Leena Tripathi, International Institute
of Tropical Agriculture
Candidate for President
I am Principal Scientist and Deputy Regional
Director of East Africa Hub of International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Kenya.
I have a Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology and
M.Sc. in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology. I
have worked at University of North Carolina at
Greensboro before joining IITA. I have been
involved in Plant Biotechnology research for
more than 20 years with specific interests in
host plant resistance and molecular diagnostics.
My primary research focuses on genetic
improvement of banana, cassava, enset (false
banana) and yam for disease and pest resistance
to enhance production, which will lead the food
security, income and wellbeing of resource-poor
farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. My team has
developed several technologies, which are under
product development and closer to dissemination
to farmers. Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) caused
by Xanthomonas campestris pv.
musacearum is threatening banana production
and the livelihoods of smallholder growers in
East and Central Africa, and solutions have to
be found fast before it could destabilize food
security in the region. The disease has caused
estimated economic losses of about $2-8 billion
over the last decade in Africa in the absence of
effective natural host plant resistance. I have
pioneered a new approach, which uses genetic
engineering to produce banana varieties
resistant to this deadly disease. Our research
provides proof of concept for control of BXW
through Hrap and Pflp-mediated
resistance and the first field based evidence
for transgenic control of a bacterial disease in
banana and progress towards development and
release of transgenic bananas resistant to BXW
feasible. Such resistant varieties would boost
the available arsenal to fight this disease
epidemic and save livelihoods in Africa. Based
on success with transgenic bananas, we are now
expanding the transgenic technology developed on
banana for control of bacterial disease to
enset, which is staple crop in Ethiopia. We have
also established proof of concept demonstrating
field-based resistance to pathogenic nematode in
transgenic plantain. My lab is also developing
virus resistant banana/plantain and cassava
using RNAi technology. Black Sigatoka disease,
caused by Pseudocercospora fijiensis is
a serious constraint to banana production
worldwide. We have conducted functional genomic
studies to find out potential target in fungi
for its control. My research interest is also to
develop new crop improvement technologies like
genome editing for vegetatively propagated
crops. All my research is in collaboration with
advanced labs in USA, UK, Australia and National
partners in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi and
also regional partners.
I have mobilized more than 17 Million USD for
transgenic research in my lab in Africa in
addition to my contribution to CGIAR Research
Program for Root, Tubers and Banana (CRP-RTB).
The outcomes of research in my lab have been
published in more than 67 articles in refereed
Journals with high impact factor like Nature
Biotechnology or book chapters and have been
featured in more than 170 national and
international news articles and documentary
films. I am editorial board member of Scientific
Reports and Frontiers in Plant Science, editor
of Plant Cell Reports. I also serve as reviewer
on several Journals. Currently, I am Chair of
ISPP Subject Matter Committee: Plant Pathogenic
Bacteria. I was scientific committee member for
International Bacterial Wilt Symposium (IBWS)
2016 in France. I will be organizing the
International Conference of Plant Pathogenic
Bacteria (14th ICPPB) in 2019 in Uganda. I have
presented as Keynote speaker in plenary at
American Phytopathological Society (APS) Annual
Meeting 2016 in Florida, USA. I have also
presented as invited speaker in several
International Conference related to Plant
Pathology.
If elected as president of ISPP, I will
focus on “Science to Practice” and linking
scientific innovations in advanced labs to
practical applications for solving problems of
farmers worldwide. I will try to link
researchers from developing countries to
advanced labs and encourage them to attend
conferences like ICPP and ICPPB.
Tripathi cv 2017.pdf
