Dr. Sapna Thakur has been serving as an Assistant Professor in Forestry at PAU since October 2016. She earned her B.Sc. (Forestry) in 2010, M.Sc. (Forestry) in 2012, and Ph.D. (Forestry) in 2016 from Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, Himachal Pradesh. Her academic specialization lies in Forest Genetic Resources.

Her research primarily focuses on the genetic improvement of Toona ciliata and Salix species. She aims to identify superior genotypes and clones that demonstrate enhanced adaptability and growth under environmental stresses, including heavy metal contamination. Dr. Thakur’s work contributes to sustainable forest management and conservation through the development of resilient tree varieties.

Research Interests: 

1. Tree breeding
2. Clonal forestry

Projects accomplished: NIL

Ongoing Projects: NIL

Selected Research Publications (maximum up to 5):

1. Kaur R, Sharma R, Thakur S, Chandel S and Chauhan S K. 2024. Exploring the combined effect of heavy metals on accumulation efficiency of Salix alba raised on lead and cadmium contaminated soils. International Journal of Phytoremediation, DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2024.2328362 (NAAS Rating – 9.70).
2. Kaur M, Thakur S, Chaudhary O P, Kaur R, Kaila V, Sharma J P and Bharti. 2023. Effect of salt stress on morpho-physiological and anatomical attributes of Salix clones. Israel Journal of Plant Sciences, DOI: 10.1163/22238980-bja10085 (NAAS Rating–7.00).
3. Palial G, Thakur S, Sharma R, Sharma J P and Dhakad AK. 2023. Genetic divergence and correlation estimates for quantitative traits in Salix. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 45(99): 1- 15 (NAAS Rating – 8.74).
4. Thakur S, Singla A, Chhabra R, Kaur M, Gupta N, Urvashi and Sharma J P. 2023. GC- MS analysis for phytochemical profiling of different Salix clones. Russian Journal of Plant Physiology, 70 :122 (NAAS Rating – 7.42)
5. Thakur S, Gautam K, Chauhan S K and Sharma J P. 2023. Tailoring tree ideotypes for multiple purposes in agroforestry. Forestry Chronicle, 98:1, 1-7 (NAAS Rating- 7.17)