Publications by authors named "Rahila Hafeez"

Background: Lettuce is widely cultivated for its high nutritional value, but its yield is significantly diminished by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a pathogenic fungus responsible for Sclerotinia rot. The overuse of chemical fungicides has led to resistance and environmental concerns. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop effective biocontrol agents as a safer and more sustainable alternative for managing this disease.

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Background: Rice blast, caused by Pyricularia oryzae, is a devastating fungal disease threatening global rice production. Overreliance on chemical fungicides has raised environmental concerns and led to resistant strains, necessitating the development of sustainable alternatives. This study integrated marine microbiology and natural antifungal compounds to create eco-friendly alternatives to chemical fungicides for disease management.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study focuses on the use of biogenic nanoformulations (BNFs) made from biogenic silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) and melatonin (MT) to control bacterial wilt in tomatoes, a disease caused by the bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum.
  • - Researchers synthesized SiNPs using Zizania latifolia leaves and assessed BNFs in greenhouse settings, observing significant improvements in plant immunity and a 78.29% reduction in bacterial wilt incidence through enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity and disease-related gene activation.
  • - The results indicated that BNFs not only improve tomato plant resistance but also promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the rhizosphere, signifying a holistic approach to managing plant diseases
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Cyclo (Phe-Pro) (cFP), a cyclic dipeptide with notable antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties, shows great promise for biological control of plant diseases. Produced as a byproduct by non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS), the regulatory mechanism of cFP biosynthesis remains unclear. In a screening test of 997 Tn5 mutants of Burkholderia seminalis strain R456, we identified eight mutants with enhanced antagonistic effects against Fusarium graminearum (Fg).

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Objectives: To enhance the utilization of reclaimed land, Sanyeqing (SYQ) has been extensively cultivated in Zhejiang province, China. However, the prevalence of anthracnose has significantly hindered SYQ growth, emerging as a primary obstacle to its production. This study aimed to elucidate SYQ's responses to anthracnose in reclaimed land environments by comprehensively analyzing root-zone bacterial community structure, metabolites, and soil properties.

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by defects in social communication and interaction along with restricted interests and/or repetitive behavior. Children with ASD often also experience gastrointestinal (GI) problems in fact incidence of GI problems in ASD is estimated up to 80 percent. Intestinal microbiota, which is a collection of trillions of microorganisms both beneficial and potentially harmful bacteria living inside the gut, has been considered one of the key elements of gut disorders.

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The ancient bayberry demonstrates superior resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses compared to cultivated bayberry, yet the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. This study investigates whether long-term bayberry cultivation enhances stress resistance through modulation of tissue-specific microbes and metabolites. Employing microbiome amplicon sequencing alongside untargeted mass spectrometry analysis, we scrutinize the role of endosphere and rhizosphere microbial communities and metabolites in shaping the differential resistance observed between ancient and cultivated bayberry trees.

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Rice blast, an extremely destructive disease caused by the filamentous fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, poses a global threat to the production of rice (Oryza sativa L.). The emerging trend of reducing dependence on chemical fungicides for crop protection has increased interest in exploring bioformulated nanomaterials as a sustainable alternative antimicrobial strategy for effectively managing plant diseases.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study focuses on using moringa chitosan nanoparticles (M-CsNPs) as a sustainable alternative to traditional pesticides for combating rice blast disease (RBD) caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, which poses a threat to food security.
  • - M-CsNPs demonstrated significant effectiveness in suppressing pathogen growth and reducing RBD by 77.7% in greenhouse tests, while also enhancing plant health and antioxidant activity.
  • - The research revealed that M-CsNPs not only lower the abundance of the pathogen in rice plants but also improve the microbial diversity in the plant's environment, promoting beneficial bacteria that enhance growth and resilience against diseases.
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Some endophyte bacteria can improve plant growth and suppress plant diseases. However, little is known about the potential of endophytes bacteria to promote wheat growth and suppress the seedling blight pathogen . This study was conducted to isolate and identify endophytic bacteria and evaluate their efficacy for the plant growth promotion and disease suppression of seedling blight (FSB) in wheat.

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Abiotic stresses in plants such as salinity, drought, heavy metal toxicity, heat, and nutrients limitations significantly reduce agricultural production worldwide. The genome editing techniques such as transcriptional activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) and zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) have been used for genome manipulations in plants. However, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) technique has recently emerged as a promising tool for genome editing in plants to acquire desirable traits.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates bacteria from legume nodules as potential biocontrol agents and plant growth promoters, particularly focusing on their antifungal capabilities against key plant pathogens.
  • - Researchers isolated various strains that demonstrated strong antifungal activity and other beneficial traits like producing hydrolytic enzymes and plant hormones, crucial for promoting plant health.
  • - Genetic analysis of the strains revealed many have genes associated with producing beneficial compounds and fixing nitrogen, indicating their potential use as both biocontrol agents and biofertilizers in agriculture.
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A large number of metallic nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized by using different plant extracts and microbes including bacteria, fungi viruses and microalgae. Some of these metallic nanoparticles showed strong antimicrobial activities against phytopathogens. Here, we summarized these green-synthesized nanoparticles from plants and microbes and their applications in the control of plant pathogens.

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