Dr. P.R. Shashank




Name: Dr. P.R. Shashank
Qualification: Ph.D. Agricultural Entomology
Designation : Scientist
Department: Division of Entomology
Institute Name : Icar-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
College Address : Room No. 9, Division Of Entomology, Pusa Campus, Icar-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
Publication Title: Journal
Paper Title : A New Indian Species of Shoot And Capsule Borer of The Genus Conogethes (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), Feeding on Cardamom
Journal Name : Zootaxa
Volume : 4374
Issue No. : 2
Month of Publication : Feb
Year : 2018
Page No. : 215
ISSN : 1175-5334

About Dr. P.R. Shashank

I am working as a scientist (senior scale) in ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi from 2013. I received my Ph.D. in Entomologyfrom Universityof Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore in 2012. For my Ph.D. I worked on solving moth pest complex usingintegrative taxonomy. I have been proactively engaged in insect systematics and invasive insect pest management for the past ten years and published more than 45 publications in reputed journals. Generated more than 250 DNA-Barcodes which aid in authentic identification of domestic and invasive insect pests and. Few significant findings which have directly impacted agriculture are:

  • Identified cryptic species in fruit and capsule borer, Conogethespunctiferalis feeding on castor and cardamom that influenced development of new pest management methods in Cardamom.
  • A new species, Acria meyricki infesting oil palm and causing a yield loss of up to 34%, was described from Andhra Pradesh, India.
  • Alarmed the nation on the invasion of pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) in tomato for the first-time tomato pest, and provided rapid action plan for its management.
  • Studied molecular diversity of T. absoluta& Leucinodes orbonalis (Brinjal shoot & fruit borer) and reported homogeneity of these populationsin India.
  • DNA barcoding and phylogenetic relationship of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) and exigua (Hübner) was studied using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase-I (COI).
  • In collaboration with leafhopper taxonomist, one new genus Chandra dehradunensis and two new species Parabolopona zhangi, Pseudosubhimalus trilobatus of leafhopper also have been discovered, phylogenies analyzed and published.
  • Recently, complete taxonomic revision of Indian Plusiinae, an important group of moths.