Confirmation of root-knot nematode resistant gene Rmi1 using SSR markers

Background: The Root Knot Nematode (RKN) is a serious economic threat to various cultivated crops worldwide. It is a devastating pest of soybean and responsible to cause severe yield loss in Pakistan. The cultivation of resistant soybean varieties against this pest is the sustainable strategy to manage the heavy loss and increase yield. There is an utmost need to identify RKN resistant varieties of soybean against cultivated in Pakistan. The presented study is an attempt to identify and confirm the presence of resistant gene Rmi1 in soybean. Method: Molecular studies have been done using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) marker system to identify resistant soybean varieties against Root Knot Nematode (RKN) using fifteen (15) indigenous cultivars and four (4) US cultivars. DNA was isolated, purified, quantified and then used to employ various SSR markers. The amplified product is observed using gel documentation system after electrophoresis.  Results: Diagnostic SSR markers Satt-358 and Satt-492 have shown the presence of Rmi1 gene in all resistance carrying genotypes. Satt-358 amplified the fragment of 200 bp and Satt-492 generated 232 bp bands in all resistant genotypes. This study confirmed the Rmi gene locus (G248A-1) in all internationally confirmed resistant including six (6) native varieties.Conclusion: These investigations have identified six (6) resistant cultivars revealing the effective and informative sources that can be utilized in breeding programs for the selection of RKN resistance soybean genotypes in Pakistan.

Ethnoecological Studies of Herbs and Shrubs of Miani Sahib Graveyard, Lahore City, Punjab, Pakistan

This survey was carried out to prepare a plant inventory for the exploration of the ethnobotanical importance of the plants in the Miani Sahib Graveyard and to understand the effectiveness of graveyards in conserving plant diversity. Plants were collected in different seasons of the year and were dried, pressed, mounted and identified with the help of Flora of Pakistan. Our ethnobotanical study was carried out by interviewing the herbal drug dealers, timber dealers, fuel wood sellers, and the local elderly people residing in the adjacent areas of Miani Sahib and hakims through a questionnaire. Cyperaceae was noticed as the dominant plant family, showing the highest FIVI value. They are used in fever, flue, cough, asthma, digestive troubles, piles, diabetes, urinary diseases, male sexual diseases, gynecological diseases, joint pains and inflammation, ear diseases, tooth problems, cuts and wounds, dermal problems, and as cooling agents and other miscellaneous uses

Nitrogen enriched chemically produced carbon supplementary impacts on maize growth under saline soil conditions

Poor organic matter and nitrogen (N) deficiency along with salinity in arid and semiarid region soils are major hurdles to optimization of cereal's yield. In different cereals, maize productivity is significantly decreased due to less availability of N in low organic matter soils. Scientists suggest the incorporation of organic fertilizers to overcome this issue. That’s why the current study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of chemically produced nitrate blended acidified carbon (NBC). There were 3 levels of NBC i.e., 0, 0.50 and 1.00% applied under naturally normal and saline soils having EC 2.75 and 6.19 dS/m respectively. Results showed that the addition of 1.00NBC was significantly better compared to 0NBC for improvement in maize growth attributes i.e., root (32.86 and 77.84%) and shoot (74.17 and 67.57%) length, shoot fresh (53.98 and 97.42%) and dry weight (53.20and 84.20%), root dry (45.97 and 53.66%) and fresh weight (45.62 and 25.14%) in normal and saline conditions respectively. A significant enhancement in chlorophyll a, b, total and carotenoids of maize leaves also validated the imperative role of 1.00NBC than 0NBC in saline and normal soil. Application of 1.00BC also significantly decreases leaves electrolyte leakage and Na concentration in root and leaves over 0NBC in saline soils. In conclusion, 1.00NBC is an effective amendment to improve maize growth in saline soil. More investigations are suggested on different cereal crops under variable agroclimatic zones to declare 1.00NBC as the most effective amendment for alleviation of salinity stress

Genomic exploration of Sesuvium sesuvioides: comparative study and phylogenetic analysis within the order Caryophyllales from Cholistan desert, Pakistan

Abstract Background The Aizoaceae family’s Sesuvium sesuvioides (Fenzl) Verdc is a medicinal species of the Cholistan desert, Pakistan. The purpose of this study was to determine the genomic features and phylogenetic position of the Sesuvium genus in the Aizoaceae family. We used the Illumina HiSeq2500 and paired-end sequencing to publish the complete chloroplast sequence of S. sesuvioides. Results The 155,849 bp length cp genome sequence of S. sesuvioides has a 36.8% GC content. The Leucine codon has the greatest codon use (10.6%), 81 simple sequence repetitions of 19 kinds, and 79 oligonucleotide repeats. We investigated the phylogeny of the order Caryophyllales’ 27 species from 23 families and 25 distinct genera. The maximum likelihood tree indicated Sesuvium as a monophyletic genus, and sister to Tetragonia. A comparison of S. sesuvioides, with Sesuvium portulacastrum, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, Mesembryanthemum cordifolium, and Tetragonia tetragonoides was performed using the NCBI platform. In the comparative investigation of genomes, all five genera revealed comparable cp genome structure, gene number and composition. All five species lacked the rps15 gene and the rpl2 intron. In most comparisons with S. sesuvioides, transition substitutions (Ts) were more frequent than transversion substitutions (Tv), producing Ts/Tv ratios larger than one, and the Ka/Ks ratio was lower than one. We determined ten highly polymorphic regions, comprising rpl22, rpl32-trnL-UAG, trnD-GUC-trnY-GUA, trnE-UUC-trnT-GGU, trnK-UUU-rps16, trnM-CAU-atpE, trnH-GUG-psbA, psaJ-rpl33, rps4-trnT-UGU, and trnF-GAA-ndhJ. Conclusion The whole S. sesuvioides chloroplast will be examined as a resource for in-depth taxonomic research of the genus when more Sesuvium and Aizoaceae species are sequenced in the future. The chloroplast genomes of the Aizoaceae family are well preserved, with little alterations, indicating the family’s monophyletic origin. This study’s highly polymorphic regions could be utilized to build realistic and low-cost molecular markers for resolving taxonomic discrepancies, new species identification, and finding evolutionary links among Aizoaceae species. To properly comprehend the evolution of the Aizoaceae family, further species need to be sequenced

Effect of silicon nanoparticle-based biochar on wheat growth, antioxidants and nutrients concentration under salinity stress

Abstract Globally, salinity is an important abiotic stress in agriculture. It induced oxidative stress and nutritional imbalance in plants, resulting in poor crop productivity. Applying silicon (Si) can improve the uptake of macronutrients. On the other hand, using biochar as a soil amendment can also decrease salinity stress due to its high porosity, cation exchange capacity, and water-holding capacity. That’s why the current experiment was conducted with novelty to explore the impact of silicon nanoparticle-based biochar (Si-BC) on wheat cultivated on salt-affected soil. There were 3 levels of Si-BC, i.e., control (0), 1% Si-BC1, and 2.5% Si-BC2 applied in 3 replicates under 0 and 200 mM NaCl following a completely randomized design. Results showed that treatment 2.5% Si-BC2 performed significantly better for the enhancement in shoot and root length, shoot and root fresh weight, shoot and root dry weight, number of leaves, number of tillers, number of spikelets, spike length, spike fresh and dry weight compared to control under no stress and salinity stress (200 mM NaCl). A significant enhancement in chlorophyll a (~ 18%), chlorophyll b (~ 22%), total chlorophyll (~ 20%), carotenoid (~ 60%), relative water contents (~ 58%) also signified the effectiveness of treatment 2.5% Si-BC2 than control under 200 mM NaCl. In conclusion, treatment 2.5% Si-BC2 can potentially mitigate the salinity stress in wheat by regulating antioxidants and improving N, K concentration, and gas exchange attributes while decreasing Na and Cl concentration and electrolyte leakage. More investigations at the field level are recommended for the declaration of treatment 2.5% Si-BC2 as the best amendment for alleviating salinity stress in different crops under variable climatic conditions

Confirmation of root-knot nematode resistant gene Rmi1 using SSR markers

Background: The Root Knot Nematode (RKN) is a serious economic threat to various cultivated crops worldwide. It is a devastating pest of soybean and responsible to cause severe yield loss in Pakistan. The cultivation of resistant soybean varieties against this pest is the sustainable strategy to manage the heavy loss and increase yield. There is an utmost need to identify RKN resistant varieties of soybean against cultivated in Pakistan. The presented study is an attempt to identify and confirm the presence of resistant gene Rmi1 in soybean. Method: Molecular studies have been done using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) marker system to identify resistant soybean varieties against Root Knot Nematode (RKN) using fifteen (15) indigenous cultivars and four (4) US cultivars. DNA was isolated, purified, quantified and then used to employ various SSR markers. The amplified product is observed using gel documentation system after electrophoresis. Results: Diagnostic SSR markers Satt-358 and Satt-492 have shown the presence of Rmi1 gene in all resistance carrying genotypes. Satt-358 amplified the fragment of 200 bp and Satt-492 generated 232 bp bands in all resistant genotypes. This study confirmed the Rmi gene locus (G248A-1) in all internationally confirmed resistant including six (6) native varieties. Conclusion: These investigations have identified six (6) resistant cultivars revealing the effective and informative sources that can be utilized in breeding programs for the selection of RKN resistance soybean genotypes in Pakistan

Uncovering the impact of AM fungi on wheat nutrient uptake, ion homeostasis, oxidative stress, and antioxidant defense under salinity stress

Abstract The growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum) is constrained by soil salinity, although some fungal species have been shown to enhance production in saline environments. The yield of grain crops is affected by salt stress, and this study aimed to investigate how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) mitigates salt stress. An experiment was conducted to assess the impact of AMF on wheat growth and yield in conditions of 200 mM salt stress. Wheat seeds were coated with AMF at a rate of 0.1 g (108 spores) during sowing. The results of the experiment demonstrated that AMF inoculation led to a significant improvement in the growth attributes of wheat, including root and shoot length, fresh and dry weight of root and shoot. Furthermore, a significant increase in chlorophyll a, b, total, and carotenoids was observed in the S2 AMF treatment, validating the effectiveness of AMF in enhancing wheat growth under salt stress conditions. Additionally, AMF application reduced the negative effects of salinity stress by increasing the uptake of micronutrients such as Zn, Fe, Cu, and Mn while regulating the uptake of Na (decrease) and K (increase) under salinity stress. In conclusion, this study confirms that AMF is a successful strategy for reducing the negative effects of salt stress on wheat growth and yield. However, further investigations are recommended at the field level under different cereal crops to establish AMF as a more effective amendment for the alleviation of salinity stress in wheat