Poonam Mehra

Contact

• workRoom C30 Plant and Crop Sciences
  Sutton Bonington Campus
  Sutton Bonington
  Leicestershire
  LE12 5RD
  UK
• P.Mehra@nottingham.ac.uk

Research Summary

My research work focuses on how roots sense and respond to soil water availability. I am specifically interested in the molecular and cellular processes that guide root development under varying soil… read more

Recent Publications

• ZHU, MINGYUAN, HSU, CHE-WEI, PERALTA OGOREK, LUCAS L, TAYLOR, ISAIAH W, LA CAVERA, SALVATORE, OLIVEIRA, DYONI M, VERMA, LOKESH, MEHRA, POONAM, MIJAR, MEDHAVINEE, SADANANDOM, ARI, PEREZ-COTA, FERNANDO, BOERJAN, WOUT, NOLAN, TREVOR M, BENNETT, MALCOLM J, BENFEY, PHILIP N and PANDEY, BIPIN K, 2025. Single-cell transcriptomics reveal how root tissues adapt to soil stress Nature.
• MEHRA, P, BANDA, J, OGOREK, LLP, FUSI, R, CASTRILLO, G, COLOMBI, T, PANDEY, BK, STURROCK, CJ, WELLS, DM and BENNETT, MJ, 2025. Root Growth and Development in “Real Life”: Advances and Challenges in Studying Root–Environment Interactions Annual Review of Plant Biology. 76(Volume 76, 2025), 467-492
• SHARMA, S, BENNETT, MJ and MEHRA, P, 2025. Roles of hormones in regulating root growth–water interactions Journal of Experimental Botany. 76(7), 1987-1995
• ROY, D, MEHRA, P, CLARK, L, MUKKAWAR, V, BELLANDE, K, MARTIN-AREVALILLO, R, GHOSH, S, INGOLE, KD, BHAGAT, PK and BROWN, A, 2025. Redox-regulated Aux/IAA multimerization modulates auxin responses. Science.

• View all publications

Current Research

My research work focuses on how roots sense and respond to soil water availability. I am specifically interested in the molecular and cellular processes that guide root development under varying soil water availability. This knowledge can help improve water use efficiency of crops and support efforts to develop climate-smart crops.

• ZHU, MINGYUAN, HSU, CHE-WEI, PERALTA OGOREK, LUCAS L, TAYLOR, ISAIAH W, LA CAVERA, SALVATORE, OLIVEIRA, DYONI M, VERMA, LOKESH, MEHRA, POONAM, MIJAR, MEDHAVINEE, SADANANDOM, ARI, PEREZ-COTA, FERNANDO, BOERJAN, WOUT, NOLAN, TREVOR M, BENNETT, MALCOLM J, BENFEY, PHILIP N and PANDEY, BIPIN K, 2025. Single-cell transcriptomics reveal how root tissues adapt to soil stress Nature.
• MEHRA, P, BANDA, J, OGOREK, LLP, FUSI, R, CASTRILLO, G, COLOMBI, T, PANDEY, BK, STURROCK, CJ, WELLS, DM and BENNETT, MJ, 2025. Root Growth and Development in “Real Life”: Advances and Challenges in Studying Root–Environment Interactions Annual Review of Plant Biology. 76(Volume 76, 2025), 467-492
• SHARMA, S, BENNETT, MJ and MEHRA, P, 2025. Roles of hormones in regulating root growth–water interactions Journal of Experimental Botany. 76(7), 1987-1995
• ROY, D, MEHRA, P, CLARK, L, MUKKAWAR, V, BELLANDE, K, MARTIN-AREVALILLO, R, GHOSH, S, INGOLE, KD, BHAGAT, PK and BROWN, A, 2025. Redox-regulated Aux/IAA multimerization modulates auxin responses. Science.
• MEHRA P, FAIRBURN R, LEFTLEY N, BANDA J and BENNETT MJ, 2023. Turning up the volume: How root branching adaptive responses aid water foraging Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 75, 102405
• MEHRA P, PANDEY BK, VERMA L, PRUSTY A, SINGH AP, SHARMA S, MALIK N, BENNETT MJ, PARIDA SK, GIRI J and TYAGI AK, 2022. OsJAZ11 regulates spikelet and seed development in rice PLANT DIRECT. 6(5),
• MEHRA P ET AL, 2022. Hydraulic flux responsive hormone redistribution determines root branching Science. 378, 762-768
• MEHRA P and BENNETT MJ, 2022. A novel Ca2+ sensor switch for elevated salt tolerance in plants Developmental cell. 57(17), 2045—2047
• MEHRA P, PANDEY BK, VERMA L, PRUSTY A, SINGH AP, SHARMA S, MALIK N, BENNETT MJ, PARIDA SK, GIRI J and TYAGI AK, 2022. OsJAZ11 regulates spikelet and seed development in rice Plant Direct. 6(5), e401
• PANDEY BK, VERMA L, PRUSTY A, SINGH AP, BENNETT MJ, TYAGI AK, GIRI J and MEHRA P, 2021. OsJAZ11 regulates phosphate starvation responses in rice PLANTA. 254(1),
• MEHRA P, PANDEY BK, VERMA L and GIRI J, 2018. A novel glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase improves phosphate deficiency tolerance in rice. Plant, Cell & Environment. 42(4), 1167-1179
• PANDEY BK, MEHRA P, VERMA L, BHADOURIA J and GIRI J, 2017. OsHAD1, a Haloacid Dehalogenase-Like APase, Enhances Phosphate Accumulation. Plant Physiology. 174(4), 2316-2332
• MEHRA P, PANDEY BK and GIRI J, 2017. Improvement in phosphate acquisition and utilization by a secretory purple acid phosphatase (OsPAP21b) in rice. Plant Biotechnology Journal. 15(8), 1054-1067
• MEHRA P, PANDEY BK and GIRI J, 2016. Comparative Morphophysiological Analyses and Molecular Profiling Reveal Pi-Efficient Strategies of a Traditional Rice Genotype. Frontiers in Plant Science. 6, 1184
• MEHRA P and GIRI J, 2016. Rice and chickpea GDPDs are preferentially influenced by low phosphate and CaGDPD1 encodes an active glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase enzyme Plant Cell Reports. 1699–1717
• MEHRA P, PANDEY BK and GIRI J, 2015. Genome-wide DNA polymorphisms in low Phosphate tolerant and sensitive rice genotypes Scientific Reports. 5,