Someshree Mane

Plant Pathologist and agricultural researcher with 5 years of experience in crop disease diagnosis, seed health, plant protection, molecular diagnostics, field and controlled-environment screening, and technical program support across rice, mustard, grapes, tomato, citrus, apple, and pomegranate systems. Experienced in reviewing technical agricultural content, developing protocols and operational guidelines, preparing reports and training materials, and coordinating with scientists, government institutions, nurseries, and farmer-facing stakeholders. Strong fit for AI-enabled agricultural advisory work requiring evaluation of crop recommendations, agronomic accuracy, regional suitability, input-use guidance, and practical farm-management advice.

Skilled in identifying inaccurate crop management recommendations, disease-management errors, inappropriate pesticide/bio-input guidance, and gaps in field applicability.

Plant Pathologist (Consultant) - Asian Development Bank under India's Clean Plant Program Mission - Delhi, India

(2024-10)

• Support implementation of India's Clean Plant Program by coordinating technical activities related to disease-free planting material, systemic pathogen risk analysis, testing protocols, CPC design, operational guidelines, and regulatory framework development.
• Assist in planning and budget allocation for hazard analysis with IARI scientists for key horticultural crops, strengthening the technical foundation for clean plant certification and advisory systems.
• Lead development and review of testing protocols aligned with national and international standards, ensuring technical clarity, scientific accuracy, and field applicability.
• Coordinate preparation of operational guidelines for Clean Plant Centres, including quality assurance, regulatory alignment, G1 material production, and multi-stakeholder implementation readiness.
• Develop program content, website material, pamphlets, and training/workshop resources to promote use of disease-free planting material among nurserymen and crop stakeholders in grapes, apple, citrus, and pomegranate.
• Relevant to AI advisory: strong experience reviewing agricultural recommendations for disease-free planting material, crop health, nursery systems, regulatory suitability, regional implementation, and farmer-facing clarity.

Research Associate | Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division - Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) - Mumbai, India

(2023-05 - 2024-06)

• Led design, execution, interpretation, and reporting of crop science experiments in plant pathology, mutation breeding, disease resistance, seed germination, and seed quality.
• Conducted pathogen identification and resistance-breeding work for bacterial leaf blight in rice, integrating disease phenotyping, SSR marker analysis, biochemical assessments, and quantitative data interpretation.
• Standardized ROS detection and seed quality protocols for salt-tolerant rice varieties, improving reliability of experimental data and quality of technical recommendations.
• Evaluated grain quality, aroma, lodging, shattering, germination, and stress responses in rice lines, supporting evidence-based selection and crop improvement decisions.
• Prepared technical reports and documentation in compliance with institutional and funding requirements, translating scientific findings into practical recommendations for crop improvement programs.

Junior Research Fellow - ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology - New Delhi, India

(2022-10 - 2023-04)

• Conducted molecular and genetic analysis for crop disease resistance projects, with emphasis on mustard-stem rot host-pathogen interaction.
• Studied Sclerotinia sclerotiorum resistance and susceptibility responses in mustard to identify key genes and support disease-management decision-making.
• Performed SSR marker analysis using PCR and contributed to technical interpretation of crop-pathogen datasets.

Junior Research Fellow - ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Division of Plant Pathology - New Delhi, India

(2022-06 - 2022-10)

• Worked on an Indo-UK project focused on genomics-led improvement of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in mustard for environmental sustainability.
• Maintained fungal isolates, extracted secondary compounds, and conducted screening for mustard stem rot disease management.
• Supported seed health testing and bioformulation seed treatments, providing practical exposure to crop management and input-recommendation review.

Laboratory Assistant - ICAR-National Research Centre for Grapes - Pune, India

(2021-09 - 2022-06)

• Maintained approximately 250 fungal and bacterial endophyte cultures and supported field evaluation of biocontrol agents against major grapevine diseases in India.
• Prepared Trichoderma and Bacillus bioformulations and supported field-level disease-management trials relevant to sustainable and regenerative crop protection.
• Performed DNA isolation from fungi and bacteria and PCR-based detection, supporting accurate pathogen identification and crop health recommendations.

Ph.D. - Plant Pathology - Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (2018 - 2022) Rahuri, India

M.Sc. - Plant Pathology - Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (2016 - 2018) Akola, India

B.Sc. - Agriculture - Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth (2011 - 2015) Dapoli, India