Hassan Javed Chaudhary

The potential of the flora from different regions of Pakistan in phytoremediation: a review

Soil and water quality is greatly affected by environmental pollution due to the increasing trend of urbanization and industrialization. In many developing countries, including Pakistan, the situation is more alarming as no preventive measures are still taken to tackle the problem. Although in developed countries, many techniques are used to remediate the environment including phytoremediation. It is the most eco-friendly technique in which plants are used to remove pollutants from the environment. Pakistan has also a great diversity of plants which could be used for the remediation of environmental pollutants. To our knowledge, few studies from Pakistan were reported about the use of flora for phytoremediation. According to recent literature, 50 plant species from Pakistan are studied for remediation purposes. In this review, the potential of different plant species for phytoremediation from Pakistan has been discussed along with their comparison to other countries to relate future perspectives.

Bioaccumulation of nickel by E. sativa and role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) under nickel stress.

Phytoremediation potential of plants can be enhanced in association with microbes. Further, many plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria can improve growth under stress. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of Pseudomonas putida (P. putida) on nickel (Ni) uptake and on growth of Eruca sativa (E. sativa). Three different levels of Ni (low; 150 ug/g, medium; 250 ug/g and high; 500 ug/g) were applied to the soil containing E. sativa seedlings, with or without P. putida. Ni-toxicity was measured by metamorphic parameters including shoot length, root length, biomass, chlorophyll and proline and Ni contents. Inoculation with P. putida increased 34% and 41% in root and shoot length and 38% and 24% in fresh, dry weight respectively, as compared to non-inoculated plants. Similarly, Ni uptake increased by up to 46% following P. putida inoculation as compared to non-inoculated plants. Indole acetic acid, siderophore and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACCD) activity in the growing media enhanced growth and Ni uptake in E. sativa. The present results offer insight on Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR), such as P. putida, for the potential to enhance the plant growth by inhibiting the adverse effects of Ni in E. sativa.

Diazotrophs-assisted phytoremediation of heavy metals: a novel approach

Heavy metals, which have severe toxic effects on plants, animals, and human health, are serious pollutants of the modern world. Remediation of heavy metal pollution is utmost necessary. Among different approaches used for such remediation, phytoremediation is an emerging technology. Research is in progress to enhance the efficiency of this plant-based technology. In this regard, the role of rhizospheric and symbiotic microorganisms is important. It was assessed by enumeration of data from the current studies that efficiency of phytoremediation can be enhanced by assisting with diazotrophs. These bacteria are very beneficial because they bring metals to more bioavailable form by the processes of methylation, chelation, leaching, and redox reactions and the production of siderophores. Diazotrophs also posses growth-promoting traits including nitrogen fixation, phosphorous solubilization, phytohormones synthesis, siderophore production, and synthesis of ACC-deaminase which may facilitate plant growth and increase plant biomass, in turn facilitating phytoremediation technology. Thus, the aim of this review is to highlight the potential of diazotrophs in assisting phytoremediation of heavy metals in contaminated soils. The novel current assessment of literature suggests the winning combination of diazotroph with phytoremediation technology.

An ethno botanical perspective of traditional medicinal plants from the Khattak tribe of Chonthra Karak, Pakistan.

ETHNO PHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The present study was carried out with an aim to gather, evaluate and analyze the ethno botanical information of medicinal uses of the plant species possessed by the native Khattak tribe of the Chonthra, district Karak Pakistan. The region with poor documentation of traditional knowledge, preserving the local traditional knowledge, reporting new as well as rarely reported medicinal properties of medicinal plants, to be tested experimentally for validation. MATERIAL AND METHOD The medicinal uses of existing plant species were documented by oral communication with 103 people, all over above 60 years of age, born and residing in Chonthra. Information was gathered by semi-structured interviews with further analysis by indices like Relative frequency citation RFC and Medicinal use value MUV. RESULTS The study resulted with medicinal information on 66 plants species belonging to 34 families (using against 58 health related problems with 83 different preparations mainly administered orally and topical). The dominant families include Brasicaceae and Limiaceae. Withania coagulans and Pegnum harmala were the plant species quoted 100% by the informants with RFC values 1 each. The MUV were scattered between 1.24 and 0.03. The highest MUV were W. coagulans 1.24, Pegnum harmala 1.18, Fagonia cretica 1.14. This study for the first time include Nepeta lagopsis to the ethnobotanical wealth. CONCLUSIONS This study was an extension to the ethnobotanical research conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Pakistan. The target area being small and less number of plants with limited traditional knowledge can serve basis for further work focusing on rarely or non- reported plant species of pharmacological and phytochemical importance with active metabolite capable of broadening the sources of new drugs.

Biodegradation of chlorpyrifos by bacterial genus Pseudomonas

Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphorus pesticide commonly used in agriculture. It is noxious to a variety of organisms that include living soil biota along with beneficial arthropods, fish, birds, humans, animals, and plants. Exposure to chlorpyrifos may cause detrimental effects as delayed seedling emergence, fruit deformities, and abnormal cell division. Contamination of chlorpyrifos has been found about 24 km from the site of its application. There are many physico‐chemical and biological approaches to remove organophosphorus pesticides from the ecosystem, among them most promising is biodegradation. The 3,5,6‐trichloro‐2‐pyridinol (TCP) and diethylthiophosphate (DETP) as primary products are made when chlorpyrifos is degraded by soil microorganisms which further break into nontoxic metabolites as CO2, H2O, and NH3. Pseudomonas is a diversified genus possessing a series of catabolic pathways and enzymes involved in pesticide degradation. Pseudomonas putida MAS‐1 is reported to be more efficient in chlorpyrifos degradation by a rate of 90% in 24 h among Pseudomonas genus. The current review analyzed the comparative potential of bacterial species in Pseudomonas genus for degradation of chlorpyrifos thus, expressing an ecofriendly approach for the treatment of environmental contaminants like pesticides.

In vitro analysis of Cupressus sempervirens L. plant extracts antibaterial activity

The antibacterial activity of methanolic, ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts of leaf of Cupressus sempervirens L. was determined on six bacteria, namely Staphylococcus aureus , Bacillus subtilis , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Escherichia coli , Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhimurium using agar well diffusion method. Among the plant extracts, a significant antimicrobial activity was obtained by methanolic extracts followed by the ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts. The methanolic extract exhibited maximum inhibitory activity against K. pneumonia, B. subtilis and S. aureus . The ethanolic extract showed higher activity against P. aeruginosa . Greater inhibitory activity against S. typhimurium and E. coli was possessed by ethyl acetate extract of C. sempervirens . This study revealed that the C. sempervirens exhibited greater inhibitory activity against the tested bacterial strains and can be used in the cure of pathogenic diseases and improvement of crop growth. Key words: Extracts, tannins, berberine, Cupressus sempervirens L., agar. INTRODUCTION Medicinal plants provide inestimable projections for new drug discoveries because of the matchless availability of chemical range. The practice of herbal medicines in Asia signifies a long antiquity of human interactions with the environment (Sasidharan et al., 2011). Out of the total 4,22,000 flowering plants narrated from the world, more than 50,000 are consumed for medicinal drives (Waheed et al., 2011). One of the most serious threats to health is human pathogenic bacteria. In outlook of the bacterial infections and of the development of resistance towards many commercial antibiotics, plants pertinent a good source of novel antibiotic archetypes. Interest in a large number of traditional natural products has increased because of their antimicrobial properties. Modern analytical techniques have also been confirmed that these properties of plants are due to many active phytochemicals including emetine, quinine, berberine, tannins, alkaloids, flavanoids, terpenoids, carotenoids,

Cadmium spiked soil modulates root organic acids exudation and ionic contents of two differentially Cd tolerant maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars

Our earlier work described that the roots of two maize cultivars, grown hydroponically, differentially responded to cadmium (Cd) stress by initiating changes in medium pH depending on their Cd tolerance. The current study investigated the root exudation, elemental contents and antioxidant behavior of the same maize cultivars [cv. 3062 (Cd-tolerant) and cv. 31P41 (Cd-sensitive)] under Cd stress. Plants were maintained in a rhizobox-like system carrying soil spiked with Cd concentrations of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 μmol/kg soil. The root and shoot Cd contents increased, while Mg, Ca and Fe contents mainly decreased at higher Cd levels, and preferentially in the sensitive cultivar. Interestingly, the K contents increased in roots of cv. 3062 at low Cd treatments. The Cd stress caused acidosis of the maize root exudates predominantly in cv. 3062. The concentration of various organic acids was significantly increased in the root exudates of cv. 3062 with applied Cd levels. This effect was diminished in cv. 31P41 at higher Cd levels. Cd exposure increased the relative membrane permeability, anthocyanin (only in cv. 3062), proline contents and the activities of peroxidases (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The only exception was the catalase activity, which was diminished in both cultivars. Root Cd contents were positively correlated with the secretion of acetic acid, oxalic acid, glutamic acid, citric acid, and succinic acid. The antioxidants like POD and SOD exhibited a positive correlation with the organic acids under Cd stress. It is likly that a high exudation of dicarboxylic organic acids improves nutrient uptake and activities of antioxidants, which enables the tolerant cultivar to acclimatize in Cd polluted environment.

Recent progress in bioethanol production from lignocellulosic materials: A review

ABSTRACT Natural energy sources like petrol and diesel are going to be diminished in the coming future which will lead to increase in the prices and demands of fossil fuels. Therefore, it is important to find a sustainable alternate of fossil fuels. Bioethanol is one of the alternatives, which is produced from different feedstocks including sugar-based, starch-based and lignocellulose-based materials through fermentation. Since sugar-based (sugar cane and sugar beet) and starch-based (corn) materials are sources of staple food, therefore, research on lignocellulosic materials for bioethanol production is a subject of recent studies. Ethanol production from lignocellulosic materials involves different steps, such as pretreatment, hydrolysis, followed by fermentation process and finally ethanol purification. In this review, we have summarized the recent progresses in bioethanol production and processing from lignocellulosic materials.

Inheritance pattern of vital post-emergence morphometric and meristic traits of spring wheat

programme revealed that the traits like plant height, flag leaf area, number of tillers per plant, peduncle length and number of grains per spike were ruled by partial dominance with additive type of gene action. These results recommend that the selection in early segregating generations may lead to fairly good improvement in these characters. Some other traits like spike length, spike density and grain yield per plant were governed by over-dominance type of gene action which recommend delayed selection for efficient breeding of these traits. Epistasis was found absent for all the characters studied. These results lead us to the conclusion that the study of different inheritance patterns plays key role in designing comprehensive breeding programmes. Key words:

Phyto-Extraction of Nickel by Linum usitatissimum in Association with Glomus intraradices

Plants show enhanced phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils particularly in response to fungal inoculation. Present study was conducted to find out the influence of Nickel (Ni) toxicity on plant biomass, growth, chlorophyll content, proline production and metal accumulation by L. usitatissimum (flax) in the presence of Glomus intraradices. Flax seedlings of both inoculated with G. intraradices and non-inoculated were exposed to different concentrations i.e., 250, 350 and 500 ppm of Ni at different time intervals. Analysis of physiological parameters revealed that Ni depressed the growth and photosynthetic activity of plants. However, the inoculation of plants with arbuscular mycorrhizae (G. intraradices) partially helped in the alleviation of Ni toxicity as indicated by improved plant growth under Ni stress. Ni uptake of non- mycorrhizal flax plants was increased by 98% as compared to control conditions whereas inoculated plants showed 19% more uptake when compared with the non-inoculated plants. Mycorrhizal plants exhibited increasing capacity to remediate contaminated soils along with improved growth. Thus, AM assisted phytoremediation helps in the accumulation of Ni in plants to reclaim Ni toxic soils. Based on our findings, it can be concluded that the role of flax plants and mycorrhizal fungi is extremely important in phytoremediation.