Luma Al-Banna

University of Jordan | UJ · Department of Plant Protection

The cereal cyst nematode (Heterodera latipons) is becoming an economically important species in global cereal production as it is being identified in many new cereal cultivated areas and causes significant losses. Consequently, understanding its biology becomes crucial for researchers in identifying its vulnerabilities and implementing effective co...

Despite numerous assertions that appear in the literature stating that nematodes are morphologically conservative, the contrary is true: Species of the phylum Nemata are extremely variable in their morphological, ecological, and phylogenetic diversity and it only becomes apparent when they are studied as a group. Current evidence shows that members...

يظهر في السنوات الخمسين الماضية إزدياد استخدام المبيدات الكيماوية في الأردن زيادة ملحوظة, و لاسيما بعد التوسع في قطاع الزراعة المحمية، وذلك بهدف القضاء على الآفات، وبالتالي زيادة الإنتاج إلى الحد الأقصى. وعلى الرغم من كفاءة المبيدات الزراعية في القضاء على الآفات الزراعية, إلا إن الاستخدام المكثف ودون تنظيم لهذه المبيدات أدى ّإلى ظهور مشاكل كثيرة وم...

This study was conducted to detect the presence of paraspor in genes in ninety local Jordanian strains of Bacillus isolated from different habitats. Five set of primers pairs were designed depending on consensus regions revealed by multiple sequence alignment for available parasporin types deposited in NCBI Genbank by using dedicated bioinformatics...

In Jordan, 50% of the utilized agricultural area is grown with cereals. Barley and wheat have occupied 70 and 20% of the total cereals sowing area in Jordan, respectively. Cereal cyst nematodes (CCN) and root lesion nematodes (RLN) are the most common nematodes attacking cereals and causing serious damage worldwide. Therefore we aimed to review the...

Ubiquitin expression protein DNA clone (Hl-UBI) was isolated from Heterodera latipons collected from North Jordan. Its sequence of 285 nucleotides was also determined and deposited in the GeneBank. The 285-bp open reading frame coded for 76-amino acid protein having two domains; the ubiquitin domain and the C terminal extension. The first 59 amino...

Abstract. Silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles are widely used in industrial applications; however, some reports indicate they are safe while others claim the opposite. We aimed to characterize the physicochemical properties of SiC nanoparticles and investigate their impact on the multicellular animal model, Caenorhabditis elegans and the plant para...

Silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles are widely used in industrial applications; however, some reports indicate they are safe while others claim the opposite. We aimed to characterize the physicochemical properties of SiC nanoparticles and investigate their impact on the multicellular animal model, Caenorhabditis elegans and the plant parasitic nema...

This study investigated the nematicidal and fungicidal activities of the two immiscible camphor and orange oils formulated in Janus emulsion (JE). JE was prepared from camphor and orange oils by a single-step emulsification with different concentrations chosen from an established phase diagram. Camphor oil nematicidal activity was studied against t...

Pseudomonas punonensis strain D1-6 was isolated from roots of the desert plant Erodium hirtum , near the Dead Sea in Jordan. The genome of strain D1-6 reveals several key plant growth–promoting and herbicide-resistance genes, indicating a possible specialized role for this endophyte.

The temporal distribution of an isolate of the dagger nematode attacking Aleppo pine, Pinus halepensis grown in AL-Jubiha area in Jordan was investigated. A total of eighteen samples were collected from rhizosphere about 30 cm deep in soil and 50 cm away from the trunk of a Pine tree showing decline and brown needles as one sample per month startin...

The present paper is focused on green synthesis of high purity sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) and its effect on seed germination and seedling growth of cucumber (Cucumis sativus). Synthesized SNPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispers...

Sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) have been successfully prepared from sodium thiosulfate in the presence of Punica granatum peels aqueous extract at room temperature. The resulting sulfur nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energ...

Seven Jordanian strains belonging to the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) were evaluated for their antifungal effects on soil borne plant pathogenic fungi under laboratory conditions. The antifungal effects of total soluble proteins of Bt stains on the growth of two isolates of the fungus, Fusarium oxysporum (isolated from roots of wilted peac...

The objective of this research work is to synthesize sulfur nanoparticles by green route and to investigate the beneficial effect on root and shoot growth of tomato. Sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) synthesized using aqueous extract of Ailanthus altissima leaves at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) inspecti...

Elemental analysis of the roots, stems, leaves, and fruits of tomato was performed using scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy–dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). irrigation water of tomato plants were found free from heavy toxic metals, (Zn, Cd, Co, Cr, Mn), but have traces of Cu and Pb. Tr...

The major objective of this research paper is to synthesis sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) by green route, which can improve plant’s growth and reduce the environmental pathogens. Sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) were synthesized by a simple green procedure using Melia azedarach leaves aqueous extract and citric acid. The leaves of Melia azedarach aqueous e...

A total of 52 wheat genotypes comprising landraces of hard (durum), common bread wheat cultivars, and synthetic hexaploid wheat were evaluated for their reaction against a Jordanian isolate of the Mediterranean Cereal Cyst Nematode Heterodera latipons (MCCN). Three genotypes obtained from International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Ar...

Phenotypic diversity of five Jordanian populations of cyst nematodes, Heterodera spp. collected from five regions from Jordan (Ar-Ramtha, Madaba, Dana, Al-Karak, and Jerash) was investigated. Soil samples were collected from one representative field in each region. Morphological and morphometrical characteristics revealed that H. latipons is domina...

To elucidate the tomato defense responses during the interaction of tomato and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FoZ), a cDNA-AFLP experiment of the fungal-induced changes at the transcriptional level was performed to identify up- or down-regulated genes. Transcript derived fragments (TDF) from leaves, stems and roots were used for accurate ge...

The search for disease resistance in wild types is continuing, in order to introduce resistant genes from wild relatives. In this study, we found that the wild melon Cucumis prophetarum was comparably more tolerant to salinity, the damping-off disease caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani and the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. The perc...

Received on 23/4/2009 and Accepted for Publication on 23/10/2012. ABSTRACT The effect of the initial inoculum on the reproduction of the Mediterranean cereal cyst nematode Heterodera latipons on barley was studied. Two types, cysts or second stage juveniles (J2), of initial inoculum (Pi) were used in this investigation. Four inoculum levels of cyst...

The efficacy of the phosphonate fertilizers, Calphos(®) (a.i. calcium phosphonate), Magphos(®) (a.i. magnesium phosphonate and potassium phosphonate) and Phosphoros(®) (a.i. potassium phosphonate) against two species of root knot nematodes (RKN), Meloidogyne javanica and M. incognita is evaluated. Laboratory experiments showed that Calphos(®), Magp...

The Mediterranean cereal cyst nematode, Heterodera latipons, attacks barley grown in the Northern and Southern Mediterranean phytogeographical zones and Eastern Desert of Jordan with variation in incidence and severity. The aim of this study was to clone a candidate parasitism gene from local populations of H. latipons. These targeted genes encode...

Until now, only a few systematic surveys of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) have been conducted in Middle Eastern countries. Many of the recovered EPN species in this region have shown to own distinctive qualities that enable their survival in unique environments, such as high temperatures and low moisture levels tolerance. These new species and s...

The soil-borne bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is an important biological agent used against human and plant pests and diseases. Seven Jordanian Bt isolates, which have been analysed for toxicity against important pests, were also differentiated through serotyping. In this study, they were analysed at the molecular level using random amplifie...

A local strain of Bacillus thuringiensis jordanica (Btj), serotype H71, was evaluated for its efficacy in controlling Meloidogyne javanica attacking tomato. Glasshouse experiments were conducted using a soil drench of the bacterium applied one week before transplanting the tomato seedlings to the soil. Results showed a reduction in tomato root gall...

16S-rDNA analysis of 30 Agrobacterium tumefaciens Jordanian isolates belonging to 1, 2, 3 and intermediate biotypes, were characterized by the restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of PCR product. Two reference cultures of A. tumefaciens were used for comparison. The profile obtained by the analysis formed three main clusters confirmed...

A survey of major barley-growing areas in Jordan was conducted to determine the prevalence and degree of infestation of the Mediterranean cereal cyst nematode (MCCN) Heterodera latipons. The nematode was found in several locations in the northern and southern Mediterranean and the eastern desert areas of Jordan, but it was not detected in the north...

A PCR-based assay for identification of six species of Pratylenchus common in California is described. In this assay, five forward species-specific primers were designed from the internal variable portion of the D3 expansion region of the 26S rDNA and were each used with a single, common reverse primer. The optimized species-specific primers produc...

The nematicidal activity of methanolic extracts (20 μg ml -1) from twenty Jordanian plant species against two species of root-knot nematodes in vitro was evaluated. Whole-plant extract of Hypericum androsaemum showed the highest activity (11% mortality) against Meloidogyne javanica after 24 h of incubation. However, leaf extract of Origanum syriacu...

Otostrongylus circumlitus (Railliet, 1899) from Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) and northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) were examined using morphological and molecular methods to determine whether northern elephant seals along the central California coast are infected by the same species of Otostrongylus as are Pacific...

Otostrongylus circumlitus (Railliet, 1899) from Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) and northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) were examined using morphological and molecular methods to determine whether northern elephant seals along the central California coast are infected by the same species of Otostrongylus as are Pacific...

We used nucleotide sequences of the large subunit ribosomal genes (26S rDNA) to examine evolutionary relationships among species of the genus Pratylenchus (Order: Tylenchida, Family: Pratylenchidae), commonly known as root-lesion nematodes. Ten species of Pratylenchus were studied including, P. penetrans, P. crenatus, P. minyus, P. vulnus, P. thorn...

From 1990 through 1992, nematodes were extracted from soil samples taken from the rhizosphere of native species of grapes from four areas of northern California and two areas of southern California. For comparison, samples from domestic grapes as well as a putative hybrid of Vitis californica and V. vinifera were also taken. Rhizosoil from Californ...

Individuals of a new species of trichostrongyloid nematode of the genus Vexillata were collected from the intestines of the coarse-haired pocket mouse Chaetodipus hispidus from eastern New Mexico. This new species possesses general features of the genus Vexillata but may be recognized as distinct from all other species by unique features of the dor...

Three new species of nematodes were encountered during a study of natural diversity of nematode associates of native species of Vitis L. in California. Achromadora walkeri sp. n. was found in rhizosoil of the native California grape Vitis californica Bentham and is characterized by the position of the amphid (within the vicinity of both dorsal and...