Papers by Faridah Qamaruz-Zaman
Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 2012
In this study, the potential of uncoated and coated mangosteen seed explants in forming embryogen... more In this study, the potential of uncoated and coated mangosteen seed explants in forming embryogenic callus were examined in the basal Linsmaier and Skoog medium supplemented with different auxins at various concentrations. Among the highest percentage of callus response (93.3%) was obtained when uncoated seed explants were cultured in basal LS medium containing 8 mg/L 2,4-D. Combining of cytokinins and 2,4-D to improve embryogenicity of calli showed that among the highest percentage of callus response (80%) and the lowest percentage of callus browning (53.53%) with yellowish and compact nodular calli were obtained on MS medum supplemented with 8 mg/L 2,4-D and 0.1 mg/L BAP. Addition of glutamine into MS medium containing 8 and 0.1 mg/L BAP performed that glutamine did not increase the growth of calli, however texture (friable) and color callus (yellowish) was improved. The growth and multiplication of cells in suspension cultures showed that the cells were able to divide and proliferate even though cultured in half strength MS liquid medium without 2,4-D. After six months of culture, the heart embryogenic stage was obtained only on medium supplemented with 1 mg/L BAP. The globular and torpedo embryogenic stages were obtained on media supplemented with 1, 3 and 9 mg/L TDZ after five months of culture.
Proceedings of The 1st International Electronic Conference on Plant Science, 2020
Orchids and its compatible mycorrhiza have a symbiotic relationship particularly during seed germ... more Orchids and its compatible mycorrhiza have a symbiotic relationship particularly during seed germination that can continue into the adult stage. Studies have shown that orchid mycorrhiza may enhance plant growth when associating symbiotically in the roots of orchids. Thus, study aims to identify the mycorrhizal fungi that form a symbiosis with the terrestrial orchid, Paphiopedilum barbatum and determine root mycorrhization and growth in Paphiopedilum in vitro. Mycorrhizal fungi were isolated from P. barbatum collected in Malaysia and identified using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Identified mycorrhiza was inoculated on selected Paphiopedilum plantlets to observe mycorrhization and plant growth. Isolation identified only one mycorrhiza; namely Tulasnella calospora (anamorph: Rhizoctonia repens) which is a ubiquitous orchid mycorrhiza. In vitro inoculation of T. calospora on seedlings from the Paphiopedilum showed a significant 1.1% increase in fresh weight in P. rothschildianum with 68% root mycorrhization. However, no significant growth was observed in the seedlings of P. sanderianum, P. gigantifolium x P. rothschildianum and P. esquirolei x P. rothschildianum when inoculated with T. calospora even though 32%, 24% and 13% root mycorrhization was recorded respectively. This finding presents an insight into the orchid mycorrhiza association in the orchid Paphiopedilum.
We, humans can learn a lot from studying nature past and present; hence, the importance of a Natu... more We, humans can learn a lot from studying nature past and present; hence, the importance of a Natural History Museum in each country. The records that are preserved and kept for aeons can give us a glimpse of what was, and prepare us for what will be. Our climate changes and we have to adapt to survive. The lessons from the bird group as pollinators ensure the continuation of the plant species. There are flowers solely pollinated by birds such as that by hummingbirds.
Essential oil is commonly used for emotional and physical wellness applications (aromatherapy). T... more Essential oil is commonly used for emotional and physical wellness applications (aromatherapy). To date, approximately 3,000 varieties of essential oils have been identified. The quality of essential oil depends on the season, geographic location, method and duration of distillation, year the extract plant is grown, and the climate.
The bowerbirds of the family Ptilonorhynchida are famous for their elaborate structure which are ... more The bowerbirds of the family Ptilonorhynchida are famous for their elaborate structure which are an important tool in their courtship rituals. The structure is constructed to be a bower (gazebo-like) from twigs. Outside the spacious cavern the bowerbird decorates its lawn with individual clusters of brightly coloured fruits and flowers, iridescent beetles’ wings, shells, and other items that it deems attractive. The whole purpose of this huge effort is to have a space to show off his song and dance in wooing the females. Thus the female bowerbird becomes the judge of his curatorial and courtship skills. The female bowerbird later builds a nest for laying eggs on the trees.
From the dawn of time, mankind has always looked upon his surroundings and observed other beings ... more From the dawn of time, mankind has always looked upon his surroundings and observed other beings like the fauna and flora going about their lives. This in turn, piques our curiosity to understand the mechanisms and procesess entailed in fashioning a product. Often times, these creatures are more in tune with nature and thus able to build or make things that they need in harmony with their habitats. To date only 1 out of 10 insect species have been identified. This means for the million insect species out there, 900,000remains unknown. The sheer magnitude of discoveries and potential bioinspirations yet to be explored is mind-boggling.
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula: Droseraceae) has one of the most rapid movements in the pla... more The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula: Droseraceae) has one of the most rapid movements in the plant kingdom. It can catch insects with its toothed modified leaves that snap shut when triggered by prey, touching the tiny hairs on the inner leaf surface.
Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants, 2022
Abstract This study was conducted to assess the potential of essential oils isolated from rhizome... more Abstract This study was conducted to assess the potential of essential oils isolated from rhizomes and leaves of Alpinia conchigera as a source of bioactive compounds through the characterization of its chemical composition, antioxidant, and anti-microbial activities. Essential oils (EOs) from the leaves and rhizomes of this species were isolated using the hydrodistillation method. The chemical compositions of EOs were analyzed by using GC and GC-MS. The major compound of the rhizome EO was eucalyptol (60.58 %), whereas the most abundant compound in the leaf EO was β-bisabolene (46.70 %). The rhizome EO contained the most abundant polyphenolic compounds that possessed higher antioxidant activities compared to leaf EO and the reference antioxidant agent butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). In addition, there exist a positive correlation between total phenolic content and antioxidant activities using DPPH (R2= 0.7634, p < 0.05) and β-carotene antioxidant activity (R2 = 0.6865, p < 0.05). Disc diffusion assay of the essential oils indicated that the rhizome oil possessed moderate inhibitory activity against all tested bacteria and fungi, whereas leaf EO inhibited only Gram-positive bacteria. The results indicated the potential of these EOs to exert beneficial antibacterial and antifungal effects and could serve as a promising natural cheap source of antioxidants that could be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Anatomical and histochemical studies on leaves of Syzygium aromaticum and Clausena excavata have ... more Anatomical and histochemical studies on leaves of Syzygium aromaticum and Clausena excavata have been carried out. This study was conducted in order to investigate the relationship between aroma production and a plant's secretory structures. Leaves from the two tropical aromatic plants were sampled from the Institute of Bioscience (IBS) Conservatory Park and transversely sectioned through lamina, midrib and petiole with a sliding microtome for anatomical investigation. Through light microscopy, oil cells and secretory cavities were distributed near the adaxial and abaxial epidermal layers with large in size, up to 60 µm length. Other leaf anatomical characters such as shape of petiole and midrib, pattern of vascular bundle, palisade and spongy mesophyll, the presence or absence of brachysclereids and crystals are also observed. This study also aimed to investigate the leaf's secretory structures responsible for plants' aroma production and to detect the presence of terpe...
Journal of Applied Research on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, 2020
Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) have gained interest as crop family to be grown under diverse soil con... more Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) have gained interest as crop family to be grown under diverse soil conditions such as drought and heat stress. However, the presence of salinity affects crop's germination process due to reduction in water availability for seeds to germinate. In this study, germination behaviour of Amaranthus hybridus L., Amaranthus viridis L., Amaranthus tricolor L. and Amaranthus giganticus L. under salinity condition were analysed through hydrotime model analysis. Five water potentials in NaCl solution to induce salinity condition (0, −0.3, −0.6, −0.9, and −1.2 MPa) were used in the germination tests. Differences in salinity tolerance were determined in the different species during germination. A. giganticus recorded a lower θH (40.30) and more negative Ψb(50) (−1.55) as well as higher germination rate as compared to the other species. The hydrotime modelling approach applied in this study for the analysis of amaranth species which might help to identify crop salt tolerance at seed germination stage.
Journal of Plant Nutrition, 2017
During last recent years, in vitro propagation technic is widely used to produce plants with desi... more During last recent years, in vitro propagation technic is widely used to produce plants with desirable traits. This experiment was conducted to produce an ideal protocol for in vitro propagation of Thai supersweet corn by using shoot apical meristem (SAM) and root apical meristem (RAM) as explants. Four-day-old germinating seedlings were used as the experimental materials on culture media supplemented with a range of auxin, kinetin, and carbohydrates. The primary establishment for SAM showed the highest percentage of survival (80%) while RAM showed the highest survival (67%) and in Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented. Upon acclimatization, regenerated plantlets from shoot showed the highest survival rate (12%) with the production of 21 plantlets; however, the survival rate of plantlets from root was only 20% with the production of 9 plantlets. The efficient and economic protocol that is produced in this study can be applied as an alternative to conventional propagation method for the large-scale production of Thai supersweet corn throughout the year.
Euphytica, 2016
Increased modern farming of superior types of the oil palm, Elaeis guineensis Jacq., which has na... more Increased modern farming of superior types of the oil palm, Elaeis guineensis Jacq., which has naturally efficient oil biosynthesis, has made it the world’s foremost edible oil crop. Breeding improvement is, however, circumscribed by time and costs associated with the tree’s long reproductive cycle, large size and 10–15 years of field testing. Marker-assisted breeding has considerable potential for improving this crop. Towards this, quantitative trait loci (QTL) linked to oil yield component traits were mapped in a high-yield population. In total, 164 QTLs associated with 21 oil yield component traits were discovered, with cumulative QTL effects increasing in tandem with the number of QTL markers and matching the QT+ alleles for each trait. The QTLs confirmed all traits to be polygenic, with many genes of individual small effects on independent loci, but epistatic interactions are not ruled out. Furthermore, several QTLs maybe pleiotropic as suggested by QTL clustering of inter-rela...
Journal of Oil Palm …, 2007
Using the monofactorially inherited virescens trait to determine the ripeness of oil palm fruit b... more Using the monofactorially inherited virescens trait to determine the ripeness of oil palm fruit bunches, instead of the current counting of abscised and fallen fruits, has the potential to facilitate harvesting and milling because of the starker colour change. ...
Genetics and Molecular Research, 2013
Recycling of superfine resolution agarose gel ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecul... more Recycling of superfine resolution agarose gel ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 12 (3): 2360-2367 (2013) manual by adding 2.5 g agarose powder into 100 mL 1X lithium borate buffer in a 250-mL flask with rapid stirring. Two midigels (105 x 83 mm, 17 wells) or 4 minigels (50 x 83 mm, 8 wells), 4 mm thickness can be prepared from 100 mL gel solution. A total of 1680 PCR products amplified using 140 SSR markers from oil palm DNA samples were tested in this study using SFR recycled gel. As average, the gel can be recycled 8 times with good resolution, but can be recycled up to 14 times before the resolutions get blurred.
Cladistic analyses of plastid DNA sequences rbcL and trnL-F are presented separately and combined... more Cladistic analyses of plastid DNA sequences rbcL and trnL-F are presented separately and combined for 48 genera of Amaryllidaceae and 29 genera of related asparagalean families. The combined analysis is the most highly resolved of the three and provides good support for the monophyly of Amaryllidaceae and indicates Agapanthaceae as its sister family. Alliaceae are in turn sister to the
ABSTRACT We report on the isolation and characterization of several genes responsive to wounding ... more ABSTRACT We report on the isolation and characterization of several genes responsive to wounding in the tropical endangered tree Aquilaria malaccensis. Wounding triggers the formation of a fragrant substance inside the tree stem. Deduced amino acid of the cloned sequences exhibited sequence similarities to their respective homologs: transcription factors of the WRKY gene family (AmWRKY) and β-1,3-glucanase (AmGLU). A homolog to phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (AmPAL) from previous work was also included. All cDNA sequences were of partial lengths. We studied their expression profiles in a wounding-stress experiment. Mechanical wounding induces AmWRKY in an early response to wounding (3 h), and elevates AmPAL and AmGLU expressions after 16 h. It is possible that AmWRKY mediates early wounding response while AmPAL mediates response to fungal infection by co-inducing AmGLU. Their homologs in other plants are known to inhibit fungal growth. Our data provide the first insight into the mechanisms of wounding responses in Aquilaria.
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Papers by Faridah Qamaruz-Zaman