Ajay Kamboj | Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security | Best Researcher Award

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Mr. Ajay Kamboj | Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security | Best Researcher Award

Ph.D. Scholar | Punjab Agricultural University | India

Mr. Ajay Kamboj is a emerging horticultural researcher specializing in postharvest biology, fruit quality management, antioxidant defence mechanisms, and novel edible coating technologies. His research primarily focuses on mitigating postharvest quality deterioration in fruits through biochemical, enzymatic, and oxidative stress analyses, with strong expertise in FTIR spectroscopy, coating rheology, and statistical modeling, including PCA and correlation analysis. His publication portfolio demonstrates consistent contributions to high-impact journals. He has authored multiple Q1-ranked research articles, including studies on carrageenan–potassium sorbate graft coatings for mandarin, composite xanthan gum coatings for strawberries, and cinnamic acid–based coatings for mangoes, published in Food Hydrocolloids, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, and Plant Foods for Human Nutrition. His work also extends to innovations such as chitosan/karonda polyphenol-enriched coatings for Prunus salicina and investigations into ripening and sugar metabolism in low-chill pear varieties, contributing to journals like Postharvest Biology and Technology and Acta Physiologiae Plantarum. Mr. Ajay Kamboj has contributed to academic publishing through a book chapter on protected cultivation in fruit crops, reflecting additional engagement in scholarly dissemination. His Scopus metrics-57 citations, 12 documents, and an h-index of 4-further evidence his growing research impact. He actively serves as a peer reviewer for reputable international journals, including Journal of Food Measurement and Characterisation and Erwerbs-Obstbau, demonstrating recognition within the scientific community for his subject-matter expertise. His research contributions advance sustainable postharvest technologies, shelf-life enhancement strategies, and biochemical quality preservation in horticultural produce. His findings support future innovations in food security, fruit storage, and plant-based coating materials, marking him as a promising researcher in postharvest fruit science.

Profiles: Scopus | ORCID | Google Scholar | ResearchGate

Featured Publications

1. Gautam, A., Gill, P. P. S., Singh, N., Jawandha, S. K., Arora, R., & Kamboj, A. (2024). Composite coating of xanthan gum with sodium nitroprusside alleviates the quality deterioration in strawberry fruit. Food Hydrocolloids, 110208.

2. Ajay, A., Gill, P. P. S., Jawandha, S. K., Singh, N. P., Kaur, S., & Kaur, P. (2023). Role of gum Arabic combined with cinnamic acid coating on quality and cell wall degradation enzymes of mango fruits at low temperature. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 259, 129088.

3. Jan, Z., Jawandha, S. K., Gill, P. S., Singh, H., Kamboj, A., Singh, A., & Jhanji, S. (2026). Chitosan/karonda polyphenol extract enriched coating alleviates postharvest quality deterioration by elicitation of antioxidant defence response in Prunus salicina. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 231, 113857.

4. Kamboj, A., Gill, P. P. S., Jawandha, S. K., Singh, N. P., Arora, R., Singh, A., & Kaur, P. (2025). Enhancing postharvest quality and antioxidant properties of mango using cinnamic acid-enriched xanthan gum coatings. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 80(3), 135.

5. Jalota, A., Singh, M., Gill, P. P. S., Grewal, S. K., & Kamboj, A. (2025). Effect of on-tree storage on ripening related changes and sugar metabolism in fruits of different low-chill pear varieties. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 47(11), 106.

Abouelnadar El Salem | Sustainable Agriculture | Best Researcher Award

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Assist. Prof. Dr. Abouelnadar El Salem | Sustainable Agriculture | Best Researcher Award

Senior Researcher, Yellow River Delta Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Equipment Industry Academy, China

Assist. Prof. Dr. Abouelnadar El Salem is a Senior Researcher at the Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Desert Research Center (DRC), Cairo, Egypt, and affiliated with the Yellow River Delta Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Equipment Industry Academy, China. He earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Mechanization Engineering from Huazhong Agricultural University, China (2022), where his research focused on experimental soil adhesion reduction and simulation of soil–tool interaction under paddy field conditions based on bionics. He also holds an M.Sc. in Farm Machinery and Power Engineering from Ain Shams University, Egypt (2017), and a B.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering from Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt (2006, with honors). Dr. El Salem’s primary research interests lie in reducing soil adhesion and friction at the soil–tool interface using bio-inspired microstructures and low-surface-energy polymers, modeling soil–tool interactions with the Discrete Element Method (DEM), assessing and designing rainwater harvesting systems, and monitoring tillage- and rainfall-induced soil erosion under diverse land-use conditions. He has held key academic and research positions, including Researcher (Doctorate Holder) at DRC, supervising master’s students and conducting peer-reviewed research (2022–Present), Assistant Researcher at Huazhong Agricultural University (2018–2022), and Agricultural Engineer at the Agricultural Research Center, Egypt (2007–2012). His major contributions include innovations in soil conservation techniques, DEM-based mechanistic models of soil–tool interactions, sustainable water resource management, and practical recommendations for arid and semi-arid agriculture. He has published 15 documents, accumulated 136 citations, and holds an h-index of 7. Dr. El Salem has received recognition for his international collaborations in soil mechanization research and is actively engaged in peer-review and scientific societies related to agricultural engineering. His work advances sustainable agricultural mechanization, soil erosion control, and climate-resilient farming, providing practical solutions for global food security and water management. His vision is to integrate mechanization engineering and soil conservation innovations to benefit society, industry, and scientific research worldwide, while mentoring the next generation of agricultural engineers and researchers.

Profile: Scopus | ORCID | ResearchGate | Sci Profiles | Scilit

Featured Publications

1. Salem, A. E., Shang, S., Wang, D., Zhang, G., Wang, H., Abdeen, M. A., & Shehabeldeen, T. A. (2026). Developing an adequate DEM model to simulate soil-tool interactions under sticky soil conditions. Soil and Tillage Research, 256, 106893.

2. Salem, A. E., Wang, H., Gao, Y., Zha, X., Abdeen, M. A., & Zhang, G. (2021). Effect of biomimetic surface geometry, soil texture, and soil moisture content on the drag force of soil-touching parts. Applied Sciences, 11, 8927–8938.

3. Salem, A. E., Zhang, G. Z., Abdeen, M. A. M., & Wang, H. C. (2022). Optimizing the adhesion of soil-touching parts based on biomimetic concepts using the Taguchi method. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 15(1), 147–154.

4. Salem, A. E., Zhang, G., Wang, H., Salem, H. M., Abdalla, M. A., & Ghazy, A. A. (2023). The effect of integrating a bio-inspired convex structure with a low-surface energy polymer on soil adhesion and friction. Journal of Terramechanics, 109, 93–100.

5. Abdeen, M. A., & Salem, A. E., Zhang, G. (2021). Longitudinal axial flow rice thresher performance optimization using the Taguchi technique. Agriculture, 11, 88.