Dr. Preethi obtained her Ph.D. in Crop Physiology from Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands, and her M.Sc. in Crop Physiology from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India. Following her doctoral studies, she served as a DST-INSPIRE Faculty Scientist at University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, where she established an independent research program on nocturnal transpiration and water-use efficiency in rice.

Her research bridges basic plant science and applied agricultural innovation, focusing on the physiological and molecular dissection of traits that enhance drought adaptation and water productivity. Through her work, Dr. Vijayaraghavareddy aims to develop climate-resilient and water-efficient crops using both physiological and molecular insights.

• Ph.D., Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands
• B.Sc. and M.Sc., University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore

1. P. Vijayaraghavareddy, X. Yin, P. C. Struik, U. Makarla, and S. Sreeman, “Responses of lowland, upland and aerobic rice genotypes to water limitation during different phases,” Rice Sci., vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 345–354, 2020.
2. P. Vijayaraghavareddy, R. S. Vemanna, X. Yin, P. C. Struik, U. Makarla, and S. Sreeman, “Acquired traits contribute more to drought tolerance in wheat than in rice,” Plant Phenomics, 2020.
3. P. Vijayaraghavareddy, N. N. Akula, R. S. Vemanna, R. G. H. Math, D. D. Shinde, X. Yin, P. C. Struik, U. Makarla, and S. Sreeman, “Metabolome profiling reveals impact of water limitation on grain filling in contrasting rice genotypes,” Plant Physiol. Biochem., vol. 162, pp. 690–698, 2021.
4. V. S. Lekshmy, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, A. N. Nagashree, R. S. Vemanna, V. Ramegowda, U. Makarla, and S. Sreeman, “Induction of acquired tolerance through gradual progression of drought is the key for maintenance of spikelet fertility and yield in rice under semi-irrigated aerobic conditions,” Front. Plant Sci., vol. 11, p. 2275, 2021.
5. P. Vijayaraghavareddy, S. V. Lekshmy, P. C. Struik, U. Makarla, X. Yin, and S. Sreeman, “Production and scavenging of reactive oxygen species confer to differential sensitivity of rice and wheat to drought stress,” Crop Environ., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 15–23, 2022.
6. P. A. Vanitha, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, A. Uttarkar, A. Dawane, D. Sujitha, V. Ashwin, K. C. Babitha, et al., “Novel small molecules targeting bZIP23 TF improve stomatal conductance and photosynthesis under mild drought stress by regulating ABA,” FEBS J., 2022.
7. V. Adhinarayanreddy, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, A. Vargheese, S. Dadi, A. Uttarkar, V. Niranjan, A. C. Venkatraman, S. M. Sreeman, and R. S. Vemanna, “A simple and rapid oxidative stress screening method of small molecules for functional studies of transcription factor,” Rice Sci., vol. 3, 2022.
8. V. S. Lekshmy, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, K. S. Nanaiah, and S. Sreeman, “Relevance of acquired tolerance traits and root length in determining spikelet fertility and yield in rice,” Plant Physiol. Rep., vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 641–652, 2022.
9. P. Doddaraju, P. M. Dharmappa, A. Thiagarayaselvam, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, R. Bheemanahalli, P. A. Basavaraddi, M. K. V. Malagondanahalli, S. Kambalimath, H. V. Thulasiram, and S. M. Sreeman, “Comprehensive analysis of physiological and metabolomic responses to drought reveals specific modulation of acquired tolerance mechanisms in rice,” Physiol. Plant., vol. 175, no. 3, p. e13917, 2023.
10. D. Albert, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, and S. Sreeman, “Seed size, an imperative trait for seed vigor and drought tolerance in rice,” Cereal Res. Commun., vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 559–568, 2023.
11. L. V. Sankarapillai, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, K. Nanaiah, G. D. Arpitha, P. M. Chaitanya, R. Sathishraj, D. Shindhe, R. S. Vemanna, X. Yin, P. C. Struik, and S. Sreeman, “Phenotyping and metabolome analysis reveal the role of AdoMetDC and Di19 genes in determining acquired tolerance to drought in rice,” Physiol. Plant., vol. 175, no. 5, p. e13992, Aug. 2023.
12. A. Dawane, S. Deshpande, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, and R. S. Vemanna, “Polysome-bound mRNAs and translational mechanisms regulate drought tolerance in rice,” Plant Physiol. Biochem., vol. 208, p. 108513, 2024.
13. S. Nagaraju, M. Ramesh, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, R. Abhishree, P. Chaitanya, and S. Sreeman, “Triose phosphate utilization determines the yield–grain protein trade-off in contrasting rice genotypes under varying light intensities,” Plant Soil, vol. 502, no. 1, pp. 333–349, 2024.
14. P. M. Chaitanya, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, S. Lekshmy, S. Nagaraju, R. G. H. Math, D. D. Shinde, P. C. Struik, and S. Sreeman, “Molecular basis of distinct responses to drought between rice and wheat genotypes,” Environ. Exp. Bot., vol. 221, p. 105734, 2024.
15. R. Abhishree, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, P. M. Chaitanya, S. Nagaraju, and S. Sreeman, “Decoding stomatal characteristics regulating water use efficiency at leaf and plant scales in rice genotypes,” Planta, vol. 260, no. 3, p. 56, 2024.
16. S. Nagaraju, M. Ramesh, N. E. Mujjassim, S. Reddy, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, and S. Sreeman, “Rice night-time thirst: Genotype nutrient needs reflected in nocturnal transpiration,” Rhizosphere, vol. 32, p. 100956, 2024.
17. M. Rathinam, N. Dokka, K. Senthil, S. Mahawar, S. Tyagi, D. Rengarajan, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, Y. Iyyappan, B. Y. Basavaraj, S. Reddy, V. T. Vinutha, R. G. Subodh, S. Sinha, P. Dash, S. Sreeman, M. Majee, and R. Sreevathsa, “Orchestration of ROS homeostasis and enhanced defense by CpMSRB1 against Helicoverpa armigera in Cajanus platycarpus,” Mol. Plant Microbe Interact., accepted, 2025.
18. S. M. Sreeman, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, R. Sreevathsa, S. Rajendrareddy, S. Arakesh, P. Bharti, P. Dharmappa, and R. Soolanayakanahally, “Introgression of physiological traits for a comprehensive improvement of drought adaptation in crop plants,” Front. Chem., vol. 6, p. 382, 2018.
19. S. Yadav, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, S. Dadi, C. S. Seth, K. G. Keshavareddy, B. K. Chandrashekhara, and R. S. Vemanna, “Small molecules alter plant processes to deliver big impacts on agriculture,” Physiol. Mol. Biol. Plants, accepted, 2024.
20. R. S. Vemanna, P. Vijayaraghavareddy, K. N. Nisarga, K. R. Srivastava, M. S. Sreeman, K. S. Mysore, and M. Udayakumar, “Carbonyl cytotoxicity affects plant cellular processes and detoxifying enzymes scavenge these compounds to improve stress tolerance,” J. Agric. Food Chem., vol. 68, no. 23, pp. 6237–6247, 2020.
21. P. Vijayaraghavareddy, V. Adhinarayanreddy, R. S. Vemanna, S. Sreeman, and U. Makarla, “Quantification of membrane damage/cell death using Evan’s blue staining technique,” Bio-Protocol, vol. 7, no. 16, pp. e2519–e2519, 2017.

Project 1

• Title: Importance of nocturnal transpiration in determining carbon assimilation and water productivity – physiological and molecular mechanisms that govern the variability in nocturnal transpiration in rice
• Duration: 5 years
• Granting Agency: Department of Science and technology
• PIs: Preethi Vijayaraghavareddy
• Short Description: This project investigates the role of nocturnal transpiration in rice, focusing on its impact on carbon assimilation and water productivity. While night-time water loss can support nutrient uptake and prepare leaves for early morning photosynthesis, rising night temperatures and drought make it an energetically costly process. The study aims to identify rice genotypes with minimal increases in nocturnal transpiration under heat and drought stress, using advanced phenomics tools. Physiological, molecular, and genetic analyses will uncover the mechanisms controlling variability in this trait, providing insights for breeding water-efficient rice varieties resilient to climate change.
• Status: Ongoing
• Grant Amount: 35000

• INSPIRE Faculty, Department of Science and Technology, New-Delhi, 2023
• Dr. Sunderlal Bagai Young Agricultural Scientist award 2023-24 by Rotary Bangalore South
• Jury member for National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition organized by C-CAMP (2022)
• Prof. M Udayakumar Memorial Young Scientist Award-2024 at NCPP 2024, Kasaragod
• Associate Editor for Plant Physiology Reports
• Associate Editor for Modern Agriculture

preethi vijayaraghavareddy – Google Scholar

https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0009-0000-1535-0351