Browsing by Author "Nadeem, Muhammad Azhar"

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Citation - WoS: 2
Citation - Scopus: 2
Mineral Profiling of Turkish Wheat Genetic Resources Unveiled Their Conserved Potential for Biofortification in Combating Hidden Hunger
(Springer, 2025) Aktas, Husnu; Nadeem, Muhammad Azhar; Tutus, Yusuf; Dogan, Serap; Karaman, Mehmet; Erdemci, Irfan; Baloch, Faheem Shehzad
Micronutrient deficiencies, also known as hidden hunger, pose a threat to the global population alongside food scarcity. Wheat is a staple food for a huge population and available commercial cultivars generally lack sufficient mineral contents. Crop wild relatives harbor novel variation crucial for crop improvement programs including biofortification. The southeastern region of T & uuml;rkiye is blessed with diverse wheat germplasm. This study aimed to explore the mineral content diversity in different wheat species germplasm; i.e., Triticum boeoticum, T. dicoccoides, T. durum, and T. aestivum. Various mineral elements; i.e., Zn, Fe, K, P, S, Mg, Ca, and Mn were investigated in the grains of 192 genotypes. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed highly significant genotypic effects of all traits in T. boeoticum, T. dicoccoides, and T. durum. The highest seed Zn concentration (77.8 mg kg-1) was found in T. boeoticum genotype-36 and the lowest (24.9 mg kg-1) was recorded in genotype T. aestivum genotype-4. A total of 16 genotypes belonging to T. dicoccoides had > 50 mg kg-1 grain Zn content and can be a potential source for developing Zn-enriched durum wheat cultivars. Maximum Fe content (109 mg kg-1) was found in T. dicoccoides genotype-11, while minimum (29 mg kg-1) was recorded in T. durum genotype-55. Zinc and Fe contents in T. boeoticum and T. dicoccoides genotypes were found more than twice as reported previously with T. durum and bread wheat germplasm. Grain Zn contents showed a highly significant and positive correlation with the various studied traits. Principal components analysis (PCA) and biplot confirmed that first two principal components accounted for a total of 79.14% variation. The present investigation confirmed that available bread wheat's genetic resources have low genetic diversity and its wild relatives conserve unexplored variation that can be helpful for wheat biofortification.
Molecular Screening of Septoria Tritici Blotch Resistance Genes in European Bread Wheat Cultivars Using Validated Gene-Specific SSR Markers
(Springer Nature, 2026) Ali, Amjad; Mladenov, Velimir; Jockovic, Bojan; Nadeem, Muhammad Azhar; Sucur, Rada; Gou, Jin Ying; Baloch, Faheem Shehzad
Zymoseptoria tritici, the causal agent of Septoria tritici blotch (STB), poses a major threat to wheat production in temperate regions worldwide. This study aimed to determine the distribution of 15 known Stb resistance genes in 60 bread wheat cultivars from Serbia, Croatia, France, Italy, Romania, Hungary, and Mexico using validated gene-specific simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Genomic DNA was extracted from 35-day-old seedlings and subjected to PCR amplification using 15 Stb-linked SSR markers. The presence of target alleles was confirmed via 2% agarose gel electrophoresis. Results showed that Stb1 was present in all genotypes (60/60 = 100%), highlighting its widespread use. The 44.1% (60/136) gene detection rate was recorded for Stb1; in contrast, Stb9 and Stb16 were not amplified in any sample, suggesting their absence within the evaluated germplasm. Other frequently detected genes included Stb12 (33.3%), Stb14 (23.3%), and Stb4 (15%). Genes like Stb2, Stb3, and Stb6 were identified in only 5%, 5%, and 3.3% of genotypes, respectively. The French cultivar 'Falado' possessed the highest number of resistance genes (7), followed by 'Cellule', 'Solindo', 'Sofolk', and Serbian cultivars 'NS Epoha' and 'NS Grivna' with five genes each. These results support gene pyramiding as a strategy for durable resistance. In conclusion, while Stb1 remains predominant, the lack of diversity increases vulnerability to resistance breakdown. Underutilized genes such as Stb6, Stb8, and Stb17 offer potential for future resistance breeding. The study emphasizes integrating SSR-based screening with advanced tools like GWAS and functional genomics to enhance marker-assisted selection and promote sustainable wheat improvement.
Citation - WoS: 4
Citation - Scopus: 4
Molecular Screening of Septoria-Resistant Genes in Historical Turkish Bread Wheat Germplasm Using the Validated Gene Specific Ssr Markers
(Tubitak Scientific & Technological Research Council Turkey, 2025) Turgay, Emine Burcu; Baloch, Faheem Shehzad; Ali, Amjad; Olmez, Fatih; Tatar, Muhammed; Mortazavi, Parnaz; Altaf, Muhammad Tanveer; Aktas, Hüsnü; Aasim, Muhammad; Gou, Jin-ying; Dababat, Abdelfattah; Nadeem, Muhammad Azhar
Septoria tritici blotch (STB), caused by Zymoseptoria tritici, poses a significant threat to global wheat production, particularly in Turkiye. Resistance breeding is the most sustainable and effective disease control method. Molecular markers, especially simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are extensively employed in wheat breeding to enhance the efficacy. The primary objective of this study was to identify Stb resistance genes among 143 historical registered Turkish bread wheat genotypes released as commercial cultivars between 1963 to 2014, using 16 closely linked SSR markers. The findings revealed substantial genetic variation among the screened cultivars, with the Stb3 gene being the most prevalent, identified in 89.51% of the samples. Other notable resistant genes included Stb13 (71.32%), Stb4 (43.33%), and Stb11 (41.25%). Cultivars Porsuk-2811, Porsuk-2853, and Porsuk-2868 exhibited the highest level of resistance to STB, with 10 resistance genes detected. Of the 143 cultivars screened, 10 were found to carry a total of nine Stb genes, while two cultivars were observed to possess only a single resistance gene. The study identified 23 wheat cultivars harboring 8-10 Stb resistance genes, which are highly recommended for future wheat breeding programs and gene pyramiding strategies to combat Z. tritici. This research provides critical insights for national breeding programs, supporting the development of resilient and high-yielding wheat varieties resistant to STB.
Citation - WoS: 37
Citation - Scopus: 38
Phylogenetic and Taxonomic Relationship of Turkish Wild and Cultivated Emmer (Triticum Turgidum Ssp. Dicoccoides) Revealed by iPBS-Retrotransposons Markers
(Friends Science Publishers, 2019) Arystanbekkyzy, Memim; Nadeem, Muhammad Azhar; Aktas, Husnu; Yeken, Mehmet Zahit; Zencirci, Nusret; Nawaz, Muhammad Amjad; Baloch, Faheem Shehzad
Wild emmer (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides) is the progenitor of cultivated wheat. Turkey is the main center of wheat and plays a vital role in the spread of various crops among the continents. Karacadag region is considered as the domestication center of wheat and still, hundreds of landraces are prevalent. A total of 29 wild emmer landraces, 4 cultivated emmer wheat (T. turgidum ssp. dicoccum) and five durum wheat (T. turgidum ssp. durum) cultivars were investigated for the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship using the iPBS-retrotransposons markers. Mean polymorphism and polymorphic information contents (PIC) were 87.85% and 0.660, respectively. Mean effective numbers of alleles (1.961), Shannon's Information Index (0.682) and gene diversity (0.489) reflected the occurrence of a great level of variations. T17 and Chermik-1 genotypes were found much distinct and breeding valuable genotypes for wheat breeding. The unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA) divided all genotypes by their genetic makeup and geographical locations. Among 3 species, UPGMA based clustering clearly separated the durum wheat from wild emmer and cultivated emmer wheat. Results are clearly supported by the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and model-based structure algorithm. Information provided herein comprehensively reflected the power of iPBS-retrotransposons for the diversity and phylogenetic relationship investigation and reflected that this marker system can be effectively applied to investigate phylogenetic and taxonomic relationship in any crop due to its universal nature. (C) 2019 Friends Science Publishers
Citation - WoS: 16
Citation - Scopus: 22
Stripe rust resistance gene Yr15 in Turkish and Kazakhstan wheat germplasms and the potential of Turkish wild emmer for stripe rust breeding
(Institute for Ionics, 2023) Baloch, Faheem Shehzad; Ali, Amjad; Tajibayev, Daniyar; Nadeem, Muhammad Azhar; Ölmez, Fatih; Aktaş, Hüsnü; Alsaleh, Ahmad; Cömertpay, Gönül; İmren, Mustafa; Yang, Seung Hwan
Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) is a devastating obligate fungal biotroph that causes stripe rust disease in wheat in temperate and cooler regions, especially in Kazakhstan and Turkey. Chemical control of Pst is not a sustainable or economic strategy in these countries. Therefore, a suitable alternative to these pesticides, such as the development of resistant wheat cultivars, is needed. During the present investigation, a large set of wheat germplasms was characterized to determine the presence of the broad-spectrum resistance Yr15 gene using Y15K1_F2/uhw30_1R primers. This collection contained 360 accessions including 233 durum and bread wheat collected from KASIB cultivars and advanced lines that were developed by eight breeding programs within the Kazakhstan-Siberia Wheat Improvement Network and Turkey, and 127 wild emmer collected from Turkey only. The positive control was wild emmer IDs WEW 83-1, WEW 84-1, and WEW-85, which previously showed positive amplification of the Yr15 gene with these primers. Yr15, a broad-spectrum R-gene derived from wild emmer wheat encoding a putative kinase-pseudokinase protein designated as wheat tandem kinase 1, comprises a unique R-gene structure in wheat against the yellow (stripe) rust. None of the tested cultivated wheat germplasms from 174 durum wheat of the KASIB Network or 59 of bread wheat from Turkey showed positive amplification, but 89 of 127 (70.07%) wild Triticum dicoccoides showed positive amplification. The collection from the Karacadağ regions showed the maximum number of genotypes (46) with positive amplification for Yr15, followed by Eruh (10), Şırnak (5), Malazgir-Tunceli (4), Tunceli (4), Şırnak-Uludere yol (3), Tunceli-Pülümür (3), and Karacadağ/Kerteş Köyü –Siverek (3). We conclude that wild wheat cultivars are a good source of the Yr15 gene and that introgression of this gene into the cultivated wheat germplasm of both countries should be performed to manage the Pst pathogen in the future