Rakesh Minocha
Title: Plant Physiologist / Biochemist
Unit: Biological and Environmental Influences on Forest Health and Productivity
Previous Unit: Forest sustainability and tree response to injury, infection and environmental change
Address: Northern Research Station
271 Mast Road
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603-868-7622
E-mail: Contact Rakesh Minocha
Jump to Publications
Education
- Ph.D. Biochemistry, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 1985
- M.S. Zoology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 1978
- M.Sc. (Honors), Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, 1976
- B.Sc. (Honors), Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, 1975
Civic & Professional Affiliations
American Society of Plant Biologists, Ecological Society of America, International Society of Environmental Bioindicators
Current Research
Current research:
- My research is focused on the physiological response of trees to injury, infection, and environmental change. Sources of injury may be obvious such as those from fire, storms, pests, pathogens and human activity. Significant, yet less obvious change may come from perturbations in soil chemistry due to acid rain.
Current research examines:
- As a part of various interdisciplinary research teams, I examine wood and foliar chemistry (including inorganic cations, polyamines, amino acids, soluble proteins, and chlorophyll) at various sites in the Northeastern USA, Europe and Asia to determine the correlation between these parameters and other data on root, soil, and soil solution chemistry collected by our cooperators and collaborators. So far, putrescine, a polyamine, and arginine, an amino acid have shown the potential to be used as early indicators of physiological stress under field conditions.
- The applicability and limitations of dendrochemistry to provide markers of environmental change.
Why is This Important
Stress from mechanical injury, subsequent infection, and environmental change are facts of life for wild, rural, and urban trees. This stress often impacts the diverse goals of forest management, wildlife conservation, high-quality wood products, or the desire for safe and healthy trees in our communities. Maximizing the benefits of trees for forests and communities requires understanding how these goals are linked to tree biology and early detection of tree response to environmental change.
Future Research
- Keep working on the current research focus and add new indicators to our currently existing list that can predict changes in forest productivity.
- Using molecular techniques, study the effects of environmental changes such as excess of nitrogen on microbial population intensity and/or diversity and ecosystem functions.
- Develop new techniques or optimize existing techniques that can help us analyze tree samples for additional physiological indicators.
- Write articles in trade journals or magazines of general public interest to transfer this technology on to environmental scientists and scientists belonging to other disciplines. This transfer will help the public understand the value of our research.
Featured Publications
Additional
Online Publications
- Thangavel, P.; Long, Stephanie; Minocha, Rakesh. 2007. Changes in phytochelatins and their biosynthetic intermediates in red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) cell suspension cultures under cadmium and zinc stress
- Page, Andrew F.; Mohapatra, Sridev; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 2007. The effects of genetic manipulation of putrescine biosynthesis on transcription and activities of the other polyamine biosynthetic enzymes
- Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 2005. Effects of soil pH and aluminum on plant respiration
- Dujesiefken, Dirk; Liese, Walter; Shortle, Walter; Minocha, Rakesh. 2005. Response of beech and oaks to wounds made at different times of the year
- Bauer, G.A.; Bazzaz, F.A.; Minocha, R.; Long, S.; Magill, A.; Aber, J.; Berntson, G.M. 2004. Effects of chronic N additions on tissue chemistry, photosynthetic capacity, and carbon sequestration potential of a red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) stand in the NE United States
- Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C.; Long, Stephanie. 2004. Polyamines and their biosynthetic enzymes during somatic embryo development in red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.)
- Minocha, S.C.; Bhatnagar, P.; Minocha, R. 2003. Genetic manipulation of polyamine metabolism in poplar
- Minocha, R.; Minocha, S.C.; Long, S. 2003. Monitoring environmental stress in forest trees using biochemical and physiological markers
- Quan, Yi; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 2002. Genetic manipulation of polyamine metabolism in poplar II: effects on ethylene biosynthesis
- Bhatnagar, Pratiksha; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 2002. Genetic manipulation of the metabolism of polyamines in poplar cells. The regulation of putrescine catabolism
- Wargo, Philip M.; Minocha, Rakesh; Wong, Betty; Long, Robert P.; Horsley, Stephen B.; Hall, Thomas J. 2002. Measuring changes in stress and vitality indicators in limed sugar maple on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central Pennsylvania
- Minocha, R.; Minocha, S.C.; Long, S. 2002. Monitoring environmental stress in forest trees using biochemical and physiological markers
- Minocha, Rakesh; McQuattie, Carolyn; Fagerberg, Wayne; Long, Stephanie; Noh, Eun Woon. 2001. Effects of aluminum in red spruce (Picea rubens) cell cultures: Cell growth and viability, mitochondrial activity, ultrastructure and potential sites of intracellular aluminum accumulation
- Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie; Magill, Alison H.; Aber, John; McDowell, William H. 2000. Foliar free polyamine and inorganic ion content in relation to soil and soil solution chemistry in two fertilized forest stands at the Harvard Forest, Massachusetts
- Minocha, R.; Jain, S.M. 2000. Tissue culture of woody plants and its relevance to molecular biology
- Shortle, Walter C.; Smith, Kevin T.; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash; Wargo, Philip M.; Vogt, Kristina A. 2000. Tree health and physiology in a changing environment
- Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie; Maki, Hisae; Minocha, Subhash C. 1999. Assays for the activities of polyamine biosynthetic enzymes using intact tissues
- Minocha, S.C.; Minocha, R. 1999. Genetic transformation in conifers
- Minocha, Rakesh. 1999. Markers of environmental stress in forest trees
- Minocha, Rakesh; Smith, Dale R.; Reeves, Cathie; Steele, Kevin D.; Minocha, Subhash C. 1999. Polyamine levels during the development of zygotic and somatic embryos of Pinus radiata
- Shortle, Walter C.; Minocha, Rakesh. 1999. Taxol: a review
- Shortle, Walter C.; Smith, Kevin T.; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C.; Wargo, Philip M.; Vogt, Kristiina A. 1999. Tree health and physiology in a changing environment
- Shortle, Walter C.; Smith, Kevin T.; Minocha, Rakesh; Lawrence, Gregory B.; David, Mark B. 1997. Acidic deposition, cation mobilization, and biochemical indicators of stress in healthy red spruce
- Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C.; Lawrence, Gregory B.; David, Mark B.; Minocha, Subhash C. 1997. Relationships among foliar chemistry, foliar polyamines, and soil chemistry in red spruce trees growing across the northeastern United States
- Smith, Kevin T.; Shortle, Walter C.; Minocha, Rakesh; Alexeyev, Vladislav A. 1996. Dynamics of calcium concentration in stemwood of red spruce and Siberian fir
- Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C.; Coughin, Daniel J. Jr.; Minocha, Subhash C. 1996. Effects of aluminum on growth, polyamine metabolism, and inorganic ions in suspension cultures of red spruce (Picea rubens)
- Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C.; Lawrence, Gregory B.; Mark, B. David; Minocha, Subhash C. 1996. Putrescine: a marker of stress in red spruce trees
- Minocha, Rakesk; Shortle, Walter C.; Lawrence, Gregory B.; David, Mark B.; Minocha, Subhash C. 1996. Putrescine: a marker of stress in red spruce trees
- Minocha, Subhash C.; Minocha, Rakesh. 1995. Historical aspects of somatic embryogenesis in woody plants
- Zhou, Xinhua; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 1995. Physiological responses of suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus to aluminum: changes in polyamines and inorganic ions
- Minocha, S.C.; Minocha, R. 1995. Role of polyamines in somatic embryogenesis
- Shortle, W.C.; Smith, K.T.; Minocha, R.; Alexeyev, V.A. 1995. Similar patterns of change in stemwood calcium concentration in red spruce and Siberian fir
- Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C.; Simola, Liisa Kaarina. 1995. Somatic embryogenesis and polyamines in woody plants
- Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C.; Long, Stephanie L.; Minocha, Subhash C. 1994. A rapid and reliable procedure for extraction of cellular polyamines and inorganic ions from plant tissues
- Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C. 1994. Polyamines and inorganic ions extracted from woody tissues by freeze-thawing
- Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C.; Minocha, Subhash C. 1994. Somatic embryogenesis in Picea abies (Norway spruce) and Picea Rubens (red spruce): growth rates and polyamines
- Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C. 1993. Fast, safe, and reliable methods for extraction of major inorganic cations from small quantities of woody plant tissues
- Minocha, Rakesh; Kvaalen, Haarald; Minocha, Subhash C.; Long, Stephanie. 1993. Polyamines in embryogenic cultures of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and red spruce (Picea rubens)
- Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C.; Long, Stephanie L.; Shortle, Walter C. 1992. Effects of aluminum on DNA synthesis, cellular polyamines, polyamine biosynthetic enzymes and inorganic ions in cell suspension cultures of a woody plant, Catharanthus roseus
- Minocha, S.C.; Minocha, R.; Komamine, A. 1991. Effects of polyamine biosynthesis inhibitors on S-adenosylmethionine synthetase and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase activities in carrot cell cultures
- Minocha, R.; Minocha, S.C.; Komamine, A.; Shortle, W.C. 1991. Regulation of DNA synthesis and cell division by polyamines in Catharanthus roseus suspension cultures
- Shortle, Walter C.; Minocha, Rakesh. 1990. Applications of ion chromatography to study pollution effects on forest trees
- Minocha, Subhash C.; Minocha, Rakesh; Robie, Cheryl A. 1990. High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of dansyl-polyamines
Last Modified:
11/19/2008