Dr M L Chabbra

Scientist Profile

Research interests and current focus

Evaluation of Sugarcane clones for red rot resistance under subtropical conditions.
Identification of new pathotypes /races of red rot pathogen and evaluation of Zonal varieties for resistance to red rot.
Survey of Sugarcane diseases naturally occurring in the area under subtropical on important sugarcane varieties
Studies on factors (Biotic & Abiotic) responsible for the development of wilt and Pokkah boeng diseases of sugarcane

Membership in professional societies

Life member of the Society for sugarcane research and development (SSRD)
Life member of the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding (ISGPB)
Life member of Indian society of Plant pathologists
Life member Bhartiya Krishi Anusandhan Patrika (Hindi Journal)
Asian PGPR Society for Sustainable Agriculture, Alabama, USA

Member Editorial Board

Agricultural Science Digest
Annals of Biology

Awards and honours

Mahima Agricultural Excellence Award- 2015”, BHU, Varanasi.
Reviewer Excellence Award by Indian Journal of Agriculture Research & Legume Research, Karnal.
Best Oral award: R. Meena, Ravinder Kumar, S. K. Pandey, M. L. Chhabra and D. Pooja has been awarded best short oral for the paper entitled Evaluation of ISH and IGH clones of Saccharum for drought tolerance in Sub-tropical climate by in the National Seminar on “Research Imperatives for Sustaining Sugarcane, Sugar and Ethanol Production” held on 25th August, 2023 at ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Best paper award: Research article “Genetic variability for fodder quality traits among high biomass energy cane feedstock under rainfed conditions” by R. Meena, P Govindaraj, Rajesh Kumar, R. Arun Kumar, Ravinder Kumar, M.L. Chhabra, S.K. Pandey and G. Hemaprabha published in the Journal of Sugarcane Research (JSR) Volume 12(1) adjudged as “Best Research Paper” in the year 2022.

Research Publications

A. Research Papers

1. Jalali, B.L., M.L. Chhabra and R.P. Singh (1990).Interaction between vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal endophyte and Macrophomina phaseolina in mungbean. Indian Phytopath. 43(4): 527-30.
2. M.L. Chhabra, P.P. Gupta; K.S. Hooda; M.C. Mundra and M.L. Khichar (1996). Mycorrhiza: Impact on maize under field conditions. Forage Res. 21(4): 198-202.
3. M. L. Chhabra and B.L. Jalali (1997).Impact of VA-mycorrhizal endophyte Glomus mosseae inoculation on utilization of Rock-phosphate in wheat. Pl. Dis. Res. 12(2): 163-166.
4. M. L. Chhabra, A.P. Garg, M.K. Banerjee, S.K. Gandhi and M.P. Srivastava (1999).Efficacy of fungitoxicants and neem pesticides in the control of early blight of tomato. Pestology 23 (11): 7-12.
5. M. L. Chhabra, M.K. Banerjee, A.P. Garg, S.K.Gandhi and D. Ram (2000). Growth parameters of Lycopersicon genotypes varying in susceptibility to early blight. Annals of Biology 16(2): 223-226.
6. Beniwal, M.S., S.S. Karwasra, M.P. Srivastava, A. Gupta, M.L. Chhabra and Rajender Singh (1999).Identification of stable sources of resistance in wheat to Karnal bunt. Crop Res. 17 (2): 270-272.
7. Beniwal, M.S., M.L. Chhabra and S.S. Karwasra (2000). Clipping effect on the expression of flag smut of wheat. Annals of Agri. Bio Research 5(2): 211-213.
8. Beniwal, M.S., S.S. Karwasra, M.L. Chhabra, M. Yunus, A. Gupta and R. Singh (2001).Identification of stable sources of resistance to flag smut of wheat. Annals of Agri. Bio Research 6(2):155-157.
9. Mehta, S.K., N.N, Tripathi, R, Kumar and M.L. Chhabra (2006). Influence of Light and Temperature on induction of Pycnidia and germination of Pycnidiospores. Annals of Biology 22(1):31-34
10. Raju, M.R.B., Vijay Pal, Indu Jalali and M.L. Chhabra (2007).Management of bacterial root-rot of radish seed crops with organic amendments and agricultural chemicals. Research on Crops 8(2):435-39.
11. Beniwal, M.S, S.S. Karwasra and M.L. Chhabra (2008). Physiological changes in wheat plants infected with flag smut. Crop Res. 35(1-2): 116-119.
12. Beniwal, M.S, S. S. Karwasra and M.L.Chhabra (2008).Biochemical changes in wheat plants infected with flag smut. Indian Phytopath. 61(2): 243-246.
13. Karwasra, S.S., M.S Beniwal and M.L. Chhabra (2008).Pathogenic variability in flag smut pathogen of wheat. Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 33(1):83-89.
14. Karwasra, S.S., M.S Beniwal and M.L. Chhabra (2008).Cultural variability among nine isolates of Urocystis agropyri on wheat. Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 33(3):347-351.
15. Viswanathan, R., P. Malathi., A. Ramesh Sundar., K. Kaverinathan., M. L. Chhabra and B. Parameswari and R. Jothi (2017). Diversity of Colletotrichum falcatum population in India: Comparative virulence at two different agro-climatic regions. International Sugar Journal. 119 (1428), 966-977.
16. Viswanathan, R., C. G. Balaji., R. Selvakumar., P. Malathi., A. Ramesh Sundar., C. Naveen Prasanth., M. L. Chhabra and B. Parameswari (2017). Epidemiology of Fusarium diseases in Sugarcane: A new discovery of same Fusarium sacchari causing two distinct diseases, wilt and pokkah boeng. Sugar Tech. 19:638-646.
17. M. L. Chhabra and B. Parameswari (2018). Overview of Sugarcane Pathology Research at ICAR- SBI, Regional Centre, Karnal. In: Research Accomplishments in Sugarcane Pathology at ICAR- SBI. (Eds: R. Viswanathan, A. Ramesh Sundar, P. Malthi, R. Selvakumar, v. Jayakumar and K. Nithya), SBI, Coimbatore. pp 146-150.
18. M. L. Chhabra, B. Parameswari, S. K. Pandey and Praveen Kumar (2018). Status of Pokkah boeng disease of sugarcane in Sub- tropical India. Proc: ISSCT XII Pathology Workshop. ICAR- SBI, Coimbatore & SSRD, Coimbatore. pp 38.
19. R. Viswanathan, P. Malthi, A. Ramesh Sundar, R. Selvakumar. K. Kaverinathan, M. L. Chhabra, and B. Parameswari (2018). Dynamics of Pathogenic variation in Colletotrichum falcatum, Red rot pathogen of sugarcane. Proc: ISSCT XII Pathology Workshop. ICAR- SBI, Coimbatore & SSRD, Coimbatore. pp 29-30.
20. B. Parameswari, Subham Kumar, K. Nithya, M. L. Chhabra, Praveen Kumar and R. Viswanathan (2018). Genome wide association studies in sugarcane for yellow leaf disease resistance. Proc: ISSCT XII Pathology Workshop. ICAR- SBI, Coimbatore & SSRD, Coimbatore. pp 13-14.
21. M. L. Chhabra, B. Parameswari, S. K. Pandey and Praveen Kumar (2018). Prevalence of sugarcane smut in sub- tropical India. Proc: Asian Convention (2018) and Asian Conclave of Sugar Millers Vision – 2022. (Eds. Rajesh Kumar, Sangeeta Srivastava, G S Sanghera, Sucheta Singh and Neha Vishnoi). pp 162.
22. S. K. Pandey, M. L. Chhabra, Praveen Kumar (2018). Evaluation of new molecules of insecticides on sugarcane early shoot borer. Proc: Asian Convention (2018) and Asian Conclave of Sugar Millers Vision – 2022. (Eds. Rajesh Kumar, Sangeeta Srivastava, G S Sanghera, Sucheta Singh and Neha Vishnoi). pp 173.
23. Bakshi Ram, R. Karuppaiyan, M.R. Meena, Ravinder Kumar, Neeraj Kulshreshtha, G. Hemaprabha, M.L. Chhabra, B. Parameswari, S.K. Pandey (2019). Co 12029 (KARAN 13): A new Midlate sugarcane variety released for commercial cultivation in North West Zone of India. Journal of Sugarcane Research 9(2):196-198.
24. Chhabra, M. L., B. Parameswari and S. K. Pandey (2020). Current status and management of sugarcane smut disease in North India. Bhartiya Krishi Anushandhan Patrika. 35(3): 159-164. (NAAS Rating 3.07).
25. Meena M.R., Ravinder Kumar, Karuppaiyan Ramaiyan, M L Chhabra, Arun Kumar Raja, Mohanraj Krishnasamy, Neeraj Kulshreshtha, S K Pandey and Bakshi Ram (2020). Biomass potential of novel interspecific and intergeneric hybrids of Saccharum grown in sub-tropical climates. Scientific Report 10, 21560 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78329-8. (NAAS Rating 10.01).
26. Somnath Kadappa Holkar, Parameswari B., Atul Kumar, Nithya Kathirvel, Prashant Raghunath Shingote, M. L. Chhabra, Shubham Kumar, Praveen Kumar, R. Viswanathan, Rakesh Kumar Jain and A. D. Pathak (2020). Present Status and Future Management Strategies for Sugarcane Yellow Leaf Virus: A Major Constraint to the Global Sugarcane Production: An Overview. Plant Pathol. J. 36(6): 1-22. (https://doi.org/10.5423/PPJ.RW.09.2020.0183, PISSN1598-2254 eISSN 2093-9280) (NAAS Rating 7.29).
27. B. Parameswari, K. Nithya, Shubham Kumar, Somnath K. Holkar, M. L. Chabbra, Praveen Kumar and R. Viswanathan (2021). Genome wide association studies in sugarcane host pathogen system for disease resistance: an update on the current status of research. Indian Phytopath. 74: 865–874.
28. R. Viswanathan, R. Selvakumar, P. Govindaraj, M. L. Chhabra, B. Parameswari , Dinesh Singh, Sujeet Pratap Singh, Rakesh Mehra, Y. P. Bharti, Md Minnatullah, P. Kishore Varma, V. Ravichandran and Anuradha Sharma (2021). Identification of resistance to red rot in interspecific and intergeneric hybrid clones of sugarcane. International Sugar Journal. 123(1476): 840-848.
29. R. Viswanathan, Sujeet Pratap Singh, R. Selvakumar, Dinesh Singh, Y. P. Bharti, M. L. Chhabra, B. Parameswari, Anuradha Sharma and Md. Minnatullah (2022). Varietal Break Down to Red Rot in the Sugarcane Variety Co 0238 Mimics Vertifolia Effect: Characterizing New Colletotrichum falcatum Pathotype CF13. Sugar Tech https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-021-01070-7
30. R. Viswanathan, Sujeet Pratap Singh, R. Selvakumar, Chandramani Raj, Dinesh Singh, Y. P. Bharti, M. L. Chhabra, Anuradha Sharma, Md. Minnatullah, Rakesh Mehra, Harvinder Singh Yadav, Sanjay Kumar Goswami, Shweta Singh and Rahul Kumar Tiwari (2025). Widespread Occurrence of Colletotrichum falcatum Pathotype CF13 in the Subtropical India Dictates Continuous Pathogenic Virulence and Severe Sugarcane Crop Destructions. Sugar Tech (Sept–Oct 2025) 27(5):1397–1408.

Book Chapters

Pal, V; M.L. Chhabra and I. Jalali (2004).Exploitation of Higher Plants for the control of Plant Mycoses. In: Research Methods in Plant Sciences: Allelopathy Vol. 3 Plant Pathogens. Scientific Publisher (India), Jodhpur pp 17-19.
R. Viswanathan, M. L. Chhabra, B. Parameswari, P. Malathi, A. Ramesh Sundar, V. Jayakumar and N. Prakasam. 2012. Historical Perspective of Sugarcane Pathology Research in India. In: (Eds) Govindaraj, P., Mohanraj, K., Appunu, C., Jayakumar, V., Ravinder Kumar, Manjunatha, T and Sivaraman, K. Hundred years of research in Sugarcane, pp. 201-278, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, India.