Mushtaque Jatoi
University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Pomology, Department Member
- Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU) Khairpur Pakistan, Date palm Research Institute, Department Memberadd
Sweet potatoes (SPs) are a versatile tuberous crop used as subsistence and cash crop in raw and processed forms. The major issue with SPs is post-harvest losses, which result in noticeable quality decline because of inappropriate... more
Sweet potatoes (SPs) are a versatile tuberous crop used as subsistence and cash crop in raw and processed forms. The major issue with SPs is post-harvest losses, which result in noticeable quality decline because of inappropriate handling, storage, delayed transit, and sales, as well as microbiological and enzymatic activity. Drying is an excellent strategy for managing short postharvest storage life, preserving nutrients, and maximizing long-term benefits. However, several parameters must be considered before drying SPs, such as relative humidity, temperature, drying duration, size, and shape. The current review looks at the factors influencing SPs' moisture loss, drying kinetics, diverse drying methods, pretreatments, operating conditions, and their efficacy in improving the drying process, functional, and nutritional qualities. An optimal drying process is required to preserve SPs to obtain concentrated nutrients and improve energy efficiency to be ecofriendly. Drying sweet p...
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Research Interests: Chemistry, Food Science, Kinetics, Selenium, Antioxidant, and 3 moreGallic acid, Germination, and black rice
SummaryFresh rice bran (RB) is susceptible to rancidity during storage and transportation and needs a stabilisation process to inactivate enzymes and retain maximum nutrients. Two stabilisation methods, i.e., dry‐heat and extrusion, were... more
SummaryFresh rice bran (RB) is susceptible to rancidity during storage and transportation and needs a stabilisation process to inactivate enzymes and retain maximum nutrients. Two stabilisation methods, i.e., dry‐heat and extrusion, were applied to study the changes in nutritional composition, volatile compounds, and storage stability of rice bran under varied conditions. Both methods stabilised phytic acid content at 0.55–0.60 μmol L−1; the overall oryzanol content was reduced and found to be less in untreated rice bran. The increase in dry‐heat treatment time and temperature accelerated the oryzanol loss and the loss rate was lower than untreated RB while the oryzanol content was higher at end of storage. Similarly, the reduction rate in oryzanol content by extrusion treatment was positively correlated with storage temperature. Both methods significantly increased the total dietary and soluble dietary fibre but reduced vitamin E content. The extrusion treatment was better at stabilising different volatile compounds (such as aldehydes and ketones) than the dry‐heat treatment in the rice bran. The most volatile substances were hydrocarbons. Dry heat and extrusion increase aldehydes and ketones, oxidising RB and reducing its quality while aldehydes and ketones decreased during storage.
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A comprehensive study was carried out on in vitro multiplication and rooting using the medium enriched with different plant growth regulators and acclimatization of pineapple cv. ‘Smooth Cayenne’ using different soil growing substrates.... more
A comprehensive study was carried out on in vitro multiplication and rooting using the medium enriched with different plant growth regulators and acclimatization of pineapple cv. ‘Smooth Cayenne’ using different soil growing substrates. The significantly highest shoot buds (Avg. 16.7) were obtained on the medium comprising 2.0 mg L−1 BA (6-Benzylaminopurine). Results showed that 1.0 mg L−1 IBA (Indole-3-butyric acid) increased the thickness and length of white adventitious roots and resulted in a significantly highest number of roots (Avg. 8) and root length (6.15 cm). Plantlets with healthy, multiple roots were transplanted in several soil combinations of river silt, bolhari (yellow sand), and peat moss. However, the significantly highest survival (100%) of plantlets in the greenhouse was obtained on the soil medium containing only peat moss. Furthermore, soil mixtures of bolhari and peat moss (1:1) and river silt alone exhibited 98.9% and 95.1% survivability of plantlets, which wa...
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Fruit thinning in apple crop plays a critical role to achieve marketable king size fruits with better fruit quality apples. Th e thinning experiments were conducted using naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at diff erent concentrations (0, 10,... more
Fruit thinning in apple crop plays a critical role to achieve marketable king size fruits with better fruit quality apples. Th e thinning experiments were conducted using naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at diff erent concentrations (0, 10, 15 and 20 μl·l-1) applied at three timings [full bloom (FBT), fruit (FT) and the combination of both (FBT + FT)] in order to evaluate the optimum level of thinner with best application timing on fruit quality attributes of cv. ‘Granny Smith’ fruits. Statistically signifi cant diff erences were found regarding the eff ect of timing, concentration and combination of both, timing and concentrations, on fi rmness, soluble solids concentration (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA), while there were no signifi cant diff erences with addition of timing for SSC/TA ratio, fruit mass and starch degradation level. Th e highest fruit mass (195.09 g) and TA (0.67%) was achieved using NAA at 20 μl·l-1 in FT time while NAA at 15 μl·l-1 resulted in highest fruit fi rmne...
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An efficient protocol for rapid and large scale In vitro propagation of some Pakistani cultivars of date palm has been established using inflorescence explants at Date Palm Research Institute (DPRI), Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU),... more
An efficient protocol for rapid and large scale In vitro propagation of some Pakistani cultivars of date palm has been established using inflorescence explants at Date Palm Research Institute (DPRI), Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU), Khairpur, Pakistan. Immature inflorescences of desired cultivars of date palm detached from mother palms followed by surface sterilization with low torrent of current tap water and then 30% NaOCl2 solution, the outer cover were removed in order to get spike explants and cut into the 2-3 cm small pieces and cultured on modified MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg l 2, 4-D + 0.1 mg l IAA + 5.0 mg l NAA for initiation and establishment of cultures. The obtained somatic embryos were subjected to multiplication medium involved 0.1 mg l NAA + 0.05 mg lBA. Rooting was achieved using quarter strength MS medium containing 0.1 mg lNAA without activated charcoal (AC) initially and then with 3 g l AC. Strong rooted plantlets with 2-3 leaves were transferred to pot...
Research Interests: Technology, Horticulture, Biology, Plant Tissue Culture, Plant biotechnology, and 14 moreMicropropagation, Tropical Fruits, Biological Sciences, Date Palm Production Technology, Inflorescence, African, Date Palm, Cultivar, Phoenix dactylifera, Explant Culture, Palm, Date palm propagation, Date Palm tissue culture, and Date palm in Arab countries
Influence of different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0% w/v) and temperatures (4, 25, 50, and 75°C) on particle size distribution (PSD) and rheological and tribological characteristics of flaxseed gum (FSG) solutions was... more
Influence of different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0% w/v) and temperatures (4, 25, 50, and 75°C) on particle size distribution (PSD) and rheological and tribological characteristics of flaxseed gum (FSG) solutions was investigated. Besides, FSG dispersions (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% w/v) were used as edible coating and their influence on the quality parameters (oil uptake, moisture loss, texture, and sensory properties) of fried potato chips was studied. All FSG dispersions revealed shear-thinning nature and viscous properties (as G″ > G') that were more dominant at higher concentrations and lower temperatures. The power-law model presented a good fit in demonstrating the flow behavior of FSG dispersions. Concentration was the variable that affected the tribology of FSG dispersions, while temperature had little effect on the tribology. Particle size distribution was increased with the increasing concentration of FSG. FSG dispersions as an edible coating effectively reduced the moisture loss, oil uptake, and hardness properties of potato chips. Practical Application Profiling the influence of concentration and temperature on the rheology and tribology of flaxseed gum is particularly valuable during food processing. The results predict the physical properties of coated potato chips that can support the potential application of flaxseed gum as a coating agent. Today's consumers prefer healthier food products with low caloric, higher fiber content, functional properties, and sensory qualities. Food industries can use FSG as a low-cost natural coating material in terms of economic benefits, consumer acceptance, and providing an inordinate potential both for its protective effect and carrying functional compounds such as antioxidants in their coating matrix.
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This study is aimed at producing economical and high-quality phalsa diet squash (DSP) by partial or full replacement of sucrose with an equivalent sweetness from the safe artificial sweeteners, suc...
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A comparative study regarding standard fruit quality measurements (fruit mass, firmness, soluble solids concentration, starch conversion rate and Streif index) and acoustic properties (resonant frequency, peak width, resonant... more
A comparative study regarding standard fruit quality measurements (fruit mass, firmness, soluble solids concentration, starch conversion rate and Streif index) and acoustic properties (resonant frequency, peak width, resonant frequency/peak width ratio and stiffness) were conducted in ‘Gloster’ apples during two seasons. The findings obtained indicate no significant differences between seasons in studied quality parameters as well as in acoustic properties. The fruits were characterized with unusual high mass and high variation in resonant frequency and peak width, especially in season-I. In about 50% of examined fruit, the acoustic signal was not typical with one clearly visible peak, and appeared with two or, in few cases, even three peaks that were sometimes of similar height. The fruit mass was negatively correlated with resonant frequency, but correlation coefficient was lower in season-I and less significant than in season-II. Correlation coefficient between fruit mass and pea...
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The main goal of this study was to evaluate three black elder (Sambucus nigra L.) genotypes (“Prigorje”, “Korcula”, “Zagreb”) and compare them with cv. Haschberg as standard cultivar. Diameter of inflorescences, cluster mass, berry/stem... more
The main goal of this study was to evaluate three black elder (Sambucus nigra L.) genotypes (“Prigorje”, “Korcula”, “Zagreb”) and compare them with cv. Haschberg as standard cultivar. Diameter of inflorescences, cluster mass, berry/stem mass ratio, mass of 10 berries and SSC were higher in season 2014 than in season 2015, while length of one-year-old shoot and flowering density showed no significant differences. Interaction between season and genotype (S × G) was not significant for any of studied parameters. Genotype “Korcula” had significantly smaller diameter of inflorescence (11.26 ± 1.5 cm) than genotypes “Prigorje”, “Zagreb” and cv. Haschberg (16.81 ± 2.38, 18.05 ± 2.39, 17.5 ± 2.23 cm, respectively). Genotype “Korcula” (0.09 ± 0.03 flowers·cm-1) had significantly smaller flowering density than genotypes “Prigorje”, “Zagreb” and cv. Haschberg (0.15 ± 0.07, 0.15 ± 0.04, 0.16 ± 0.04 flowers·cm-1, respectively). Genotype “Korcula” had significantly smaller cluster mass (23.35 ± 1...
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The postharvest aspect of goji berries has long been neglected by researchers in order to extend its storage life and possible marketing as fresh fruit. Since fresh goji berry availability is limited only to its cultivating region due to... more
The postharvest aspect of goji berries has long been neglected by researchers in order to extend its storage life and possible marketing as fresh fruit. Since fresh goji berry availability is limited only to its cultivating region due to its short postharvest storage life and highly perishable nature, this further restricts interested consumers worldwide to consuming its dried or juice form or several other by-products and hence make them unable to take in the full health benefits of this highly nutritious berry. The current study thus aims to review possible ways to improve the storage potential of goji berries to attract a wide range of researchers working in this field and on this crop. The review provides thorough insight into different postharvest challenges like weight losses and fungal decaying ratio in goji and other berry fruits, which are the main issues during storage that have a direct effect on the postharvest quality. The review also analyzes several available postharvest technologies like normal and controlled atmospheric conditions, consumer-friendly chemical postharvest applications, thermal treatments, edible coatings, irradiation and ozone treatment studies, whether conducted on goji or other berry fruits in order to optimize the possible storage protocols in accordance with goji berries.
Research Interests: Biology, Postharvest OF Fruit, Pomology, Postharvest Horticulture, Postharvest Physiology of Fruits and Vegetables, and 15 morePostharvest Biology and Technology, Decay, Horticultural Sciences, MCP, Edible Coatings, Ozone, Crop Processing and Storage, Fruit Science, Berries, Postharvest Fresh Produce, Postharvest Decay Control, Postharvest, Cold Storage, Cold Storage Fruits Vegetables, and Goji berries
Date Palm ( Phoenix dactylifera L.) infected with sudden decline disease problem caused by Fusarium solani is considered as one of the most severe problem in Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan. F. solani are thought to be a causative organism for... more
Date Palm ( Phoenix dactylifera L.) infected with sudden decline disease problem caused by Fusarium solani is considered as one of the most severe problem in Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan. F. solani are thought to be a causative organism for this epidemiological problem. Six fungicides were tested such as Bavistin D.F, Topsin-M, Alliette, Ridomil gold, Mancozeb and Copper oxychloride at 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 (g) concentrations against F. solani in potted date palm seedlings under greenhouse conditions. The result revealed that all fungicides significantly reduced the infection of F. solani on treated plants as compared to the control (un-treated plants. The significant differences obtained in terms of root and shoot length than untreated/control plantlets. The maximum root length was recorded using Bavistin D.F that also appeared as highly effective in terms of reducing the disease severity followed by Topsin-M, Alliete and Ridomil Gold whileMancozeb and Copper oxychloride were appeared ...
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Date palm is one of the main horticultural crops of the ancient and recent world and an important source of food. Geographical distribution between 24° and 34°N latitude is considered as the main biodiversity centers of date palm... more
Date palm is one of the main horticultural crops of the ancient and recent world and an important source of food. Geographical distribution between 24° and 34°N latitude is considered as the main biodiversity centers of date palm distribution. There are about 5000 date palm cultivars besides countless varietal strains throughout the world, but every date-producing country has only few top commercial cultivars being cultivated and exported in all over the world. Commercial laboratories of tissue culture-derived date palm have contributed in spreading the cultivation and exchange safely cultivars of date palm worldwide. However, the date palm diversity is nowadays facing crucial problems such as Bayoud disease and red palm weevil (RPW) besides water shortage, urban settlement and disruption, rapid soil and genetic erosion and uncontrolled commercial exploitations of cultivating only elite cultivars. Numerous efforts have been made for in situ/on-farm conservation methods though effective but quite expensive and hence found only on small scale. The ex situ conservation methods of seed and DNA storage are not applicable due to their recalcitrant seeds and heterozygosity nature. Nevertheless, the in vitro conservation of date palm in form of shoot tips, axillary buds, embryos, and callus for longer periods by using slow growth or cold storage in vitro cultures and cryopreservation techniques is promising but might undergo somaclonal variation and less viability after thawing. The maintenance of field gene banks is found to be highly effective for conservation and providing the long-term preservation but relatively expensive and requiring huge space.
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The influence of ultrasonic frequency (20 kHz) and glucose pretreatments either alone or in combination on the drying of sweet potato slices (3 mm) using a hot-air dryer at 60 °C was tested to study the kinetics modeling, phytochemicals,... more
The influence of ultrasonic frequency (20 kHz) and glucose pretreatments either alone or in combination on the drying of sweet potato slices (3 mm) using a hot-air dryer at 60 °C was tested to study the kinetics modeling, phytochemicals, antioxidant activities, and functional and textural changes of the final dried product. The results indicated that total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were significantly higher in glucose-pretreated samples while antioxidant activities were higher in ultrasound- and glucose-pretreated samples. For vitamin C, much degradation occurred in the glucose-pretreated samples when compared with the other pretreated samples apart from the control. Enzymatic browning made a minor contribution to the ultrasound/glucose-pretreated samples, while no significant differences were noted in the glucose-pretreated samples. A modified Henderson and Pabis (MHP) model, followed by the two-term and Hii models, fitted best among the 15 selected mathematical models. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed the presence of glucose, phenols, and flavonols in all samples. Microstructural analysis confirmed the hardness (N) in the final glucose-pretreated samples due to glucose layers and less cell damage.
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Kakvoća voća ovisi o postupcima prije i poslije berbe, što je naročito izraženo kod bobičastog i jagodičastog voća, koje se ubraja u skupinu voćnih vrsta koje su najosjetljivije na mehanička oštećenja. Uzgoj voća je radno intenzivan i... more
Kakvoća voća ovisi o postupcima prije i poslije berbe, što je naročito izraženo kod bobičastog i jagodičastog voća, koje se ubraja u skupinu voćnih vrsta koje su najosjetljivije na mehanička oštećenja. Uzgoj voća je radno intenzivan i spor proces s visokim troškovima proizvodnje. Uz nedavni napredak u poljoprivrednoj tehnologiji razvijeni su mehanički i robotski strojevi koji, u usporedbi s tradicionalnim uzgojem i postupcima poslije berbe bobičastog i jagodičastog voća, osim što smanjuju troškove proizvodnje smanjenjem potreba za radnom snagom, ostvaruju i značajnu uštedu vremena. Ovaj rad donosi pregled aktualnih znanja o mehanizaciji u uzgoju i postupcima poslije berbe bobičastog i jagodičastog voća, s naglaskom na kratki opis najnovijih mehaničkih i robotskih kombajna dostupnih na tržištu.
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The drying of sweet potatoes not only helps to prolong its storage life but the dried form reportedly enriched with high bioactive compounds than regular sweet potatoes. The study aims to investigate the influence of dual-frequency... more
The drying of sweet potatoes not only helps to prolong its storage life but the dried form reportedly enriched with high bioactive compounds than regular sweet potatoes. The study aims to investigate the influence of dual-frequency ultrasound pretreatments (40 and 60 kHz) at two different hot air drying temperatures (70 °C and 80 °C) on quality of dried product. Ultrasound pretreatment at 40 kHz with 70 °C maintained the phytochemical compounds in the dried sweet potatoes. Ellagic acid and chlorogenic acid were found as predominant phenolic acids using HPLC analysis, while identification of two new bioactive compounds quercetin-3-rhamnoside and quercetin 3-β-D-glucoside were the novel finding of the current study. A short new band appeared in FTIR in all treatments from 2164 to 2041 cm−1 which refers to C = C alkenes functional group. The multivariate analysis showed a great influence of USH3 and USH1 with a positive relationship with most of bioactive compounds.
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Goji berries are considered as the latest super food or fruit due to its excellent nutritive and medicinal properties and usually consumed and marketed as a dried or as a juice due to its short storage life and lack of information about... more
Goji berries are considered as the latest super food or fruit due to its excellent nutritive and medicinal properties and usually consumed and marketed as a dried or as a juice due to its short storage life and lack of information about its postharvest behavior. The current study was an attempt to prolong its storage life simply by using different storage temperatures (−2, 0, 10 and 20 °C) and evaluating the post-storage biochemical and fruit quality. The fruits stored at 0 °C and −2 °C appeared with lowest weight losses (13.08 and 14.95%) and significantly different from fruit stored at 10 °C (18.29%) for 12 days of storage. Whereas, the fruits stored at 20 °C deteriorated within a day due to fungal decay. However, some storage disorders like cracking, peel disorder, shriveling were observed in the fruits stored under −2 and 10 °C. There were significant differences in the phytochemical attributes like SSC, TA, SSC/TA ratio, total polyphenols, DPPH, ABTS and β‑carotene while the amount of anthocyanins and CIE color variables were found non-significant. In addition, the fruits stored under 0 °C appeared fresh and healthy and hence received highest scores during sensory analysis and strongly recommended for storage of this important horticultural commodity.
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Four anti-hail and anti-insect nets (red, white and yellow anti-hail and Stop Drosophila Normal) were used on apple cv. ‘Braeburn’ grown in northern Croatia in order to evaluate their effect on fruit colouration that was measured with the... more
Four anti-hail and anti-insect nets (red, white and yellow anti-hail and Stop Drosophila Normal) were used on apple cv. ‘Braeburn’ grown in northern Croatia in order to evaluate their effect on fruit colouration that was measured with the colorimeter (expressed as: L* – lightness, a* – yellow/blue b* – green/red) on two sides of fruit (“green” side and “red” side), and also they were used in order to evaluate their effect on the coloured surface percentage, apart from their anti-hail and pest damage protection properties. The fruits were harvested on 12
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ABSTRACT
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Dates are major horticultural crop in Middle East region. It is the major fruit crop of arid deserts, in tropical and subtropical areas of the world including Gulf Cooperation Council of Northern Africa and Southern Asia. In Pakistan date... more
Dates are major horticultural crop in Middle East region. It is the major fruit crop of arid deserts, in tropical and subtropical areas of the world including Gulf Cooperation Council of Northern Africa and Southern Asia. In Pakistan date palm are grown in four provinces. The area under cultivation of date palm is 98.7 thousand hectares with total production 735 thousand tons. The date palm of Sindh is mainly concentrated in district Khairpur and it is the biodiversity centre for the date palm having more than 300 varieties, which is also major date producing district of Pakistan. The Agriculture Extension Services play an important role in agriculture development by improving agricultural practices and adopting new production technologies in farming. The data used in this study was collected directly from date palm growers in district Khairpur using specially designed questionnaire. Data were collected through field survey in date palm growing area. The 60 growers in the study area...
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The current study aims to optimize in vitro elongation and rooting protocol and successful acclimatization of two elite date palm cultivars of Pakistan. The differentiated repeated embryos (RE) and non-repeated embryos (NRE) of date palm... more
The current study aims to optimize in vitro elongation and rooting protocol and successful acclimatization of two elite date palm cultivars of Pakistan. The differentiated repeated embryos (RE) and non-repeated embryos (NRE) of date palm cvs. Aseel and Dhakki were harvested and transferred on germination medium containing different combinations of NAA + Kin (mg L −1 ), full strength MS nutrients and 30 g L −1 sucrose. The maximum somatic embryos germination and plantlet formation was achieved on the medium comprising 0.05 NAA + 1.0 Kin (mg L −1 ). Whereas improved elongation and rooting was obtained on the MS medium comprising 0.1 NAA + 0.1 BA (mg L −1 ). Addition of activated charcoal (3 g L −1 ) and trimming of roots (prior to proper rooting stage on rooting medium) were found vital to enhance leaf and root length, in addition helped secondary and tertiary root formation. The in vitro hardening was observed as helpful to bring gradual physiological changes from heterotrophic to autotrophic mode of plant nutrition. In vitro plantlets with 2–4 leaves (avg. 20 cm long) and healthy roots (avg. 8–12 cm long) were acclimatized in greenhouse on different soil mixtures. The best soil medium for acclimatization of plantlets was peat moss + river sand mixture at ratio of 3:1 (v/v) which resulted in 92% survival of plantlets in the greenhouse during first month of transferring. The current micropropagation protocol may support for commercial scale production of other elite date palm cultivars worldwide.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently emerged pandemic caused by a novel virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease is communicable and mainly affects the respiratory tract. The... more
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently emerged pandemic caused by a novel virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease is communicable and mainly affects the respiratory tract. The outbreak of this disease has greatly influenced human health and economic activities worldwide. The absence of any medication for this infection highlights the urgent need for the development of alternative methods for managing the spread of the disease. Our immune system operates based on a complex array of cells, processes, and chemicals that continuously protect our body from invading pathogens, including viruses, toxins, and bacteria. The present study was conducted to perform a comprehensive review of all dietary treatments for boosting immunity against viral infections. No study was found to explicitly support the use of any healthy foods or supplements to protect against COVID-19. However, this study offers details on well-researched functiona...
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A research was conducted on the effect of heat treatments on the heating and cooling of the ‘Idared’ apple fruit. The heat treatment was performed as hot water dip (HWD), where fruit were dipped into water at 50 °C, for two, four and six... more
A research was conducted on the effect of heat treatments on the heating and cooling of the ‘Idared’ apple fruit. The heat treatment was performed as hot water dip (HWD), where fruit were dipped into water at 50 °C, for two, four and six minutes (HWD 500C 2’, HWD 500C 4’ and HWD 500C 6’, respectively). The aim of the study was to determine the effect of heat treatments on the warming and cooling on the fruit which was observed by thermographic images recorded every minute for the duration of 12 minutes in total. The fruit treated with HWD 50°C 6’ achieved the highest temperature (50.6 0C), followed by HWD 500C 4’ (48.2 0C) and HWD 500C 2’ (44.3 0C). The damage to fruit caused by high temperatures (heat damage) was visible only on the fruit treated with HWD 50°C 6’. The differences in maximal temperature of fruit surface were statistically different among all three exposures for the whole duration of recording, meaning that the duration of the hot water dip treatment significantly af...
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The current study aims to optimize in vitro elongation and rooting protocol and successful acclimatization of two elite date palm cultivars of Pakistan. The differentiated repeated embryos (RE) and non-repeated embryos (NRE) of date palm... more
The current study aims to optimize in vitro elongation and rooting protocol and successful acclimatization of two elite
date palm cultivars of Pakistan. The differentiated repeated embryos (RE) and non-repeated embryos (NRE) of date
palm cvs. Aseel and Dhakki were harvested and transferred on germination medium containing different combinations of
NAA + Kin (mg L–1), full strength MS nutrients and 30 g L–1 sucrose. The maximum somatic embryos germination and
plantlet formation was achieved on the medium comprising 0.05 NAA + 1.0 Kin (mg L–1). Whereas improved elongation
and rooting was obtained on the MS medium comprising 0.1 NAA + 0.1 BA (mg L–1). Addition of activated charcoal
(3 gL–1) and trimming of roots (prior to proper rooting stage on rooting medium) were found vital to enhance leaf and root
length, in addition helped secondary and tertiary root formation. The in vitro hardening was observed as helpful to bring
gradual physiological changes from heterotrophic to autotrophic mode of plant nutrition. In vitro plantlets with 2–4 leaves
(avg. 20 cm long) and healthy roots (avg. 8–12 cm long) were acclimatized in greenhouse on different soil mixtures. The
best soil medium for acclimatization of plantlets was peat moss + river sand mixture at ratio of 3:1 (v/v) which resulted in
92% survival of plantlets in the greenhouse during first month of transferring. The current micropropagation protocol may
support for commercial scale production of other elite date palm cultivars worldwide
date palm cultivars of Pakistan. The differentiated repeated embryos (RE) and non-repeated embryos (NRE) of date
palm cvs. Aseel and Dhakki were harvested and transferred on germination medium containing different combinations of
NAA + Kin (mg L–1), full strength MS nutrients and 30 g L–1 sucrose. The maximum somatic embryos germination and
plantlet formation was achieved on the medium comprising 0.05 NAA + 1.0 Kin (mg L–1). Whereas improved elongation
and rooting was obtained on the MS medium comprising 0.1 NAA + 0.1 BA (mg L–1). Addition of activated charcoal
(3 gL–1) and trimming of roots (prior to proper rooting stage on rooting medium) were found vital to enhance leaf and root
length, in addition helped secondary and tertiary root formation. The in vitro hardening was observed as helpful to bring
gradual physiological changes from heterotrophic to autotrophic mode of plant nutrition. In vitro plantlets with 2–4 leaves
(avg. 20 cm long) and healthy roots (avg. 8–12 cm long) were acclimatized in greenhouse on different soil mixtures. The
best soil medium for acclimatization of plantlets was peat moss + river sand mixture at ratio of 3:1 (v/v) which resulted in
92% survival of plantlets in the greenhouse during first month of transferring. The current micropropagation protocol may
support for commercial scale production of other elite date palm cultivars worldwide
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The date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera L.) is considered as one of the most important horticultural crop of the world and holds a very significant position in the agricultural horizon of district Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan. The sudden... more
The date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera L.) is considered as one of the most important horticultural crop of the world and holds a very significant position in the agricultural horizon of district Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan. The sudden decline disease of date palm is one of the major problems of the region and has destroyed hundreds of orchards in dispersed areas of district Khairpur that resulted in huge economic losses. The aim of the current study was to investigate the incidence of sudden decline disease of date palm and mortality by surveyed seventeen different locations of district Khairpur and the fungal pathogens associated to the disease were also explored. The sudden decline disease incidence greatly varied at different locations and ranged from 0.25% to 50.17%. Maximum disease incidence was at Noor pur followed by Baberloe and Ahmedpur. The minimum disease incidence was recorded at Nizamani followed by Noonari, Therhi and Shadi shaheed with 1.5%. Six fungi namely, Fusarium so...
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Goji berries are considered as the latest superfood or fruit due to its excellent nutritive and medicinal properties. It is usually consumed and mark
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Date palm is a dioecious, perennial monocot plant species of the Arecaceae family cultivated in 56 countries including European and American countries. The success of date palm micropropagation is strongly linked to the in vitro root... more
Date palm is a dioecious, perennial monocot plant species of the Arecaceae family cultivated in 56 countries including European and American countries. The success of date palm micropropagation is strongly linked to the in vitro root quality. The identical shoots of 8-10 cm long of three different varieties (vars.) were cultured in rooting experiment to study the combined impact of genotype, sucrose concentration, activated charcoal (AC), basal salts (MS or MS & B5) and subculture number. The adventitious roots were planned to be initiated on media included different combinations of sucrose and basal salts for a couple of subcultures (each a month) and after then were transferred onto media contained 1.5 and 3.0 g/l AC for additional two subcultures. Findings indicated that using 40 g/l sucrose in the rooting medium encouraged the adventitious roots production where 5 roots per plantlet of 7.8 cm long and 1.4 mm width were averagely induced. The average leaves number reached 3-4 lea...
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Date palm is one of the main horticultural crops of the ancient and recent world and an important source of food. Geographical distribution between 24° and 34°N latitude is considered as the main biodiversity centers of date palm... more
Date palm is one of the main horticultural crops of the ancient and recent
world and an important source of food. Geographical distribution between 24° and
34°N latitude is considered as the main biodiversity centers of date palm distribution.
There are about 5000 date palm cultivars besides countless varietal strains
throughout the world, but every date-producing country has only few top commercial
cultivars being cultivated and exported in all over the world. Commercial
laboratories of tissue culture-derived date palm have contributed in spreading the
cultivation and exchange safely cultivars of date palm worldwide. However, the
date palm diversity is nowadays facing crucial problems such as Bayoud disease
and red palm weevil (RPW) besides water shortage, urban settlement and disruption,
rapid soil and genetic erosion and uncontrolled commercial exploitations of
cultivating only elite cultivars. Numerous efforts have been made for in situ/on-farm
conservation methods though effective but quite expensive and hence found only on
small scale. The ex situ conservation methods of seed and DNA storage are not
applicable due to their recalcitrant seeds and heterozygosity nature. Nevertheless,
the in vitro conservation of date palm in form of shoot tips, axillary buds, embryos,
and callus for longer periods by using slow growth or cold storage in vitro cultures
and cryopreservation techniques is promising but might undergo somaclonal variation
and less viability after thawing. The maintenance of field gene banks is found
to be highly effective for conservation and providing the long-term preservation but
relatively expensive and requiring huge space.
world and an important source of food. Geographical distribution between 24° and
34°N latitude is considered as the main biodiversity centers of date palm distribution.
There are about 5000 date palm cultivars besides countless varietal strains
throughout the world, but every date-producing country has only few top commercial
cultivars being cultivated and exported in all over the world. Commercial
laboratories of tissue culture-derived date palm have contributed in spreading the
cultivation and exchange safely cultivars of date palm worldwide. However, the
date palm diversity is nowadays facing crucial problems such as Bayoud disease
and red palm weevil (RPW) besides water shortage, urban settlement and disruption,
rapid soil and genetic erosion and uncontrolled commercial exploitations of
cultivating only elite cultivars. Numerous efforts have been made for in situ/on-farm
conservation methods though effective but quite expensive and hence found only on
small scale. The ex situ conservation methods of seed and DNA storage are not
applicable due to their recalcitrant seeds and heterozygosity nature. Nevertheless,
the in vitro conservation of date palm in form of shoot tips, axillary buds, embryos,
and callus for longer periods by using slow growth or cold storage in vitro cultures
and cryopreservation techniques is promising but might undergo somaclonal variation
and less viability after thawing. The maintenance of field gene banks is found
to be highly effective for conservation and providing the long-term preservation but
relatively expensive and requiring huge space.