ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute

Important

Dr. Hebbar K .B

Director

Division

Physiology, Biochemistry & Harvest and Post Harvest Technology

Designation

Director

hebbar.kb@icar.org.in

Phone

04994-232894 ext 222

Mobile

Qualification

Ph.D

Specialization

Plant Physiology

Crop Stress Physiology and Climate Resilience
•   Drought Tolerance in Groundnut
Identified drought-tolerant genotypes using Water Use Efficiency (WUE) and carbon isotope discrimination techniques; incorporated into breeding programs for improved resilience.
• Root–Shoot Communication in Soil Drying Conditions
Demonstrated the role of electrical potential signals in long-distance signaling between roots and shoots under soil drying, advancing understanding of plant physiological responses.
•   Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Cotton
Identified phenotypic traits associated with drought, flooding, and salinity tolerance in cotton for use in breeding stress-resilient cultivars.
•   Drought Response in Soybean and Wheat
Characterized slow vs. fast wilting in soybean and early vs. slow senescence in wheat genotypes, improving screening methods for drought tolerance.
•   Nutrient Role in Senescence (Wheat)
Demonstrated the role of nutrients in early senescence of wheat under climate stress, supporting better nutrient management for resilience.

Cotton Research and Simulation Modelling
•    Sudden Wilt (Parawilt) in Cotton
Identified causes of sudden wilt/parawilt and developed management strategies to reduce yield losses in cotton.
•    Infocrop-Cotton Simulation Model
Developed and validated a simulation model to predict cotton growth and yield across agro-climatic zones; widely used as a decision-support tool.
•    Climate Change Impact Assessment
Assessed future climate scenarios (A2, B2, A1B) on India’s cotton production using the Infocrop-Cotton model, contributing to national planning efforts.

Climate Adaptation & Value Addition in Plantation Crops
• Climate Suitability Modelling for Coconut and Arecanut
Predicted current and future climate suitability using ensemble modeling techniques; report submitted to UNFCCC.
• High-Temperature Screening in Coconut
o   Developed in vitro pollen germination techniques to screen for high temperature tolerance.
o   Introduced in situ methods to study progamic phase responses under heat stress.
•  Salinity Tolerance in Coconut
Established hydroponic systems to study salinity response in coconut seedlings.
•  Screening Facility for WUE
Developed a screening platform for WUE in coconut, arecanut, and cocoa to aid selection of water-efficient genotypes.

Value Addition and Commercialization in Coconut
•  Innovative Technologies & Products
o   Developed Cocosap chiller for hygienic collection of unfermented coconut sap.
o   Created and branded value-added products such as Kalparasa®, coconut sugar, jaggery, syrup, and concentrate.
o   Introduced other products: Frozen delicacies, bean-to-byte dark chocolate, Kalpa drinking chocolate, and vinegar.
•  Commercialization Impact
o   Technologies commercialized to >60 CPCs/federations, entrepreneurs, and State Government departments.
• Patents granted:
K.B. Hebbar. A device for extraction of palm sap. Indian Patent No. 382339.
K B Hebbar & Augustine Joseph: Coco-sap chiller. No. 'Coco-Sap Chiller' is protected under Indian Patent No. 373309.
K.B. Hebbar & P. Chowdappa: Method for aseptic extraction of tender nut water as frozen ball and soft endosperm (kernel) from trimmed young coconut. Indian Patent No. 403090.

Interdisciplinary Programs & Research Coordination
Led and contributed to interdisciplinary programs on:
Spearheaded research on phenotyping strategies aimed at enhancing crop resilience under variable climatic conditions.
Engaged in multi-disciplinary research on germplasm evaluation and characterization for crop improvement and conservation.
Coordinated a large-scale demonstration project across 100 ha (4 clusters of 25 ha each) in Tenkasi District, Tamil Nadu, focusing on integrated management strategies. Funding Agency: Coconut Development Board (CDB).
Secured CSR funding of 87 Lakhs from Mondeleze India Foods Pvt. Ltd. to conduct research on the performance of cocoa under intensive monocropping and mixed cropping systems.
Initiated a collaborative project addressing health impacts related to arecanut, involving premier institutions: AIIMS, IISc, NIMHANS, JIPMER, CSIR-CFTRI, CSIR-NBRI, CSIR-CCMB, KMC, NITTE University, and SDM University. Project Value: 10 Crore.
Signed an MoU with NRSC Bengaluru for a pilot-scale study using RS/UAS technologies: for High-resolution area assessment (sub-meter level) and Development of methodologies for estimation of above-ground biomass (AGB) to evaluate carbon sequestration potential in plantation crops.
Executed a demonstration project for effective leaf spot disease control across four districts in Karnataka. Funding Agency: Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) Project Outlay: 2.65 Crore.

	S.Academic Fellowships • B.Sc. (Agri) – University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), with Merit Scholarship. • M.Sc. (Agri) – Awarded ICAR Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). • Ph.D. (Agri) – Awarded ICAR Senior Research Fellowship (SRF). • Qualified National Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by ASRB, ICAR – 1992.
	Professional Appointments • Scientist, selected through ASRB – 1992. • Senior Scientist, selected in All-India competition – March 2002. • Principal Scientist, selected in All-India competition – July 2007. • Head, Division of Plant Physiology, Biochemistry & Post-Harvest Technology, CPCRI, Kasaragod – September 2010. • Director, ICAR Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) Kasaragod- January 2023, • Vice Chairman, Coconut Development Board (CDB) Kochi, 2023
	Honors & Awards • Best Oral Presentation Award Paper: "Effect of waterlogging on growth and yield of cotton: Genotype vs Environment Interaction". ent: International Symposium on Strategies for Sustainable Cotton Production – A Global Vision, UAS Dharwad, India – Nov 23–25, 2004. • Best Poster Award Paper: "Infocrop – A dynamic simulation model for cotton, its integration with remote sensing and GIS to predict cotton production: Nagpur district as an example" Event: National Seminar on Plant Physiology, Kerala Agricultural University – Nov 28–30, 2006.
	Editorial & Review Activities • Reviewer for the following scientific journals: o Indian Journal of Plant Physiology o Journal of Plant Biology o Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences o Current Science o Experental and Economic Botany o CORD o Heliyon
	International Recognition • Recipient of Norman E. Borlaug International Agril. Science & Technology Fellowship 2010. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) • The International Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT)- Steering Committee Chair, 2025.

Total Publications

Selected Publications

1	S.V. Ramesh, Neha K. Raphy, Sharanya Kodoth, Ashamol P., Sudharshana Sathyanath, R. Pandiselvam, Sandip Shil, Shameena Beegum P.P., Manikantan M.R., Murali Gopal, K. Balachandra Hebbar; Gum arabic edible coating and its impact on the phytophenolics of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) haustorium during storage. Nutrition & Food Science 2025; https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-03-2025-0106
2	Hebbar, K.B., Abhin Sukumar, P., Sanjo Jose, V., Ramesh, S.V., and Ravi Bhat, 2024. Predicting current and future climate suitability for arecanut (Areca catechu L.) in India using ensemble model. Heliyon, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26382, NAAS Rating: 10.
3	Pandiselvam, R., Daliyamol, Syed Imran, S., Vinayaka Hegde, Sujithra, M., Prathibha, P.S., Prathibha, V.H. and Hebbar, K.B. 2024. Evaluation of unmanned aerial vehicle for effective spraying application in coconut plantations. Heliyon e38569 1-10. NAAS-10.00.
4	Pandiselvam, R., Sathyanath, S., Manikantan, M.R., Ramesh, S.V., Shameena Beegum, P.P. and Hebbar, K.B. 2024. Physicochemical properties of coconut inflorescence sap (neera) under double wall open heating system. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, pp.1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-024-02824. NAAS Score 9.40
5	Ramesh, S.V., Rajesh, M.K., Das, A. and Hebbar, K.B., 2024. CRISPR/Cas9–based genome editing to expedite the genetic improvement of palms: challenges and prospects. Frontiers in Plant Science, 15, p.1385037. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1385037 NAAS Rating: 11.60.
6	Ramesh, S.V., Pandiselvam, R., Shameena Beegum, P.P., Shil, S., Sugatha, P., Sharanya, K., Manikantan, M.R., Gopal, M., Hebbar, K.B., Uchoi, A., and Das, A., Ravi Bhat, Hanumanthe Gowda, Prabhat Kumar 2024. Valorization of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) testa as a biocolourant. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8, p.1382214. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1382214, NAAS-10.70
7	Ramesh, S.V., Sudharshana, S., Anjitha Jacob, Shameena Beegum, P.P., Pandiselvam, R., Manikantan, M.R., Murali Gopal, and Hebbar, K.B., 2024. Coconut Sugar: Nutritive Potential and Prospects. Springer Nature Singapore. 10.1007/978-981-97-3976-9_9. p. 187-201.
8	Shameena Beegum, P.P., Ramesh, S.V., Pandiselvam, R., Neema, M., Daliyamol, Manikantan, M.R. and Hebbar, K.B. 2024. Perspectives on the cardioprotective, neuroprotective and anti-obesity functions of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.). Food Bioscience, p.103756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbio.2024.103756, NAAS Rating: 11.20.
9	Hebbar, K. B., Ramesh, S.V., Kalaipandian, S., and Adkins, S.W., 2024. Coconut Production under a Changing Climate. In The Coconut: Botany, Production and Uses (pp. 46-57). GB: CABI. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781789249736.0004
10	Josephrajkumar, A., Prabhat Kumar, Hanumanthe Gowda, B., Regi J. Thomas, Anithakumari, P., Abdul Haris, A., and Hebbar, K.B., 2024. Science Journey of Coconut Root (Wilt) Disease-Kalpa Granth, ICAR-CPCRI, Regional Station, Kayamkulam, Kerala, India ISBN No. (978-93-341-3609-8), 321p.
11	Babli Mog, Veena, G.L. Adiga J.D., Hebbar, K.B., Shamsudheen M., Manjesh, G.N., Eradasappa, E., Mohana, G.S., Thandaiman, V., Vanitha, K., Anil Kumar Yadav. 2023. Pollen morphological study and temperature effect on the pollen germination of cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) varieties. Scientia Horticulturae, 314: 111957. DOI: 10.1016/j. scienta.2023.111957 (NAAS Rating 10.34).
12	Cariappa, M.B., Ramesh, S.V., Chikkanna, G.S., Venkatesh, J., Vishnuvardhana, Hebbar, K.B. and Singh, A.K. 2023. Detection of oil adulteration in virgin coconut oil (VCO) utilizing chemometrics and principal component analysis. Food Analytical Methods, 16: 1291–1301. (NAAS Rating: 9.50)
13	Pandiselvam, R., Liya, T., Joseph, Manikantan, M.R., Anandu Chandra Khanashyam, Shameena Beegum, P.P., Ramesh, S.V., Balasubramanian, D., Neenu, S., Murali Gopal, Mathew, A.C. and Hebbar, K.B. 2023. Physical, chemical and functional attributes of neera honey infused extrudates. Bioengineering, 10: 114. https://doi.org/10.3390/ bioengineering10010114 (NAAS Rating: 10.6)
14	Shetty, S.S., Ramesh, S.V., Arivalagan, M., Roopashree, P.G., Manikantan, M.R., Hebbar, K.B. and Kumari, S. 2023. Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) inflorescence sap-derived sugar restores the glucose and lipid homeostasis in streptozotocin - induced diabetic Wistar rat model. Biomedicine, 43 (3): 859-866. https://doi.org/10.51248/.v43i3.1453 (NAAS Rating 10.76)
15	Shunmugiah Veluchamy, R., Mary, R., Shameena Beegum Puthiya, P., Pandiselvam, R., Padmanabhan, S., Sathyan, N., Sandip Shil, Niral, V., Manikantan, M.R., Lokesha, A.N., Shivashankara, K.S. and Hebbar, K.B. 2023. Physicochemical characterization and fatty acid profiles of testa oils from various coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) Genotypes. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 103 (1): 370-379. (NAAS Rating: 10.10).
16	Beegum, P.P., Nair, J.P., Manikantan, M.R., Pandiselvam, R., Shill, S., Neenu, S. and Hebbar, K.B., 2022. Effect of coconut milk, tender coconut and coconut sugar on the physico-chemical and sensory attributes in ice cream. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 59(7): 2605-2616(NAAS Score:9.12).
17	Beegum, P.S., Pandiselvam, R., Ramesh, S.V., Thube, S.H., Pandian, T.P., Khanashyam, A.C., Manikantan, M.R. and Hebbar, K.B., 2022. A critical appraisal on the antimicrobial, oral protective, and anti-diabetic functions of coconut and its derivatives. Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops and Foods, 14(2), pp.86-100(NAAS Score:7.67).
18	Hebbar, K. B., Ramesh, S.V., Ghosh, D. K., Beegum, P. P., Pandiselvam, R., Manikantan, M. R., and Mathew, A. C. 2022. Coconut sugar-a potential storehouse of nutritive metabolites, novel bio-products and prospects. Sugar Tech, 24:841–856(NAAS Score:7.87).
19	Hebbar, K.B., Abhin, P.S., Sanjo Jose, V., Neethu, P., Santhosh, A., Shil, S. and Prasad, P.V., 2022. Predicting the Potential Suitable Climate for Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) Cultivation in India under Climate Change Scenarios Using the MaxEnt Model. Plants, 11(6), p.731 (NAAS Score: 8.76).
20	Hebbar, K.B., Kannan, S., Neenu, S. and Ramesh, S.V., 2022. Season and genotype effect on whole plant water use efficiency of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) seedlings grown in a hydroponic system. Scientia Horticulturae, 303, p.111198(NAAS Score:10.34).
21	Pandiselvam, R., Prithviraj, V., Manikantan, M.R., Beegum, P.S., Ramesh, S.V., Kothakota, A., Mathew, A.C., Hebbar, K.B., Maerescu, C.M., Criste, F.L. and Socol, C.T. 2022. Dynamics of biochemical attributes and enzymatic activities of pasteurized and bio-preserved tender coconut water during storage. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9: 977655. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.977655.
22	Ramesh, S.V., Rose Mary, Shameena Beegum, P.P., Pandiselvam, R., Sugatha Padmanabhan, NeenuSathyan, Sandip Shil, Niral, V., Manikantan, M.R., Lokesha, A.N., Shivashankara, K.S. and Hebbar, K.B. 2022. Physicochemical characterization and fatty acid profiles of testa oils from various coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) genotypes. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture103(1):370-379. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.12150(NAAS Score:--).
23	Shameena Beegum, P. P., Manikantan, M. R., Anju, K. B., Vinija, V., Pandiselvam, R., Jayashekhar, S., and Hebbar, K. B. 2022. Foam mat drying technique in coconut milk: Effect of additives on foaming and powder properties and its economic analysis. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 46(11), e17122. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.17122(NAAS Score:8.61)
24	Shetty, S.S., Roopashree, P.G., Ramesh, S.V., Ajeet Singh, Arivalagan, M., Manikantan, M.R., Devi, U.H., Sharmila, K.P., Hebbar, K.B. and Suchetha Kumari, N. 2022. Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) Ameliorates High Fat Diet (HFD)- Induced Obesity, Dyslipidemia and Bestows Cardiovascular Protection in Rats. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40011-021-01318-y
25	Hebbar, K.B., Arya Santhosh, Abhin Sukumar, P., Neethu, P., Ramesh, S.V., Selvamani, V. 2021. Effect of sea water substitution on growth, physiological and biochemical processes of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) seedlings - A hydroponic study. Scientia Horticulturae, 280: 109935. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2021.109935 (NAAS Score 8.77).
26	Murali Gopal, Sandip Shil, Alka Gupta, Hebbar, K. B. and Arivalagan, M. 2021. Metagenomic investigation uncovers presence of probiotic-type microbiome in Kalparasa^® (fresh unfermented coconut inflorescence sap). Frontiers in Microbiology. 12: 662783. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.662783 (NAAS Score: 10.23).
27	Pandiselvam, R., Manikantan, M. R., Mathew, A.C., Beegum, S., Hebbar, K.B. 2021. Design, development, and evaluation of minimal processing machine for tender coconut. Agricultural Mechanization in Asia, Africa and Latin America, 52(1), 39-43 (NAAS Score 6.17).
28	Pandiselvam, R., Manikantan, M.R., Binu, S.M., Ramesh, S.V., Beegum, S., Gopal, M., Hebbar, K.B., Mathew, A.C., Kothokota, A., Kaavya, R., and Shil, S. 2021. Reaction kinetics of physico-chemical attributes in coconut inflorescence sap during fermentation. Journal of Food Science and Technology 58: 3589-3597 (NAAS Score 7.95).
29	Ramesh S.V., Hebbar K.B., Rajesh M.K., Abhin S.P., Gangaraj K.P., Athul Bobby 2021. Transcriptome analysis of Cocos nucifera L., seedlings having contrasting water use efficiency (WUE) under water-deficit stress: molecular insights and genetic markers for drought tolerance. Biology and Life Sciences Forum, 4: 73 DOI: 10.3390/IECPS2020-08853
30	Shameena Beegum, P.P., Nair, J. P., Manikantan, M. R., Pandiselvam, R., Shill, S., Neenu, S., Hebbar, K. B. 2021. Effect of coconut milk, tender coconut and coconut sugar on the physico-chemical and sensory attributes in ice cream. Journal of Food Science and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-021-05279-y
31	Ramesh, S.V., Krishnan, V., Praveen, S. and Hebbar, K.B. 2021. Dietary prospects of coconut oil for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD): A review of recent evidences. Trends in Food Science & Technology 112:201-211 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.03.046.
32	Ramesh, S.V., Pandiselvam, R., Shameena Beegum, P.P., Saravana Kumar R. M., Manikantan M. R., K. B Hebbar. 2021. Review of Cocos nucifera L. testa-derived phytonutrients with special reference to phenolics and its potential for encapsulation. Journal of Food Science and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-021-05310-2.
33	Hebbar K.B., Apshara E., Chandran K.P. and Prasad P.V.V. (2020). Effect of elevated CO2, high temperature, and water deficit on growth, photosynthesis, and whole plant water use efficiency of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.). International Journal of Biometeorology 64(1): 47-57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-019-01792-0 (NAAS Score 8.38)
34	Hebbar K.B., Neethu P., Abhin Sukumar P., Sujithra M., Arya Santhosh, Ramesh S.V., Niral V., Hareesh G.S, Nameer P.O., Prasad P.V.V. (2020). Understanding physiology and impacts of high temperature stress on the progamic phase of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.). Plants 9(12): 1651. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9121651 (NAAS Score)
35	Hebbar, K.B., Arivalagan, M., Pavithra, K.C. Roy T. K., Gopal M., Shivashankara K. S., and Chowdappa P (2020). Nutritional profiling of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) inflorescence sap collected using novel coco-sap chiller method and its value added products. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization 14: 2703–2712. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-020-00516-y (NAAS Score 7.42)
36	Pandiselvam, R., Hebbar, K.B., Manikantan, M.R., Prasanth, B.K., Shameena Beegum and Ramesh, S.V. 2020. Microwave treatment of coconut inflorescence sap (Kalparasa): A panacea to preserve quality attributes. Sugar Tech (Accepted), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-020-00828-9. (NAAS Score 7.02)
37	Pandiselvam, R., Manikantan, M. R., Balasubramanian, D., Shameena Beegum, P.P., Mathew, A. C., Ramesh, S.V., Hebbar, K.B. and Niral, V. 2020. Mechanical properties of tender coconut (Cocos nucifera L.): Implications for the design of processing machineries. Journal of Food Process Engineering, 43(2):e13349. DOI: 10.1111/jfpe.13349. (NAAS Score 7.45)
38	Pandiselvam, R., Manikantan, M.R., Kothakota, A., Rajesh, G.K., Beegum, S., Ramesh, S.V., Niral, V. and Hebbar, K.B., 2020. Engineering properties of five varieties of coconuts (Cocos nucifera L.) for efficient husk separation. Journal of Natural Fibers, 17(4): 589-597. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 15440478. 2018. 1507863. (NAAS Score 7.25)
39	Ramesh, S.V., Pandiselvam, R., Thushara, R., Manikantan, M.R., Hebbar, K.B., Beegum, S., Mathew, A.C., Neenu, S. and Shil, S., 2020. Engineering intervention for production of virgin coconut oil by hot process and multivariate analysis of quality attributes of virgin coconut oil extracted by various methods. Journal of Food Process Engineering, p.e13395.DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpe.13395.

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Dr. Hebbar K .B

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