Integrative Plant Biotechnology
type: channel
description: Integrative Plant Biotechnology is dedicated to advancing the understanding and application of multidisciplinary approaches in plant biotechnology research. With a focus on integration across various fields including breeding, genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, physiology, and molecular biology, this journal aims to provide a platform for the dissemination of cutting-edge research that addresses key challenges in plant biology and agriculture. By promoting collaboration and the exchange of ideas among scientists and researchers worldwide, "Integrative Plant Biotechnology" seeks to accelerate the development of innovative technologies and strategies for enhancing plant productivity, resilience to abiotic stresses, enhanced crop disease management and sustainability at the interface of global environmental changes and food security concerns.
publisher: Roots Press
language: en
publication name: Integrative Plant Biotechnology
issn: 3007-2727
items: Eco-Friendly Management of Fusarium Wilt of Pea (Pisum sativum L.) using Biocontrol Agents
items: Unraveling Genotypic Stability of Stem Sweetness in Sweet Sorghum across Growth Stages and Environments
items: Synergetic Effect of Seed-Primed Biocontrol Agents and Biochar Soil Amendment on Wheat Productivity and Leaf Rust Suppression
items: Genotypic Performance and Assessment of Selection Criteria for Yield and Oil Content in Advanced Lines of Brassica juncea
items: Line × Tester–Driven Assessment of Genetic Variability, Parental Contribution, and Hybrid Response for Yield Improvement in Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.)
items: Integrated Biological Control of Alternaria Leaf Spot in Spinach through Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus subtilis Mediated Disease Suppression and Growth Promotion
items: Genome‑wide Characterization of AP2/ERF Transcription Factors in Spinach Reveals Candidate Regulators for Nitrogen‑use Efficiency
items: Next-Generation Strategies for Developing and Commercializing Rust-Resistant Wheat through High-Throughput Phenotyping and Genomic Innovations
items: Role of AI and Big Data for Managing Plant Stress in Smart Agriculture
items: Improving Grain Iron Bioavailability in Bread Wheat Through Integrated Nitrogen and Iron Fertilization
items: Computational Insights into Lateral Organ Boundary Domain (LBD) Transcription Factors in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Reveal Their Roles in Defense Under Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses
items: Genome-wide Identification and Expression Analysis of ERF (Ethylene Response Factor) Gene Family in Beta vulgaris under Salt Stress
items: Marjan F1: A Semi-Determinate Tomato Hybrid Exhibiting High Yield Potential and Improved Resistance to Diseases
items: Exploring Genetic Diversity for Yield Improvement in Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Genotypes using Multivariate Analysis
items: Optimizing Garlic Growth: Influence of Vernalization and Photoperiod on Sprouting and Biomass Accumulation
items: Intelligent Reprogramming of Crops for Resistance Against Emerging Plant Pathogens: From Conventional Breeding to Genome Editing
items: Effect of Macronutrient Levels on Growth and Development of Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)
items: Effect of Organic Potash on Morpho-Physiological Traits, Yield, and Quality of Onion (Allium cepa L.) Cultivars under Field Conditions
items: Identification and Expression Profiling of the Dof Gene Family in Panicum virgatum Revealing Their Role in Abiotic Stress Tolerance
items: From Roots to Grains: Translocation of Heavy Metals and Associated Health Risks in Maize Grown in Dir-Kohistan, Pakistan
items: Genetics of Seed Yield Attributes and Oil Contents in Brassica rapa L.
items: Effects of Basil Leaf Extract Priming on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)
items: Integrated Application of Biocompost Pressmud and Chemical Fertilizers to Enhance Biomass Production and Nutrient Accumulation of Maize
items: Seed Application of Gamma Radiation in Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba): Boosting Yield and Agronomic Traits through Induced Mutagenesis
items: Synergistic Enhancement of Heavy Metal Phytoextraction in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) Using Biochar and Chelating Agents
items: AARI-Berseem 2024: A Climate-Smart and High-Nutrition Fodder Variety for Sustainable Livestock Production
items: Harnessing Multi-Scale Phenotyping for Lodging Resistant Wheat: Integrating Traditional and High-Throughput Phenotyping Approaches
items: Determination of Acid Value and Saponification Number From In Vitro Callus Cultures of Olive (Olea europaea) cv. Koroneiki
items: Multivariate Analysis Reveals Genetic Diversity and Superior Oil Quality Traits in Advanced Mustard (Brassica juncea) Genotypes for Future Breeding
items: Comparative In Silico Analysis of Respiratory Burst Oxidase Homologs (Rboh) Gene Family in Economically Significant Dicot Crop Plants

Eco-Friendly Management of Fusarium Wilt of Pea (Pisum sativum L.) using Biocontrol Agents
type: item
description: Pea (Pisum sativum L.), a vital leguminous crop, is severely affected by Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. pisi. In the current study, we tested the effectiveness of biocontrol agents under in vitro and pot conditions. The pathogen was isolated from infected plants collected from Faisalabad. The pathogen was identified based on morphological features. Four biocontrol agents were tested using a dual culture technique under in vitro conditions: Bacillus subtilis, Janthinobacterium lividum, Beauveria bassiana, and Verticillium lecanii. The biocontrol agents were further tested using a seed priming technique on three varieties of peas: Sarsabz, Mateor, and Pea-2009. Results showed that J. lividum exhibited maximum inhibitory activity (31.97%) at 12 days of incubation, however, B. subtilis consistently showed antagonistic activity (24.80%). In pot experiments, B. subtilis significantly reduced disease incidence and severity in all varieties as compared to controls. In addition, B. subtilis significantly improved growth parameters in comparison to controls under pot conditions. Among the varieties, Sarsabz showed better results. It can be concluded that B. subtilis showed promising potential for the management of Fusarium wilt of pea under controlled conditions, however, further validation under field conditions and molecular-level investigations are required.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Bacillus subtilis
  topic: keywords
subject: Biological disease management
  topic: keywords
subject: Dual culture assay
  topic: keywords
subject: Fusarium oxysporum
  topic: keywords
subject: Janthinobacterium lividum
  topic: keywords
subject: Pea wilt
  topic: keywords
creator: Abdul Rahman
creator: Muhammad Usman
creator: Numaad Ihsan
creator: Muhammad Talha Ashraf
creator: Ayesha Khalid
creator: Muhammad Ehetisham-Ul-Haq
creator: Huma Abbas
creator: Amjad Abbas
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Abdul Rahman, Muhammad Usman, Numaad Ihsan, Muhammad Talha Ashraf, Ayesha Khalid, Muhammad Ehetisham-Ul-Haq, Huma Abbas, Amjad Abbas (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-03-31
publication date: 2026-03-31
starting page: 59
ending page: 71
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.004.01.1872

Unraveling Genotypic Stability of Stem Sweetness in Sweet Sorghum across Growth Stages and Environments
type: item
description: Stem sweetness, that is measured as Brix % is an important trait in sweet sorghum which has direct implication for fodder quality, bioethanol production, and farmer preference. The present study evaluated a diverse panel of 103 sorghum genotypes for stem sweetness in terms of brix% over two consecutive years (2024-2025) at two stages: anthesis and physiological maturity. To address the complexities of environmental variability linear mixed-effects model was used to check the significance of genotype, growth stage, and year along with their interaction effects. The LMM based analysis of variance revealed highly significant effects for genotype, growth stage, and year effect along with their interaction effects. As genotypic effects along with their interactions were significant hence BLUP and WAASB were used to know which genotype is best and more stable. GP-15 and F-902 successfully identified as highly sweet genotypes along with maintaining high brix% regardless of environmental pressure. Furthermore, principal component analysis was exploited that demonstrated a positive correlation of brix% with plant height and internode length, suggesting that sugar storage capacity is linked to vigorous vegetative development. Notably, brix was found to be independent of stem diameter. While checking growth effect brix median progressively increased from ~ 10% to ~ 17% from anthesis to maturity respectively. Further, a potential influence of soil properties on stem Brix expression was also observed. As higher soil nutrients’, OM, P, K availability coincides with increase brix (17%) as compared to low soil nutrients where brix remained 15%. Collectively, these results provide a robust, statistically validated framework for the selection of stable, high-sugar sweet sorghum genotypes optimized for high-quality fodder production in variable rainfed agro-ecologies.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Sweet sorghum
  topic: keywords
subject: Stem Brix
  topic: keywords
subject: Genotype stability
  topic: keywords
subject: Linear mixed-effects model
  topic: keywords
subject: BLUP–WAASB analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Multi-environment evaluation
  topic: keywords
creator: Muhammad Imran Khan
creator: Saba Aleem
creator: Muhammad Zeeshan
creator: Waheed Arshad
creator: Muhammad Saqib
creator: Ayesha Malik
creator: Ghulam Ahmad
creator: Suleman Raza
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Imran Khan, Saba Aleem, Muhammad Zeeshan, Waheed Arshad, Muhammad Saqib, Ayesha Malik, Ghulam Ahmad, Suleman Raza (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-03-26
publication date: 2026-03-26
starting page: 49
ending page: 58
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.004.01.1839

Synergetic Effect of Seed-Primed Biocontrol Agents and Biochar Soil Amendment on Wheat Productivity and Leaf Rust Suppression
type: item
description: Wheat (Triticum aestivum), a staple crop for over 2.5 billion people, suffers yield losses from leaf rust (Puccinia triticina). Effective management of this disease is essential. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of biocontrol agents (Trichoderma sp. and Bacillus sp.), with or without biochar (1.5 g plant⁻¹), on four wheat genotypes under field conditions using a triplicate randomized complete block design (RCBD). Results showed that biocontrol treatments, particularly Trichoderma sp., significantly improved growth and yield traits, with increases of up to approximately 79% in yield per plant and 56% in grain weight per spike, while reducing brown rust severity by approximately 60% compared to the control. The magnitude of response varied among genotypes, with Anaj-2017 showing comparatively greater improvement across several traits. However, the effects of biochar were not consistently superior across all treatments, indicating a context-dependent response. These observations highlight the potential of eco-friendly strategies, particularly Trichoderma sp., along with biochar, for enhancing wheat productivity and resilience.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Bacillus
  topic: keywords
subject: Biochar
  topic: keywords
subject: Brown rust
  topic: keywords
subject: Puccinia triticina
  topic: keywords
subject: Trichoderma
  topic: keywords
subject: Wheat
  topic: keywords
creator: Rabia Irshad
creator: Ameer Hamza Aslam
creator: Malaika Tariq
creator: Ikhlas Shafique
creator: Muhammad Usman
creator: Muhammad Naveed
creator: Amjad Abbas
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Rabia Irshad, Ameer Hamza Aslam, Malaika Tariq, Ikhlas Shafique, Muhammad Usman, Muhammad Naveed, Amjad Abbas (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-03-31
publication date: 2026-03-31
starting page: 73
ending page: 83
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.004.01.1779

Genotypic Performance and Assessment of Selection Criteria for Yield and Oil Content in Advanced Lines of Brassica juncea
type: item
description: The current study was undertaken to assess genotypic performance and to develop a reliable criterion for the selection of improved seed yield and oil quality in advanced lines of mustard (Brassica juncea L.). Fourteen advanced breeding lines and a commercial check were evaluated in a field experiment using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Various phenological parameters, yield components, and oil quality parameters such as oil content, oleic acid and saturated fatty acids were measured and analyzed using analysis of variance, correlation, path analysis, principal component (PCA), cluster and path coefficient analysis to understand the relationships among the characters and genetic divergence. Among all genotypes, L13 (BR-13) performed better than all others, followed by L9 (BR-9) and L8 (BR-8), while L2 (BR-2) and L5 (BR5) were the poorest-performing genotypes. Thus, the current study revealed that the genotype L13 (BR-13) is the most promising line with early flowering, high seed yield, high oil content, high oleic acid and low saturated fatty acids. Seed yield was found to be significantly and positively associated with number of branches per plant, thousand seed weight, oil content and oleic acid, while saturated fatty acids were found to be negatively associated with yield and oil quality characters. PCA analysis indicated that the first two components accounted for the largest proportion of total variation, separating the genotypes into distinct groups based on yield-oil quality complexes and phenological characteristics. Cluster analysis grouped the genotypes into distinct classes based on early-flowering, high-yielding oil-rich lines and late-flowering, vegetatively vigorous but oil-inefficient types. Path analysis further confirmed the role of thousand seed weight and number of branches per plant as important indirect contributors to oil content through seed yield. The results provide clear selection criteria and demonstrate the va…
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Advance breeding lines
  topic: keywords
subject: Cluster analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Multivariate analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Mustard
  topic: keywords
subject: Oil contents
  topic: keywords
subject: Principal component analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Seed yield
  topic: keywords
subject: Selection criteria
  topic: keywords
creator: Sabir Hussain
creator: Sundas Shahzad
creator: Misbah Zulfqar
creator: Muhammad Shah Jahan Bukhari
creator: Natasha Kanwal
creator: Asad-ur-Rahman Chaudhary
creator: Muhammad Imran Akram
creator: Muhammad Imran
creator: Mahreen Khalid
creator: Hafiz Muhammad Zia Ullah Ghazali
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sabir Hussain, Sundas Shahzad, Misbah Zulfqar, Muhammad Shah Jahan Bukhari, Natasha Kanwal, Asad-ur-Rahman Chaudhary, Muhammad Imran Akram, Muhammad Imran, Mahreen Khalid, Hafiz Muhammad Zia Ullah Ghazali (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-03-11
publication date: 2026-03-11
starting page: 37
ending page: 48
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.004.01.1832

Line × Tester–Driven Assessment of Genetic Variability, Parental Contribution, and Hybrid Response for Yield Improvement in Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.)
type: item
description: Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is an economically important cucurbit in Pakistan, yet its productivity remains low due to limited availability of genetically improved hybrids. This study assessed genetic variability, combining ability, and heterosis in sixteen F₁ hybrids developed through line × tester mating design by crossing four female inbred lines (CKD-44, CKD-45, CKD-46, CKD-47) with four designated male testers (CKD-71, CKD-72, CKD-73, CKD-74). Significant differences among parents, hybrids, and line × tester interactions for all morphological and yield-related traits confirm substantial genetic variability. Highly heritable traits coupled with moderate to high genetic advance such as days to male and female flowering, number of primary branches, seeds per fruit, 100-seed weight, and yield per plant indicated the involvement of both additive and non-additive gene actions. Lines CKD-47, CKD-44, and CKD-46 exhibited superior general combining ability (GCA), while testers CKD-71, CKD-74, and CKD-73 also demonstrated favorable GCA for earliness and yield traits. The hybrids CKD-4572, CKD-4574, and CKD-4771 showed the highest specific combining ability (SCA), particularly for days to female flowering, primary branches, and days to maturity. Strong positive SCA effects in hybrids CKD-4474, CKD-4573, CKD-4671, and CKD-4774 translated into significant yield enhancement. Remarkable heterosis was observed in CKD-4473, CKD-4573, and CKD-4772, with yield heterosis peaking in CKD-4772 (90.91%) and CKD-4773 (93.94%), highlighting their commercial potential. Overall, both additive and non-additive genetic effects govern key traits. The parents CKD-44, CKD-46, CKD-47, CKD-71, CKD-73, and CKD-74, along with promising hybrids CKD-4474, CKD-4573, CKD-4671, and CKD-4774, are recommended for future bitter gourd breeding programs and multi-location evaluation.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Bitter gourd
  topic: keywords
subject: Line × tester analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Genetic variability
  topic: keywords
subject: Combining ability (GCA and SCA)
  topic: keywords
subject: Heterosis
  topic: keywords
subject: Hybrid breeding
  topic: keywords
subject: Yield improvement
  topic: keywords
creator: Ghulam Murtaza
creator: Muhammad Qasim
creator: Muhammad Talal Ahmad
creator: Waqar Ahmad
creator: Sidra Iqbal
creator: Muhammad Rizwan Shafiq
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Ghulam Murtaza, Muhammad Qasim, Muhammad Talal Ahmad, Waqar Ahmad, Sidra Iqbal, Muhammad Rizwan Shafiq (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-02-22
publication date: 2026-02-22
starting page: 29
ending page: 36
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.004.01.1781

Integrated Biological Control of Alternaria Leaf Spot in Spinach through Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus subtilis Mediated Disease Suppression and Growth Promotion
type: item
description: Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) is a cool-season annual plant native to countries in the southwestern and central regions of Asia. Alternaria alternata, the causal agent of Alternaria leaf spot, is a major constraint to spinach production worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the relative efficacy of biological control agents (BCAs) under lab and field conditions. In vitro testing showed that Bacillus subtilis provided the greatest early inhibition (50.0% inhibition at 8 days). Trichoderma harzianum showed the most consistent antagonistic activity (29.67% inhibition at 12 days) when compared to the other BCAs. Based on consistent in vitro antagonistic performance, T. harzianum and B. subtilis were selected for evaluation under field conditions using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The field trial showed that the treatment involving BCAs (T. harzianum + B. subtilis) resulted in significantly lower severity scores of 12.0%, representing a 65.7% reduction compared to the untreated control (35.2%). The T. harzianum + B. subtilis treatment also provided the greatest vigour in plant growth with higher fresh weight (27.30 g) and total dry weight (2.25 g). These improvements are likely associated with the known mycoparasitic activity of T. harzianum and the induction of plant defence responses by B. subtilis. The data support the idea that a combination of BCAs could be a viable, eco-friendly option for integrated management of Alternaria leaf spot in spinach production.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Alternaria alternata
  topic: keywords
subject: Bacillus subtilis
  topic: keywords
subject: Biological control
  topic: keywords
subject: Disease management
  topic: keywords
subject: Spinach
  topic: keywords
subject: , Trichoderma harzianum
  topic: keywords
subject: Sustainable agriculture
  topic: keywords
creator: Numaad Ihsan
creator: Muhammad Usman
creator: Muhammad Ehetisham-Ul-Haq
creator: Huma Abbas
creator: Amjad Abbas
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Numaad Ihsan, Muhammad Usman, Muhammad Ehetisham-Ul-Haq, Huma Abbas, Amjad Abbas (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-12-31
publication date: 2025-12-31
starting page: 395
ending page: 401
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.04.1763

Genome‑wide Characterization of AP2/ERF Transcription Factors in Spinach Reveals Candidate Regulators for Nitrogen‑use Efficiency
type: item
description: Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) is a nutrient-dense leafy vegetable characterized by its rapid growth rate, high antioxidant content, and adaptability to various environmental conditions. The elucidation of the genetic regulatory networks of spinach, particularly the transcription factor families are important for stress responses and are essential for improving adaptability and sustainability. A genome-wide analysis identified 42 member families of the Ethylene Response Factor family gene product. Within each clade, they were classified into three major subclades (AP2, ERF and RAV) consistent with the composition of structural domains. Gene mapping showed an uneven number of SpoERF genes on six chromosomes, many of which were clustered together for an unclear purpose and suggests that tandem duplication is an important mechanism responsible for gene expansion. Gene structure and motif analysis revealed highly conserved AP2 domains but varied intron–exon patterns, which suggest functional diversification. Synteny analysis identified phylogeographically strongly related genes between spinach and Arabidopsis thaliana, probably due to ancient duplication events and the conserved functional elements of the essential ERF regulators. Promoter analysis showed extensive enrichment for many cis-acting elements (Abre, DRE, LTR, W-box, G-box) and revealed involvement of SpoERFs in hormone, developmental, and environmental stress responses among SpoERF family. The findings of this study systematically identify and characterize the AP2/ERF gene family in spinach, revealing their chromosomal organization, evolutionary relationships, conserved structural features, and nitrogen-responsive expression patterns, thereby providing candidate regulatory genes for future functional studies and molecular improvement of nitrogen-use efficiency in spinach.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Abiotic stress
  topic: keywords
subject: AP2/ERF gene family
  topic: keywords
subject: Expression analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Genome-wide analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Nitrogen-use efficiency
  topic: keywords
subject: Phytogenic relationship
  topic: keywords
subject: Spinacia oleracea L.
  topic: keywords
creator: Abdullah Shakeel
creator: Rabia Irshad
creator: Muhammad Abdullah Hussain
creator: Zahid Khan
creator: Fatima Tu Zahra
creator: Aqib Ali
creator: Syed Din Muhammad
creator: Muhammad Huzaifa Jamil
creator: Ameer Hamza Aslam
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Abdullah Shakeel, Rabia Irshad, Muhammad Abdullah Hussain, Zahid Khan, Fatima Tu Zahra, Aqib Ali, Syed Din Muhammad, Muhammad Huzaifa Jamil, Ameer Hamza Aslam (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-02-07
publication date: 2026-02-07
starting page: 13
ending page: 28
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.004.01.1747

Next-Generation Strategies for Developing and Commercializing Rust-Resistant Wheat through High-Throughput Phenotyping and Genomic Innovations
type: item
description: Wheat rusts are the most important diseases leading to substantial yield losses. Early and precise detection of wheat rusts for early mitigation and disease control is imperative. This review summarizes the advances in high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) approaches for rust detection. Additionally, various genomic interventions leading to the development of rust resistance in wheat are discussed in detail. High-throughput phenotyping (HTP) approaches enable early, non-destructive, and repeatable detection of wheat diseases. However, they need initial investment, expertise, and computational resources. RGB imaging achieves ~80% accuracy by capturing infected leaf coloration, while hyperspectral and fluorescence imaging can predict rust with over 90% accuracy, 3–8 days before visible symptoms. LiDAR, UAVs, and robotic platforms automate large-scale field phenotyping, and spectral indices (NDVI, PRI), thermal, and chlorophyll sensors detect early physiological changes. AI and machine learning models, including CNNs and SVMs, enhance diagnostic precision and reduce bias, while mobile apps, lateral flow devices, and IoT-based systems facilitate affordable, real-time rust detection and forecasting. Genomic interventions complement phenotyping, with marker-assisted selection (MAS) enabling precise tracing of rust resistance genes, and genomic selection (GS) allowing early multi-trait prediction. QTL mapping and GWAS identify major and minor resistance loci, while introgression from wild relatives and MAS reduce linkage drag and introduce novel alleles. Transgenic approaches, RNA interference (RNAi), and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing enhance resistance through targeted gene modification, and gene pyramiding combines multiple loci for durable protection. Wheat pan-genome resources further support precise trait targeting, and speed breeding integrated with MAS, GS, or gene editing accelerates rust-resistant line development. Efficient seed system pathways ensure rapid dissemination,…
subject: Review Articles
  topic: section
subject: Artificial intelligence
  topic: keywords
subject: Computer Vision
  topic: keywords
subject: Multi-omics
  topic: keywords
subject: Machine Learning
  topic: keywords
subject: Plant stress
  topic: keywords
subject: Precision agriculture
  topic: keywords
subject: Rust resistance
  topic: keywords
subject: Smart agriculture
  topic: keywords
creator: Muhammad Zulkiffal
creator: Aneela Ahsan
creator: Javed Ahmed
creator: Saira Mehboob
creator: Sadia Ajmal
creator: Faisal Hafeez
creator: Muhammad Ilyas Khokhar
creator: Muhammad Umer Farooq
creator: Majid Nadeem
creator: Muhammad Abdullah
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Zulkiffal, Aneela Ahsan, Javed Ahmed, Saira Mehboob, Sadia Ajmal, Faisal Hafeez, Muhammad Ilyas Khokhar, Muhammad Umer Farooq, Majid Nadeem, Muhammad Abdullah (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-12-28
publication date: 2025-12-28
starting page: 371
ending page: 384
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.04.1709

Role of AI and Big Data for Managing Plant Stress in Smart Agriculture
type: item
description: Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data have greatly transformed plant stress management practices in smart agriculture. Conventional stress management approaches have many limitations regarding precision, efficiency, and scalability, which are being resolved using modern digital technologies. Machine learning (ML) and deep learning are advanced AI techniques that can easily analyze diverse data from images, sensors, and multi-omics. These assist in early stress identification, classification, and prediction of future risks associated with stress. ML models (both supervised and unsupervised) have the ability to accurately classify the stress types. Computer vision technology is widely used in agriculture and helps in conducting timely decisions by detecting morphological and spectral alterations in plants. Big data facilitates unraveling complex mechanisms underlying plant stress through integrative multi-omics. Various AI-driven predictive models have also been applied in forecasting insect pests and disease outbreaks. Furthermore, AI and big data are revolutionizing agriculture through precision fertilization and irrigation, robotic spraying technology and AI-integrated farm management information systems. Thus, AI and big data have significantly advanced conventional methods in plant stress management.
subject: Review Articles
  topic: section
subject: Artificial intelligence
  topic: keywords
subject: Computer Vision
  topic: keywords
subject: Multi-omics
  topic: keywords
subject: Machine Learning
  topic: keywords
subject: Plant stress
  topic: keywords
subject: Precision agriculture
  topic: keywords
subject: Smart agriculture
  topic: keywords
creator: Warda Ghaffar
creator: Qalb e Abbas Qaseem
creator: Ghulam Mustafa
creator: Muhammad Sarwar Khan
creator: Rimsha Riaz
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Warda Ghaffar, Qalb e Abbas Qaseem, Ghulam Mustafa, Muhammad Sarwar Khan, Rimsha Riaz (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-12-21
publication date: 2025-12-21
starting page: 351
ending page: 360
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.04.1702

Improving Grain Iron Bioavailability in Bread Wheat Through Integrated Nitrogen and Iron Fertilization
type: item
description: Low nutritional quality of staple foods, including wheat, is the main culprit of iron deficiency in more than half of the world's population. Modern breeding techniques have improved the yield potential of staple food crops, especially wheat, but the nutritional enhancement was overlooked and resulted in cultivars deficient in iron and higher in phytates. The remedy for this problem is iron bio-fortification of high-yielding cultivars. To achieve this target, forty-four genotypes, including varieties and hybrids, were grown in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) at the field area of University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. A combination of nitrogen (50, 100, and 150 kg ha-1) and iron (2% and 4%) fertilizers was tested to identify the best fertilizer combination for improving grain iron contents. Nitrogen was applied in two splits, while iron was foliar applied at milking stage. Higher nitrogen and iron doses increased grain iron contents considerably up to 89.1 µg g-1. But the bioavailability of grain iron was highest (PA/Fe=0.11) in higher nitrogen and low iron levels due to the lowest phytate contents (0.16 mg g-1) in this combination. While moderate nitrogen and low iron increased grain yield (29.9g plant-1) more than any other combination of these two fertilizers. The highest nitrogen dose coupled with low iron concentration proved best for improving grain iron contents and their availability (0.11) without harming grain yield (19 g plant-1). Some genotypes, including C6 and C14, performed better than all other accessions and can be further evaluated for any genetic potential to improve grain iron and its bioavailability. The study concluded that grain iron and its availability for human digestion can be improved not only by conventional breeding efforts and biotechnology but also ergonomically by manipulating the fertilizer doses.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Bioavailable iron
  topic: keywords
subject: Biofortification
  topic: keywords
subject: Bread wheat
  topic: keywords
subject: Grain iron
  topic: keywords
subject: Iron biofortification
  topic: keywords
subject: Nitrogen application
  topic: keywords
subject: Phytate
  topic: keywords
creator: Abia Younas
creator: Muhammad Farooq
creator: Sundas Waqar
creator: Iqra Ghafoor
creator: Mehwish Makhdoom
creator: Asma Parveen
creator: Muhammad Kashif
creator: Muhammad Uzair
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Abia Younas, Muhammad Farooq, Sundas Waqar, Iqra Ghafoor, Mehwish Makhdoom, Asma Parveen, Muhammad Kashif, Muhammad Uzair (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-12-16
publication date: 2025-12-16
starting page: 343
ending page: 350
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.04.1680

Computational Insights into Lateral Organ Boundary Domain (LBD) Transcription Factors in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Reveal Their Roles in Defense Under Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses
type: item
description: Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important legume crop, cultivated worldwide due to its high nutritional importance and domestic demand. Due to low genetic diversity, its productivity is limited by both biotic and abiotic stresses. Despite its importance, the study of transcription factors underlying different stresses remains unstudied. In this study, whole-genome analysis of LBD transcription factor in C. arietinum revealed 48 putative CaLBDs genes, distributed across all 8 chromosomes. Comparative phylogeny with Oryza sativa and Arabidopsis thaliana classified LBD transcription factors into 5 groups (I-a, I-b, I-c, I-d, and II-a), based on sequence homology and conserved domains. Variation in intron/exon count across CaLBD genes indicated structural diversity, while conserved motifs suggested functional roles in biotic and abiotic stress responses due to their characteristic LBD domain. Synteny analysis uncovered the evolutionary relationships of C. arietinum with A. thaliana and Medicago truncatula. Gene duplication analysis demonstrated both tandem and segmental duplications expressing their roles in LBD gene family expansion. Transcriptomic profiling of CaLBD genes under Phytophthora root rot treatment revealed strong upregulation of CaLBD38 and CaLBD46. Under Fusarium wilt stress, CaLBD46 was highly expressed, followed by CaLBD14 and CaLBD38. Under the salt and drought stress conditions, CaLBD38 and CaLBD46 expressed the strongest upregulation. This genome-wide study provides a foundation and valuable resources for future genetic studies and serves as a base for development of stress-resilient cultivars with enhanced resistance through advanced molecular breeding programs.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Abiotic stresses
  topic: keywords
subject: Biotic stresses
  topic: keywords
subject: Cicer arietinum L.
  topic: keywords
subject: Computational insights
  topic: keywords
subject: Expression Analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: LBD Family
  topic: keywords
subject: Phylogenetic Analysis
  topic: keywords
creator: Mubashir Sharif
creator: Maria Riaz
creator: Shafqat Ali
creator: Aqsa Junaid
creator: Abdullah Bin Talat
creator: Qasim Abbas
creator: Zaheer Ahmad
creator: Muhammad Annas Shahid
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Mubashir Sharif, Maria Riaz, Shafqat Ali, Aqsa Junaid, Abdullah Bin Talat, Qasim Abbas, Zaheer Ahmad, Muhammad Annas Shahid (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-12-07
publication date: 2025-12-07
starting page: 327
ending page: 342
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.04.1651

Genome-wide Identification and Expression Analysis of ERF (Ethylene Response Factor) Gene Family in Beta vulgaris under Salt Stress
type: item
description: The ERF (ethylene response factor) gene family constitutes one of the most significant families of transcription factors present in plants. These factors play a pivotal role in regulating various biological and physiological responses, including development, plant growth, and biotic and abiotic stresses. In order to explore the characteristics of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.), a series of analyses were employed. These included genome-wide identification, gene structure, phylogenetic, and promoter analysis of the ERFs. The objective of these analyses was to predict the potential functions of the ERFs. Among the 73 genes examined, 67 were identified as non-redundant, and the chromosomal distribution pattern revealed that all genes were mapped across nine different chromosomes. A subsequent analysis of conserved motifs identified ten distinct motifs, with BvERF07 and BvERF51 demonstrating the least motif complexity. A subsequent analysis, employing a phylogenetic approach and comparing the genes with those of A. thaliana, resulted in the delineation of nine distinct clades. This finding indicates not only functional conservation but also divergence over time. A thorough examination of the promoter sequence revealed the presence of a multitude of cis-regulatory elements, which have been associated with stress and hormonal responses. Synteny and gene duplication analyses further supported the evolutionary conservation of the ERF gene family. Transcriptomic profiling under salt stress revealed several differentially expressed genes, notably BvERF02, BvERF50, and BvERF34, indicating their potential involvement in salinity tolerance. This study presents foundational visions into the structure, evolution, and stress-responsive roles of BvERFs, offering candidate genes for genetic improvement of salt tolerance in sugar beet.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Beta vulgaris
  topic: keywords
subject: ERF gene family
  topic: keywords
subject: Expression analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Phylogenetic
  topic: keywords
subject: Salt stress
  topic: keywords
creator: Muhammad Anas
creator: Muhammad Luqman Aleem
creator: Ayesha Khalid
creator: Muhammad Qasif Naeem
creator: Muhammad Awais
creator: Muhammad Imtiaz
creator: Muhammad Zahid Ramzan
creator: Mahad-ur-Rehman
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Anas, Muhammad Luqman Aleem, Ayesha Khalid, Muhammad Qasif Naeem, Muhammad Awais, Muhammad Imtiaz, Muhammad Zahid Ramzan, Mahad-ur-Rehman (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-11-13
publication date: 2025-11-13
starting page: 301
ending page: 316
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.04.1458

Marjan F1: A Semi-Determinate Tomato Hybrid Exhibiting High Yield Potential and Improved Resistance to Diseases
type: item
description: The development of locally adapted, disease-tolerant and high-yielding semi-determinate tomato hybrids is an emerging focus in agricultural research of Pakistan. These hybrids are designed to address challenges such as disease resistance, particularly against fungal and viral infections, while ensuring high productivity coupled with suitable fruit traits and adaptability to environmental conditions. In Punjab, determinate, indeterminate and semi-determinate tomatoes are cultivated, however, their production is heavily reliant on plant protection measures, making cultivation both costly and largely confined to farmers’ fields. Marjan F1, a semi-determinate tomato hybrid was developed with a fair degree of tolerance against fungal diseases, making it well-suited for open-field cultivation. Its resistance enables cultivation with reduced dependence on plant protection inputs. Additionally, Marjan F1 is highly suitable for kitchen gardening, as it can be cultivated with minimal plant protection measures, thereby allowing home gardeners to grow it organically. In yield trials, Marjan F1 demonstrated a 3.98% yield advantage over three exotic check hybrids (TO-1057 F1, T-1359 F1 and TO-6242 F1). It showed resistance to late blight, gray mold and Fusarium wilt, while maintaining moderate resistance to early blight. Overall, Marjan F1 exhibited superior disease resistance compared to two exotic checks (TO-1057 F1 and TO-6242 F1), coupled with better yield performance.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Fruit yield
  topic: keywords
subject: Hybrid
  topic: keywords
subject: Marjan F1
  topic: keywords
subject: Disease Resistant
  topic: keywords
subject: Semi-determinate
  topic: keywords
subject: Tomato
  topic: keywords
creator: Kashif Nadeem
creator: Sadia Sardar
creator: Mudassar Iqbal
creator: Ghazanfar Hammad
creator: Atif Ali
creator: Ayesha Sardar
creator: Maria Anjum
creator: Muhammad Iqbal
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Kashif Nadeem, Sadia Sardar, Mudassar Iqbal, Ghazanfar Hammad, Atif Ali, Ayesha Sardar, Maria Anjum, Muhammad Iqbal (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-11-05
publication date: 2025-11-05
starting page: 291
ending page: 300
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.04.1563

Exploring Genetic Diversity for Yield Improvement in Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Genotypes using Multivariate Analysis
type: item
description: Genetic variability can play an essential role in the pea breeding strategies to develop new varieties of peas with enhanced yield. This study evaluates 12 traits in 25 diverse genotypes of peas which include NARC and UAF genotypes. All the studied characters showed high to moderate values for both genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variance along with significant heritability and genetic advance except for number of secondary branches and plant height at first flower. For all the characters studied, values for PCV were generally greater than the GCV values. While principal component analysis studies clarified that a total of 81.41% of variation was exhibited by first four components among the genotypes having the eigenvalues higher than 1. Further, K-means cluster analysis, based on cluster biplot between PC1 and PC2, classifies the 25 cultivars into three separate clusters. Overall genotypes present in Cluster I acquired higher mean values compared to Clusters II and III. Cluster I was grouped by seven accessions and other two clusters were grouped with 9 genotypes each. Highest mean values were exhibited by yield per plant (47.74), number of pods (155.94), plant height at maturity (246.43), number of nodes (83.33) and number of effective pods (135.36) for genotypes in Cluster I. For genotypes in Cluster II, plant height at first flower (54.53), number of primary branches (11.17), and 100 seed weight (19.35) revealed maximum means. While high mean values were shown by number of secondary branches (21.23), pod length (6.88) and seed per pods (5.93) in Cluster III. Genotypes from the cluster I performed better which may contribute to the future breeding programs.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Cluster analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Genetic diversity
  topic: keywords
subject: Multivariate analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Pisum sativum
  topic: keywords
subject: Principal component analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Yield
  topic: keywords
creator: Muhammad Shoaib
creator: Amir Shakeel
creator: Mudassar Iqbal
creator: Muhammad Rizwan Shafiq
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Shoaib, Amir Shakeel, Mudassar Iqbal, Muhammad Rizwan Shafiq (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-12-31
publication date: 2025-12-31
starting page: 385
ending page: 394
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.04.1585

Optimizing Garlic Growth: Influence of Vernalization and Photoperiod on Sprouting and Biomass Accumulation
type: item
description: Garlic (Allium sativum) production is often constrained by poor sprouting and weak vegetative growth, which are strongly influenced by environmental cues such as temperature and day length. The present experiment was conducted during autumn 2022-23 at the Nursery, Department of Horticulture, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, to evaluate the effect of vernalization and photoperiod on the sprouting and early growth of garlic variety Desi at the green stage. The experiment followed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with a factorial arrangement comprising vernalization treatments (V1 = 5 °C + 24 h, V2 = 5 °C + 48 h, V3 = 7 °C + 24 h and V4 = 7 °C + 48 h) and photoperiods (P1 = Partial shade and P2 = Sunlight). Data were recorded for sprouting percentage, days to sprouting, plant height, leaves per plant, leaf length, leaf weight, fresh biomass, and days to harvest. Vernalization and photoperiod significantly influenced most growth attributes. Cloves treated at 7 °C for 24 h or 48 h generally showed improved performance across sprouting and vegetative parameters. Specifically, 7 °C for 24 h promoted early sprouting and higher leaf weight, while 7 °C for 48 h produced longer leaves and greater fresh biomass. Plants grown under sunlight exhibited superior plant height and biomass compared to partial shade. The interaction of 7 °C treatments with sunlight yielded the most vigorous plants overall. In conclusion, short- to moderate-duration vernalization (7 °C for 24-48 h) significantly enhanced sprouting and vegetative growth of garlic, with photoperiod playing a decisive role in optimizing these responses.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Biomass
  topic: keywords
subject: Garlic
  topic: keywords
subject: Growth
  topic: keywords
subject: Photoperiod
  topic: keywords
subject: Sprouting
  topic: keywords
subject: Vernalization
  topic: keywords
creator: Maira Raqeeb Tunio
creator: Tanveer Fatima Miano
creator: Muzafaruddin Chachar
creator: Ghulam Fatima Tunio
creator: Aaqib Mustafa
creator: Ghulam Rasool Tunio
creator: Shahmeer Khan Tunio
creator: Memoona Islam Majeedano
creator: Sana Shazia Jiskani
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Maira Raqeeb Tunio, Tanveer Fatima Miano, Muzafaruddin Chachar, Ghulam Fatima Tunio, Aaqib Mustafa, Ghulam Rasool Tunio, Shahmeer Khan Tunio, Memoona Islam Majeedano, Sana Shazia Jiskani (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-10-10
publication date: 2025-10-10
starting page: 281
ending page: 289
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.04.1497

Intelligent Reprogramming of Crops for Resistance Against Emerging Plant Pathogens: From Conventional Breeding to Genome Editing
type: item
description: Emerging plant pathogens are threat to global food security. Plant pathogens are rapidly spreading due to increasing globalization, agricultural intensification and rapidly changing climatic conditions. These emerging pathogens are rapidly adapting to overcome host resistance. Therefore, necessitating the development of sustainable disease management strategies. Breeding for resistance is an important approach for sustainable disease management. The advancement in molecular genetics, genomics, and biotechnology have revolutionized the field of breeding for resistance. Precise incorporation of resistant genes into elite cultivars has been possible due to advanced breeding techniques such as Marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and genome editing tools. However, there are still several challenges in plant breeding. The development of resistant varieties is further complicated by public perception and regulatory hurdles surrounding genetically modified crops. However, using integrated pest management such as resistant varieties along with cultural, biological and chemical control methods can enhance the durability of resistance. The development of resilient crop varieties has been possible with Advances in omics technologies, high-throughput phenotyping, and pathogen detection methods. Besides the development of resilient variety, it is essential to deliver resistant varieties to farmers. International collaboration, open-access breeding networks, and public-private partnerships play important role in delivering the resistant varieties to farmers. Resistance breeding needs to be proactive to face the challenges of emerging plant pathogens and global food security. This review highlights the factors causing spread of emerging plant pathogens, discuss modern approaches, key challenges and future direction of resistant breeding.
subject: Review Articles
  topic: section
subject: Emerging plant pathogens
  topic: keywords
subject: Disease resistance breeding
  topic: keywords
subject: Marker-assisted selection
  topic: keywords
subject: Genomic selection
  topic: keywords
subject: Genome editing
  topic: keywords
creator: Jabir Asghar
creator: Ameer Jan
creator: Muhammad Hamayun
creator: Khatir Ali
creator: Atiq u Rehman
creator: Mushtaq Ahmed
creator: Izaz Ullah
creator: Abdul Basit
creator: Shaikh Saddam
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Jabir Asghar, Ameer Jan, Muhammad Hamayun, Khatir Ali, Atiq u Rehman, Mushtaq Ahmed, Izaz Ullah, Abdul Basit, Shaikh Saddam (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-09-25
publication date: 2025-09-25
starting page: 253
ending page: 268
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.03.1496

Effect of Macronutrient Levels on Growth and Development of Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)
type: item
description: Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) is a nutrient-dense leafy vegetable of global importance, valued for its health-promoting properties. However, its growth and productivity are often constrained by inadequate nutrient management practices. To address this, a study was conducted from November 2022 to February 2023 at the Nursery Department of Horticulture, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, with the objective of evaluating the response of spinach growth to varying levels of macronutrients. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. Two spinach varieties, namely Sindhi spinach and English spinach, were cultivated in pots, and macronutrients were applied as treatments, including N1 = Control N2 = NPK (2g L-1) N3 = Calcium Nitrate (0.5g L-1 and N4 = NPK (2g L-1) + Calcium Nitrate (0.5g L-1). The results of the present study revealed that English spinach consistently outperformed Sindhi spinach across growth parameters, while the combined application of NPK and calcium nitrate produced the most favorable outcomes. Overall, the study demonstrates that integrated nutrient management, particularly NPK with calcium nitrate, significantly enhances spinach growth and variety performance.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Macronutrients
  topic: keywords
subject: Spinach
  topic: keywords
subject: Nutrient combination
  topic: keywords
subject: Calcium Nitrate
  topic: keywords
subject: Growth
  topic: keywords
creator: Ghulam Rasool Aamur
creator: Tanveer Fatima Miano
creator: Muzafaruddin Chachar
creator: Memoona Islam Majeedano
creator: Maira Raqeeb Tunio
creator: Sana Shazia Jiskani
creator: Raheem Ullah
creator: Zaheer Ahmed Chachar
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ghulam Rasool Aamur, Tanveer Fatima Miano, Muzafaruddin Chachar, Memoona Islam Majeedano, Maira Raqeeb Tunio, Sana Shazia Jiskani, Raheem Ullah, Zaheer Ahmed Chachar (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-09-11
publication date: 2025-09-11
starting page: 231
ending page: 239
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.03.1453

Effect of Organic Potash on Morpho-Physiological Traits, Yield, and Quality of Onion (Allium cepa L.) Cultivars under Field Conditions
type: item
description: A field experiment was conducted at the University of Agriculture Peshawar (2018) to evaluate the effect of organic potash on the growth, yield, and quality of onion cultivars. The study followed a randomized complete block design with a split-plot arrangement. Organic potash derived from BSCR Organic Compost (Peshawar) was applied at four levels (0, 80, 100, and 120 kg ha⁻¹) two weeks before transplanting, while three onion cultivars (Swat-1, Bara Local, and Nasik Red) were tested. The potassium treatments were controlled with organic potassium being applied as sulphate of potash, but the potash was applied as organic potassium through NKS (4% N, 30% K, and 1% S) two weeks prior to transplanting. The parameters measured were leaf area per plant (cm²), number of leaves per plant, bulb diameter (cm), neck diameter (cm), bulb weight (g), firmness (kg cm⁻²), and bulb yield (t ha⁻¹). The results showed a significant positive effect of organic potash on all measured parameters. The highest plant height (63.92 cm), bulb diameter (6.47 cm), bulb weight (129.47 g), neck diameter (0.87 cm), bulb yield (23.46 t ha⁻¹), and firmness after 180 days of storage (6.3 kg cm⁻²) were observed with 120 kg ha⁻¹ of potash, demonstrating that higher doses improve onion growth and productivity. Results at 100 kg ha⁻¹ were similar, indicating this level is also effective. Among the cultivars, Swat-1 performed best, producing the tallest plants (71.57 cm), the highest number of leaves per plant (11.75), largest leaf area (1206.7 cm²), greatest bulb diameter (6.66 cm), heaviest bulbs (147.76 g), largest neck diameter (0.89 cm), highest bulb yield (23.05 t ha⁻¹), and highest total soluble solids (TSS, 12.01 °Brix). Overall, the graphical abstract highlights that the use of organic potash from a local compost source can sustainably improve onion productivity, with 100 kg ha⁻¹ as the recommended rate and cv. Swat-1 as the most suitable cultivar under Peshawar conditions.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Bulb Diameter
  topic: keywords
subject: Bulb yield
  topic: keywords
subject: Onion (Allium cepa L.)
  topic: keywords
subject: Organic potash
  topic: keywords
subject: Potassium fertilization
  topic: keywords
subject: Sustainable nutrient management
  topic: keywords
creator: Sadeeq Akbar
creator: Babar Ali
creator: Muhammad Rizwan
creator: Imran Ullah
creator: Muhammad Masoom
creator: Zubair Ahmed Pirzada
creator: Muhammad Sulaiman
creator: Masood Ahmad
creator: Ahmad Sher
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sadeeq Akbar, Babar Ali, Muhammad Rizwan, Imran Ullah, Muhammad Masoom, Zubair Ahmed Pirzada, Muhammad Sulaiman, Masood Ahmad, Ahmad Sher (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-12-25
publication date: 2025-12-25
starting page: 361
ending page: 370
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.04.1493

Identification and Expression Profiling of the Dof Gene Family in Panicum virgatum Revealing Their Role in Abiotic Stress Tolerance
type: item
description: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a C4, perennial grass, with immense potential for biofuel production due to its adaptability, high biomass yield, and ecological benefits. Despite its agronomic importance, transcription factor regulation underlying stress responses in this crop remains unexplored. Therefore, we performed genome-wide analysis of Dof TF family in Panicum virgatum in which 57 non-redundant PvDof genes were identified and mapped across 17 chromosomes. Performing various bioinformatic analyses including phylogeny, motif, and gene structure, we classified these PvDofs into 7 phylogenetic groups (A-G) based on their conserved domains and sequence homology with Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa. Gene structure and conserved motif analyses demonstrated low intron counts and conserved functional motifs respectively, indicating functional conservation and potential involvement in stress signaling pathways. Promoter analysis uncovered 55 distinct cis-regulatory elements, including those associated with hormone signaling, light responsiveness and abiotic stress adaptation. Synteny analysis revealed more than 50 orthologous gene pairs between P. virgatum and A. thaliana, while 50 duplicated segments were identified in PvDof genes during collinearity analysis. Expression profiling under cadmium chloride exposure showed that PvDof06, PvDof32, PvDof38, and PvDof57 were strongly upregulated, whereas most other members were downregulated. Under phosphorus deficiency, PvDof32, PvDof38, and PvDof57 were induced in shoots, while PvDof05, PvDof06, and PvDof57 were highly expressed in roots, revealing tissue-specific regulation. These findings established a foundational framework for regulatory roles of Dof transcription factors in switchgrass and offer promising targets for genetic improvements of stress resilience in switchgrass through molecular breeding.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Dof gene family
  topic: keywords
subject: Genome-wide analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Panicum virgatum
  topic: keywords
subject: Expression analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Abiotic stresses
  topic: keywords
creator: Mubashir Sharif
creator: Muhammad Annas Shahid
creator: Muzammal Majeed
creator: Syeda Sahar Fatima
creator: Saad Kamran
creator: Rida Naseem
creator: Mahad-Ur-Rehman
creator: Ikhlas Shafique
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Mubashir Sharif, Muhammad Annas Shahid, Muzammal Majeed, Syeda Sahar Fatima, Saad Kamran, Rida Naseem, Mahad-Ur-Rehman, Ikhlas Shafique (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-08-30
publication date: 2025-08-30
starting page: 215
ending page: 229
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.03.1449

From Roots to Grains: Translocation of Heavy Metals and Associated Health Risks in Maize Grown in Dir-Kohistan, Pakistan
type: item
description: Contamination of crops with heavy metals (HMs) is the most alarming environmental issue in today’s world. The accumulation and consumption of HMs through the food chain and other ways can lead to serious health problems. In this context, the present study investigates the translocation of HMs, as well as the health risk assessment using maize plants (Zea mays L.) as a model crop. The quantity of HMs in different parts of the maize plants was measured by using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and human health risk assessment was calculated for consumption of edible parts of the maize plants. The data indicated variable translocation of HMs from roots to grains in the selected model crop. The majority of HMs data determined dominancy in term of translocation from stem to leaves instead of other parts translocation factors. The distribution pattern of HMs transformation modelling from highest to lowest values in root to stem (Zn > Co > Cd > Ni > Cr > Pb > Cu > Mn), stem to leaves (Mn > Cr > Pb > Cu > Co > Zn > Cd > Ni) and stem to grains (Zn > Mn > Co > Cu > Cr > Ni > Cd > Pb) were recorded. Likewise, most of the heavy metals were found higher in roots as compared to other parts of the maize plant. In human health risk assessment, the estimated daily intake (EDI) indicated toxicity for Cd as its value was found higher than the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) while rest of the elements were found in the safe limit of daily intakes. Moreover, the target hazard quotient (THQ) and total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) calculation of heavy metals in maize grains determined potential risks to the exposed inhabitants of the study area.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Heavy metals
  topic: keywords
subject: Maize
  topic: keywords
subject: Food safety
  topic: keywords
subject: Translocation
  topic: keywords
subject: Health risk assessment
  topic: keywords
subject: estimated daily cost
  topic: keywords
creator: Shafiullah
creator: Seema Anjum Khattak
creator: Mohammad Tahir Shah
creator: Liaqat Ali
creator: Shah Rukh
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Shafiullah, Seema Anjum Khattak, Mohammad Tahir Shah, Liaqat Ali, Shah Rukh (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-09-19
publication date: 2025-09-19
starting page: 241
ending page: 251
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.03.1436

Genetics of Seed Yield Attributes and Oil Contents in Brassica rapa L.
type: item
description: Brassica rapa L. has become a promising crop to sustainable agricultural and industrial growth since reliance on imports goes up and biofuel is in demand. The current work dissected the variability in genetic aspects including ability, heterosis and heritability to seed yield and traits concerned with oil which provide new information in developing hybrids. Eleven high performing accessions were identified as female lines and three low yielding accessions were identified as testers and 33 F1 hybrids were produced in Line×Tester mating plan. The hybridization was controlled in 2022-23, and then the evaluation in the field was carried out in 2023-24 based on a randomized complete block design that had three replications. There was significant difference between parental lines and hybrids. Line 25052 showed high general combining ability (GCA) on average on various traits and the tester ORL1 had a positive effect in the branching, early flowering and seed productivity. Cross 25052×ORL1 was one of the best hybrids with high specific combining ability (SCA) and great level of heterosis, as it showed high levels of plant height, number of siliques, yield of seed per plant and oil content in both years of experimentation. In a similar manner, cross 25037×ORL3 and 25042×ORL3 were found to have significant SCA effects and heterotic expression, further supporting the fact of non-additive action of gene in hybrid vigor. Estimates of hereditability showed that quality-related traits (especially oil content and 100-seed weight) were largely under the influence of additive genetic effects, which ensured meritorious enhancement by means of breeding. Conversely, additive and dominance gene effects manifested in yield-related traits, thus explaining the relevance of the properties in breeding on heterosis. The results highly suggest a potential of cross 25052×ORL1 to improve yield and simultaneously enhance the quality of the oil in B. rapa. Its stability over the years of the exper…
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Brassica rapa
  topic: keywords
subject: Combining ability
  topic: keywords
subject: Crop breeding
  topic: keywords
subject: Heterosis
  topic: keywords
subject: Line×tester analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Oil content
  topic: keywords
subject: Seed yield
  topic: keywords
creator: Humera Razzaq
creator: Laraib Chouhdary
creator: Waqar Ul Hassan
creator: Muhammad Ali Zia
creator: Noreen Amjad
creator: Shamsa Kanwal
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Humera Razzaq, Laraib Chouhdary, Waqar Ul Hassan, Muhammad Ali Zia, Noreen Amjad, Shamsa Kanwal (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-11-27
publication date: 2025-11-27
starting page: 317
ending page: 326
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.04.1479

Effects of Basil Leaf Extract Priming on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)
type: item
description: Okra cultivation often faces challenges related to poor seed germination and early seedling growth, necessitating innovative and sustainable solutions. This study was conducted during the spring season of 2024 at the Nursery Department of Horticulture, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, to evaluate the effect of priming with basil (Ocimum basilicum) leaf extract on the seed germination and seedling growth of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus). The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with two factors: okra varieties (Sabzpari and Crass) and basil leaf extract concentrations (control, tap water, 1%, 3%, 5%, and 7%) with three replications. Data were recorded for seed germination percentage, germination index, seedling vigor index, number of leaves per plant, fresh biomass of root and shoot, root length, plant height and chlorophyll content. The results indicated that basil leaf extract significantly influenced most growth parameters. The highest seed germination (87.50%) was observed with 1% and 3% basil leaf extract, whereas the lowest (70.83%) was recorded with tap water. The Crass variety exhibited a higher germination rate (85.39%) than Sabzpari (77.08%). The germination index was significantly improved by basil leaf extract, with the highest value (0.64) recorded at 3% concentration. Similarly, the seedling vigor index was highest (1290.00) at 3% basil leaf extract, with the Crass variety performing better overall. The number of leaves per plant peaked at 3.66 with 3% basil leaf extract, showing a significant treatment effect. Root and shoot biomass were significantly influenced by basil leaf extract concentrations. The maximum fresh root biomass (0.80 g) and fresh shoot biomass (2.93 g) were observed at 3% basil leaf extract. The highest plant height (39.52 cm) was recorded at 3% basil leaf extract, whereas the lowest (28.74 cm) was observed with tap water (0% basil leaf extract). Chlorophyll content was also significantly affected, w…
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Okra
  topic: keywords
subject: Basil leaf extract
  topic: keywords
subject: seed priming
  topic: keywords
subject: seed germination
  topic: keywords
subject: seedling growth
  topic: keywords
creator: Saeed Ahmed Chachar
creator: Niaz Ahmed Wahocho
creator: Muzafaruddin Chachar
creator: Zaheer Ahmed Chachar
creator: Memoona Islam Majeedano
creator: Sana Shazia Jiskani
creator: Maqsood Ahmed Wagan
creator: Raheem Ullah
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Saeed Ahmed Chachar, Niaz Ahmed Wahocho, Muzafaruddin Chachar, Zaheer Ahmed Chachar, Memoona Islam Majeedano, Sana Shazia Jiskani, Maqsood Ahmed Wagan, Raheem Ullah (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-08-06
publication date: 2025-08-06
starting page: 193
ending page: 204
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.03.1434

Integrated Application of Biocompost Pressmud and Chemical Fertilizers to Enhance Biomass Production and Nutrient Accumulation of Maize
type: item
description: Organic amendments are known to support cost-effective plant nutrition. We assessed the response of maize (Zea mays L.) to varying levels of composted pressmud and chemical fertilizers in a thrice replicated completely randomized factorial experiments, involving different levels of recommended NPK fertilizers (160-80-80 kg ha-1), i.e., control (0%), 25%, 50%, and 100%, and composted press mud, i.e., 0 (control), 10 and 20 t ha-1. The compost was prepared in specially fabricated piles (1m × 1m × 1m), made of 6.0’ long mango sticks. The piles were filled by plastic bins (19”-12”-13”), able to accommodate 17 kg pressmud. The piles were sprayed with the solution of effective microorganisms (EM) and covered with the polythene sheets. A clayey non-saline, alkaline soil was used in this study with low organic matter, phosphorus and potassium content. Ten seeds of maize (cv. Akbar) were planted in pots filled with 10 kg soil, thinned to five, and harvested after seven weeks. Chemical fertilizers and composted press mud significantly improved maize plant traits, except root to shoot ratio, against control treatment. Increased doses increased the performance. When compared to control treatment, the increase was higher in case of using 20 over 10 t ha-1 composted press mud for maize dry biomass (shoot: 29.8 v/s 7.1%, root: 28.9 v/s 5.3%, leaf: 29.2 v/s 8.3%, total: 29.4 v/s 7.0%), leaf area (27.8 v/s 4.9%), and nutrient content (N: 22.2 v/s 11.1%, P: no change, K: 37.5 v/s 25%). Moreover, using 20 t ha-1 composted press mud was more effective than 10 t ha-1 in increasing the dry biomass (shoot: 21.3%, root: 22.5%, leaf: 19.2%, total: 20.9%), leaf area (21.8%), and nutrient content (N: 10%, P: 0%, K: 10%). Using 20 t ha-1 composted press mud with 100% chemical fertilizer recorded maximum increase when compared to the control treatment in maize dry biomass (shoot: 135.1%, root: 132.0%, leaf: 135.5%, total: 137%), leaf area (127.5%), and nutrient content (N: 89.4%, P: 56.8% and K…
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Biocompost pressmud
  topic: keywords
subject: Biomass production
  topic: keywords
subject: Fertilizers
  topic: keywords
subject: Growth
  topic: keywords
subject: Maize
  topic: keywords
subject: Nutrient availability
  topic: keywords
subject: Organic amendments
  topic: keywords
creator: Zia-ul-hassan Shah
creator: Kazim Raza Suhag
creator: Ghulam Murtaza Jamro
creator: Naheed Akhter Talpur
creator: Hassan Shah Rashdi
creator: Inzamam Ali Jamali
creator: Fozia Naz Memon
creator: Inzamam-ul-Haque Khanzada
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Zia-ul-hassan Shah, Kazim Raza Suhag, Ghulam Murtaza Jamro, Naheed Akhter Talpur, Hassan Shah Rashdi, Inzamam Ali Jamali, Fozia Naz Memon, Inzamam-ul-Haque Khanzada (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-09-30
publication date: 2025-09-30
starting page: 269
ending page: 280
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.03.1400

Seed Application of Gamma Radiation in Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba): Boosting Yield and Agronomic Traits through Induced Mutagenesis
type: item
description: Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) is a drought tolerant legume crop, plays an important role in agriculture and has versatile uses in different industries. The objective of study was to investigate the effects of gamma radiation on the yield characters of the guar variety “BR-21” because conventional breeding approaches are limited in guar yield improvement due to narrow genetic diversity. For this purpose, seeds of guar variety were treated with different doses (10 to 50 kR) of gamma radiation and agronomic parameters were analyzed in field experiment. From the results it was cleared that low to moderate doses (10–20 kR) increase the yield characters such as clusters per plant, pod length, and grains per pod. Particularly, 20 kR dose proved to be the most efficient dose, greatly enhanced growth and reproductive characters without any adverse effects. Higher doses (30–40 kR), on other hand resulted physiological and genetic damage, growth inhibition, chlorosis, and yield decline. These findings conclude that 20 kR is an effective dose to increase guar yield by creating positive genetic mutations without any adverse effects. The findings from this study provide new insights for mutation breeding programs to enhance crop productivity and also fulfill the demand of guar gum.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: BR-21 variety
  topic: keywords
subject: Diversity
  topic: keywords
subject: Guar
  topic: keywords
subject: Gamma radiation
  topic: keywords
subject: Grain yield
  topic: keywords
subject: Mutagenesis
  topic: keywords
subject: Plant growth
  topic: keywords
creator: Tayyaba Iqbal
creator: Hajra Ibrahim
creator: Muhammad Zubair
creator: Raza Ashraf
creator: Ayesha Sumreen
creator: Muhammad Azhar Zia
creator: Asma Yaqoob
creator: Mashal Rehman
creator: Mahreen Khalid
creator: Madiha Mobeen Khan
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Tayyaba Iqbal, Hajra Ibrahim, Muhammad Zubair, Raza Ashraf, Ayesha Sumreen, Muhammad Azhar Zia, Asma Yaqoob, Mashal Rehman, Mahreen Khalid, Madiha Mobeen Khan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-27
publication date: 2025-07-27
starting page: 185
ending page: 191
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.03.1356

Synergistic Enhancement of Heavy Metal Phytoextraction in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) Using Biochar and Chelating Agents
type: item
description: Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is an annual vegetable consumed for its pleasant and spicy flavor. Heavy metal stress adversely affects human health, ecological balance and biodiversity throughout the globe. A pot experiment was conducted using heavy metal-contaminated soils to assess the phytoextraction potential of A. esculentus. To create the biochar, we pyrolyzed rice husk, peanut shell, Asphodelus tenuifolius, and Suaeda fruticose in a locally fabricated pyrolysis machine at 500–550°C under anaerobic conditions. Our research suggested that the application of biochars and chelating agents significantly enhanced the absorption and transport of heavy metals into plant tissues as compared to untreated plants. Further, all treatments indicated that the root-to-shoot translocation factor was >1, indicating the significant improvement in metal mobilization, plant biomass production, plant height and chlorophyll contents. These findings suggested that the integration of biochar with chelating agents can serve as an effective strategy for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils via phytoextraction using A. esculentus. This research will help to develop a sustainable approach for managing agricultural and plant-based waste materials through biochar production.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Asphodelus tenuifolius
  topic: keywords
subject: Chelating agents
  topic: keywords
subject: Citric acid
  topic: keywords
subject: Okra
  topic: keywords
subject: Peanut shell biochar
  topic: keywords
subject: Phytoremediation
  topic: keywords
subject: Phytoextraction
  topic: keywords
subject: Rice husk biochar
  topic: keywords
subject: Suaeda fruticosa
  topic: keywords
creator: Gul E Zahra
creator: Firdaus e Bareen
creator: Muhammad Farhan Khan Pasha
creator: Saman Zahra
creator: Sadaf Oranab
creator: Sadaf Zahra
creator: Hafiz Muhammad Ahmad
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Gul E Zahra, Firdaus e Bareen, Muhammad Farhan Khan Pasha, Saman Zahra, Sadaf Oranab, Sadaf Zahra, Hafiz Muhammad Ahmad (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2026-01-31
publication date: 2026-01-31
starting page: 01
ending page: 11
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.004.01.1374

AARI-Berseem 2024: A Climate-Smart and High-Nutrition Fodder Variety for Sustainable Livestock Production
type: item
description: Adverse climatic conditions pose a rising threat to global food and fodder security. These challenges not only affect human populations but also livestock productivity. To address these challenges a new berseem variety “AARI Berseem-2024” has been developed by the Fodder Research Sub-Station, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad. This variety is an outcome of composite selection from foundational parental population developed by pooling five high-performing accessions, four local BGP-09, BGP-17, BGP-29, BGP-37 and one exotic PI 468401 during 2013-2024. It proved its value in all yield trials and outperformed the current existing Berseem varieties. It produced 3.9% higher green fodder yield in comparison to check varieties Anmol Berseem and Berseem Agati during 2021-22 and 2022-23, in National Uniform Fodder Yield Trials. Furthermore, it has 22.3% dry matter, 19.24% crude protein, 21.8% crude fiber, 2.23% crude fat and 11.5% ash, and good palatability. The new variety showed better tolerance against Root Rot, Crown Rot and Stem Rot diseases. Agronomic studies revealed that it aligns more efficiently with current agronomic practices. It was approved by Variety Evaluation Committee during 2024 for general cultivation in Punjab. This offers a sustainable solution to fodder scarcity during lean periods in winter (December-January) and in summer (May-June) and unpredicted weather. Its climate resilience and high nutritional profile promises to boost livestock productivity and support livestock farming under changing climatic conditions. Its climate resilience and high nutritional profile promises to boost livestock productivity and support livestock farming under changing climatic conditions.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: AARI Berseem-2024
  topic: keywords
subject: Climate Smart Fodder
  topic: keywords
subject: Fodder Quality
  topic: keywords
subject: High Forage yield
  topic: keywords
subject: Livestock productivity
  topic: keywords
creator: Qamar Shakeel
creator: Amna Kanwal
creator: Zohab Asif
creator: Asma Parveen
creator: Muhammad Humayion
creator: Javed Iqbal
creator: Khalid Hussain
creator: Asif Ali Khan
creator: Zulfiqar Ali
creator: Mujtaba Ali
creator: Shakira Jameel
creator: Shamsa Kanwal
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Qamar Shakeel, Amna Kanwal, Zohab Asif, Asma Parveen, Muhammad Humayion, Javed Iqbal, Khalid Hussain, Asif Ali Khan, Zulfiqar Ali, Mujtaba Ali, Shakira Jameel, Shamsa Kanwal (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-09-02
publication date: 2025-09-02
starting page: 205
ending page: 214
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.03.1380

Harnessing Multi-Scale Phenotyping for Lodging Resistant Wheat: Integrating Traditional and High-Throughput Phenotyping Approaches
type: item
description: Lodging in wheat is rising globally due to climate extremes, causing yield losses of up to 80% based on timing and severity. Lodging poses a major constraint to wheat production in Pakistan, especially in high-input Punjab and Sindh, with climate variability and unseasonal storms causing yield losses up to 40%. Ground-based, aerial, and satellite-based sensing techniques are vital to high-throughput phenotyping for detecting wheat lodging. Ground platforms using RGB (red, green, blue), LiDAR (light detection and ranging), and ultrasonic sensors enable precise measurement of canopy structure. UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) based imaging enhances coverage and uses RGB, multispectral, and thermal sensors to detect lodging via visual, spectral, and temperature cues, with RGB approaches exceeding 90% classification accuracy. Satellite imaging enables scalable monitoring of lodging through multispectral indices for early stress detection. Combined multi-scale sensing approaches enhance lodging detection efficiency and accuracy in wheat. Each method offers specific advantages and limitations. Field-based phenotyping is cost-effective under natural conditions but lacks scalability. Stem phenotyping provides direct insights into structural strength but is labor-intensive. Simple morphological traits like plant height and internode length indicate lodging risk but are environment sensitive. Wind tunnel testing offers controlled, repeatable evaluations but requires expensive infrastructure. Genetic and molecular screening allows precise, high-throughput selection, while nitrogen response curves link agronomic practices with lodging susceptibility. Together, these methods enhance wheat breeding for lodging resistance. This review systematically integrates and evaluates existing lodging detection approaches and technologies, drawing cross-study insights into their effectiveness and adaptability for improving wheat resilience under current and anticipated climate stresses
subject: Review Articles
  topic: section
subject: High-throughput phenotyping
  topic: keywords
subject: HTP
  topic: keywords
subject: Lodging resistance
  topic: keywords
subject: Multi-scale analysis,
  topic: keywords
subject: Phenotypic integration
  topic: keywords
subject: Wheat improvement
  topic: keywords
creator: Muhammad Zulkiffal
creator: Javed Ahmed
creator: Sajid ur Rehman
creator: Saira Mehboob
creator: Majid Nadeem
creator: Aneela Ahsan
creator: Sadia Ajmal
creator: Muhammad Hammad Tanveer
creator: Muhammad Owais
creator: Muhammad Makky Javaid
creator: Razia Sultana
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Zulkiffal, Javed Ahmed, Sajid ur Rehman, Saira Mehboob, Majid Nadeem, Aneela Ahsan, Sadia Ajmal, Muhammad Hammad Tanveer, Muhammad Owais, Muhammad Makky Javaid, Razia Sultana (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-21
publication date: 2025-07-21
starting page: 175
ending page: 184
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.03.1379

Determination of Acid Value and Saponification Number From In Vitro Callus Cultures of Olive (Olea europaea) cv. Koroneiki
type: item
description: Olive (Olea europaea L.). cv. Koroneiki belongs to the family Oleaceae, which is an evergreen plant of Mediterranean origin. Commonly, this plant is the source of olive oil used for various purposes in human life. To determine the biochemical characteristics of the extracted olive oil from specific callus lines of common olive, we investigated the effects of several hormones on callus induction from field-grown plants. Mature leaves, nodal, and internodal explants were surface-sterilized and inoculated on MS medium. Plant growth regulators in varying amounts were added to MS medium (2,4-D, BAP, IBA, NAA, or TDZ) alone or in combinations, forming a total of 29 treatments for callus induction. The highest (95.45%) callus induction was obtained with 8 + 2 µM BAP + IBA after 35 days of initial culture from leaf explants, followed by 6 µM 2,4-D (75.55%) under the dark culture room conditions. Internode was unable to form callus. Off white, yellowish, fluffy, friable, proliferating calluses were obtained from leaf explants. Such highly proliferating calluses were selected as callus cell lines (CL); CL1 (2, 4-D 4 µM) and CL2 (2, 4-D 6 µM) for oil extraction and subsequent biochemical characteristics of acid value and saponification number. Results demonstrated that CL1 showed the highest acid value (1.25) and saponification number (183). This was followed by CL2, which showed acid values of 1.42 and 1.84, and saponification values of 1.84 and 1.42, respectively. The present study demonstrated an efficient callus induction protocol for subsequent determination of biochemical attributes from the extracted oil of in vitro dedifferentiated olive tissues.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Acid Value
  topic: keywords
subject: Callus Induction
  topic: keywords
subject: Callus Lines
  topic: keywords
subject: Olive
  topic: keywords
subject: Saponification Number
  topic: keywords
creator: Iqra Jamil
creator: Muhammad Akram
creator: Faheem Aftab
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Iqra Jamil, Muhammad Akram, Faheem Aftab (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-06-29
publication date: 2025-06-29
starting page: 153
ending page: 162
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.02.1358

Multivariate Analysis Reveals Genetic Diversity and Superior Oil Quality Traits in Advanced Mustard (Brassica juncea) Genotypes for Future Breeding
type: item
description: Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is a vital oilseed crop in Pakistan, valued for its nutritional oil and adaptability to diverse agroclimatic zones. However, limited genetic diversity and suboptimal varieties constrain yield and oil quality, posing a challenge to meet rising demand and reduce edible oil imports. This study evaluated twelve advanced mustard genotypes at the Regional Agricultural Research Institute, Bahawalpur, using a randomized complete block design with three replications to explore agronomic performance and oil quality traits. Key parameters including days to flowering and maturity, plant height, branching, 1000 seed weight, seed yield, oil content, and fatty acid composition were recorded. Multivariate analysis—principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis—were employed to decipher genetic diversity and trait interrelationships. The results revealed significant variation among genotypes for all traits, with PCA and cluster analysis grouping genotypes into three distinct clusters. One cluster included genotypes characterized by taller plants and higher saturated fatty acid content but lower seed weight and oil content, indicating potential biomass producers with lower oil quality. Another cluster comprised genotypes with early maturity and moderate yield traits. The third cluster stood out with higher branching, seed weight, oil content, and oleic acid levels, representing the most promising group for breeding high-yielding, oil-rich mustard varieties. Strong correlations among oil content, oleic acid, and yield traits suggest simultaneous improvement is feasible, though a trade-off with saturated fatty acids exists. The study presents the importance of exploiting genetic diversity in mustard by using multivariate tools to devise breeding strategies to develop stress resilient, high-yielding, and oil superior mustard cultivars for agricultural sustainablility and food security in the counrty.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Mustard
  topic: keywords
subject: Principal component analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Cluster analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Multivariate analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Oil contents
  topic: keywords
subject: Seed yield
  topic: keywords
creator: Sabir Hussain
creator: Muhammad Shah Jahan Bukhari
creator: Imran Akhtar
creator: Muhammad Imran Akram
creator: Saqib Saleem
creator: Zia Ullah Ghazali
creator: Zeeshan Hafeez
creator: Asad-Ur-Rahman Chaudhary
creator: Muhammad Jahangir Shah
creator: Muhammad Ijaz
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sabir Hussain, Muhammad Shah Jahan Bukhari, Imran Akhtar, Muhammad Imran Akram, Saqib Saleem, Muhammad Zia Ullah Ghazali, Zeeshan Hafeez, Asad-ur-Rahman Chaudhary, Muhammad Jahangir Shah, Muhammad Ijaz (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-06-17
publication date: 2025-06-17
starting page: 135
ending page: 144
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.02.1353

Comparative In Silico Analysis of Respiratory Burst Oxidase Homologs (Rboh) Gene Family in Economically Significant Dicot Crop Plants
type: item
description: Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, play a pivotal role in the early defense mechanisms of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses. Among the key contributors to ROS production are respiratory burst oxidase homologs (Rbohs), plant-specific NADPH oxidases that regulate stress responses, signaling, development, and programmed cell death. While Rboh gene families have been extensively studied in model plants like Arabidopsis thaliana, their characterization in other dicot species remains limited. Here, we conducted a genome-wide analysis of Rboh genes in four agriculturally important dicot species: Brassica oleracea, Daucus carota, Helianthus annuus, and Capsicum annuum. Using Arabidopsis Rboh sequences as references, we identified 38 Rboh genes across these species, which were compared with the 10 known Arabidopsis Rboh genes. Chromosomal mapping, gene structure, conserved domain, and motif analyses revealed that Rboh genes are evolutionarily conserved, with gene numbers aligning closely to those in previously studied plants. Phylogenetic analysis grouped these genes into two major clades and six subgroups, reflecting shared evolutionary lineages and potential functional similarities. Variations in exon-intron structures and unique domain duplications or deletions indicated possible functional divergence among specific genes. Chromosomal mapping showed uneven distribution of Rboh genes within each genome, consistent with patterns observed in other plant species. This study enhances the current understanding of the Rboh gene family in dicots, providing a foundation for future research on their functional roles and potential applications in improving plant resilience through genetic engineering or breeding strategies.
subject: Research Articles
  topic: section
subject: Rboh gene family
  topic: keywords
subject: Reactive oxygen species (ROS)
  topic: keywords
subject: Dicot crop plants
  topic: keywords
subject: Genome-wide analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: Plant stress resilience
  topic: keywords
creator: Zeenat Niaz
creator: Junaid Ul Hassan
creator: Daraz Ahmad
creator: Raheela Amin
creator: Sobia Tariq
creator: Abdul Haseeb
creator: Adil Zahoor
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Zeenat Niaz, Junaid Ul Hassan, Daraz Ahmad, Raheela Amin, Sobia Tariq, Abdul Haseeb, Adil Zahoor (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-06-30
publication date: 2025-06-30
starting page: 163
ending page: 174
doi: 10.55627/pbiotech.003.02.1341