
Muntazir Mushtaq is an Assistant Professor at the MS Swaminathan School of Agriculture in Shoolini University. He was a Postdoctoral Researcher at ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi. His major research areas are genomics, transcriptomics, molecular breeding, crop phenotyping, crop biotechnology, functional and applied genomics, tissue-culture and genetic transformation, genome editing, abiotic and biotic stress in crop plants. He has published more than 30 papers in reputed international and national journals and has qualified ICAR-National Eligibility Test (NET) in Agricultural Biotechnology.
Muntazir is the recipient of the ‘Mahima Young Scientist Award-2018’ from Mahima Research Foundation and Social Welfare. He got the award in recognition of his outstanding research contribution in the field of Plant Biotechnology, during the International Conference on ‘Impact of Climate Change and Abiotic Stresses on Agriculture and Management Strategies’ at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP, India. He also received the Maulana Azad National Fellowship during PhD, the best PG thesis award for MSc thesis. Additionally, he has published several patents and received other awards for his research work.
Muntazir has authored many book chapters on Genomics, Plant Breeding and Genetics, CRISPR-Cas-mediated genome editing, abiotic and biotic stress tolerance in plants and micro RNAs to meet the needs of modern agriculture research. He has been an active member of the member of Society of Bioinformatics and Biological Sciences. He is a review editor of Frontiers in Genetics, Frontiers in Plant Sciences, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Frontiers for Young Minds, Frontiers in Immunology, Frontiers in Pharmacology, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Agriculture, Sustainability, Plants, Biology and Genes.
Muntazir Mushtaq has done his PhD in Biotechnology from the School of Biotechnology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, India. He completed his MSc (Agriculture), specializing in Plant Biotechnology, from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Jammu & Kashmir, India.
He can be reached at muntazirmushtaq@shooliniuniversity.com
h-index: 10
i10-index: 11
Citations: 10003
ORCiD: 0000-0002-2725-5455
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?hl=en&user=vGaos3kAAAAJ
Publication
Published Manuscripts
1. Yalpi Kathik, Manjula Ishwara Kalyani, Srinivasa Krishnappa, Ramakrishna Devappa, Chengeshpur Anjali Goud, Krishnaveni Ramakrishna, Muneeb Ahmad Wani, Mohamed Alkafafy, Maram Hussen, Abduljabbar, Amal S Alaswat, Samy M Sayed, Muntazir Mushtaq*. 2023. Antiproliferative activity of antimicrobial peptides and bioactive compounds from the mangrove Glutamicibacter mysorens. Frontiers in Microbiology. 14:1096826. Doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1096826. (Impact Factor: 6.0; NAAS Rating: 12.06)
2. Umer Basu, Syed Riaz Ahmad, Basharat Ahmad Bhat, Zunaira Anwar, Ahmad Ali, Aqsa Ijaz, Addafar Gulzar, Amir Bibi, Anshika Tyagi, Suresh M. Nebapure, Chengeshpur Anjali Goud, Shafat Ahmad Ahanger, Sajad Ali, Muntazir Mushtaq*. 2022. A CRISPR way for accelerating cereal crop improvement: Progress and challenges. Frontiers in Genetics. 13:866976. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.866976. (Impact Factor: 4.7; NAAS Rating: 10.60)
3. Shafat Ahmad Ahanger, Sabiya Bashir, Mohammad Najeeb Mughal, Rouf Ahmad Rather, Reyaz ul Rouf Mir, Muntazir Mushtaq and Umer Basu. First Report of Common Bean (Phseolus vulgaris L.) Root Rot Caused by Rhizotonia Solani in Jammu and Kashmir, India. International Journal of Environment and Climate Change. 12(11): 1825-1830, 2022. (NAAS Rating: 5.13)
4. Sajad Ali, Anshika Tyagi, Suvin Park, Rakeeb A. Mir, Muntazir Mushtaq, Basharat Bhat, Henda Mahmoudi, Hanhong Bae. 2022. Deciphering the plant microbiome to improve drought tolerance: Mechanisms and perspectives. Environmental and Experimental Botany. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2022.104933. (Impact Factor: 6.0; NAAS Rating: 11.5)
5. Roaf Ahmad Rather, Farooq Ahmad Ahanger, Shafat Ahmad Ahanger, Umer Basu, Nazir Ahmad Bhat, Owais Ali Wani, Mohammad Saleem Dar, Jafar K. Lone, Jasima Ali Khanday, Parvaze Ahmad Sofi, Muntazir Mushtaq*. Morpho-cultural and Pathogenic Variability of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum causing White Mold of Beans. Journal of Fungi (Impact Factor: 5.7; NAAS Rating: 11.8)
6. Suhail Altaf, Shaheen Kousar Jan, Shafat Ahmad Ahanger, Umer Basu, Roaf Ahmad Rather, Owais Ali Wani, Farahnaz Rasool, Muntazir Mushtaq*, Mohamed Taha Yassin, Ashraf Abdel-Fattah Mostafa, Abdallah M. Elgorban, Ehab El-Haroun, Ahmed M. El-Sabrout, Ryan Casini and Hosam O. Elansary. Management of Green Mold Disease in White Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) and Its Yield Improvement. Journal of Fungi (Impact Factor: 5.7; NAAS Rating: 11.8)
7. Suhail Altaf, Shaheen Kousar Jan, Umer Basu, Shafat Ahmad Ahanger, Anand Dave, Sardar Singh Kakraliya, Alaa Bazeem, Ajay Kumar Mishra, Anupam Kumar, Immad Ahmad Shah and Muntazir Mushtaq*. Sustainable Management of Green Mold Disease of White Button Mushroom Using Botanicals and Biocontrol Agents under Temperate Conditions. Horticulturae, 2022, 8, 768. https://doi.org/10.3390/ horticulturae8090768. (Impact Factor: 3.4; NAAS Rating: 9.42)
8. Bilal Ahmad Lone, Sameera Qayoom, Aijaz Nazir, Shafat Ahmad Ahanger, Umer Basu, Tauseef Ahmad Bhat, Zahoor Ahmad Dar, Muntazir Mushtaq*, Ayman El Sabagh, Walid Soufan, Muhammad Habib ur Rahman and Rasha Fathallah El-Agamy. 2022. Climatic Trends of Variable Temperate Environment: A Complete Time Series Analysis during 1980–2020. Atmosphere, 13, 749. https://doi.org/10.3390/ atmos13050749.
9. Aijaz Nazir, Mohammad Anwar Bhat, Tauseef Ahmad Bhat, Suhail Fayaz, Mohammad Salim Mir, Umar Basu, Shafat Ahmad Ahanger, Suhail Altaf, Bisma Jan, Bilal Ahmad Lone, Muntazir Mushtaq*, Mohamed El-Sharnouby, Milan Skalicky, Marian Brestic, Ayman El Sabagh. 2022. Comparative Analysis of Rice and Weeds and Their Nutrient Partitioning under Various Establishment Methods and Weed Management Practices in Temperate Environment. Agronomy, 12, 816. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12040816. (Impact Factor: 3.4; NAAS Rating: 9.42)
10. Sajad Ali, Anshika Tyagi, Muntazir Mushtaq, Henda Al-Mahmoudi, Hanhong Bae. 2022. Harnessing plant microbiome for mitigating arsenic toxicity in sustainaible agriculture. Environmental Pollution, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.118940. (Impact Factor: 8.1; NAAS Rating: 14.1)
11. Ganeshprasad D.N, Jafar K. Lone, Kunal Jani, Yogesh S Shouche, Khalid Ali Khan, Muntazir Mushtaq*, A.H. Sneharani. 2022. Gut bacterial flora of open nested honey bee, Apis florae. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10:837381. (Impact Factor: 4.1)
12. Raheeba Tun Nisa, Khurshid Ahmad Bhat, Umer Basu, Rameesa Rashid, Xiukang Wang, Shaheen Kauser Jan, H. S. Viswanath, Walid Soufan, Muntazir Mushtaq*, Muhammad Habib ur Rahman, Farooq Ahmad bhat, Ayman EL Sabagh. 2021. Identification and Characterization of Triple Action Bioagents (TAB) and Their Potency against Fusarium Wilt of Lentil. Horticulturae, 7:587. https://doi.org/10.3390/ horticulturae7120587. (Impact Factor: 2.3; NAAS Rating: 8.33)
13. Muntazir Mushtaq, Aejaz Ahmad Dar, Umer Basu, Basharat Ahmad Bhat, Rakeeb Ahmad Mir, Sanskriti Vats, MS Dar, Anshika Tyagi, Sajad Ali, Monika Bansal, Gyanendra Kumar Rai, Shabir Hussain Wani. 2021. Integrating CRISPR-Cas and Next Generation Sequencing in Plant Virology. Frontiers in Genetics, 10.3389/fgene.2021.735489. (Impact Factor: 4.5; NAAS Rating: 9.50)
14. Muntazir Mushtaq, Aejaz Ahmad Dar, Milan Skalicky, Anshika Tyagi, Nancy Bhagat, Umer Basu, Basharat Ahmad Bhat, Abbu Zaid, Sajad Ali, Tanvir-Ul-Hassan Dar, Gyanendra Kumar Rai, Shabir Hussain Wani, Muhammad Habib-Ur-Rahman, Vaclav Hejnak, Pavla Vachova, Marian Brestic, Arzu Cig, Fatih Cig, Murat Erman, Ayman EL Sabagh. 2021. CRISPR-Based Genome Editing Tools: Insights into Technological Breakthroughs and Future Challenges. Genes, https://doi.org/10.3390/ genes 12060797. (Impact Factor: 4.09; NAAS Rating: 10.00)
15. Gyanendra K. Rai, Baharat A. Bhat, Muntazir Mushtaq, Lubna Tariq, Pradeep K. Rai, Umer Basu, Aejaz A. Dar, Sheikh T. Islam, Tanvir U. H. Dar, Javaid A. Bhat. 2021. Insights into decontamination of soils by phytoremediation: A detailed account on heavy metal and mitigation strategies. Physiologia Plantarum, doi: 10.1111/ppl.13433. (Impact Factor: 4.50; NAAS Rating: 10.50)
16. Muntazir Mushtaq, Aafreen Sakina, Shabir Hussain Wani, Asif B. Shikari, Prateek Tripathi, Abbu Zaid, Aravind Galla, Mostafa Abdelrahman, Manmohan Sharma, Anil Kumar Singh and Romesh Kumar Salgotra. 2019. Harnessing Genome Editing Techniques to Engineer Disease Resistance in Plants. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10:550. (Impact Factor: 4.30; NAAS Rating: 10.11)
17. Muntazir Mushtaq, Shazia Mukhtar, Aafreen Sakina, Aejaz Ahmad Dar, Rohini Bhat, Rupesh Deshmukh, Kutubuddin A. Molla, Ajaz Ahmad Kundoo, Mohd Saleem Dar. 2019. Tweaking genome-editing approaches for virus interference in crop plants. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 147: 242-250. (Impact Factor: 3.80; NAAS Rating: 9.40)
18. Muntazir Mushtaq*, Javaid Akhter Bhat, Zahoor A Mir, Afreen Sakina, Sajad Ali, Anil Kumar Singh, Anshika Tyagi, Romesh Kumar Salgotra, Ajaz Ahmad Dar and Rohini Bhat. 2018. CRISPR/Cas Approach: a new way of looking at plant-abiotic interactions. Journal of Plant Physiology, 224: 156-162,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2018.04.001. (Impact Factor: 3.12; NAAS Rating: 9.12)
19. Aejaz Ahmad Dar, Susheel Sharma, Reetika Mahajan, Muntazir Mushtaq, Ankila Salathia, Shahid Ahamad, Jag Paul Sharma. 2020. Overview of purple blotch disease and understanding its management through chemical, biological and genetic approaches. Journal of Integrative Agriculture. 2020, 19(12): 3013–3024. (Impact Factor: 1.98; NAAS Rating: 7.34)
20. Rohini Bhat, Anil Kumar Singh, Romesh Kumar Salgotra, Manmohan Sharma, Muntazir Mushtaq, Sreshti Bagati, Sharmishta Hangloo and Amrinder Singh. 2019. Detection of QTL for panicle architecture in F 2 population of rice. Journal of Genetics. 98:50. (NAAS Rating: 6.83, Impact Factor: 1.00)
21. Sajad Ali, Bashir Ahmad Ganai, Azra N Kamili, Ajaz Ali Bhat, Zahoor Ahmad Mir, Javaid Akhter Bhat, Anshika Tyagi, Sheikh Tajamul Islam, Muntazir Mushtaq, Prashant Yadav, Sandhya Rawat, Anita Grover. 2018. Pathogenesis-related proteins and peptides as promising tools for engineering plants with multiple stress tolerance. Microbiological Research, doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2018.04.008. (Impact Factor: 3.90; NAAS Rating: 9.70)
22. Javaid Akhter Bhat, Sajad Ali, Romesh Kumar Salgotra, Zahoor A Mir, Sutapa Dutta, Vasudha Jadon, Anshika Tyagi, Muntazir Mushtaq, Neelu Jain, P. K. Singh, G. P. Singh, K V Prabhu. 2016. Genomic Selection in the Era of Next Generation Sequencing for Complex Traits in Plant Breeding. Frontiers in Genetics, 7:221. doi:10.3389/fgene.2016.00221. (Impact Factor: 4.10; NAAS Rating: 10.31)
23. Muntazir Mushtaq, Mohd Ashraf Bhat, Javaid Akhter Bhat,Shazia Mukhtar. 2016. Comparative analysis of genetic diversity of maize (Zea mays l.) inbred lines from Kashmir Valley using agro-morphological and SSR markers. SABRAO Journal of Breeding and Genetics, 48(4): 518-527. (NAAS Rating: 4.74)
24. Rohini Bhat, Anil Kumar Singh, Romesh Kumar Salgotra, Manmohan Sharma, Sreshti Bagati, Sharmishta Hangloo, M Iqbal Jeelani Bhat, Satish Kumar Sharma, Muntazir Mushtaq. 2018. Statistical description, genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance assessment for various agronomical traits in F2 population of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 7(3): 985-992. (NAAS Rating: 5.21)
25. Muntazir Mushtaq, Anil Kumar Singh, Romesh Kumar Salgotra, Manmohan Sharma,R. K. Samnotra, Vikas Sharma, Sunali Mahajan, M. Iqbal Jeelani Bhat and Rizwan Yousuf. Effect of Duration of Cold Pretreatment and Plant Growth Regulators on Callusing and Green Plant Regeneration of Indica (Oryza sativa L.) Rice. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 9(4): 2319-7706. (NAAS Rating: 5.38)
26. Abida Parveen, Gyanendra Kumar Rai, Muntazir Mushtaq, Monika Singh, Pradeep K. Rai, Sunil K. Rai and Ajaz Ahmad Kundoo. 2019. Deciphering the Morphological, Physiological and Biochemical Mechanism Associated with Drought Stress Tolerance in Tomato Genotypes. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 8(5): 227-255. (NAAS Rating: 5.38)
27. Rohini Bhat, Anil Kumar Singh, Romesh Kumar Salgotra, Manmohan Sharma, Sreshti Bagati, Sharmishta Hangloo, M Iqbal Jeelani Bhat, Satish Kumar Sharma, Muntazir Mushtaq. 2018. Statistical description, genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance assessment for various agronomical traits in F2 population of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 7(3): 985-992. (NAAS Rating: 5.21)
28. Ajaz Ahmad Kundoo, Showket Ahmad Dar, Muntazir Mushtaq, Zaffar Bashir, Mohammad Saleem Dar, Shaheen Gul, Mohammad Tawseef Ali and Shammema Gulzar. 2018. Role of neonicotinoids in insect pest control. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies. 6(1): 333-339. (NAAS Rating: 5.53)
29. Preeti Choudhary, Muntazir Mushtaq, Anil Kumar Singh, Shazia Mukhtar, Asif Ashraf Shah, Gagan Mehta and Parshant Bakshi. 2017. Genome Editing Using Crispr/Cas System: New Era Genetic Technology in Agriculture to Boost Crop Output. European Journal of Experimental Biology, 7(3:2). (Impact Factor: 0.23)
30. Shah AA, Salgotra RK, Wani SA, Mondal SK, Shah MM, Zarger SM, Kumar A and Kaur A. 2017. Breeding and genomics approaches to increase crop yield under drought stress in climate change scenario. European Journal of Experimental Biology, 7(4:23). (Impact Factor: 0.23)
Book Chapters
1. Anshika Tyagi, Nisha Singh, Sajad Ali, Harsha Srivastava, Muntazir Mushtaq, Zahoor Ahmad Mir. 2023. Biofortification in Cereals: Progress and Prospects. In: Deshmukh, R., Nadaf, A., Ansari, W.A., Singh, K., Sonah, H. (eds) Biofortification in Cereals. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4308-9_5.
2. Muntazir Mushtaq, Kutubuddin A. Molla. 2023. Principles of genome editing and its applications in fisheries. In: Lakra, W.R., Goswami, M and Trudeau, V.L. Frontiers in Aquaculture Biotechnology. Elsevier, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91240-2.00021-X.
3. Khazin Hussain, Mahrukh, Raheeba Tun Nisa, Abbu Zaid, Muntazir Mushtaq*. The Utilization of Speed Breeding and Genome Editing to Achieve Zero Hunger. In: Prakash, C.S., Fiaz, S., Nadeem, M.A., Baloch, F.S., Qayyum, A. (eds) Sustainable Agriculture in the Era of the Omics Revolution. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15568-0_1.
4. Muntazir Mushtaq, Kutubuddin A. Molla. 2021. CRISPR Technologies for Plant Biotechnology Innovation. Plant Biotechnology, Springer, Nature Switzerland AG, A. Ricroch et al. (eds.), 10.1007/978-3-030-68345-0_5.
5. Abbu Zaid, Muntazir Mushtaq, Shabir Hussain Wani. Interactions of phytohormones with abiotic stress factors under changing climate. In book: Frontiers in Plant-Soil Interaction, Elsevier. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-90943-3.00010-9.
6. Muntazir Mushtaq, Hilal Ahmad Pir, Abbu Zaid, Shabir Hussain Wani. 2020. CRISPR/Cas system: A powerful approach for enhanced resistance against rice blast. Biocontrol Agents and Secondary Metabolites, Elsevier, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0- 12-822919-4.00028-4.
7. Anjum Ayoub, Muntazir Mushtaq, Zahoor Ahmad Mir, Aejaz Ahmad Dar. 2020. Bio- fortification in Fruits. Advances in Agri-Food Biotechnology, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2874-3_6.
8. Aafreen Sakeena, Wasia Wani, Muntazir Mushtaq, Shabir Hussain Wani and Asif B. Shikari. 2019. Omics Approaches for Cold Stress Tolerance in Plants. Recent Approaches in Omics for Plant Resilience to Climate, 331-356. Springer Nature Switzerland AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21687-0_14.
9. Akhtar Ali Khan, A.A. Kundoo, Meinaz Nissar, Muntazir Mushtaq. 2020. Sucking Pests of Temperate Fruits. In: Omkar (eds) Sucking Pests of Crops. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6149-8_12.
10. Ajaz Ahmad Kundoo, Moonisa Aslam Dervash, Rouf Ahmad Bhat, Barkat Hussain, and Muntazir Mushtaq. 2020. Biocontrol Agents in Organic Agriculture. Agricultural Waste: Threats and Technologies for Sustainable Management, Apple Academic Press, Taylor and Francis Group. ISBN: 9781771889636.
11. Zahoor Ahmad Mir, Prashant Yadav, Sajad Ai, Sandhya Sanand, Muntazir Mushtaq, Javaid Akhther Bhat, Anshika Tyagi, Deepali Upadhyay, Apekshita Singh, Anita Grover, 2020. Transgenic Biofortified Crops: Applicabiity and Challenges. Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2874-3_6.
12. Sutapa Datta, Muntazir Mushtaq, Javaid Akhter Bhat. 2017. Micro RNA and Other Small RNA’s as a Potent Tool for Crop Improvement. In Progress of Biotechnology in India, pp. 177-199. ENVIS Centre on Environmental Biotechnology (Supported by Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt. of India) Department of Environmental Science University of Kalyani, Nadia-741235 West Bengal, India.
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Awards, Fellowships and Certifications
1. Qualified ICAR-National Eligibility Test (NET) held on February 24, 2016 in Agricultural Biotechnology
2. Qualified ICAR-National Eligibility Test (NET) held on 29 October, 2018 in Agricultural Biotechnology
3. Maulana Azad National Fellowship in Ph.D: MANF scholarship during Ph.D. granted by University Grants Commission, India.
4. Received Mahima Young Scientist Award-2018 from Mahima Research Foundation and Social Welfare in recognition to outstanding research contribution in the field of Plant Biotechnology, during the International Conference on “Impact of Climate Change and Abiotic Stresses on Agriculture and Management Strategies” at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, U.P., India.
5. Received “Certificate of Honor” for acting as Rapporteur in “National Symposium on “Ecological Sustainable Plant Disease Management under Diversified Farming Situation” organized by Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu and Indian Phytopatghological Society, IARI, New Delhi during November 13-14, 2017.
6. Best Poster Presentation received in “National Symposium on “Ecological Sustainable Plant Disease Management under Diversified Farming Situation” organized by Sher- e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu and Indian Phytopatghological Society, IARI, New Delhi during November 13-14, 2017.
Patent/Technology Transfer
1) Ishan Y. Pandya, Renuka Sharma, Navneet Joshi, Mandheer Kaur, Muntazir Mushtaq, Aruna Sharma, Amandeep Kaur, Neera Batra, Sonali Goyal, Pavithra G., Shashi Raj K., Trupti Shripad Tagare. A hybrid deep neural network system and method for genes expression classification. Application No.202121027473 A, Date of filing of Application:19/06/2021 and Publication Date : 23/07/2021.
2) Mohammad Saleem Dar, Mushtaq Ahmad, M. D. Shah, Bilal A. Padder, Asha Nabi, Asha Nabi, Farooq A. Ahanger, M. A. Khan, Muntazir Mushtaq, Jafar K. Lone. Bio-sensing of Venturia Species Latent Infection on Different Hosts through PCR Based Method. Application No.202211020310 A, Date of filing of Application :04/04/2022 and Publication Date : 08/04/2022.