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Rahul Sreekumar

School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences
Environmental Sciences| Biological Sciences| Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
Associate Professor Nanjappa Ashwath, Professor Kerry Walsh
Doctor of Philosophy
rahul.sreekumar@cqumail.com
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Research Details

Thesis Name

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Thesis Abstract

ResearchGate: Rahul Sreekumar

Why my research is important/Impacts

Provenance variation and application of NIR/FTIR technologies to select salt tolerant genotypes of Beauty Leaf Tree (Calophyllum inophyllum)

Funding/Scholarship

With the world being over-dependent on fossil fuels for energy generation, there is a great need for alternative renewable energy sources. The production of biofuel from the seeds of the Beauty Leaf Tree (BLT) could potentially help to meet this need. As Beauty Leaf Trees thrive in coastal or saline conditions, the study aims to look at the viability of growing the trees in marginal soils by testing seedlings for stress tolerance and physiological responses. The research will focus on elucidating the variability in morphology, growth rates, germination, oil content and the mechanism of salt tolerance in BLT. It will also examine the suitability of modern novel technologies like Near Infrared (NIR) and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy in assessing stress tolerance in plants, enabling identification of salt tolerant genotypes in a very efficient, convenient and non-destructive way.