Breeding Specialist

Breeding Specialist

Job Summary:

The Breeding Specialist will lead and execute breeding programs for hybrid mustard and millet crops, focusing on developing high-yielding, disease-resistant, and climate-resilient varieties. This role involves managing hybridization techniques, conducting field trials, and leveraging advanced genomic tools to meet commercial and sustainability objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and implement breeding strategies for mustard and millets
• Develop and maintain parental lines (A/B/R lines for mustard; hybrid lines for millets).
• Conduct controlled pollination, backcrossing, and trait introgression for desired characteristics.
• Organize and monitor multi-location field trials; analyze phenotypic and genotypic data.
• Incorporate disease resistance, drought tolerance, and nutritional traits using marker-assisted selection and genomic tools.
• Collaborate with internal teams, research institutions, and regulatory bodies to ensure compliance.
• Maintain germplasm collections and breeding databases; prepare budgets and resource plans.

Qualifications:

• Education: M.Sc./Ph.D. in Genetics & Plant Breeding, Agronomy, or related field.
• Experience: 2 –5 years in plant breeding programs for oilseeds and cereals.
• Technical Skills:
  • Hybrid breeding systems (CMS, SI) for mustard.
  • Millet breeding methods and genomic tools.
  • Proficiency in data analysis software and breeding databases.
• Soft Skills: Strong analytical ability, project management, and collaboration skills.

Preferred Competencies:

• Experience in biotechnology-based hybrid seed production.
• Exposure to advanced gene-editing techniques (e.g., CRISPR-Cas9).
• Ability to manage multi-location trials and work in diverse agro-climatic zones.