PLANTARUM

IMPACT OF DEFICIT IRRIGATION ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF TWO MASH [VIGNA MUNGO (L.) HEPPER] CULTIVARS

Hussan Bano, saba Ghulam, Maria Gul, Tooba Zia, Mehwish Sajid, Misbah Arshad — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Water deficiency is considered one of the major limiting factors which adversely affects the growth and yield of crop. Current study was conducted to access the impacts of drought on two Vigna mungo cvs. (6036-21 and ES-1). A field experiment was conducted in complete randomized design with two treatments (control and drought). Drought was imposed at vegetative stage. To analyze the impact of drought stress physiological and yield attributes were recorded. Results showed that drought stress causes greater reduction in fresh and dry biomass (22%, 33%) and (49% and 54%), SPAD (9% and 19%) and quantum yield of PSII (21% and 31%) in both cvs. 6036-21 and ES-1 respectively. Similarly, greater reduction in yield attributes was also observed as number of pods (26% and 34%), number of seeds (6% and 12%), pod’s length (5% and 9%) and 100 seeds weight (18% and 20%) in both cvs. 6036-21 and ES-1 respectively. However, plant’s height (41% and 31%), number of leaves (9% and 7%), number of pods (26% and 34%) and relative water content (27% and 26%) reduced in cv. 6036-21 and ES-1 respectively. Correlation coefficient analysis represents positive correlation of drought tolerance with RWC, number of pods and quantum yield of PSII. Overall findings indicated that cv. 6036-21 exhibits less reduction in growth and yield attributes under drought stress as compared to cv. ES1. Thus, cv. 6036-21 found to be more resistant against drought stress and could be used in further breeding program.

FIRST REPORT OF OCCURRENCE OF HUMAN PATHOGENIC FUNGUS, BLASTOMYCES (AJELLOMYCETACEAE; ONYGENALES) IN RAVI RIVER, LAHORE

nausheen Yousaf — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Ravi River is considered as one of the eastern tributaries of the Indus River. The overall state of water quality is currently poor, owing mostly due to the direct discharge of household and industrial effluents into the river via a network of drains. Certain microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi are found in the water of this river. Blastomyces dermatitidis has been isolated twice, characterized, and studied from the water of Ravi River of Lahore. Blastomyces dermatitidis causes blastomycosis which primarily affects the lungs; it frequently disseminates and affects the skin, osteoarticular tissues, the genitourinary system, and other organs. Its conidia cause respiratory diseases i.e., Blastomycosis in humans and animals. One can easily get infected from this fungus if he even takes a bath from this water. As a result of the poor water quality, the river's ecosystem is not promising for the aquatic and human life and surrounding environment.

EQUILIBRIUM ISOTHERM STUDIES ON BATCH BIOSORPTION OF TOXIC NICKEL THROUGH FILAMENTOUS FUNGI

Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The release of metal-loaded wastewater is one of the most debatable environmental and health challenges faced by our community. Among different metals, nickel (Ni) is a commonly occurring potentially toxic element present in the environment due to various natural and industrial activities. Filamentous fungi are among the most economical biofriendly biosorbents, while adsorption through solid–liquid systems is well explained by the variety of isotherm models including Redlich-Peterson and Temkin isotherms. In the current study, all seven members of phylum Ascomycota including Aspergillus niger, A. terreus, A. flavus, Rhizopus arrhizus, Alternaria alternata, and Trichoderma harzianum showed considerable Ni removal efficiency over the concentration range of 25-100 ppm. The experimental accuracy of the equilibrium data relating to the influence of the initial metal concentration on the fungal biosorption capacity was more suitably explained by the three-dimension Redlich-Peterson isotherm due to the best fit of data (R² = 0.93-0.99) than the two-dimension Temkin isotherm (R²= 0.88-0.95). The results acquired represent the effectiveness of fungal species as a low-cost adsorbent for Ni(II) ions.

MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF ALTERNARIA ALTERNATA CONCOMITANT WITH LEAF NECROSIS OF SPINACIA OLERACEAE L. IN PAKISTAN

Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Spinach (Spinacia oleraceae L.) is an edible yearly grown crop, having worldwide high nutritious value. Numerous studies have revealed that fungal diseases are the major reason for the yield loss in spinach. A study was carried out in fields of Lahore, Depalpur, Okara from August and September 2018 and fungal leaf spot infection was detected in spinach plants. Diseased specimens were collected for isolation and characterization of the causal agent. The identification was processed by morphological depiction and inherently from nucleotide sequencing of amplified ITS1-5.8S-ITS4 region, partial Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and partial elongation factor (EF1/EF2) coding section of rDNA. Alternaria alternata was recognized as a leaf spot triggering causal agent of the spinach plant. Subsequently, the pathogenicity tendency of the known pathogen was confirmed by re-extraction of the identical pathogen from preciously injected leaves of spinach. This learning implies the first report of A. alternata as a pathogen of S. oleraceae and obliges the speedy expansion of management tools.

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL OF MICRONUTRIENTS, BIOFERTILIZERS AND CHEMICAL FUNGICIDES AGAINST CHARCOAL ROT IN SUNFLOWER

sana siddique, Prof. Dr. Amna Shoaib, Aneela Anwar, Dr. Salik Nawaz Khan — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Charcoal rot incited by Macrophomina phaseolina is yield limiting disease of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Micronutrients and biofertilizers are safer and sustainable alternatives to fending off disease over chemical fungicides. The present investigation aimed to investigate and compare the potential of zinc (Zn), boron (B) and commercial biofertilizers with chemical fungicides on disease management and seedling growth attributes in sunflower. According to principal component (PCA) analysis, the treatments were classified into 4 groups. Highly infected seedlings displaying 81% disease incidence and 50-90% reduction in growth in positive control (provided with M. phaseolina only) occupied group I (left side) as compared to negative control (un-inoculated) located opposite side in group III. Higher concentrations (1000 and 2000 ppm) of both fungicides (carbendazim and thiophanate-methyl) highly significantly managed 80% of the disease also occupied cluster III, while lower (150-350 ppm) and medium (500 ppm) concentrations reduced 20-60% disease belong to group II. Zn (2.5-3.5 ppm) and B (0.4-0.7 ppm) reduced 38-62% and 34-50% disease, respectively in cluster VI, hence these treatments were significantly and closely associated with treatments in cluster III. Biofertilizers and lower doses of micronutrient in cluster I were less effective in managing disease. Effective doses of fungicides, Zn and B were significantly and positively associated with growth variables. However, Zn (2.5 ppm) exhibited comparable effect on disease and growth attributes as was recorded with higher doses of fungicides. Hence, Zn (2.5 ppm) could be used as encouraging control means of charcoal rot disease in sunflower.

THE MOLECULAR AND PHYLOGENETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE TAGETES ERECTA L. AND COSMOS SULPHUREUS CAV. USING DNA BARCODING AND BIOINFORMATICS TECHNIQUES

adil abbas, Summera Jahan, Rida Fatima — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The correct identification of key botanical specimens such as Tagetes erecta and Cosmos sulphureus Cav. is critical to ensure their safety, efficacy, and appropriate use in herbal medicines. DNA barcoding utilizes sequence variation within a specific and uniform region of the genome (referred as "barcode") in order to achieve precise species identification. The DNA barcodes "matK" and "rbcL" were employed in order to ascertain the phylogenetic relationships of Tagetes erecta and Cosmos sulphureus Cav. Once DNA extraction was completed, its amplification was done by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The determination of DNA quality was conducted using agarose gel electrophoresis. The PCR amplification was subsequently followed by BTseq, a Next Generation Sequencing Technique after which the length of DNA fragment of Tagetes erecta was found to range between 700 and 800 base pairs. The sequencing data obtained from the rbcL and matK primers was subjected to the BLAST search in the NCBI database. The closely related sequences corresponding to each plant sample were downloaded and utilized for further analysis. The calculation of pairwise nucleotide identity was performed using the MEGALIGN software, developed by DNA Star to conduct phylogenetic analysis. The MEGA X software was used in the construction of a maximum likelihood tree. The phylogram was cross-referenced with the existing data obtained from the fossil record of plant species. The results revealed that the rbcL primer was highly suitable for DNA barcoding of Tagetes erecta plants, whereas the matK primer was the most appropriate choice for identifying Cosmos sulphureus plants.

A MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF SIX GARLIC CULTIVARS FROM PAKISTAN BY USING ISSR METHOD

sabahat Anwar, Humera Afrasiab, Zakia Latif — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In this current investigation, a DNA fingerprinting analysis was conducted to explore the genetic variation among six distinct garlic cultivars originating from Pakistan. This was achieved using six ISSR markers. The genetic material was extracted from the leaves of all cultivars and subsequently subjected to individual amplification with each ISSR primer in a PCR thermocycler. The resulting amplification products ranged in size from 340 to 860 base pairs. A total of 97 bands were generated using five primers, with each primer producing between 16 to 20 bands. On average, there were three bands per cultivar. All cultivars exhibited results with five out of the six primers. However, the (CA)8 primer did not yield any discernible banding pattern. Notably, the "White" cultivar displayed no bands with the ISSR primer (GACA)4, while the "Silver Skin" cultivar exhibited no bands with the ISSR primer (GTG)5. This study employed di-nucleotide (CA)8, tri-nucleotide [(GTG)5, (CAA)4], and tetra-nucleotide [(GACA)4, (GATA)4, (GGAT)4] repeats to achieve these findings. n this investigation, a total of 38 loci were identified, with 33 of them displaying polymorphism. A notable 89% polymorphism rate was observed among the six garlic cultivars that were subjected to amplification using five different primers. The Shannon diversity indices calculated for these primers revealed the highest value of 2.173 in the (GGAT)4 primer, signifying complete polymorphism among the garlic cultivars. Conversely, the (GTG)5 primer showed the lowest index of 1.598, attributable to the absence of bands in one garlic cultivar, specifically the "Silver Skin" variant. The ISSR markers proved to be highly effective in discerning genetic distinctions among the garlic cultivars, demonstrating the technology's significance in cultivar identification and the study of their genetic diversity.

EFFECTS OF LEAD ON ANTIOXIDANT ENZYME ACTIVITIES IN NERIUM INDICUM L. BY GROWING IN ROADSIDE SOIL OF LAHORE

Muhammad Sabir Jamil, Sheza Ayaz Khilji, Jharna, Wasiq Ikram — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Concentrations of different roadside soil amendment (0, 50, 75 and 100%) were prepared by mixing with garden (control) soil. All pollution parameters were determined in the different concentrations of soil i.e., pH, TDS, EC, CO3^-2, HCO3. The highest values of pH (8.78), ECe (338 μS cm^-1), and TDS (696 mg L^-1), were observed in the 100% concentration, indicating a higher level of pollution compared to the control sample. The maximum value of bicarbonates (87 mg L^-1) recorded in 100% as compared to 0% (22 mg L^-1). Highest values of Pb were present in 100% (770 mg kg^-1) as compared to control. With increasing soil concentrations, all of these indicators showed rising trends, with Pb>Cd being the most notable. Nerium indicum L. was grown in these concentrations for 35 days of the experiment. The growth parameters i.e., root length, shoot length; no. of roots and no .of leaves were recorded in all soil concentrations. The maximum growth was found to be in 100% and minimum in 50% and no growth was observed in 0% concentrations. The accumulation of heavy metals Pb and Cd was observed and increasing trend was Pb>Cd. The amount of protein was also detected, maximum found in the concentration of 100% which would be 20.54%, also determined in all plants that had grown in varying concentrations of soil. The amount of protein increased with increasing the concentrations. The SOD was determined in plants parts increased with increasing concentrations of soil; highest value was recorded in 100% (3.54 per mg^-1 protein). The aim of the study was to check the effect of heavy metals in Nerium indicum L. by growing in different concentrations of roadside soil. The plant was further assessed to determine the role of protein and antioxidants activities.

FIRST REPORT OF MILKY CONE CAP (CONOCYBE APALA) FROM PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

nausheen Yousaf — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

During conduction of fungal surveys to record fungal biodiversity from plain areas of Punjab, several specimens of the genus Conocybe, were collected from four different areas with arid to semi-arid climate. The collections were described and identified as Conocybe apala on the basis of morphological and anatomical characters. Morphological plates of all collections, micrographs, and comparison to allied Conocybe species are provided.