Dr Vijay Kumar joined PAU as District Extension Specialist on 24.06.1999 after

completing B.Sc. Agric (Hons.) and M. Sc. (Entomology) from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana in 1995 and 1997. He did his PhD (Entomology) from PAU, Ludhiana in 2008. He had worked in Farm Advisory Service Scheme from 1999-2007; Assistant Entomologist (2007-2011). He joined as Senior Entomologist on 24.06.2011 and Principal Entomologist on 24.06.2014 (till date). His field of specialization is Integrated Pest Management of cotton. He has completed three projects funded by DST as PI in 2015, 2022 and 2023. Presently, he is handling one research project funded by DBT and two research projects funded by SERB, New Delhi. He is awarded with G S Khush Team Award for Dissemination of IPM Technology by G S Khush Foundation. He also got Appreciation Certificate from Vice Chancellor, PAU, Ludhiana for development and dissemination of IPM Technology for whitefly management in Punjab. He has guided 8 M.Sc. and 4 Ph.D. students as major advisor, published 104 research papers in national and international journals and presented 70 papers in national and international conferences. He has delivered more than 1000 lectures to guide cotton farmers, agriculture development officers. Presently he is a Joint Secretary of Journal of Insect Science published by Indian Society for Advancement of Insect Science; Joint Secretary of Indian Journal of Ecology, Published by Indian Ecological Society; General Secretary of Entomological Club, PAU, Ludhiana.

Professional Accomplishments Research Projects completed

1. Mitigating the Effect of Climate Change in Crop Production: Climate Change and Plant Protection in Important Crops (DST New Delhi)

2. Development of Integrated Pest Management Strategy for Minimizing Pesticide Load in Field and Vegetable Crops-Sub Project Ii- Integrated Pest Management” in Project
   

entitled? Addressing Food Security Through Nutritionally Enriched Improved Cultivars and Technologies Under Swasth Bharat (DST New Delhi)

1. Genomic Assisted Introgression Breeding for Developing Whitefly Tolerant American Cotton and High Yielding Desi Cotton Tolerant to Shattering (DBT New Delhi)

2. Functional and Pharmacological Characterization of Ecdysis Triggering Hormone and its Receptor for Developing New Generation Insecticides against Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (SERB, New Delhi)

3. Structural  and  functional characterization of tachykinins peptides and its receptors in Bemisia tabaci for development of novel (SERB, New Delhi)

4. G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) regulating moulting as novel targets for development of next generation insecticide against pink bollworm, Pectniophora gossypiella (DBT New Delhi

5. Validation and Dissemination of Insecticide Resistance Management Strategies in Punjab (ICAR)

6. Cotton Development Programme for Management of Whitefly in Punjab (Punjab Government)

7. Dissemination of IPM Technology for Management of Whitefly in Punjab (P.I. Foundation)

8. Development and Validation of Integrated Pest Management Technologies for Pink bollworm in Transgenic Cotton (RKVY)

9. PB knot-An Innovative Technology for Management of Pink Bollworm in Cotton (P.I. Industry)

10. Integrated Productivity Management of Rice-Wheat Cropping System ( NRTT, Mumbai)

11. Insect Pests Management in Cotton with Various Chemicals (Pesticide Industry)

Research Publications:

1. Kumar V, Kular J S, Kumar R, Sidhu S S and Chhuneja P K (2020) Integrated whitefly [Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius)] management in Bt cotton in north India: an agroecosystem-wide community based approach. Current Science 119 (4): 618-624.

(NAAS Rating: 6.76)

• Kaur H, Kumar V, Pathak D and Sangha MK 2024. Antibiosis mechanism and bases of resistance to the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) in upland cotton introgression lines. Phytoparasitica 52(2): 1-22. (NAAS rating = 6.68)

1. Kaur S, Kumar V and Sangha M K (2021) Behavioural hormologosis in oviposition preference of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) in Bt cotton. International Journal of Tropical Insect Science (Accepted) (Naas rating= 6.85)

2. Kumar V and Grewal G K (2015) Laboratory evaluation of transgenic Bt cotton (cry1Ac+ cry2Ab genes) and non-Bt cotton against neonates, first and second instar larvae of Spodoptera litura Fab. Phytoparasitica 43 (2): 177-87. (NAAS rating = 6.68)

3. Kumar V and Grewal GK (2024) Economic impact of implementing IPM in cotton through farmers’ participatory approach in cotton belt of Punjab. Indian Journal of Economics Development 20(3): 524-531 (NAAS rating= 6.20)

4. Dhawan A K, P S Shera, Anand Aneja, Kumar V and H S Bhullar (2012) Effectiveness of buprofezin against mealybug (Phenacoccus solenopsis) and
   

predatory complex in Bt cotton. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 82 (11): 1000-002. (NAAS rating = 6.60)

1. Kumar V, Jindal V, Kataria S K and Pathania M (2019) Activity of novel insecticides against different life stages of whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) in Bt cotton. Indian J Agricultural Sciences 89 (10): 1599-1603 (NAAS rating: 6.23)

2. Singh G, Singh S, Shukla J N, Kumar V, Emyr Davies T J, Kaur G, Pandher S, Kaur R (2022) Doublesex homolog is sex specifically spliced and governs the sexual differentiation process in the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci biotype Asia II-1. Gene 850: 146929 (NAAS rating: 9.69)

3. Suryadevara R S H and Kumar V (2021) Efficacy of plant products against leafhopper, Amrasca biguttula biguttula (Ishida) in Bt cotton. Indian Journal of Entomology 83 (Online published Ref. No. e20262 DoI No.: 10.5958/0974- 8172.2021.00121.8) (Naas rating= 5.89)

4. Kumar V and Jindal V (2019) Anthranilic diamide-cyantraniliprole 10OD in the management of sucking insects of Bt cotton. Pesticide Research Journal. 31 (1): 42- 47 (NAAS rating: 5.90)

5. Devi Yendrembam K, Kumar V and Gill R S (2018) Effect of nitrogen fertilizers and weather parameters on the incidence of jassid, Amrasca biguttula biguttula (Ishida) in Bt, non-Bt and desi cotton. Indian Journal of Entomology 80 (3): 741-747 (NAAS rating: 5.89)

6. Kumar V, Kumar A and Jindal V (2023) Effect of Bt and non-Bt cotton on biology of Thrips tabaci and its management using insecticides. Indian Journal of Entomology. (DOI: 10.55446/IJE.2023.508) (NAAS rating: 5.89)

Awards/Honours/Distinctions

1. G S Khush Team Award for Dissemination of IPM Technology (G S Khush Foundation)

2. Appreciation Certificate for Development and Dissemination of IPM Technology for Whitefly Management in Punjab (Vice Chancellor, PAU, Ludhiana)

3. Joint Secretary, Journal of Insect Science published by the Indian Society for the Advancement of Insect Science, PAU, Ludhiana

4. Travel Grant to Attend First International Whitefly Symposium at Greece Held in May 2013 (DBT, New Delhi)

5. Fellow of the Entomological Society of India, IARI, New Delhi (2020) and Indian Ecological Society (2022)

6. Received Best Research Paper Award in 2012 for Impact adoption of IPM in cotton in National Seminar on “Biotechnological approaches in IPM” held at PAU, Ludhiana.