S (Sharath) Malleshaiah

I am a developmental plant physiologist specializing in flowering regulation, molecular physiology, and controlled-environment horticulture. My research focuses on how plants integrate environmental and endogenous signals, including light, temperature, and sugars, to regulate flowering time and developmental transitions.

My horticultural research interests include ornamental and short-day crop species such as chrysanthemum, pericallis, potato, cannabis, artemisia, cosmos, and dahlia.

My work combines molecular physiology, genomics, photobiology, and speed breeding approaches to improve productivity, resilience, breeding efficiency, and quality in ornamental and horticultural crops, with a particular focus on short-day species. I am especially interested in vertical farming and the optimization of environmental conditions to precisely control plant growth and development in sustainable production systems.