Madiha Rashid
University of Education Lahore, Botany, Faculty Member
Research Interests:
Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping is a genome-wide inference of the relationship between genotype at various genomic locations and phenotype for a set of quantitative traits in terms of the number, genomic positions, effects, and... more
Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping is a genome-wide inference of the relationship between genotype at various genomic locations and phenotype for a set of quantitative traits in terms of the number, genomic positions, effects, and interaction of QTL. The Quinones and phenolics are the products of Geranyl diphospohate synthase (GPPS). Thymoquinone (TQ), dithymoquinone (DTQ), thymohydroquinone (THQ), and thymol (THY) are the most important pharmacologically active quinone based constituents in Nigella sativa (Black seed oil). Quantitative trait loci, candidate genes and associated morphological markers for these traits have been identified and located in the N.sativa genome. The breeding and genetic improvement of N. sativa is highly restricted due to unexplored high-density genetic map. The study was planned to map the genes linked to quinonens ane phenolics biosynthesis in N. sativa. Two inbred parental lines W626529 and W626530 differing in some phenotypic characters were select...
Research Interests:
Background Genetic diversity is being lost because of increasing urbanization and decreasing cultivation land, which leads to the abrupt use of wild resources of medicinally aromatic plants (MAPs). Cymbopogon citratus is a morphologically... more
Background Genetic diversity is being lost because of increasing urbanization and decreasing cultivation land, which leads to the abrupt use of wild resources of medicinally aromatic plants (MAPs). Cymbopogon citratus is a morphologically diverse MAP that is largely exploited in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. However, the intraspecific phytochemical and molecular diversity of C. citratus has yet to be explored. Methodology The germplasm was obtained from four different countries representing Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and the United States. Oil extraction was performed by hydro distillation, and metabolic profiles of different accessions were generated by GC–MS. Seventeen functional molecular markers based on three genes encoding cytochrome P450, uridyl diphosphate glycosyltransferase and the 5S rRNA gene family were used to explore genetic diversity. Principal component analysis (PCA) and heatmaps were constructed using R software with the help of the gg-plot...
Research Interests:
N. sativa is an important industrial crop globally but neglected crop in Pakistan, hence imported. It has been used for revitalizing body system in almost all ancient civilizations. In the present investigation worldwide accessions of N.... more
N. sativa is an important industrial crop globally but neglected crop in Pakistan, hence imported. It has been used for revitalizing body system in almost all ancient civilizations. In the present investigation worldwide accessions of N. sativa were cultivated for three years to select the most diverse accessions for cultivation and future breeding purpose in Pakistan. More diverse and acclimatized accessions with enhanced morphological traits were observed. Seed length, seed width, plant height, number of flowers and number of follicles showed maximum considerable variation in three years. Morphological variations observed and collected for all three years were not consistent among all accessions, due to some environmental fluctuations while some of the accessions like ACC 20662, ACC W626529, ACC 20878, ACC 21545, ACC 21428and ACC 20990 showed consistency at some extent among results of different morphological markers (number of flowers, number of stamens, number of follicles, foll...
Research Interests:
Nanotechnology is an emerging technique that helps in solving the biotic and abiotic agricultural issues leading to enhance crop productivity. Therefore, it was hypothesized to check the effect of Qiangdi 863 nano synergids... more
Nanotechnology is an emerging technique that helps in solving the biotic and abiotic agricultural issues leading to enhance crop productivity. Therefore, it was hypothesized to check the effect of Qiangdi 863 nano synergids biological-assisted growth apparatus and nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK) fertilizers improving rice germination, early growth, physiology, and yield. An experiment was performed on five rice varieties for three consecutive years (2017–2019). The nanosynergids-treated water (NTW) significantly improved the speed of germination (25.3, 35.6, and 32.3%), final emergence percentage (100%) and seed emergence energy percentage (80, 95, and 90%), radical (1.25, 1.7, and 2.35 cm) and plumule growth (1.29, 1.24, and 1.66 cm), soil plant analysis development (46, 45, and 47), antioxidant enzymatic activities, such as catalase activity (34,376 μg–1FW h–1, 33,264 μg–1FW h–1, and 34,453 μg–1F W h–1), superoxide dismutase (18,456 μg–1F W h–1, 19,445 μg–1F W h–1, and ...
Research Interests:
Leafy vegetable crops are considered as a natural source of mineral nutrients that could decrease the risk factor of many growth issues in children and adults. Spinach is globally considered as the most desirable leafy crop, due to its... more
Leafy vegetable crops are considered as a natural source of mineral nutrients that could decrease the risk factor of many growth issues in children and adults. Spinach is globally considered as the most desirable leafy crop, due to its taste and nutrient richness along with greater nitrate contents and better nitrogen use efficiency. To evaluate the mineral nutrient efficiency of this crop, thirty genetically diverse spinach accessions were analyzed through nutritional and functional marker strategies. The accession 163,310 from Pakistan was found to be rich in minerals (sodium, calcium, potassium, zinc, and manganese) and nitrates. However, the oxalate contents were lesser in the accessions that had greater quantity of nutrients. These represented a negative correlation between mineral availability and oxalate accumulation in the leaves. To study the relationship of oxalates and minerals in the accessions, a functional marker analysis was performed, based on the genes involved in o...
Research Interests:
Nutraceuticals can serve as an alternative supplement to overcome nutritional deficiency for a healthy lifestyle. They can also play a key role in disease management. To develop carrot nutraceutical products, 64 genotypes from four... more
Nutraceuticals can serve as an alternative supplement to overcome nutritional deficiency for a healthy lifestyle. They can also play a key role in disease management. To develop carrot nutraceutical products, 64 genotypes from four different continents were evaluated for a range of morpho-nutrition variables. Genetic variability, heritability, strength and direction of association among variables, and direct and indirect relationships among physiochemical and nutritional traits with β-carotene content were evaluated. Core diameter, foliage weight, root weight and shoulder weight showed significant association with β-carotene accumulation. Principal component analysis for physiochemical and nutritional assessment divided these genotypes into two distinctive groups, Eastern carrots and Western carrots. Caloric and moisture content had high positive associations with β-carotene content while carbohydrate content was negatively associated. Five genotypes (T-29, PI 634658, PI 288765, PI ...
Research Interests:
Nigella sativa is an extensively utilized herbal medicinal plant. Medicinal utilization of seeds and oil of N. sativa was common among all the ancient medicinal systems. Previously, the vegetative part of the plant was not utilized for... more
Nigella sativa is an extensively utilized herbal medicinal plant. Medicinal utilization of seeds and oil of N. sativa was common among all the ancient medicinal systems. Previously, the vegetative part of the plant was not utilized for pharmaceutical purposes. Therefore, the current study was aimed at determining the potential of the vegetative parts (leaves, branches and stem) of the plant to reduce the pressure on the reproductive part (seeds/oil) and to get a potential alternate source of pharmaceutical materials. The experiment was carried out in split block RCD design. The dried plant was extracted through partitioning method in a series of concentrations ranging from 200-1.562mg/ml in different solvents. Phyto-chemical screening, antibacterial and anti-oxidant assays and GC-MS analysis of the potent extracts were done. The green parts of N. sativa were shown to contain saponins, alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, cardiac glycosides, tannins, and flavonoids, whereas phloba-tannin...
Research Interests:
This study was conducted to evaluate the antifungal activity of vegetative parts of Nigella sativa L. against soil-borne fungal species Fusarium oxysporum and Macrophomina phaseolina. N. sativa seeds were sown under field conditions. The... more
This study was conducted to evaluate the antifungal activity of vegetative parts of Nigella sativa L. against soil-borne fungal species Fusarium oxysporum and Macrophomina phaseolina. N. sativa seeds were sown under field conditions. The plants at their vegetative stage were collected and dried at room temperature. The plant material was crushed, sieved and extracted in methanol through maceration. After rotary evaporation of methanol the extract was partitioned by using different solvents as chloroform, n-hexane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. The extracted fractions were assayed for their antifungal activity against two soil-borne fungal species namely F. oxysporum and M. phaseolina collected from First Fungal Culture Bank, IAGS, University of the Punjab, Lahore. Different concentrations viz. 1.56, 3.13, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg mL were used for antifungal bioassays. Ethyl acetate extract completely inhibited the fungal biomass production of both fungal strains at 50 mg mL...
Article Type: Full Length Research Article A huge amount of crop yield has been lost due to weeds. Modern control strategies including biological techniques are needed to overcome this problem. Recent studies have suggested that... more
Article Type: Full Length Research Article A huge amount of crop yield has been lost due to weeds. Modern control strategies including biological techniques are needed to overcome this problem. Recent studies have suggested that allelochemicals can be used to control weeds and the pericarp of Trapa natans var. bispinosa Roxb. is a rich source of phytochemicals. The presence of weed species in cultivated fields might be the upshot of certain inhibitory substances produced by the crop plants. Therefore the allelopathic effect of ground pericarp of T. natans var. bispinosa was evaluated against the growth of Cucumis sativus L., Lactuca sativa L., Raphanus sativus L., Spinacia oleracea L. and Triticum aestivum L. by sandwich method. Three different concentrations (0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 g) of ground pericarp were used as treatments. All of them introvertedly inhibit the germination and growth of all the test plants in dose-dependent manner except C. sativus and T. aestivum. A higher concent...
Exploration of genetic diversity contributes primarily towards crop improvement. Spinaciaoleracea L. is a functional food species but unfortunately the genetic diversity of this vegetable is still unexplored. Therefore, this research was... more
Exploration of genetic diversity contributes primarily towards crop improvement. Spinaciaoleracea L. is a functional food species but unfortunately the genetic diversity of this vegetable is still unexplored. Therefore, this research was planned to explore the genetic diversity of S. oleracea by using morphological and protein markers. Protein profile of 25 accessions was generated on sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel. Total allelic variation of 27 bands was found. Out of these, 20 were polymorphic and the rest of the bands were monomorphic. Molecular weights of the bands ranged from 12.6 to 91.2 kDa. Major genetic differences were observed in accession 20541 (Peshawar) followed by 20180 (Lahore) and 19902 (AVRDC). Significant differences exist in the protein banding pattern. This variation can further be studied by advanced molecular techniques, including two-dimensional electrophoresis and DNA markers.
Research Interests:
Thymoquinone (TQ; 2-isopropyl-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone) is a secondary metabolite found in abundance in very few plant species including Nigella sativa L., Monarda fistulosa L. and Satureja montana L. It is found in crystalline triclinic... more
Thymoquinone (TQ; 2-isopropyl-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone) is a secondary metabolite found in abundance in very few plant species including Nigella sativa L., Monarda fistulosa L. and Satureja montana L. It is found in crystalline triclinic form in a range of organs in these plants. TQ has been synthetically prepared from thymol (2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol); commercially it is synthesized by modification of thymol and carvacrol (5-isopropyl-2-methylphenol). TQ has substantial therapeutic potential because of its anti-cancer, hepato-protective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cardio-protective activities in cell culture systems and animal models. In this article, we have reviewed recent studies on the natural and synthetic sources of TQ, its biosynthetic pathway and its modes of action in human and experimental models, as well as its commercial preparation. We also compiled the medicinal effects of TQ. The biological activities of TQ support the potential of this plan...
Research Interests:
BackgroundGlobal warming, climate change, environmental stress and population increase have threatened food security and increased food production demand. Increasing Rice productions could be a better solution to solve or at least... more
BackgroundGlobal warming, climate change, environmental stress and population increase have threatened food security and increased food production demand. Increasing Rice productions could be a better solution to solve or at least decrease the severity of the global food crisis. The modern rice cultivation techniques have been insufficient for sustainable rice production. So, Qiangdi 863 nano synergid is hypothesized to enhance the early growth of rice, rice physiology, grain yield, and grain quality. ResultsThe present study was carried out to determine the role of Qiangdi 863 nano synergid on the growth and yield of one Chinese rice variety Zhongzao 39 and four Pakistani rice varieties KSK 133, KS 282, Super basmati, and PK 1121 aromatic. Field experiments were conducted during the years 2017, 2018, and 2019. Appling nano-treated water enhanced the germination rate along with radicle and plumule lengths and improved the photosynthesis rate, SPAD value in rice leaves for all five v...
Thymoquinone (TQ; 2-isopropyl-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone) is a secondary metabolite found in abundance in very few plant species including Nigella sativa L., Monarda fistulosa L. and Satureja montana L. It is found in crystalline triclinic... more
Thymoquinone (TQ; 2-isopropyl-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone) is a secondary metabolite found in abundance in very few plant species including Nigella sativa L., Monarda fistulosa L. and Satureja montana L. It is found in crystalline triclinic form in a range of organs in these plants. TQ has been synthetically prepared from thymol (2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol); commercially it is synthesized by modification of thymol and carvacrol (5-isopropyl-2-methylphenol). TQ has substantial therapeutic potential because of its anti-cancer, hepato-protective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cardio-protective activities in cell culture systems and animal models. In this article, we have reviewed recent studies on the natural and synthetic sources of TQ, its biosynthetic pathway and its modes of action in human and experimental models, as well as its commercial preparation. We also compiled the medicinal effects of TQ. The biological activities of TQ support the potential of this plan...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Allelopathy is an important phenomenon that modifies the ecosystem. A plant can enhance or reduce the growth of other plant due to the presence of a number of allelochemicals in its different parts. Euphorbia helioscopia and Euphorbia... more
Allelopathy is an important phenomenon that modifies the ecosystem. A plant can enhance or reduce the growth of other plant due to the presence of a number of allelochemicals in its different parts. Euphorbia helioscopia and Euphorbia pulcherrima are medicinal plant species. Both these species are collected from wild resources for various purposes. To reduce the pressure on wild population, it is important to bring them into cultivation. Therefore, the allelopathic effects of E. helioscopia and E. pulcherrima on the growth of lettuce seeds were studied. Three different concentrations (2%, 4% and 6%) of five different solvents (methanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, n-hexane and distilled water) were used to estimate the allelopathic potential of the above-mentioned Euphorbia species. Results indicated a non-significant growth inhibitory effect of both plants on lettuce seeds. Different extracts reduced the growth of test plant to some extent but this inhibition was not significant. From the observed results, it was concluded that the studied Euphorbia species, being medicinally important crops, can be introduced as intercrop with other cash crops.
Research Interests:
Momordica charantiaL. (Cucurbitaceae) is a commonly cultivated functional food plant. In the present study, karyological variation among 34 accessions ofM. charantiaoriginating from the Indian subcontinent (Bangladesh, India and Pakistan)... more
Momordica charantiaL. (Cucurbitaceae) is a commonly cultivated functional food plant. In the present study, karyological variation among 34 accessions ofM. charantiaoriginating from the Indian subcontinent (Bangladesh, India and Pakistan) and Thailand was evaluated. Ploidy levels ranging from diploid (2n= 22) to hexaploid (2n= 66) were observed. Hexaploidy inM. charantiais reported herein for the first time. Chromosome length ranged from 0.8 to 2.9 μm. The hexaploid accessions had submetacentric and subtelocentric chromosomes. All accessions harboured median and submedian chromosomes. Only one hexaploid accession (TOT1140) had chromosomes with subterminal centromeres. There was considerable variation in chromosome length and chromosome arm ratio.