Asma Imran

• Ph.D (Biotechnology)
• Principal Scientist at National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering

In many regions of the world, the incidence and extent of drought spells are predicted to increase which will create considerable pressure on global agricultural yields. Most likely among all the abiotic stresses, drought has the strongest effect on soil biota and plants along with complex environmental effects on other ecological systems. Plants b...

Water shortage limits agricultural productivity, so strategies to get higher yields in dry agricultural systems is vital to circumvent the effect of climate change and land‐shortage. The plant rhizosphere harbours beneficial bacteria able to confer biotic/abiotic tolerance along with a positive impact on plant growth. Herein, three bacterial strain...

The rhizosphere is undoubtedly the most complex microhabitat, comprised of an integrated network of plant roots, soil, and a diverse consortium of bacteria, fungi, eukaryotes, and archaea. The rhizosphere conditions have a direct impact on crop growth and yield. Nutrient-rich rhizosphere environments stimulate plant growth and yield and vice versa....

The extensive use of agrochemicals especially nitrogen (N) during and after green revolution in the last century although resulted in a remarkable increase in crop yield but has drastically reduced soil fertility, increased the production cost, food prices, carbon footprints, depleted the fossil reserves with huge penalties to environment and ecolo...

The synergistic interaction between green nanoparticles (NPs) and mycorrhizal fungi promotes plant growth by improving nutrient absorption, optimizing root function, and stress resistance. In this study, we explored the impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Funnaliformis mosseae and Moringa oleifera mediated green NPs viz; iron oxide (FeO),...

Rhizospheric interactions among plant roots, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) can enhance plant health by promoting nutrient acquisition and stimulating the plant immune system. This pot experiment, conducted in autoclaved soil, explored the synergistic impacts of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Funneliform...

Essential minerals are nutrients that plants require in relatively large amounts for proper growth and development. These minerals include nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) among others. Plants obtain essential minerals from the soil, and uptake within the plant, and tigh...

Rhizobium is well-documented for its symbiotic relationship with legume plants, where it plays a crucial role in biological nitrogen-(N)-fixation within their root nodules. However, the isolation, identification, and association of Rhizobium as a free-living diazotroph with potato plants remain relatively less explored. The present study reports th...

The co-existence of drought and salinity stresses due to rapid global climate change is detrimental to plants. Both stress conditions alter the morpho-physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of plants due to ionic toxicity, osmotic, hormonal, and nutrient imbalance, and oxidative stress. In general, the combination of both stresses is w...

Background Global warming and irregular changes in temperature are a serious threat to plant growth with a significant negative impact on yield. Global maize productivity has decreased significantly due to sudden temperature fluctuations and heat waves especially in the regions severely hit by climate change. Results The current study demonstrates...

Sodium-induced potassium (K⁺) deficiency is more prevalent in salt-affected soils. Plants experience K⁺ starvation thus cytosolic K⁺/Na⁺ ratio is lowered, which is a prerequisite for their survival. K⁺ enrichment in crops can be acquired via K-solubilizing bacteria as a sustainable green agriculture approach. This study was conducted to explore pot...

Symbiotic interaction among legume and rhizobia is a complex phenomenon which results in the formation of nitrogen-fixing nodules. Mung bean is promiscuous host however expression profile of this important legume plant in response to rhizobial infection was particularly lacking and urgently needed. We have demonstrated the pattern of gene expressio...

Adaptations of green technologies to counter abiotic stress, including salinity for crops like wheat by using halotolerant microbes, is a promising approach. The current study investigated 17 salt-affected agroecological zones from the Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan to explore the potential of indigenous microbial flora, with their multiple...

Global maize productivity has decreased due to sudden temperature fluctuations and heat waves. The current study demonstrates the potential of beneficial bacteria for evaluating plant heat tolerance during early growth. Three Bacillus spp. AH-08, AH-67, SH-16, and one Pseudomonas spp. SH-29 showed the ability to grow and exhibited multiple plant-be...

Climate change augments the risk to food security by inducing drought stress and a drastic decline in global rice production. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) have been known to improve plant growth under drought stress. Here in the present study, we isolated, identified, and well-characterized eight drought-tolerant bacteria from the rice rh...

Background: The phosphorus uptake in plants is decreased due to soil water deficiency which negatively affects plant growth. How the interaction of soil moisture and P deficiency affects the morpho-physiological and biochemical responses of plants is still little known. Methods: This study investigates physiological and biochemical responses of mai...

Application of nano-biotechnology in agriculture is an emerging practice to improve the crop productivity by delivering the nutrients to plants in a controlled release manner. However, it offers an alternative solution to overcome the disadvantages of conventional practices as replacement of nano-fertilizer. This chapter presented an innovative ove...

Soil salinization and heavy metal (HM) contamination are major challenges facing agricultural systems worldwide. Determining how soil microbial communities respond to these stress factors and identifying individual phylotypes with potential to tolerate these conditions while promoting plant growth could help prevent negative impacts on crop pro...

Nitrogen (N) is one of the limiting factors for plant growth, and it is mainly supplied exogenously by fertilizer application. It is well documented that diazotrophic rhizobacteria improve plant growth by fixing atmospheric N in the soil. The present study investigates the nitrogen-fixing potential of two Azospirillum spp. strains using the ¹⁵N iso...

AllyMax is a widely used herbicide formulation in wheat-rice cropping areas of the world. The residues of its active ingredients, tribenuron methyl (TBM) and metsulfuron methyl (MET), persist in soil and water as co-contaminants, and cause serious threats to nontarget organisms. This study was performed to assess the potential of a bacterial consor...

Temperature is a significant parameter in agriculture since it controls seed germination and plant growth. Global warming has resulted in an irregular rise in temperature posing a serious threat to the agricultural production around the world. A slight increase in temperature acts as stress and exert an overall negative impact on different developm...

Applying phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) as biofertilizers has enormous potential for sustainable agriculture. Despite this, there is still a lack of information regarding the expression of key genes related to phosphate-solubilization (PS) and efficient formulation strategies. In this study, we investigated rock PS by Ochrobactrum sp. SSR (D...

In the last few decades, biological approaches have shown significant advancement in the field of agriculture and pest management. The plant microbiome is a rich assemblage of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that directly influence the rhizosphere’s functioning, plant development, and disease management. It is structurally, chemically, and func...

The application of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) is an innovative nature-based solution for the remediation of polluted water. The rational improvement of water treatment via FTWs is typically based on multifactorial experiments which are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Here, we used the response surface methodology (RSM) for the optimizat...

Chickpea is an important nutritive food crop both for humans and animals. Chickpea wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceris (Foc) results in huge yield losses every year. Chickpea being a food crop requires the development of an eco-friendly bio-pesticide to effectively control the chickpea wilt disease. In this study, more than 50 bacterial...

Nitric oxide (NO) has recently gained attention as a crucial regulator and signaling molecule in numerous plant processes, especially the functional response related to biotic and abiotic stress. The effects of NO are widespread in kingdom Plantae and it plays an important role in plant development from sprouting to aging. It also has a key contrib...

An extensive use of chemical fertilizers has posed a serious impact on food and environmental quality and sustainability. As the organic and biofertilizers can satisfactorily fulfill the crop’s nutritional requirement, the plants require less chemical fertilizer application; hence, the food is low in chemical residues and environment is less pollut...

Environment protection is a critical issue for the sustainability of life. The level of pollutants from anthropogenic activities is a constant threat to the environment. Among these pollutants, pesticides are the important entities owing to their application in crop protection. Pesticides are available to combat herbs, insects, fungi, and bacteria....

Soil microbiome is a reflection of soil health and plant productivity. A plethora of microbes residing in soil influence plant health through disease and stress amelioration under diverse environmental conditions. Changes in environmental conditions also affect soil microbiome in various ways which in turn affects plant productivity. There are a nu...

Global agriculture is under pressure because of increasing population, demand of quality food, adverse impacts of climatic, biotic, and abiotic stress on global food production. The current predictions state that world population will be around 9.7 billion by 2050, which will require food security on the expense of natural staff, including water, e...

Biotic and abiotic stresses, climate change, and limited land availability are major threats to crop production. The priority research focus for scientists nowadays is to device strategies for maximized crop output from the existing agricultural area. The natural plant microbiome contains numerous plant-beneficial bacteria, which have been used as...

Zinc (Zn) is a critical micronutrient that synergizes nutrient use efficiency, and improves plant growth and human health. Low Zn bioavailability in soils affects produce quality and agricultural productivity worldwide ultimately inducing deficiency in humans and animals. Zn deficiency is a leading cause of malnutrition in underdeveloped countries...

Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are cost-effective systems for the remediation of polluted water. In FTWs, the metabolic activity of microorganisms associated with plants is fundamental to treatment efficiency. Bioaugmentation, the addition of microorganisms with pollutant-degrading capabilities, appears to be a promising means to enhance the tr...

During and after the green revolution in the last century, agrochemicals especially nitrogen (N) were extensively used. However, it resulted in a remarkable increase in crop yield but drastically reduced soil fertility; increased the production cost, food prices, and carbon footprints; and depleted the fossil reserves with huge penalties to the env...

Phylogenetic diversity analysis reveals Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense and Ensifer aridi as major symbionts of mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) in Pakistan Abstract The present study was carried out to evaluate the diversity of rhizobia associated with nodules of mung bean in Pakistan, because this information is necessary for inoculum development. Based...

Soil salinity has emerged as a major obstacle to meet world food demands. Halo-tolerant plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are potential bioinoculants to enhance crop productivity in saline agriculture. Current work was aimed at studying individual or synergetic impact of salt tolerant PGPR on wheat growth and yield under saline conditions...

oil salinity has emerged as a major obstacle to meet world food demands. Halo�tolerant plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are potential bioinoculants to enhance crop productivity in saline agriculture. Current work was aimed at studying individual or synergetic impact of salt tolerant PGPR on wheat growth and yield under saline conditions....

Salinity is one of the major threats to agricultural productivity worldwide. Soil and plant management practices, along with inoculation with plant-beneficial bacteria, play a key role in the plant’s tolerance toward salinity stress. The present study demonstrates the potential of acyl homoserine lactone (AHL)-producing plant growth promoting rhizo...

Rhizobacteria contain various plant-beneficial traits and their inoculation can sustainably increase crop yield and productivity. The present study describes the growth-promoting potential of Brevundimonas spp. isolated from rhizospheric soil of potato from Sahiwal, Pakistan. Four different putative strains TN37, TN39, TN40, and TN44 were isolated...

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria are known to improve plant performance by developing healthy and productive interactions with the host plants. These associations may be symbiotic or asymbiotic depending upon the genetic potential of the resident microbe and promiscuity of the host. Present study describes the potential of two Serratia spp. str...

Agricultural manipulation of potentially beneficial rhizosphere microbes is increasing rapidly due to their multi-functional plant-protective and growth related benefits. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are mostly non-pathogenic microbes which exert direct benefits on plants while there are rhizosphere bacteria which indirectly help pla...

This study describes the biocontrol potential of rhizobacteria against a range of fungal phytopathogens. Out of 227 bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of maize, rice, wheat, potato, sunflower and soybean crops cultivated in different agro-ecological regions of Pakistan, 48 exhibited > 60 % antifungal activity against Fusarium oxy-sporum, Fusari...

This study describes the biocontrol potential of rhizobacteria against a range of fungal phytopathogens. Out of 227 bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of maize, rice, wheat, potato, sunflower and soybean crops cultivated in different agro-ecological regions of Pakistan, 48 exhibited > 60 % antifungal activity against Fusarium oxy-sporum, Fusari...

In Rhizobium-legume symbiosis, the nodule is the most frequently studied compartment, where the endophytic/symbiotic microbiota demands critical investigation for development of specific inocula. We identified the bacterial diversity within root nodules of mung bean from different growing areas of Pakistan using Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene...

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) based biofertilizers act as a natural driving force, allowing crops to deliver their full potential by providing a promising alternative to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Despite its economic importance a little is known about the response of sunflower towards inoculation with PGPR. A potential PGPR...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential of plant-bacterial synergism in floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) for efficient remediation of an oil field wastewater. Two plants, Brachiara mutica and Phragmites australis, were vegetated on floatable mats to develop FTWs, and inoculated with bacterial cons which were then inoculated...

In the present study, the relative distribution of endophytic rhizobia in field-collected root nodules of the promiscuous host mung bean was investigated by sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and nifH genes, amplified directly from the nodule DNA. Co-dominance of the genera Bradyrhizobium and Ensifer was indicated by 32.05 and 35.84% of the tot...

Salinity is among the major environmental factors that significantly affects the global crop production. Inoculation with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) increases crop productivity because PGPR convert the unavailable forms of nutrients to plant-available form. With the aim to develop saline-soil specific biofertilizer, bacteria were i...

Salinity is among the major environmental factors that significantly affects the global crop production. Inoculation with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) increases crop productivity because PGPR convert the unavailable forms of nutrients to plant-available form. With the aim to develop saline-soil specific biofertilizer, bacteria were i...

The adverse ecological and socio-economic effects of oil pollution demand that eco-friendly and proficient remediation technologies be devised as countermeasures. The synergistic use of plants and bacteria is considered as one of the efficient technologies for the remediation of crude oil-contaminated soil. In plant-bacterial synergism, plants host...

Phytoremediation is a promising approach for the cleanup of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. This study aimed to develop plant-bacterial synergism for the successful remediation of crude oil-contaminated soil. A consortia of three endophytic bacteria was augmented to two grasses, Leptochloa fusca and Brachiaria mutica, grown in oil-co...

Waste tyre rubber (WTR) has been introduced as an alternative, novel media for biofilm development in several experimental systems including attached growth bioreactors. In this context, four laboratory scale static batch bioreactors containing WTR as a support material for biofilm development were run under anoxic condition for 90 days using waste...

High toxicity, bioaccumulation factor and wide-spread dispersal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) cause environmental and human health hazards. The combined use of plants and bacteria is a promising approach for the remediation of the environment contaminated with POPs. Plants provide residency and nutrients to their associated rhizosphere an...

Transgenic plants with desirable gene are biotechnological tool to alleviate food deficiencies in sustainable agriculture. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important fiber crop and a source of raw materials for the textile industry. Drought stress is an utmost factor that ravages cotton quality and limits crop production. Transgenic plants with...

The present study was conducted to evaluate the potential of rice rhizosphere associated antagonistic bacteria for growth promotion and disease suppression of bacterial leaf blight (BLB). A total of 811 rhizospheric bacteria were isolated and screened against 3 prevalent strains of BLB pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) of which five anta...

Germination test to study the pathogenecity of bacterial antagonists to rice seedlings. The seeds were grown on moist filter paper in sterile Petri plates under controlled conditions in a growth room. Pseudomonas spp. strains E227, E233, Rh323; Serratia sp. Rh269 Bacillus sp. Rh219; Control: Seeds were treated with sterilized water. Values are an a...

Agarose gel electrophoresis for the detection of amplified products from genomic DNA of antagonistic bacteria using primers Phl2a/Phl2b and BPF2/BPR2, specific for 2, 4-DAPG. Lane Marker: 1 kb DNA ladder, -ve: Negative control, Pseudomonas spp. E227, E233, Rh323; Serratia sp. Rh269. (TIF)

Primers and thermocycler conditions used for the amplification of antibiotic genes from antagonistic bacteria. (DOCX)

Plate assays to represent biocontrol determinants of selected antagonistic bacteria. (A) Control plate showing no starch hydrolysis, (B) Starch hydrolysis by Pseudomonas sp. E233, (C) Siderophore production by Pseudomonas sp. Rh323 and no siderophores detected in control i.e. siderophore non-producing bacterial strain StRh2, (D) Siderophores produc...

A soybean nodule endophytic bacterium Bradyrhizobium sp. strain SR-6 was characterized for production of acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) as quorum sensing molecules. Mass spectrometry analysis of AHLs revealed the presence of C6-HSL, 3OH-C6-HSL, C8-HSL, C10-HSL, 3oxoC10-HSL, 3oxo-C12-HSL and 3OH-C12-HSL which are significantly different from those...

Plants coupled with endophytic bacteria hold great potential for the remediation of polluted environment. The colonization patterns and activity of inoculated endophytes in rhizosphere and endosphere of host plant are among the primary factors that may influence the phytoremediation process. However, these colonization patterns and metabolic activi...

Rhizosphere engineering with beneficial plant growth promoting bacteria offers great promise for sustainable crop yield. Potato is an important food commodity that needs large inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. To overcome high fertilizer demand (especially nitrogen), five bacteria, i.e., Azospirillum sp. TN10, Agrobacterium sp. TN14, P...

The bacterial strain FB2 was isolated from rhizosphere of rice grown in dry-semi arid region of Pakistan and characterized as Pseudomons aeruginosa on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing. It showed invitro antagonism against broad spectrum phytopathogenic fungi. Strain FB2 also conferred resistance to Arugula plant in Pythium infested soil. An at...

Pakistan is among top three chickpea producing countries but the crop is usually grown on marginal lands without irrigation and fertilizer application which significantly hampers its yield. Soil fertility and inoculation with beneficial rhizobacteria play a key role in nodulation and yield of legumes. Four kabuli and six desi chickpea genotypes wer...

Background Plant-endophyte partnership provides an excellent gateway toward restoration of contaminated ecosystems. The interactions between both partners can be manipulated by introducing novel catabolic/metabolic genes into host plant or endophytic bacteria genomes. The potential of the engineered organisms to degrade or accumulate contaminants i...

Phosphate-solubilizing and phytate-mineralizing bacteria collectively termed as phosphobacteria provide a sustainable approach for managing P-deficiency in agricultural soils by supplying inexpensive phosphate to plants. A phosphobacterium Bacillus subtilis strain KPS-11 (Genbank accession no. KP006655) was isolated from potato (Solanum tuberosum L...

The present study was conducted to characterize the native plant growth promoting (PGP) bacteria from wheat rhizosphere and root-endosphere in the Himalayan region of Rawalakot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan. Nine bacterial isolates were purified, screened in vitro for PGP characteristics and evaluated for their beneficial effects on the e...

Beneficial role of microbes, originating from soil or other sources, has been recognized in many biogeochemical cycles and environmental protection as well as in several processes and products of food, feed and textile industry. In the modern era of scientific advancements, microbial genomes have been utilized not only for improvement of useful pro...

Different grasses and trees were tested for their growth in a crude oil contaminated soil. Three grasses, Lolium perenne, Leptochloa fusca, Brachiaria mutica, and two trees, Lecucaena leucocephala and Acacia ampliceps, were selected to investigate the diversity of hydrocarbon-degrading rhizospheric and endophytic bacteria. We found a higher number...

Prosopis juliflora is characterized by distinct and profuse growth even in nutritionally poor soil and environmentally stressed conditions and is believed to harbor some novel heavy metal-resistant bacteria in the rhizosphere and endosphere. This study was performed to isolate and characterize Cr-resistant bacteria from the rhizosphere and endosphe...

Background: Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are functionally diverse group of bacteria having immense potential as biofertilizers and biopesticides. Depending upon their function, they may serve as partial replacements for chemical fertilizer or pesticides as an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternatives as compared to their synthetic...

Rhizosphere bacteria play a vital role in plant growth, pathogen control, biodegradation and rhizosphere signaling. A motile, rod-shaped bacterium, Pv2Z2, isolated from the nodules of the common bean grown in Tanzanian soil was characterized using a polyphasic approach. The traits assessed included the production of indole-3-acetic acid and N-acyl...

Background Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are functionally diverse group of bacteria having immense potential as biofertilizers and biopesticides. Depending upon their function, they may serve as partial replacements for chemical fertilizer or pesticides as an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternatives as compared to their synthetic...

Rhizobacteria improve plant growth employing a variety of growth promoting mechanisms including nutrient up-take, root growth, proliferation and biocontrol activities. Present study characterizes a salt-tolerant, IAA producing, phosphate solubilizing bacterial strain SAL-15 containing ACC-deaminase activity and evaluates its potential for enhancing...

Understanding the causes and consequences of biological diversity is a central goal of biology. Only 1-3% of the soil microbial population is culturable. DNA-based methods have been developed to have an insight into the remaining fraction of soil microflora. Few of these studies have been done aiming at comparison of extreme environment of salinity...

Beneficial role of microbes, originating from soil or other sources, has been recognized in many biogeochemical cycles and environmental protection as well as in several processes and products of food, feed and textile industry. In the modern era of scientific advancements, microbial genomes have been utilized not only for improvement of useful pro...

Rhizobacteria improve plant growth employing a variety of growth promoting mechanisms including nutrient uptake , root growth, proliferation and biocontrol activities. Present study characterizes a salt-tolerant, IAA producing, phosphate solubilizing bacterial strain SAL-15 containing ACC-deaminase activity and evaluates its potential for enhancing...