Pratik Sunildatta Bankar

Agricultural/Animal Associate II
Plant and Environmental Sciences Department, Coastal Research and Education Center

Office:
Phone: 563-400-7061

Email: pbankar@clemson.edu

Educational Background

M.S Plant Sciences
North Dakota State University 2025

B.S Agriculture
MPKV Rahuri 2020

Profile

I grew up on a family farm, learning agriculture naturally by helping my family and playing in the fields while farming was part of daily life. After completing my bachelor’s degree in India, I worked in a greenhouse and gained experience in ornamental and vegetable crop production and marketing. I then completed a one-year internship in the United States, working in two different greenhouses and building strong hands-on skills.

This inspired me to pursue a master’s degree as a Graduate Research Assistant at North Dakota State University, where I worked on a plant breeding project focused on chromosome doubling. Today, I am back to my roots working with vegetable crops at Clemson University’s Coastal Research and Education Center. I enjoy endurance sports and learning card tricks, and I am always excited to learn new skills and explore new experiences.

Research Interests

My research interests focus on plant breeding, with an emphasis on improving crop yield, quality, and stress tolerance. I am especially interested in polyploidy, chromosome doubling, and how genetic changes influence plant performance.