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Research Interests:
The threat of invasion is growing globally and endangers biodiversity. Exotic invasive plants are putting a harm to the vegetation of Pakistan’s Pothwar region, which is a biodiversity hotspot. In the current study, the effects of... more
The threat of invasion is growing globally and endangers biodiversity. Exotic invasive plants are putting a harm to the vegetation of Pakistan’s Pothwar region, which is a biodiversity hotspot. In the current study, the effects of Broussonetia papyrifera, Parthenium hysterophorus, Xanthium strumarium, and Lantana camara on the local flora in the Pothwar area were examined. Two categorical groups (invaded and non-invaded) were used in a dichotomized experimental design to collect data. Using the software PRIMER-7 and IBM SPSS v. 21, different diversity indices including Margalef’s index of species richness, Shannon index of diversity, and Simpson index of dominance were measured and compared between invaded and control plots. In comparison to the experimental plots, the control plots had an average of more individuals and diversity. On a multivariate scale, non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) and analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) revealed higher species richness in control plots...
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Within integrated pest management programs, biological control of unwanted plants has remarkable capacity to provide viable, effective, and economic control of weeds. When using bio-herbicides, crop production and quality improve with... more
Within integrated pest management programs, biological control of unwanted plants has remarkable capacity to provide viable, effective, and economic control of weeds. When using bio-herbicides, crop production and quality improve with virtually no damage to the ecosystem. Bioherbicides are target-specific, destroy only selected weeds that have been sprayed for and do not cause harm to non-target plants. Bio-herbicides can be quickly incorporated into weed control programs, which can reduce chemical herbicide dependence. We are also raising the chance of environmental pollution by pesticides. There are only a few bio-herbicides available on commercial bases although work began earlier in the 1940s. Sources of commercialized bioherbicides include Phytophthora palmivora (Devine), Collectotrichum gleosporiodes (Collego), Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Binomial) and Streptomyces viridochromogenes (Bialaphos and Glufosinate). Virulence for pathogens and their environmental requirement ar...
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Department of Biological Sciences (Botany Program), Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan-29050, Pakistan Department of Botany, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi-46300, Pakistan <em>E-mail</em>:... more
Department of Biological Sciences (Botany Program), Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan-29050, Pakistan Department of Botany, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi-46300, Pakistan <em>E-mail</em>: humaqureshi8@gmail.com Department of Environmental Science, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan-29050, Pakistan Department of Biology, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad-46000, Pakistan <em>Manuscript received online 15 October 2019, revised and accepted 06 January 2020</em> Phytochemistry is an important field of plant biology with a number of applied research applications. Whole metabolome based phytochemical analysis of plants is a technique that requires profiling of known compounds from the plant. In this paper, we present a detailed review of known phytochemistry of paper mulberry tree after a thorough survey of available literature as well as different databases (KnapSack, Plant metabolome database (PMDB), PubChem, ChemSpider) in favor ...
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Effect of biological potassium fertilization (BPF) on the availability of phosphorus and potassium to maize (Zea Mays L.) under controlled conditions
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Land cover change in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, is driven by recurring drought and the economic problems of society-initiated afforestation. The goal of this study was to learn about the state of woody species regeneration in Yeka’s... more
Land cover change in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, is driven by recurring drought and the economic problems of society-initiated afforestation. The goal of this study was to learn about the state of woody species regeneration in Yeka’s urban forest patches. Thirty plots (20 m × 20 m in size) were sampled to identify plants for this purpose. All wooden trees with a height greater than 1.3 m in each plot were identified, enumerated, and their diameter were measured. Acacia decurrens was determined to be the predominant species, with an importance value index (IVI) of 161.09, followed by Acacia melanoxlon (IVI = 44.69). The bootstrapping PERMANOVA test was used to show how the species in the community overlapped. The result reveals that dissimilarity is low (p > 0.05), which is supported by the assumption of multivariate dispersion homogeneity. The area’s generalized linear model (GLM) showed all species statistically significant for characteristics associated with closure year a...
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Allelopathy is a viable alternative in agro-ecosystems for weed and pest control. The present work was aimed at evaluating the herbicide and pesticide ability of Coronopus didymus (L.) Sm. and Nasturtium officinale W.T. Aiton The... more
Allelopathy is a viable alternative in agro-ecosystems for weed and pest control. The present work was aimed at evaluating the herbicide and pesticide ability of Coronopus didymus (L.) Sm. and Nasturtium officinale W.T. Aiton The allelopathic effect of selected weeds was calculated by sandwich method and dish-pack bioassay. Aqueous extracts of both plants were also used to determine the effects on crop growth in seedlings (wheat and maize). Leachates of C. didymus and N. officinale had an inhibitory effect on the growth of lettuce seedlings by 98.8% and 98.5% respectively in dish pack bioassay; lettuce seedling radicle elongation inhibition was 1.9% and 22.1% respectively compared with untreated control. The inhibition effect for wheat and maize was of no importance. Micro-spectrophotometric technique was used for fungicidal assessment. Both plant extracts (3.125 mg/mL) demonstrated substantial pesticide activity against pathogenic strains Pyricularia oryzae Cavara and Fusarium fuji...
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The blind dependence on synthetics is over and people are returning to the naturals with hope of safety and security. As concern regarding the health issues of synthetic medicinal, industrial and agricultural chemicals increases,... more
The blind dependence on synthetics is over and people are returning to the naturals with hope of safety and security. As concern regarding the health issues of synthetic medicinal, industrial and agricultural chemicals increases, attention is focused on finding some alternative management strategies. Plant derived toxic chemicals being comparatively safer hold great prospects in this regard. In the present investigation, polar and nonpolar fractions of Brousssonetia papyrifera and Lantana camara were assessed for brine shrimp cytotoxicity, sandwich method and radish seed phytotoxicity in search of potential bioactive botanicals. L. camara methanol extract (LCME) with LD50<1000ppm revealed in vivo cytotoxicity and its potential for antitumor compound exploration. B. papyrifera methanol extract (BPME) and L. camara chloroform extract (LCCE) represented good phytotoxicity while LCME was found to have significant phytotoxic potential with 60.48±1.77%, 54.70±2.26% and 72.85±2.69% radi...
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Studies on the impacts of alien plants help to understand extent of biological invasion. Multiple analyses of diversity parameters at different locations allow general explanations of impact on species diversity and richness in plant... more
Studies on the impacts of alien plants help to understand extent of biological invasion. Multiple analyses of diversity parameters at different locations allow general explanations of impact on species diversity and richness in plant communities. The current study assessed impact of Xanthium strumarium invasion on native plant diversity in Pothwar region of Pakistan. The approach used for study was random samplings with two categorical factors: invaded and non-invaded plots under same habitat conditions. Differences in species frequency (N), species richness (R), evenness (Jꞌ), Shannon diversity index (Hꞌ) and Simpson index of dominance (λ) were compared between invaded and control plots by t-test series. Control plots harbored by average 1.3 more species/10m 2 . The control category was more diverse (Hꞌ=2.00) than invaded category (Hꞌ=1.82). Non-invaded plots showed a higher floristic richness than invaded ones. At multivariate scale, ordination (nMDS) and ANOSIM showed significant...
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Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a valuable proteinaceous vegetable. It has 40% contribution in economy among world pulses and 3 in ranking in consumption after garlic and beans in Pakistan. Its yield is affected by many abiotic stresses e.g.... more
Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a valuable proteinaceous vegetable. It has 40% contribution in economy among world pulses and 3 in ranking in consumption after garlic and beans in Pakistan. Its yield is affected by many abiotic stresses e.g. salinity, water logging, heavy metals in sewage water and wastes etc. Heavy metals are great threat to humans as they are not only dangerous to humans through food chains but also reducing its cash benefits by decreasing the yield of crop plants qualitatively and quantitatively. This study aimed to investigate the effects of lead (Pb) on vegetative, propagative and physiochemical properties of pea plants. In this regard, an experiment was conducted on two cultivars i.e., meteor and classic of pea by treating them with heavy metal salt, lead nitrate (Pb(NO3)2) at flowering stage. It was hypothesized that lead will damage vegetative characters compared to control treatments and declines in agronomic yields of pea. Chemical analyses of pea plants confirm...
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Current study assessed the impact of Lantana camara invasion on native plant diversity in Pothohar region of Pakistan. The approach used for study was random samplings and comparisons of diversity indices [number of species (S), abundance... more
Current study assessed the impact of Lantana camara invasion on native plant diversity in Pothohar region of Pakistan. The approach used for study was random samplings and comparisons of diversity indices [number of species (S), abundance (N), species richness (R), evenness (Jꞌ), Shannon diversity index (Hꞌ) and Simpson index of dominance (λ)] with two categorical factors i.e., invaded and non-invaded (control). Control plots harboured by an average of 1.74 more species/10m2. The control category was diverse (Hꞌ=2.56) than invaded category (Hꞌ=1.56). The higher value of species richness in control plots shows heterogeneous nature of communities and vice versa in invaded plots. At multivariate scale, ordination (nMDS) and ANOSIM showed significant magnitude of differences between invaded and control plots at all sites. The decrease in studied diversity indices in invaded over control sites indicated that plant communities become less productive due to Lantana invasion.
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Due to increased number of herbicide resistant weeds, it is needed to explore the allelopathic potential of plants as an alternative. The research was conducted to investigate allelopathic effects of Carica papaya L. leaf powder and... more
Due to increased number of herbicide resistant weeds, it is needed to explore the allelopathic potential of plants as an alternative. The research was conducted to investigate allelopathic effects of Carica papaya L. leaf powder and aqueous extract on seeds as well as pre-germinated seeds of Avena fatua L., Helianthus annuus L., Rumex dentatus L., Zea mays L. and Triticum aestivum L. on filter paper and soil in Weed Management Program Laboratory, Department of Plant and Environmental Protection at PARC Institute of Advanced Studies in Agriculture, National Agriculture Research Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan. Germination percentage (%), radicle length (cm) and plumule length (cm) were parameters observed for ‘Plant leaf powder bioassay’ and ‘Aqueous extract method’. Most significant growth inhibition was observed in A. fatua seedlings in filter paper method. A. fatua radicle length was reduced by C. papaya aqueous extract (80%) and leaf powder (89%) bioassays. Plumule length was reduced...
ABSTRACT A flavone glucoside ‘vitexin’ (C21H20O10) was isolated from the leaves of Lantana camara through bioassay-guided isolation. Kupchan method of solvent-solvent partitioning of crude methanol extract from leaves of L. camara gave... more
ABSTRACT A flavone glucoside ‘vitexin’ (C21H20O10) was isolated from the leaves of Lantana camara through bioassay-guided isolation. Kupchan method of solvent-solvent partitioning of crude methanol extract from leaves of L. camara gave ethyl acetate, chloroform, hexane and aqueous fraction. Bio-assay with four fractions at 500 ppm, 1000 ppm and 10,000 ppm indicated chloroform fraction to be most potent phytotoxic against weeds (monocot: Phalaris minor, Avena fatua; Dicot: Chenopodium album, Rumex dentatus). Column chromatography of chloroform fraction with hexane: ethyl acetate (60:40) based on TLC profiling with vanillin visualisation stain and subsequent bioassays indicated sub-fraction (iii) of fraction 23 as most growth inhibitory. The chemical structure of the isolated compound was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Shimadzu GC-MS-QP2010 ultra). The natural herbicidal activity of the isolated compound against various weeds in laboratory and field conditions is suggested.
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The main aim of the present study was to examine the benefits of inoculating the maize seeds with Biological Potassium fertilizer (BPF) with relevance to Phosphorus and Potassium nutrition to maize and its growth. The experiment was... more
The main aim of the present study was to examine the benefits of inoculating the maize seeds with Biological Potassium fertilizer (BPF) with relevance to Phosphorus and Potassium nutrition to maize and its growth. The experiment was accomplished on combined use of Chemical and Biological Potassium Fertilizer with nitrogen as a basal dose added in each pot. There were nine treatments with different combinations of PK and BPF, to see the best treatment. Best results were obtained by the treatment which is supplied by full dose of PK and then comparable results were observed by treatment supplied with half dose of PK and BPF, while for micronutrients BPF performed best. We can reduce the amount of chemical fertilizers as it is hazardous to environment and costly too by using BPF. It is concluded that application of BPF has a significant effect on biomass yield, potassium uptake due to higher solubilization of K. Thus, bio intervention of BPF could be an alternative and viable technolog...
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The blind dependence on synthetics is over and people are returning to the naturals with hope of safety and security. As concern regarding the health issues of synthetic medicinal, industrial and agricultural chemicals increases,... more
The blind dependence on synthetics is over and people are returning to the naturals with hope of safety and security. As concern regarding the health issues of synthetic medicinal, industrial and agricultural chemicals increases, attention is focused on finding some alternative management strategies. Plant derived toxic chemicals being comparatively safer hold great prospects in this regard. In the present investigation, polar and nonpolar fractions of Brousssonetia papyrifera and Lantana camara were assessed for brine shrimp cytotoxicity, sandwich method and radish seed phytotoxicity in search of potential bioactive botanicals. L. camara methanol extract (LCME) with LD50<1000ppm revealed in vivo cytotoxicity and its potential for antitumor compound exploration. B. papyrifera methanol extract (BPME) and L. camara chloroform extract (LCCE) represented good phytotoxicity while LCME was found to have significant phytotoxic potential with 60.48±1.77%, 54.70±2.26% and 72.85±2.69% radi...
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Invasive species are mostly nonnative species introduced accidentally or intentionally by humans in natural or established habitat where they threat the environment, economy and/or health. Several thousands of the alien species have... more
Invasive species are mostly nonnative species introduced accidentally or intentionally by humans in natural or established habitat where they threat the environment, economy and/or health. Several thousands of the alien species have become established in different parts of the world over the past couple of centuries. This biological pollution is considered as second potential threat to natural biodiversity after habitat loss. Fortunately the magnitude of invasive species in Pakistan is not as great as in some other countries but unfortunately, there is deficit in context of invasion biology literature. Current effort intends to present a systematic review of sporadic studies undertaken in past to record invasive alien plant species on a small scale with prime goals of: establishing a preliminary inventory of reported invasive plants; analyze the family and life form contribution in total invasive flora; describe status, impacts, management approaches and world’s perspective about wo...
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ABSTRACT This study represents first comprehensive medico-ethnobotanical survey pertaining to wild plants from the study area. Field trips were arranged to collect medico-ethnobotanical information from Saiyidan village along with plant... more
ABSTRACT This study represents first comprehensive medico-ethnobotanical survey pertaining to wild plants from the study area. Field trips were arranged to collect medico-ethnobotanical information from Saiyidan village along with plant specimens and during October, 2011 to January, 2012 using semi structured questionnaire. A total of 51 plant species belonging to 41 genera and 26 plant families are identified which are being used for healing 33 human sufferings. Skin diseases and stomach problems were more prevalent in the area that were treated by the highest number of species (9 each), followed by constipation, cough &amp; cold (8 spp. each), diabetes &amp; joints pain (6 spp. each) and asthma, kidney and liver diseases (5 spp. each). The most important families which contributed medicinal flora include: Asteraceae (6 species, 11.76%), Mimosaceae (5 species, 9.80%), Amaranthaceae and Solanaceae (4 species, 7.84% each). This paper contains the information like botanical name, vernacular name, family name, part(s) used and folk medicinal uses of plants. Present study provides baseline data about medicinal plants in the area that can be exploited by pharmaceutical industry for screening new active compounds.