Farooq Shah

Response and Tolerance Mechanism of Cotton Gossypium hirsutum L. to Elevated Temperature Stress: A Review

Cotton is an important multipurpose crop which is highly sensitive to both biotic and abiotic stresses. Proper management of this cash crop requires systematic understanding of various environmental conditions that are vital to yield and quality. High temperature stress can severely affect the viability of pollens and anther indehiscence, which leads to significant yield losses. Cotton can respond to withstand adverse environmental condition in several phases among which the accumulation of chemicals is extremely vital. Calcium, kinases, reactive oxygen species, carbohydrate, transcription factors, gene expression regulation, and plant hormones signaling pathways are playing a handy role in activating the major genes responsible to encounter and defend elevated temperature stress. The production of heat shock proteins is up-regulated when crops are unleashed to high temperature stress. Molecular breeding can play a functional role to identify superior genes for all the important attributes as well as provide breeder ready markers for developing ideotypes. The development of high-temperature resistant transgenic cultivars of cotton can grant a stability benefit and can also ameliorate the production capacity in response to elevated temperature.

Allergens of Arachis hypogaea and the effect of processing on their detection by ELISA

Food allergies are an emerging public health problem in industrialized areas of the world. They represent a considerable health problem in these areas because of the relatively high number of reported cases. Usually, food allergens are proteins or glycoproteins with a molecular mass ranging from 10 to 70 kDa. Among the food allergies, peanut is accounted to be responsible for more than 50% of the food allergy fatalities. Threshold doses for peanut allergenic reactions have been found to range from as low as 100 µg to 1 g of peanut protein, which equal to 400 µg to 4 g peanut meal. Allergens from peanut are mainly seed storage proteins that are composed of conglutin, vicilin, and glycinin families. Several peanut proteins have been identified to induce allergic reactions, particularly Ara h 1–11. This review is mainly focused on different classes of peanut allergens, the effect of thermal and chemical treatment of peanut allergens on the IgY binding and detectability of these allergens by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to provide knowledge for food industry.

Bioengineered Plants Can Be a Useful Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids have proven to be very essential for human health due to their multiple health benefits. These essential fatty acids (EFAs) need to be uptaken through diet because they are unable to be produced by the human body. These are important for skin and hair growth as well as for proper visual, neural, and reproductive functions of the body. These fatty acids are proven to be extremely vital for normal tissue development during pregnancy and infancy. Omega-3 fatty acids can be obtained mainly from two dietary sources: marine and plant oils. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6 n-3) are the primary marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids. Marine fishes are high in omega-3 fatty acids, yet high consumption of those fishes will cause a shortage of fish stocks existing naturally in the oceans. An alternative source to achieve the recommended daily intake of EFAs is the demand of today. In this review article, an attempt has, therefore, been made to discuss the importance of omega-3 fatty acids and the recent developments in order to produce these fatty acids by the genetic modifications of the plants.

Chinese Milk Vetch as Green Manure Mitigates Nitrous Oxide Emission from Monocropped Rice System in South China

Monocropped rice system is an important intensive cropping system for food security in China. Green manure (GM) as an alternative to fertilizer N (FN) is useful for improving soil quality. However, few studies have examined the effect of Chinese milk vetch (CMV) as GM on nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from monocropped rice field in south China. Therefore, a pot-culture experiment with four treatments (control, no FN and CMV; CMV as GM alone, M; fertilizer N alone, FN; integrating fertilizer N with CMV, NM) was performed to investigate the effect of incorporating CMV as GM on N2O emission using a closed chamber-gas chromatography (GC) technique during the rice growing periods. Under the same N rate, incorporating CMV as GM (the treatments of M and NM) mitigated N2O emission during the growing periods of rice plant, reduced the NO3- content and activities of nitrate and nitrite reductase as well as the population of nitrifying bacteria in top soil at maturity stage of rice plant versus FN pots. The global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) of N2O from monocropped rice field was ranked as M<NM<FN. However, the treatment of NM increased rice grain yield and soil NH4+ content, which were dramatically decreased in the M pots, over the treatment of FN. Hence, it can be concluded that integrating FN with CMV as GM is a feasible tactic for food security and N2O mitigation in the monocropped rice based system.

The role of Chinese Milk Vetch as cover crop in complex soil nitrogen dynamics in rice rotation system of South China

The effect of Chinese Milk Vetch (CMV) residues as a cover crop on the performance of rice plants and nitrogen mobilization and mineralization in paddy soil was evaluated in a pot-culture experiment. Three treatments were included in the trial, i.e. without exogenous-N (Control or CK), urea fertilizer as the sole N-source (N) and urea plus CMV (NM). The results revealed higher amounts of total-N, inorganic-N, acid hydrolysable-N and non-acid hydrolysable-N in the soil under NM, followed by N and CK treatments at tillering, booting and maturity stages of rice. A similar trend was observed for various soil ammonia oxidizing bacteria, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Correlation coefficients exhibited a negative correlation of residual exogenous-15N with only amino acid nitrogen (Pu2009<u20090.01). Moreover, low abundance of the key functional gene amoA in rice was found in CK treatment. From the results it can be concluded that the nitrogen from organic source can improve the availability of total-N, inorganic-N and NH4 in the soil, especially at the later stages of rice growth.

Anthracene biodegradation capacity of newly isolated rhizospheric bacteria Bacillus cereus S13

Biodegradation of hazardous pollutants is of immense importance for maintaining a clean environment. However, the concentration of such contaminants/pollutants can be minimized with the help of microorganisms that has the ability to degrade the toxic pollutants into non-toxic metabolites. In the current study, 23 bacterial isolates were purified from the rhizospheric soil of Sysimbrium irio, growing as a wild plant in the vicinity of gas filling stations in Peshawar city. The isolated strains were initially screened on solid nutrient agar and further purified by culturing it on anthracene amended mineral media (PNR). The bacterial growth and anthracene disappearance were observed by calculating optical density (OD). The isolates showed a concentration-dependent growth on anthracene amended PNR media at 30°C and pH7. Also, an increase in bacterial OD from 0.351 to 1.80 with increased shaking speed was noticed. On the contrary, alternate carbon sources (glucose, fructose, sucrose) or nitrogen sources (KNO3, NaNO3, NH4NO3 and CaNO3) posed inhibitory effect on bacterial growth during anthracene degradation. The recorded efficiency of anthracene degradation by the selected bacterial isolate (1.4×1023 CFUmL-1 and 1.80 OD) was 82.29%, after 120 h of incubation. The anthracene was degraded to 9, 10, dihydroxy-anthracene and anthraquinone, detected through GC-MS. The efficient bacterial isolate was identified as S13, a new strain of Bacillus cereus, using 16S rRNA analysis, showing 98% homology. The isolated bacterial strain S13 may be used as a potential tool for bioremediation of toxic hydrocarbons and to keep the environment free from PAH pollutants.

Evaluation of unexplored pomegranate cultivars for physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant activity

The aim of present study was to evaluate the different pomegranate cultivars for physicochemical properties and to identify the best cultivars suitable for food processing and future breeding. Various attributes of fruit (including length, weight and diameter), rind (thickness and weight), calyx (length), aril (weight, percentage, length and width), seed (length and width) and juice (titratable acidity and soluble solids or TSS) were evaluated. Total and reducing sugar, pH, ascorbic acid, total phenolic contents, antioxidant activity and maturity index were also evaluated. A significant difference in all tested parameters was noted amongst the tested cultivars except calyx length, rind thickness, arils and seed dimensions. The antioxidant activity and total phenolic contents of pomegranate cultivars were ranged from 15.77 to 42% and 1158.9 to 1540.7xa0mgxa0GAExa0L−1. The cultivars Tor-390 and Sorkhak-859 were sweet in taste, while the rest of the cultivars have sweet sour taste. The study concluded that the majority of cultivars were rich source of total phenolics, ascorbic acid, total soluble solid and total sugars, which are beneficial to health. Some of the elite cultivars (NKP-561, SRK-296, SZR-385, SRK-878) showed high quality attributes and were suitable for future breeding programs.

Nitrogen nutrition in cotton and control strategies for greenhouse gas emissions: a review

Cotton (Gossypium hirustum L.) is grown globally as a major source of natural fiber. Nitrogen (N) management is cumbersome in cotton production systems; it has more impacts on yield, maturity, and lint quality of a cotton crop than other primary plant nutrient. Application and production of N fertilizers consume large amounts of energy, and excess application can cause environmental concerns, i.e., nitrate in ground water, and the production of nitrous oxide a highly potent greenhouse gas (GHG) to the atmosphere, which is a global concern. Therefore, improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of cotton plant is critical in this context. Slow-release fertilizers (e.g., polymer-coated urea) have the potential to increase cotton yield and reduce environmental pollution due to more efficient use of nutrients. Limited literature is available on the mitigation of GHG emissions for cotton production. Therefore, this review focuses on the role of N fertilization, in cotton growth and GHG emission management strategies, and will assess, justify, and organize the researchable priorities. Nitrate and ammonium nitrogen are essential nutrients for successful crop production. Ammonia (NH3) is a central intermediate in plant N metabolism. NH3 is assimilated in cotton by the mediation of glutamine synthetase, glutamine (z-) oxoglutarate amino-transferase enzyme systems in two steps: the first step requires adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to add NH3 to glutamate to form glutamine (Gln), and the second step transfers the NH3 from glutamine (Gln) to α-ketoglutarate to form two glutamates. Once NH3 has been incorporated into glutamate, it can be transferred to other carbon skeletons by various transaminases to form additional amino acids. The glutamate and glutamine formed can rapidly be used for the synthesis of low-molecular-weight organic N compounds (LMWONCs) such as amides, amino acids, ureides, amines, and peptides that are further synthesized into high-molecular-weight organic N compounds (HMWONCs) such as proteins and nucleic acids.

Effect of Mixture of Nitrogen from Poultry Manure and Urea on Mineral Profile of Tomato Grown in KPK-Pakistan

ABSTRACT Nitrogen has a role in plant mineral nutrition, and so a better way of supplying nitrogenous fertilizers is demanded to promote plant nutrition and clean environment. The present study was, therefore, designed to maintain plant mineral requirements and control environmental pollution. Tomato cultivars, that is, Falcon and Rio Grande, were supplied with a mixture of poultry manure (PM) and urea in various proportions in 2009 and 2010. All tested factors (N source, cultivar, and year) alone and in combination significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected the mineral profile of tomato fruit. Treatment 75:25 resulted in highest uptake of calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) in cultivar Rio Grande during 2010. Similarly, highest concentration of boron (B) was recorded in Rio Grande fed with 50:50 of PM and urea, respectively. It was concluded that a combination of PM and urea in ratios of 75:25 and 50:50 performed well in achieving the optimal mineral contents in the tomato fruits.

Prevalence of Diabetes Type 2 in Hepatitis C Infected Patients in Kpk, Pakistan

Hepatitis C (HCV) and diabetes mellitus are the two main health concerns that cause devastating health and financial worries worldwide. It has been observed in the past that both diseases have a high correlation that might be due to the abnormal conditions of the liver. But the mechanism of the prevalence of diabetes in patients with chronic HCV infection still remains unclear. In our study, we have investigated T2DM in the male and female patients at Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Peshawar. The blood samples of both in- and outpatients were analysed in the PCR laboratories of LRH from December 2014 to April 2015. Great prevalence of diabetes in hepatitis C infected male and female patients was observed during this study. The data were collected from the patients through a preplanned questionnaire that included name of the patient, HCV, being diabetic, age, gender, location, educational background, family history of the disease, other diseases, and any treatments if taken. The results of our study have found 26.42% prevalence of T2DM in HCV infected patients. So we conclude that HCV infection may be one of the reasons that could lead to T2DM.