biomass and quality suited for different agro climatic zones of India funded by CGIAR collaborative project of dryland cereals – competitive grants 2015. (ad-hoc as PI).

Publications

• Harshvardan J Hilli, Rahul Kapoor, Ashlesha Singla, Priti Sharma and Puja Srivastava (2022) Towards mapping of Helminthosporium leaf blight/Pyrenophora leaf spot resistance genes/QTLs in oats. Cereal Res. Communicationsorg/10.1007/s42976-022-00306-w (NAAS rating 7.24)
• Harmanpreet Kaur, Meenakshi Goyal, Aanchaldeep Kaur and Rahul Kapoor (2023) Nutritional and yield potential of oat (Avena sativa L.) genotypes in dual purpose crop system. Cereal Res. Communicationshttps://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-022-00348-0 (NAAS rating 7.24)
• Vinod Kumar Sood, Sanjay Kumar Sanadya, Sawan Kumar, Subhash Chandand Rahul Kapoor (2022) Health benefits of oat (Avena sativa) and nutritional improvement through plant breeding interventions. Crop and Pasture Sci. https://doi.org/10.1071/CP22268 (NAAS rating 8.29)
• Arshpreet Kaur, Rahul Kapoor and Anu Kalia (2023) Polyploidisation effect on trichome density in interspecific hybrids of Pennisetum glaucum (l.) R. Br. × Pennisetum purpureum (K.) Schum. Genetika 55(3): 819-827. (NAAS rating 7.50)
• Rajvir Kaur, Rahul Kapoor, Yogesh Vikal, Amandeep (2024) Molecular characterization of oats (Avena sativa ) diversity: implications for dual-purpose breeding. Genetika 56(1), 103-120. (NAAS: 7.50).
• Gagandeep Kaur*, Rahul Kapoor, Lalit Pal, Puja Srivastava and Priti Sharma (2024) Deciphering the genetic architecture of β-glucan content in oats (Avena sativa ) through QTL mapping. Range Management and Agroforestry; 45(1): 32-40.doi.org/10.59515/rma.2024.v45.i1.05 (NAAS: 6.80)
• Subhash Chand, Sanjay Kumar, Ajoy Kumar Roy, Dunna Vijay, Bishwa Bhaskar Choudhary, Indu, Pradeep Kumar, Rajiv Kumar Agrawal, Vijay Kumar Yadav, Pankaj Kaushal, Devendra Kumar Yadava, Ram Vinod Kumar, Awnindra Kumar Singh, Shahid Ahmed, Devendra Ram Malaviya, Rajesh Kumar Singhal, Birendra Prasad, Rahul Kapoor, Amit Kumar Jha and Ravish Panchta (2025) Analyzing trends and future projections in fodder oats (Avena sativa L.) for quality seed production in India. Frontiers in plant Science, Volume 16 – 2025 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1525422 (NAAS: 10.10)
• Prabhjot Kaur, Kamaljit Kaur, Jaspreet Kaur, Preetinder Kaur, Rahul Kapoor, Shaik Jakeer, Basha, Nitin Mehta (2025) Characterization of ultrasonicated and ozonated oat 1, 4-β-D-glucan. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies 102 (NAAS score: 12.3)
• Sukhdeep Kaur, Rachana D. Bhardwaj, Rahul Kapoor, Satvir Kaur Grewal (2019) Biochemical characterization of oat (Avena sativa L.) genotypes with high nutritional potential. LWT – Food Sci. and Tech.110: 32-39. (NAAS rating: 9.13)

Awards/Honours/Distinctions: Medals/Fellowships during Education :

• Recipient of Sardar Iqbal Singh Dhillon gold medal from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana for the year 2003 for securing highest OCPA in Master’s programme (Plant breeding and Genetics).
• Recipient of university merit scholarship during under graduate (B.Sc. Agri. Hons) programme.
• Recipient of university merit scholarship during post graduate (Ph.D. &M.Sc.) programmes.
• Merit certificate in B.Sc. programme from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
• Developed, released and notified 29 varieties in different forage crops at both state and national level.
• Got best AICRP centre award twice in 2024 and 2016 by ICAR, New Delhi.
• Recipient of a total of fifteen Appreciation certificatesawarded by ICAR, New Delhi for the development and release of various fodder varieties and technologies at national level.