Bala Rathinasabapathi
· Professor Undergraduate AdvisorUniversity of Florida · Horticultural Sciences
Active 1969–2026
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About
Bala Rathinasabapathi is a Professor and Co-Chair (Teaching) in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. His research areas include capsicum breeding, genetics, and genomics, as well as synthetic biology approaches to biofortification. He also focuses on horticulture and breeding of Camellia tea, purple sweet potatoes, and other value-added vegetables, along with arsenic hyperaccumulation in ferns. Dr. Rathinasabapathi has contributed to understanding plant responses to stress, metabolic adaptations, and the development of improved crop resistance. His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Saskatchewan, an M.Sc. in Genetics from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and a B.Sc. in Agriculture from Annamalai University. He has extensive work experience, including post-doctoral research at Michigan State University and the University of Montreal, and has traveled internationally to study horticultural industries. Recognized for his contributions, he has received numerous honors such as being named an AAAS Fellow in 2023, and has been acknowledged for outstanding teaching and research efforts.
Research topics
- Biology
- Botany
- Environmental engineering
- Biochemistry
- Horticulture
- Environmental science
- Chemistry
- Neuroscience
- Toxicology
- Ecology
Selected publications
AoB Plants · 2022 · 23 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingwere subjected to heat shock, young leaves were affected significantly less than older leaves based on measurements of tissue damage. To identify quantitative changes to transcriptomes between young and old leaves upon heat stress, we used RNA sequencing on young and old leaves from plants exposed to control and heat stress at 42 °C for 1 h and 10 h. A total of 6472 differentially expressed genes between young and old leaf were identified under control condition, and 9126 and 6891 under 1 h and…
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment · 2022 · 21 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingFrontiers in Plant Science · 2020 · 21 citations
mutant (CC-1883) strains at the start of the assay. Genome sequencing identified UVC-induced mutations, which were enriched for transversions and non-synonymous mutations relative to natural variants among laboratory strains. Genes with mutations indicating positive selection were enriched for information processing genes related to DNA repair, RNA processing, translation, cytoskeletal motors, kinases, and ABC transporters. These data suggest that modification of DNA repair, signal transduction,…
Engineering a Plant-Derived Astaxanthin Synthetic Pathway Into Nicotiana benthamiana
Frontiers in Plant Science · 2022-01-18 · 18 citations
articleOpen accessCarotenoids have been shown to be essential for human nutrition. Consumption of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of many diseases. The ketocarotenoid astaxanthin has become a commercially valuable compound due to its powerful antioxidant properties compared to other carotenoids. It is naturally produced in certain algae, bacteria, and the flowers of some species of the genus Adonis , although it is produced in such small quantities in these organisms that it is costly to…
Acta Physiologiae Plantarum · 2022-07-04 · 14 citations
articleSenior author
Frequent coauthors
- 99 shared
Q. Lena
Zhejiang University
- 35 shared
Yanshan Chen
Guangzhou University
- 30 shared
Steven A. Sargent
University of Florida
- 30 shared
Jodie V. Johnson
University of Florida
- 29 shared
Molly Eveleth
University of Florida
- 29 shared
Kara Denee Salazar
U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory
- 29 shared
Cristiane Alves
U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory
- 29 shared
Ann M. Greene
U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory
Labs
Education
- 1990
Ph.D., Biology
University of Saskatchewan
- 1985
M.Sc., Genetics
Indian Agricultural Research Institute
- 1983
B.Sc., Agriculture
Annamalai University
Awards & honors
- AAAS Fellow, American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science…
- Outstanding Graduate Educator, American Society of Horticult…
- University of Florida Roche Teaching Scholar (2021)
- NACTA Educator Award, North American Colleges and Teachers o…
- Featured in Membership Corner, American Society of Plant Bio…
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