Position: Head of Division, Principal Scientist
Mobile No: 9446849654
Email: pradeeptbgri@gmail.com; ckpmushroom@gmail.com
Qualifications: PhD- ‘Taxonomic studies on Pluteaceae Roze (Basidiomycotina, Agaricales) of Kerala’ (1999)-Kerala University. Post Doc: CSIR R.A: 1999-2004.
Specialization: Macrofungal taxonomy and phylogeny.
Involved in the studies on diversity, systematics and sustainable utilization of macrofungal wealth of Kerala state since 1993. Since then, conducted research actiities in various aspects of wild mushroom research programmes that mainy include the diversity analysis, phylogeny, cultivation of wild edible mushrooms, ectomycorrhizal mushrooms and antimicrobial studies. Over the period, described over 50 new species and over 300 species were reported for the first time from India. Published one book and over 116 publications in peer reviewed international/national journals with Impact Factor 0.7-20. Editor and reviewer of many reputed journals. Life Member of many mycological societies in India.
Projects
- Inventory and conservation status of mushrooms of Wayanad area of Kerala- (Completed).
- Inventory, documentation and development of cultivation protocol for the lesser known wild edible mushrooms of Kerala- (Completed).
- Investigations on the macrofungal diversity in the Thenmala Forest Division of Western Ghats of Kerala-(Completed).
- Wild edible mushrooms from Kerala forests-a source of food and income- (Completed).
- Medicinal mushrooms of Kerala- (Completed).
Publications
- Kumar A.M., Pradeep C.K., Aime M.C. (2022). New species and new records of Crepidotus (Crepidotaceae) from India. Mycological Progress 21: 311-326. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11557-021-01751-3
- Nie, C., Wang, S.-N., Tkalčec, Z., Yan, J.-Q., Hu, Y., Ge, Y., Na, Q., Zeng, H., Ding, H., Huo, G., Pošta, A., Pradeep, C. K., & Mešić, A. (2022). Coprinus leucostictus Rediscovered after a Century, Epitypified, and Its Generic Position in Hausknechtia Resolved by Multigene Phylogenetic Analysis of Psathyrellaceae. Diversity, 14(9), 699. https://doi.org/10.3390/d14090699
- Arya C.P., Manoj Kumar A., Pradeep C.K., Luis A. Parra (2022). Agaricus brunneodiscus, a new species of Agaricus section Rarolentes from India. Phytotaxa 533 (4): 181–193. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.533.4.1
- Põlme, S., Abarenkov, K., Henrik Nilsson, R. Pradeep C.K. et al. (2020). Fungal Traits: a user-friendly traits database of fungi and fungus-like stramenopiles. Fungal Diversity 105, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-020-00466-2
- Manoj Kumar A., Vrinda, K.B., Pradeep C.K. (2018). New and Noteworthy Crepidotoid Agarics from India, Cryptogamie, Mycologie 39(3), 287-298. https://doi.org/10.7872/crym/v39.iss3.2018.287
Details of Students
Work: Taxonomic and Phylogenetic Studies on the genus Agaricus (Basidiomycota) of Kerala.
Work: Systematic Studies on the genus Pluteus (Basidiomycota, Fungi) of Kerala State.
Work: Studies on the Taxonomy, Diversity and Ecology of the genus Psathyrella (Basidiomycota, Fungi) of Kerala.
Work: Systematics, Molecular Phylogeny and Species Diversity of Strophariaceae (Basidiomycota) of Kerala State.