Research Areas: Genetics, Breeding and reproductive biotechnology

Current Research Projects:

• Unraveling the Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Chromis viridis in Indian waters (PI)
• CRP agrobiodiversity: Conservation aquaculture of endemic fish species from peninsular rivers through captive propagation and culture evaluation (Co-PI)
• Network project on Ornamental fish breeding and Culture (NPOFBC) (Co-PI).
• Physiological insights into the reproductive mechanism of Clarias dussumieri, a near threatened endemic catfish of the Western Ghat (Co-PI).
• Development and evaluation of autogenous inactivated vaccine against Aeromonas hydrophila and Edwardsiella tarda in Oscar fish (Astronotus ocellatus) (Co-PI).

1. Rekha, M. U., Haslamathbi, T., Bharathi, S., Akash, S., Shilpa, P. N., Kumar, T. A. and Sarkar, U. K. (2024). Understanding the captive breeding, spawning behavior and early ontogeny of Chromis viridis (Cuvier, 1830): A systematic study. Aquaculture, 589, 740966. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.740966)
2. Thomas, D, M. U. Rekha, J. A. Raymond, G. B. Sreekanth, G. Thiagarajan, R. Subhuraj, M. Subhuraj, M. Kailasam and K. K. Vijayan. (2021). Effects of salinity amendments on the embryonic and larval development of a tropical brackishwater ornamental silver moony fish, Monodactylus argenteus (Linnaeus, 1758). Aquaculture, 544: 737073. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2021.737073)
3. Sukumaran, K, D. Thomas, M. U. Rekha, J. A. Raymond, A. Bera, B. Mandal, R. Subhuraj, G. Thiagarajan, M. Makesh, K. Ambasankar, K. Krishnakumar, M. Kailasam and K. K. Vijayan. (2021). Reproductive maturation and induced breeding of two geographical groups of grey mullet, Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758. Aquaculture, 536: 736423. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2021.736423)
4. Thomas, D, M. U. Rekha, J. A. Raymond, G. B. Sreekanth, K. Sukumaran, K. P. Sandeep, Aritra Bera, G. Thiagarajan, M. Kailasam (2022). The effect of acclimation temperature and optimal temperature gradient for egg and larvae of silver moony (Monodactylus argenteus) during early ontogenesis. Environmental science and pollution research (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-18329-x).
5. Thomas D, Kailasam M, Rekha M U, Raymond JA, Sukumaran K, Sivaramakrishnan T, Rajababu D, Subhuraj R, Thiagarajan G and Vijayan K K. (2020). Captive maturation, breeding and seed production of the brackishwater ornamental fish silver moony, Monodactylus argenteus (Linnaeus,1758). Aquaculture Research,1-11. (https://doi.org/10.1111/are.14816).