Current Research

My research is focused on the physiological response of trees to injury, infection, and environmental change. Sources of injury may be obvious such as those from fire, storms, pests, pathogens and human activity. Significant, yet less obvious change in foliar chemistry as well as soil microbial communities may come from perturbations in soil chemistry due to change in environment.

Current research examines:

•I examine wood and foliar metabolism and chemistry (inorganic cations, polyamines, amino acids, soluble proteins, and chlorophyll) at various sites in the Northeastern USA, Europe and Asia. Our goal is to determine relationship and interdependencies between these parameters and data collected on root, soil, and soil solution chemistry collected by our cooperators and collaborators. So far, putrescine, a polyamine, amino acids arginine and proline, and phytochelatins (metabolites that are synthesized to protect plants from heavy metal stress) have shown the potential to be used as early indicators of physiological stress under field conditions.

•The applicability and limitations of dendrochemistry to provide markers of environmental change.

•The effect of environmental pollution on the structure and functions of soil microbial communities.

Research Interests

Trees have complex biochemical mechanisms to detect, respond to, and survive multiple concurrent environmental stresses. Stress has the ability to affect metabolism, and usually the effects of multiple stresses are additive. Many stress-related metabolic pathways are interconnected via common signal transduction pathways many of which use Ca as a second messenger. Stress-related pathways often share and may even compete for common precursor metabolites. Such biochemical interactions mean that changes in cellular levels of one metabolite will have multiple effects on several other metabolites within the same and related pathways. Presently, there are only a few metabolic changes that can be easily measured to monitor stress in forest trees; with the exception of heavy metal stress, none can be used alone as a marker for a specific stress.

The metabolites synthesized or interconverted in response to stress do cost the cells energy that is diverted from productive and growth processes. The primary focus of my research is to delineate the biochemical and physiological basis of stress response and develop early indicators to detect environmental stress in forest trees. Stress detection prior to the appearance of visual symptoms could lead to corrective forest management. The long-term goal of my research is to develop a set of metabolic markers that can be used to monitor health of forest trees by detecting physiological stress. This diagnostic kit should be applicable to all species, across regional, continental and temporal scales in a way blood tests are used for human health.

My research requires collaborative teamwork with a large network of interdisciplinary scientists to assemble the needed data on environmental factors, soil and soil-solution chemistry, growth rates of trees, nutrient cycling, and tree physiology with minimal intrusion and small-scale sample collection. More recently I have also been studying he effects of environmental stress on soil microbial diversity. The goal is to develop models of interactions among the various factors from which accurate inferences can be drawn to propose and test efficient and effective forest management practices.

Why This Research is Important

Stress from mechanical injury, subsequent infection, and environmental change are facts of life for wild, rural, and urban trees. This stress often impacts the diverse goals of forest management, wildlife conservation, high-quality wood products, or the desire for safe and healthy trees in our communities. Maximizing the benefits of trees for forests and communities requires understanding how these goals are linked to tree biology and early detection of tree response to environmental change.

Education

• University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, Ph.D. Biochemistry 1985
• University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, M.S. Zoology 1978
• Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, M.Sc. (Honors) Zoology 1976
• Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, B.Sc. (Honors) Zoology 1975

Professional Organizations

• American Society of Plant Biologists
• Ecological Society of America
• International Society of Environmental Bioindicators

Featured Publications & Products

• Turlapati, Swathi A.; Minocha, Rakesh; Bhiravarasa, Premsai S.; Tisa, Louise S.; Thomas, William K.; Minocha, Subhash C. 2013. Chronic N-amended soils exhibit an altered bacterial community structure in Harvard Forest, MA, USA.
• Sridevi, Ganapathi; Minocha, Rakesh; Turlapati, Swathi A.; Goldfarb, Katherine C.; Brodie, Eoin L.; Tisa, Louis S.; Minocha, Subhash C. 2012. Soil bacterial communities of a calcium-supplemented and a reference watershed at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), New Hampshire, USA.
• Schaberg, Paul G.; Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie; Halman, Joshua M.; Hawley, Gary J.; Eagar, Christopher. 2011. Calcium addition at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest increases the capacity for stress tolerance and carbon capture in red spruce (Picea rubens) trees during the cold season.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie; Thangavel, Palaniswamy; Minocha, Subhash C.; Eagar, Christopher; Driscoll, Charles T. 2010. Elevation dependent sensitivity of northern hardwoods to Ca addition at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH USA.
• Minocha, R.; Long, S.; Minocha, S.; Marquardt, P; Kubiske, M. 2010. Effects of long-term (10 years) exposure to elevated CO2 and O3 on trembling Aspen carbon and nitrogen metabolism at the aspen FACE (Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) study site Abstract.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Martinez, Gabriela; Lyons, Benjamin; Long, Stephanie. 2009. Development of a standardized methodology for quantifying total chlorophyll and carotenoids from foliage of hardwood and conifer tree species.

Publications

• Minocha, Rakesh; Chamberlain, Bradley; Long, Stephanie; Turlapati, Swathi A.; Quigley, Gloria. 2015. Extraction and estimation of the quantity of calcium oxalate crystals in the foliage of conifer and hardwood trees.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Turlapati, Swathi A.; Long, Stephanie; McDowell, William H.; Minocha, Subhash C. 2015. Long-term trends of changes in pine and oak foliar nitrogen metabolism in response to chronic nitrogen amendments at Harvard Forest, MA.
• Turlapati, Swathi A.; Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie; Ramsdell, Jordan; Minocha, Subhash C. 2015. Oligotyping reveals stronger relationship of organic soil bacterial community structure with N-amendments and soil chemistry in comparison to that of mineral soil at Harvard Forest, MA, USA.
• Majumdar, Rajtilak; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash. 2015. Ornithine: at the crossroads of multiple paths to amino acids and polyamines.
• Ma, Chuanxin; Chhikara, Sudesh; Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie; Musante, Craig; White, Jason C.; Xing, Baoshan; Dhankher, Om Parkash. 2015. Reduced Silver Nanoparticle Phytotoxicity in Crambe abyssinica with Enhanced Glutathione Production by Overexpressing Bacterial y-Glutamylcysteine Synthase.
• Lasanajak, Yi; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C.; Goyal, Ravinder; Fatima, Tahira; Handa, Avtar K.; Mattoo, Autar K. 2014. Enhanced flux of substrates into polyamine biosynthesis but not ethylene in tomato fruit engineered with yeast S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase gene.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Majumdar, Rajtilak; Minocha, Subhash C. 2014. Polyamines and abiotic stress in plants: a complex relationship Frontiers in Plant Science.
• Shao, Lin; Bhatnagar, Pratiksha; Majumdar, Rajtilak; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 2014. Putrescine overproduction does not affect the catabolism of spermidine and spermine in poplar and Arabidopsis.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Turlapati, Swathi A.; Long, Stephanie; North, Malcolm. 2013. Fuel treatment effects on soil chemistry and foliar physiology of three coniferous species at the Teakettle Experimental Forest, California, USA.
• Majumdar, Rajtilak; Shao, Lin; Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie; Minocha, Subhash C. 2013. Ornithine: the overlooked molecule in the regulation of polyamine metabolism.
• Puckett, Emily E.; Serpiglia, Michelle J.; DeLeon, Alyssa M.; Long, Stephanie; Minocha, Rakesh; Smart, Lawrence B. 2012. Differential expression of genes encoding phosphate transporters contributes to arsenic accumulation in shrub willow (Salix spp.).
• Page, Andrew F.; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 2012. Living with high putrescine: expression of ornithine and arginine biosynthetic pathway genes in high and low putrescine producing poplar cells.
• Bubier, Jill L.; Smith, Rose; Juutinen, Sari; Moore, Tim R.; Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie; Minocha, Subash. 2011. Effects of nutrient addition on leaf chemistry, morphology, and photosynthetic capacity of three bog shrubs.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie; Minocha, Subhash; Marquardt, Paula; Nelson, Neil; Kubiske, Mark. 2010. Effects of long-term (10 years) exposure to elevated CO2 and O3 on trembling Aspen carbon and nitrogen metabolism at the aspen FACE (Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) study site.
• Mattoo, Autar K.; Minocha, Subhash C.; Minocha, Rakesh; Handa, Avtar K. 2010. Polyamines and cellular metabolism in plants: transgenic approaches reveal different responses to diamine putrescine versus higher polyamines spermidine and spermine.
• Mohapatra, Sridev; Cherry, Smita; Minocha, Rakesh; Majumdar, Rajtilak; Thangavel, Palaniswamy; Long, Stephanie; Minocha, Subhash C. 2010. The response of high and low polyamine producing cell lines to aluminum and calcium stress.
• Mohapatra, Sridev; Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie; Minocha, Subhash C. 2010. Transgenic manipulation of a single polyamine in poplar cells affects the accumulation of all amino acids.
• Smith, Kevin T.; Shortle, Walter C.; Connolly, Jon H.; Minocha, Rakesh; Jellison, Jody. 2009. Calcium fertilization increases the concentration of calcium in sapwood and calcium oxalate in foliage of red spruce.
• Krám, Pavel; Oulehle, Filip; Štedrá, Veronika; Hruška, Jakub; Shanley, James B.; Minocha, Rakesh; Traister, Elena. 2009. Geoecology of a forest watershed underlain by serpentine in Central Europe.
• Mohapatra, Sridev; Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie. 2009. Putrescine overproduction negatively impacts the oxidative state of poplar cells in culture.
• Shortle, Walter C.; Murdoch, Peter S.; Smith, Kevin T.; Minocha, Rakesh; Lawrence, Gregory B. 2008. 6.0 Monitoring recovery from calcium depletion and nitrogen saturation.
• Serapiglia, Michelle J.; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 2008. Changes in polyamines, inorganic ions and glutamine synthetase activity in response to nitrogen availability and form in red spruce (Picea rubens).
• Minocha, Rakesh; Thangavel, P.; Dhankher, Om Parkash; Long, Stephanie. 2008. Separation and quantification of monothiols and phytochelatins from a wide variety of cell cultures and tissues of trees and other plants using high performance liquid chromatography.
• Thangavel, P.; Long, Stephanie; Minocha, Rakesh. 2007. Changes in phytochelatins and their biosynthetic intermediates in red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) cell suspension cultures under cadmium and zinc stress.
• Page, Andrew F.; Mohapatra, Sridev; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 2007. The effects of genetic manipulation of putrescine biosynthesis on transcription and activities of the other polyamine biosynthetic enzymes.
• Zhang, Qingyuan; Xiao, Xiangming; Braswell, Bobby; Linder, Ernst; Ollinger, Scott; Smith, Marie-Louise; Jenkins, Julian P.; Baret, Fred; Richardson, Andrew D.; Moore, Berrien III; Minocha, Rakesh. 2006. Characterization of seasonal variation of forest canopy in a temperate deciduous broadleaf forest, using daily MODIS data.
• Juice, Stephanie M.; Fahey, Timothy J.; Siccama, Thomas G.; Driscoll, Charles T.; Denny, Ellen G.; Eagar, Christopher; Cleavitt, Natalie L.; Minocha, Rakesh; Richardson, Andrew D. 2006. Response of sugar maple to calcium addition to northern hardwood forest.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 2005. Effects of soil pH and aluminum on plant respiration.
• Dujesiefken, Dirk; Liese, Walter; Shortle, Walter; Minocha, Rakesh. 2005. Response of beech and oaks to wounds made at different times of the year.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie. 2004. Effects of aluminum on organic acid metabolism and secretion by red spruce cell suspension cultures and the reversal of Al effects on growth and polyamine metabolism by exogenous organic acids.
• Bauer, G.A.; Bazzaz, F.A.; Minocha, R.; Long, S.; Magill, A.; Aber, J.; Berntson, G.M. 2004. Effects of chronic N additions on tissue chemistry, photosynthetic capacity, and carbon sequestration potential of a red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) stand in the NE United States.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Lee, Jae Soon; Long, Stephanie; Bhatnagar, Pratiksha; Minocha, Subhash C. 2004. Physiological responses of wild type and putrescine-overproducing transgenic cells of poplar to variations in the form and concentration of nitrogen in the medium.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C.; Long, Stephanie. 2004. Polyamines and their biosynthetic enzymes during somatic embryo development in red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.).
• Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie. 2004. Simultaneous separation and quantitation of amino acids and polyamines of forest tree tissues and cell cultures within a single high-performance liquid chromatography run using dansyl derivatization.
• Minocha, S.C.; Bhatnagar, P.; Minocha, R. 2003. Genetic manipulation of polyamine metabolism in poplar.
• Wargo, Philip M.; Minocha, Rakesh; Wong, Betty L.; Long, Robert P.; Horsley, Stephen B.; Hall, Thomas J. 2003. Measuring stress and recovery in limed sugar maple on the Allegheny Plateau of north-central Pennsylvania.
• Minocha, R.; Minocha, S.C.; Long, S. 2003. Monitoring environmental stress in forest trees using biochemical and physiological markers.
• Quan, Yi; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 2002. Genetic manipulation of polyamine metabolism in poplar II: effects on ethylene biosynthesis.
• Bhatnagar, Pratiksha; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 2002. Genetic manipulation of the metabolism of polyamines in poplar cells. The regulation of putrescine catabolism.
• Wargo, Philip M.; Minocha, Rakesh; Wong, Betty; Long, Robert P.; Horsley, Stephen B.; Hall, Thomas J. 2002. Measuring changes in stress and vitality indicators in limed sugar maple on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central Pennsylvania.
• Minocha, R.; Minocha, S.C.; Long, S. 2002. Monitoring environmental stress in forest trees using biochemical and physiological markers.
• Minocha, Rakesh; McQuattie, Carolyn; Fagerberg, Wayne; Long, Stephanie; Noh, Eun Woon. 2001. Effects of aluminum in red spruce (Picea rubens) cell cultures: Cell growth and viability, mitochondrial activity, ultrastructure and potential sites of intracellular aluminum accumulation.
• Bhatnagar, Pratiksha; Glasheen, Bernadette M.; Bains, Suneet K.; Long, Stephanie L.; Minocha, Rakesh; Walter, Christian; Minocha, Subhash C. 2001. Transgenic manipulation of the metabolism of polyamines in poplar cells.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie; Magill, Alison H.; Aber, John; McDowell, William H. 2000. Foliar free polyamine and inorganic ion content in relation to soil and soil solution chemistry in two fertilized forest stands at the Harvard Forest, Massachusetts.
• Minocha, R.; Jain, S.M. 2000. Tissue culture of woody plants and its relevance to molecular biology.
• Shortle, Walter C.; Smith, Kevin T.; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash; Wargo, Philip M.; Vogt, Kristina A. 2000. Tree health and physiology in a changing environment.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Long, Stephanie; Maki, Hisae; Minocha, Subhash C. 1999. Assays for the activities of polyamine biosynthetic enzymes using intact tissues.
• Minocha, S.C.; Minocha, R. 1999. Genetic transformation in conifers.
• Minocha, Rakesh. 1999. Markers of environmental stress in forest trees.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Smith, Dale R.; Reeves, Cathie; Steele, Kevin D.; Minocha, Subhash C. 1999. Polyamine levels during the development of zygotic and somatic embryos of Pinus radiata.
• Shortle, Walter C.; Minocha, Rakesh. 1999. Taxol: a review.
• Shortle, Walter C.; Smith, Kevin T.; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C.; Wargo, Philip M.; Vogt, Kristiina A. 1999. Tree health and physiology in a changing environment.
• Shortle, Walter C.; Smith, Kevin T.; Minocha, Rakesh; Lawrence, Gregory B.; David, Mark B. 1997. Acidic deposition, cation mobilization, and biochemical indicators of stress in healthy red spruce.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C.; Lawrence, Gregory B.; David, Mark B.; Minocha, Subhash C. 1997. Relationships among foliar chemistry, foliar polyamines, and soil chemistry in red spruce trees growing across the northeastern United States.
• Smith, Kevin T.; Shortle, Walter C.; Minocha, Rakesh; Alexeyev, Vladislav A. 1996. Dynamics of calcium concentration in stemwood of red spruce and Siberian fir.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C.; Coughin, Daniel J. Jr.; Minocha, Subhash C. 1996. Effects of aluminum on growth, polyamine metabolism, and inorganic ions in suspension cultures of red spruce (Picea rubens).
• Minocha, Rakesk; Shortle, Walter C.; Lawrence, Gregory B.; David, Mark B.; Minocha, Subhash C. 1996. Putrescine: a marker of stress in red spruce trees.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C.; Lawrence, Gregory B.; Mark, B. David; Minocha, Subhash C. 1996. Putrescine: a marker of stress in red spruce trees.
• Minocha, Subhash C.; Minocha, Rakesh. 1995. Historical aspects of somatic embryogenesis in woody plants.
• Zhou, Xinhua; Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C. 1995. Physiological responses of suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus to aluminum: changes in polyamines and inorganic ions.
• Minocha, S.C.; Minocha, R. 1995. Role of polyamines in somatic embryogenesis.
• Shortle, W.C.; Smith, K.T.; Minocha, R.; Alexeyev, V.A. 1995. Similar patterns of change in stemwood calcium concentration in red spruce and Siberian fir.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C.; Simola, Liisa Kaarina. 1995. Somatic embryogenesis and polyamines in woody plants.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C.; Long, Stephanie L.; Minocha, Subhash C. 1994. A rapid and reliable procedure for extraction of cellular polyamines and inorganic ions from plant tissues.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C. 1994. Polyamines and inorganic ions extracted from woody tissues by freeze-thawing.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C.; Minocha, Subhash C. 1994. Somatic embryogenesis in Picea abies (Norway spruce) and Picea Rubens (red spruce): growth rates and polyamines.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Shortle, Walter C. 1993. Fast, safe, and reliable methods for extraction of major inorganic cations from small quantities of woody plant tissues.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Kvaalen, Haarald; Minocha, Subhash C.; Long, Stephanie. 1993. Polyamines in embryogenic cultures of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and red spruce (Picea rubens).
• Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C.; Long, Stephanie L.; Shortle, Walter C. 1992. Effects of aluminum on DNA synthesis, cellular polyamines, polyamine biosynthetic enzymes and inorganic ions in cell suspension cultures of a woody plant, Catharanthus roseus.
• Minocha, S.C.; Minocha, R.; Komamine, A. 1991. Effects of polyamine biosynthesis inhibitors on S-adenosylmethionine synthetase and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase activities in carrot cell cultures.
• Minocha, R.; Minocha, S.C.; Komamine, A.; Shortle, W.C. 1991. Regulation of DNA synthesis and cell division by polyamines in Catharanthus roseus suspension cultures.
• Shortle, Walter C.; Minocha, Rakesh. 1990. Applications of ion chromatography to study pollution effects on forest trees.
• Minocha, Subhash C.; Minocha, Rakesh; Robie, Cheryl A. 1990. High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of dansyl-polyamines.
• Minocha, Subhash C.; Robie, Cheryl A.; Khan, Akhtar J.; Papa, Nancy S.; Samuelsen, Andrew I.; Minocha, Rakesh. 1990. Polyamine and ethylene biosynthesis in relation to somatic embryogenesis in carrot (Daucus carota L.) cell cultures.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Minocha, Subhash C.; Komamine, Atsushi; Shortle, Walter C. 1990. Role of polyamines in DNA synthesis of Catharanthus roseus cells grown in suspension culture.
• Minocha, Rakesh; Haney, James F. 1986. Temporal pattern of feeding response of Chaoborus larvae to starvation.

Research Highlights

Highlight	Title	Year
NRS-2016-136	Appalachian Trail Study Fills in the Gaps on Spatial Patterns of Acidic Deposition Effects A multiagency and multidisciplinary investigation along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail provided an extensive dataset that filled the gaps ...	2016
NRS-2016-152	Elm Disease Resistance Research Gets a Boost Great news for disease-tolerant American elm! A grant from The Manton Foundation has provided the Forest Service’s Northern Research Station w ...	2016
NRS-2011-15	Project SMART: Educating and Motivating Talented High School Students in Math and Science Forest Service funding from the Northern Research Station's Civil Rights Diversity Committee's Special Project Funds and Conservation Education' ...	2011