Khaled S Elmeer | Universty Of Tripoli (original) (raw)

Papers by Khaled S Elmeer

International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 2024

In the Libyan Green Mountains, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different elev... more In the Libyan Green Mountains, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different elevations and topography on the genetic variation and chemical composition of Spartium junceum. The results indicated a significant difference among the antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds, and flavonoid content of flower extracts obtained from the genotypes of different regions. The total phenol content ranged from 22.74 to 31.66 mg GAE g-1, whereas the flavonoid content ranged from 7.35 to 10.74 mg CE g-1 DW. The antioxidant efficiency appeared variable among the flower extracts, ranging between 66.81-91.55 μM Trolox equivalents (TE) g-1 of dry matter. Genetic variation was examined by inter-simple sequence repeats, showing a mean value of 0.26 in gene diversity, and a mean value of 0.21 in polymorphism information content. A total of 26 bands were observed, with an average of 3.25 bands per primer, while 50% of the bands were polymorphic. The most effective primers were BT01, BT09, and BT11, which generated four bands. The least effective primer was BT10, which generated only two bands. Phylogenetic relationships between the genotypes divided the samples into two main groups according to geographical location.

National Library of Libya, 2024

The genetic diversity of F1 tomato hybrid (Nada, Mona, and Dania) grown in Libyan Green Mountain ... more The genetic diversity of F1 tomato hybrid (Nada, Mona, and Dania) grown in Libyan Green Mountain (LGM) was
investigated using SRAP and RAPD molecular marker techniques while the coefficient of variation C.V was used to
investigate F1 seed purity. The coefficient of variation C.V., in the three cultivars Nada, Mona and Dania are 31.88, 51.66
and 44.18, respectively, indicating the homogeneity of Nada cultivar over Dania and Mona. The SRAP marker provided a
total number of 29 amplified DNA bands with an average of 9.67 bands per primer, 26 of which were polymorphic (67%
polymorphism), while the RAPD marker provided a total of 73 bands with an average of 14.6 bands per primer; all of them
were 100% polymorphic. The genetic diversity for the three studied cultivars was 0.31, whereas Nada cultivar was the most
homogeneous recording a genetic diversity of 0.24 compared with Mona 0.25 and Dania 0.28 Dania. Principal coordinate
analysis (PcoA) divided tomato F1 hybrid samples into two main groups, the first (A) includes all the plants of a Nada
hybrid cultivar, while group (B) consists of overlapping of Dania and Mona cultivars, reflecting the genetic relatedness.

THE LIBYAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE, 2024

A study was conducted to examine the genetic relationships of eight pea cultivars, including four... more A study was conducted to examine the genetic relationships of eight pea cultivars, including four local
and four introduced cultivars, used in commercial production under an irrigated farming system in Libya..
The cultivars were analyzed using PCR-based techniques to assess genetic diversity. Seven Start Codon
Targeted (SCoT) markers and five Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers were employed. These
primers revealed several polymorphic genetic bands with varying molecular weights. The SCoT markers
generated 54 genetic bands, averaging 7.71 bands per primer, while the ISSR markers produced 35
genetic bands, with an average of 7 bands per primer. The genetic diversity for SCoT markers was 0.29,
while ISSR markers showed a diversity of 0.31. The polymorphic information content (PIC) was relatively
low, with an average of 23.0% for SCoT and 24% for ISSR. The dendrogram analysis revealed that the four
local cultivars formed a distinct subgroup, closely related due to their genetic proximity. The high
similarity indices suggest that the local pea plant populations share a strong genetic relationship, which
may be a result of hybridization and the genetic closeness of their parent lines.

QScience Connect, 2024

Background: The indigenous wild thyme (Thymus capitatus) population in Libya exhibits a conspicuo... more Background: The indigenous wild thyme (Thymus capitatus) population in Libya exhibits a
conspicuous and unique floral attribute, characterized by polymorphic flower coloration, which is
discernible within a singular population. Thyme is classified as a Taxonomically Complex Group since
it is a genetic combination of related individuals. Methods: Fifteen tender leaf samples were
collected to capture regional floral diversity. Samples represented five flower colour categories
(white, spotted-white, violet, pink, pied). Leaves were thoroughly washed with running distilled water
for DNA extraction and sequencing. Sequences were then analysed and phylogenetic trees were
constructed. Results: Alignment of matK gene sequences from Libyan thyme samples exhibited that
those with violet flowers displayed the highest similarity (96.67%) to the genus Thymbra capitata,
whereas samples with white flowers demonstrated the lowest similarity (85%), while the rbcL
sequences of white flowers displayed the highest similarity (99.63%), whereas the remaining tested
samples exhibited a slightly lower similarity of 98%. Notably, the sequences of 14 thyme samples
amplified using rbcL A primers have been deposited in the NCBI GenBank with accession numbers
MW051762 to MW051775. In the context of analysis via matK and rbcL gene sequences using MEGA
software, an unequivocal similarity was observed across the majority of examined thyme samples.
Conclusion: DNA barcoding may not be the

한국원예학회 기타간행물, Aug 1, 2006

ABSTRACT Explants were taken from hypocotyls, cotyledons and leaves of five cucumber cultivars. T... more ABSTRACT Explants were taken from hypocotyls, cotyledons and leaves of five cucumber cultivars. The maximum callus weight in the induction medium was 1215.4 mg with the cv. Natica using hypocotyl explants and the minimum was 487.6 mg with cv. Mascot using leaf explants. When auxin was available in the induction phase somatic embryos were obtained; the absence of cytokinin caused a reduction in the number of embryos. The number of somatic embryos increased with sucrose concentration to a maximum of 9% sucrose. Three weeks on induction medium was needed for production of somatic embryos; prolonged incubation (6 weeks) gave poor somatic embryo numbers. As auxin concentration decreased in maturation medium somatic embryo yield increased; the highest number was obtained in the absence of auxin. Generally, the culture of callus on maturation medium in darkness was superior to 16 h light for somatic embryogenesis. Leaf explants of the cultivar Profito gave 37.3 embryos per replicate which was the highest number recorded. In addition, this cultivar yielded embryos in the shortest time period (6 weeks). Satisfactory somatic embryo numbers were obtained after three weeks on induction medium, plus three weeks on maturation medium, or four weeks on induction medium, plus two weeks on maturation medium, or five weeks on induction medium, plus one week on maturation medium. Comparison of characteristics of cucumber plants derived from somatic embryogenesis with those obtained from seed showed no significant difference in phenotype of plants, or fruits, or genotype (using RAPD DNA tests).

QScience Connect, Nov 30, 2019

Journal of Horticultural Science, 2019

In this study fourteen microsatellite primer pairs were used to study the genetic diversity of Sh... more In this study fourteen microsatellite primer pairs were used to study the genetic diversity of Shishi Date palm in Qatar. A total of 32 date palm (15 Shishi cultivar, 10 Khalas and seven male date palms) were collected from Qatar and 5 Shihi cultivars were collected from Saudi Arabia ‎for comparison. The Shishi set collected from Qatar was selected from ‎different regions to represent the ‎genetic diversity of this ‎cultivar. The results indicated 98 alleles produced from the 14 microsatellite markers, and the cluster analysis showed four major clusters corresponding o the geographical areas. Similarly, the structure analysis indicated four populations according to statistic K value. PCoA analysis showed three groups (A, B and C) ‎separating Shishi (from Qatar) in group A, ‎Khalas in group B and Shishi (from Saudi Arabia) in ‎group C and no clear group ‎separated the male genotypes. This indicates that the sexual propagation by seeds is the main source of variation in the date palm....

Biotechnology(Faisalabad), 2016

QScience Connect, 2020

In this study, we characterized 30 date palm trees of Khalas cultivar from the GCC countries, alo... more In this study, we characterized 30 date palm trees of Khalas cultivar from the GCC countries, along with seven male trees from Qatar, using 14 microsatellite loci. The results showed that the microsatellites [(GA)n] in the date palm cultivar Khalas varied considerably in allele size (range=120-322 bp, mean=189.78), which revealed a high degree of gene diversity (range=0.66-0.85, mean=0.75) and distinguished all the individual Khalas trees within and among the GCC countries. The extent of polymorphism microsatellite loci was dependent on individual loci itself, which was positively correlated with the number of repeats at the corresponding microsatellite loci. The estimates of the skewness and kurtosis of the allelic distributions showed that none of the distribution of 14 microsatellite loci was considered normal (skewness=0, kurtosis=3), which suggested that the shape of the allelic distribution of these loci varied by chance. In the majority of the cases, the microsatellite allele size of the most frequent allele (mode) was very close to the median (±2 bp or ±(GA)1), which indicated that the most frequent allele was the ancestral allele. Nearly half of the allelic distributions of the 14 microsatellite loci were positively skewed and the other half was negatively skewed, which indicated that the alleles evolved respectively by gaining and losing of (GA)n repeats from the ancestral allele, resulting in intra-cultivar variability in Khalas cultivar over the generations. Based on this analysis, we conclude that the Khalas variety did not evolve independently at multiple origins, but rather it evolved from a single origin and, subsequently, the clones were distributed across the GCC countries. The accumulated mutations of these clones over time resulted in drastic changes among them at the microsatellite loci.

Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry, 1992

This study aimed to determine the best combinations of plant growth regulators and other conditio... more This study aimed to determine the best combinations of plant growth regulators and other conditions in order to achieve organogenesis and multiplication directly from shoot tips of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) var. Maktoom without callus formation so as to avoid any possibility of undesirable genetic variability. Results revealed that MS modified medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L 2ip, 1.0 mg/L BA, 1.0 mg/L NAA and 1.0 mg/L NOA was the best for bud formation from shoot tip after 16 weeks (6.2 bud per explant). Subculturing the formed buds on liquid agitated multiplication medium supplemented with 4.0 mg/L 2ip, 2 mg/L BA, 1.0 mg/L NAA and 1.0 mg/L NOA gave the optimum average of buds number (12.6 buds). In elongation stage MS medium with 0.5 mg/L GA 3 and 0.1 mg/L NAA enhanced plantlet length to 5.3 cm. Optimum rooting percentage 90% was achieved when shoots were transferred to a medium with 1.0 mg/L NAA. The average root number after 8 weeks was 5.4 with 9.0 cm length. Rooted shoots (plantlets) were transplanted in small pots containing a mixture of peatmoss and perlite (2:1) and placed in plastic tunnels or in a greenhouse. The survival percentage was 85% after 3 months when the plants were transferred to bigger pots. These results define a successful protocol for the in vitro propagation of Maktoom cv. date palm.

Al-Mukhtar Journal of Sciences, 2016

The effect of Ethyl-methane Sulphonate (EMS) on seed germination and seedling characters of broad... more The effect of Ethyl-methane Sulphonate (EMS) on seed germination and seedling characters of broad beans (Vicia faba L.) was analyzed in this investigation. The seeds were soaked in different percentages and durations of (EMS), then after sowing were irrigated with a range of NaCl concentration. The effect of EMS was observed based on the seed germination (%), and seedling characters such as: total fresh weight, root fresh weight and root length. Germination percentage generally decreases while concentrations of NaCl increases, however the interaction effect of EMS clearly appeared on concentration 6000 ppm NaCl, which positively increased the germination from 40% in absence of EMS to 60%, when 0.5 or 1% EMS were used. 24 hours soaking in EMS decreased the fresh weight from 33.36 to 13.55 gm per plant, in addition to the decrease of the root length from 22.0cm to 14.2cm per plant. The root nodulation of broad bean is not affected during the increase of NaCl, possibly due to the inter...

New primer pairs of genomic DNA microsatellite markers were tested to assess the genetic diversit... more New primer pairs of genomic DNA microsatellite markers were tested to assess the genetic diversity of eleven date palm genotypes. The results indicated that out of thirty, only seven primers (23.3%) failed to amplify the expected PCR fragments, while thirteen primers (43.3%) amplified monomorphic banding patterns and the remaining ten primers (33.4%) generated polymorphic banding patterns. A total of 77 alleles have been observed with a mean of 7.7 alleles per locus. The average of gene diversity was 0.80 ranging from 0.6 (in marker DP168) to 0.9 (in two markers DP157 and DP175). These new co-dominant markers will be a starting point for researchers making use of the markers for genetic mapping and diversity analysis of date palm.

Abstract: DNA of Qatari C. mydas samples were successfully sequenced using the Folmer forward and... more Abstract: DNA of Qatari C. mydas samples were successfully sequenced using the Folmer forward and reverse primers. The identification with BOLD of approximately 688 base pairs sequence revealed maximum homology (99.84%) with C. mydas , which is a species of turtle has been declared "extinct in wild" by IUCN. The next closest species 93.79% , was N. depressa which has a restricted geographical distribution and was reported to be endemic to the Australian continental shelf. The finding of characteristic species-specific COI sequences offers the prospect of identifying marine turtle species by using DNA barcode methodology as an auxiliary tool for taxonomy. This can also be used during field work when identifying lost nests, animals stranded on beaches or those killed as part of catching in fishery nets. A further use is in forensic litigation when turtle eggs or meat are the only available material and for the development of Qatar gene bank information.

Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions A: Science, 2019

The genetic variability of 18 individuals of Artemisia herba-alba from 3 different elevations in ... more The genetic variability of 18 individuals of Artemisia herba-alba from 3 different elevations in Green Mountain-Libya was examined using sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) techniques. Results showed distinctive SRAP and RAPD banding pattern in this species scoring a total of 17 SRAP and 61 RAPD bands including 94.12% and 100% polymorphic with amplicon size ranging from 50 to 1600 bp and 150 to 1800 bp, respectively. Phylogenetic relationship between the genotypes was able to divide the samples into two main groups with genetic similarity value ranged from 41 to 84%, indicating that the genetic relationship is slightly related to the geographical location of the studied plant area.

African Journal of Biotechnology, 2010

The role of cytokinine and auxin has been found to be effective in shoot multiplication of Ficus ... more The role of cytokinine and auxin has been found to be effective in shoot multiplication of Ficus anastasia. When the multiplication medium contained 8 mgl-1 of BA with 1 mgl-1 of IBA, a mean of 20 lateral branches per stem was induced which was the best combination recorded. Even though IAA particularly combined with 2ip or kinetin, it had weak shoot multiplication influence resulting in only two lateral shoots which increased to 7 lateral shoots per stem when combined with BA. The plant height was negatively affected by the increase of cytokinin concentration. However, the control plant was more in length than any of the cytokinin treatments among combination with IBA or IAA.

Acta Horticulturae, 2007

ABSTRACT Explants were taken from hypocotyls, cotyledons and leaves of five cucumber cultivars. T... more ABSTRACT Explants were taken from hypocotyls, cotyledons and leaves of five cucumber cultivars. The maximum callus weight in the induction medium was 1215.4 mg with the cv. Natica using hypocotyl explants and the minimum was 487.6 mg with cv. Mascot using leaf explants. When auxin was available in the induction phase somatic embryos were obtained; the absence of cytokinin caused a reduction in the number of embryos. The number of somatic embryos increased with sucrose concentration to a maximum of 9% sucrose. Three weeks on induction medium was needed for production of somatic embryos; prolonged incubation (6 weeks) gave poor somatic embryo numbers. As auxin concentration decreased in maturation medium somatic embryo yield increased; the highest number was obtained in the absence of auxin. Generally, the culture of callus on maturation medium in darkness was superior to 16 h light for somatic embryogenesis. Leaf explants of the cultivar Profito gave 37.3 embryos per replicate which was the highest number recorded. In addition, this cultivar yielded embryos in the shortest time period (6 weeks). Satisfactory somatic embryo numbers were obtained after three weeks on induction medium, plus three weeks on maturation medium, or four weeks on induction medium, plus two weeks on maturation medium, or five weeks on induction medium, plus one week on maturation medium. Comparison of characteristics of cucumber plants derived from somatic embryogenesis with those obtained from seed showed no significant difference in phenotype of plants, or fruits, or genotype (using RAPD DNA tests).

The experiment was undertaken to study the effect of one cultivar on another on callus formation ... more The experiment was undertaken to study the effect of one cultivar on another on callus formation in liquid medium. F1 hybrid seeds of cucumber cvs. Profito and Mascot were surface sterilized and germinated in vitro. Explants were taken from the leaves of plantlets and placed in induction medium, which was M&S supplemented with 2.0 mg·l-1 2,4-D, 0.5 mg·l-1 kinetin, no gelling agent and 3% sucrose; pH was adjusted to 5.8±2 before autoclaving at 120°C for 20min. Two explants from cv. Profito with two from cv. Mascot were inoculated into 5 cm petri-dishes divided into four parts by partitions with holes to let the media pass through. Controls had only one cultivar per petri dish. Callus weights were taken at the end of this stage. The cultivars had significantly different callus weights in liquid medium after 21 days. The Mascot explants when cultured alone in the liquid medium gave a mean weight of 160.2 mg callus, while when cultured with Profito explants in the same medium they gave ...

Cucumber seed used for greenhouse production consists mainly of F1 hybrids, which are preferred b... more Cucumber seed used for greenhouse production consists mainly of F1 hybrids, which are preferred by growers because of superior yield, improved diseaseresistance and good flavour. The production costs of the seed of F1 hybrids are high, and this is reflected in the price of the seed and the final produce. Artificial seed technology based on somatic embryogenesis may be one solution to the cost problem, as once the initial hybrid seed is produced it should be possible to clone it by generating somatic embryos.

International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 2024

In the Libyan Green Mountains, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different elev... more In the Libyan Green Mountains, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different elevations and topography on the genetic variation and chemical composition of Spartium junceum. The results indicated a significant difference among the antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds, and flavonoid content of flower extracts obtained from the genotypes of different regions. The total phenol content ranged from 22.74 to 31.66 mg GAE g-1, whereas the flavonoid content ranged from 7.35 to 10.74 mg CE g-1 DW. The antioxidant efficiency appeared variable among the flower extracts, ranging between 66.81-91.55 μM Trolox equivalents (TE) g-1 of dry matter. Genetic variation was examined by inter-simple sequence repeats, showing a mean value of 0.26 in gene diversity, and a mean value of 0.21 in polymorphism information content. A total of 26 bands were observed, with an average of 3.25 bands per primer, while 50% of the bands were polymorphic. The most effective primers were BT01, BT09, and BT11, which generated four bands. The least effective primer was BT10, which generated only two bands. Phylogenetic relationships between the genotypes divided the samples into two main groups according to geographical location.

National Library of Libya, 2024

The genetic diversity of F1 tomato hybrid (Nada, Mona, and Dania) grown in Libyan Green Mountain ... more The genetic diversity of F1 tomato hybrid (Nada, Mona, and Dania) grown in Libyan Green Mountain (LGM) was
investigated using SRAP and RAPD molecular marker techniques while the coefficient of variation C.V was used to
investigate F1 seed purity. The coefficient of variation C.V., in the three cultivars Nada, Mona and Dania are 31.88, 51.66
and 44.18, respectively, indicating the homogeneity of Nada cultivar over Dania and Mona. The SRAP marker provided a
total number of 29 amplified DNA bands with an average of 9.67 bands per primer, 26 of which were polymorphic (67%
polymorphism), while the RAPD marker provided a total of 73 bands with an average of 14.6 bands per primer; all of them
were 100% polymorphic. The genetic diversity for the three studied cultivars was 0.31, whereas Nada cultivar was the most
homogeneous recording a genetic diversity of 0.24 compared with Mona 0.25 and Dania 0.28 Dania. Principal coordinate
analysis (PcoA) divided tomato F1 hybrid samples into two main groups, the first (A) includes all the plants of a Nada
hybrid cultivar, while group (B) consists of overlapping of Dania and Mona cultivars, reflecting the genetic relatedness.

THE LIBYAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE, 2024

A study was conducted to examine the genetic relationships of eight pea cultivars, including four... more A study was conducted to examine the genetic relationships of eight pea cultivars, including four local
and four introduced cultivars, used in commercial production under an irrigated farming system in Libya..
The cultivars were analyzed using PCR-based techniques to assess genetic diversity. Seven Start Codon
Targeted (SCoT) markers and five Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers were employed. These
primers revealed several polymorphic genetic bands with varying molecular weights. The SCoT markers
generated 54 genetic bands, averaging 7.71 bands per primer, while the ISSR markers produced 35
genetic bands, with an average of 7 bands per primer. The genetic diversity for SCoT markers was 0.29,
while ISSR markers showed a diversity of 0.31. The polymorphic information content (PIC) was relatively
low, with an average of 23.0% for SCoT and 24% for ISSR. The dendrogram analysis revealed that the four
local cultivars formed a distinct subgroup, closely related due to their genetic proximity. The high
similarity indices suggest that the local pea plant populations share a strong genetic relationship, which
may be a result of hybridization and the genetic closeness of their parent lines.

QScience Connect, 2024

Background: The indigenous wild thyme (Thymus capitatus) population in Libya exhibits a conspicuo... more Background: The indigenous wild thyme (Thymus capitatus) population in Libya exhibits a
conspicuous and unique floral attribute, characterized by polymorphic flower coloration, which is
discernible within a singular population. Thyme is classified as a Taxonomically Complex Group since
it is a genetic combination of related individuals. Methods: Fifteen tender leaf samples were
collected to capture regional floral diversity. Samples represented five flower colour categories
(white, spotted-white, violet, pink, pied). Leaves were thoroughly washed with running distilled water
for DNA extraction and sequencing. Sequences were then analysed and phylogenetic trees were
constructed. Results: Alignment of matK gene sequences from Libyan thyme samples exhibited that
those with violet flowers displayed the highest similarity (96.67%) to the genus Thymbra capitata,
whereas samples with white flowers demonstrated the lowest similarity (85%), while the rbcL
sequences of white flowers displayed the highest similarity (99.63%), whereas the remaining tested
samples exhibited a slightly lower similarity of 98%. Notably, the sequences of 14 thyme samples
amplified using rbcL A primers have been deposited in the NCBI GenBank with accession numbers
MW051762 to MW051775. In the context of analysis via matK and rbcL gene sequences using MEGA
software, an unequivocal similarity was observed across the majority of examined thyme samples.
Conclusion: DNA barcoding may not be the

한국원예학회 기타간행물, Aug 1, 2006

ABSTRACT Explants were taken from hypocotyls, cotyledons and leaves of five cucumber cultivars. T... more ABSTRACT Explants were taken from hypocotyls, cotyledons and leaves of five cucumber cultivars. The maximum callus weight in the induction medium was 1215.4 mg with the cv. Natica using hypocotyl explants and the minimum was 487.6 mg with cv. Mascot using leaf explants. When auxin was available in the induction phase somatic embryos were obtained; the absence of cytokinin caused a reduction in the number of embryos. The number of somatic embryos increased with sucrose concentration to a maximum of 9% sucrose. Three weeks on induction medium was needed for production of somatic embryos; prolonged incubation (6 weeks) gave poor somatic embryo numbers. As auxin concentration decreased in maturation medium somatic embryo yield increased; the highest number was obtained in the absence of auxin. Generally, the culture of callus on maturation medium in darkness was superior to 16 h light for somatic embryogenesis. Leaf explants of the cultivar Profito gave 37.3 embryos per replicate which was the highest number recorded. In addition, this cultivar yielded embryos in the shortest time period (6 weeks). Satisfactory somatic embryo numbers were obtained after three weeks on induction medium, plus three weeks on maturation medium, or four weeks on induction medium, plus two weeks on maturation medium, or five weeks on induction medium, plus one week on maturation medium. Comparison of characteristics of cucumber plants derived from somatic embryogenesis with those obtained from seed showed no significant difference in phenotype of plants, or fruits, or genotype (using RAPD DNA tests).

QScience Connect, Nov 30, 2019

Journal of Horticultural Science, 2019

In this study fourteen microsatellite primer pairs were used to study the genetic diversity of Sh... more In this study fourteen microsatellite primer pairs were used to study the genetic diversity of Shishi Date palm in Qatar. A total of 32 date palm (15 Shishi cultivar, 10 Khalas and seven male date palms) were collected from Qatar and 5 Shihi cultivars were collected from Saudi Arabia ‎for comparison. The Shishi set collected from Qatar was selected from ‎different regions to represent the ‎genetic diversity of this ‎cultivar. The results indicated 98 alleles produced from the 14 microsatellite markers, and the cluster analysis showed four major clusters corresponding o the geographical areas. Similarly, the structure analysis indicated four populations according to statistic K value. PCoA analysis showed three groups (A, B and C) ‎separating Shishi (from Qatar) in group A, ‎Khalas in group B and Shishi (from Saudi Arabia) in ‎group C and no clear group ‎separated the male genotypes. This indicates that the sexual propagation by seeds is the main source of variation in the date palm....

Biotechnology(Faisalabad), 2016

QScience Connect, 2020

In this study, we characterized 30 date palm trees of Khalas cultivar from the GCC countries, alo... more In this study, we characterized 30 date palm trees of Khalas cultivar from the GCC countries, along with seven male trees from Qatar, using 14 microsatellite loci. The results showed that the microsatellites [(GA)n] in the date palm cultivar Khalas varied considerably in allele size (range=120-322 bp, mean=189.78), which revealed a high degree of gene diversity (range=0.66-0.85, mean=0.75) and distinguished all the individual Khalas trees within and among the GCC countries. The extent of polymorphism microsatellite loci was dependent on individual loci itself, which was positively correlated with the number of repeats at the corresponding microsatellite loci. The estimates of the skewness and kurtosis of the allelic distributions showed that none of the distribution of 14 microsatellite loci was considered normal (skewness=0, kurtosis=3), which suggested that the shape of the allelic distribution of these loci varied by chance. In the majority of the cases, the microsatellite allele size of the most frequent allele (mode) was very close to the median (±2 bp or ±(GA)1), which indicated that the most frequent allele was the ancestral allele. Nearly half of the allelic distributions of the 14 microsatellite loci were positively skewed and the other half was negatively skewed, which indicated that the alleles evolved respectively by gaining and losing of (GA)n repeats from the ancestral allele, resulting in intra-cultivar variability in Khalas cultivar over the generations. Based on this analysis, we conclude that the Khalas variety did not evolve independently at multiple origins, but rather it evolved from a single origin and, subsequently, the clones were distributed across the GCC countries. The accumulated mutations of these clones over time resulted in drastic changes among them at the microsatellite loci.

Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry, 1992

This study aimed to determine the best combinations of plant growth regulators and other conditio... more This study aimed to determine the best combinations of plant growth regulators and other conditions in order to achieve organogenesis and multiplication directly from shoot tips of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) var. Maktoom without callus formation so as to avoid any possibility of undesirable genetic variability. Results revealed that MS modified medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L 2ip, 1.0 mg/L BA, 1.0 mg/L NAA and 1.0 mg/L NOA was the best for bud formation from shoot tip after 16 weeks (6.2 bud per explant). Subculturing the formed buds on liquid agitated multiplication medium supplemented with 4.0 mg/L 2ip, 2 mg/L BA, 1.0 mg/L NAA and 1.0 mg/L NOA gave the optimum average of buds number (12.6 buds). In elongation stage MS medium with 0.5 mg/L GA 3 and 0.1 mg/L NAA enhanced plantlet length to 5.3 cm. Optimum rooting percentage 90% was achieved when shoots were transferred to a medium with 1.0 mg/L NAA. The average root number after 8 weeks was 5.4 with 9.0 cm length. Rooted shoots (plantlets) were transplanted in small pots containing a mixture of peatmoss and perlite (2:1) and placed in plastic tunnels or in a greenhouse. The survival percentage was 85% after 3 months when the plants were transferred to bigger pots. These results define a successful protocol for the in vitro propagation of Maktoom cv. date palm.

Al-Mukhtar Journal of Sciences, 2016

The effect of Ethyl-methane Sulphonate (EMS) on seed germination and seedling characters of broad... more The effect of Ethyl-methane Sulphonate (EMS) on seed germination and seedling characters of broad beans (Vicia faba L.) was analyzed in this investigation. The seeds were soaked in different percentages and durations of (EMS), then after sowing were irrigated with a range of NaCl concentration. The effect of EMS was observed based on the seed germination (%), and seedling characters such as: total fresh weight, root fresh weight and root length. Germination percentage generally decreases while concentrations of NaCl increases, however the interaction effect of EMS clearly appeared on concentration 6000 ppm NaCl, which positively increased the germination from 40% in absence of EMS to 60%, when 0.5 or 1% EMS were used. 24 hours soaking in EMS decreased the fresh weight from 33.36 to 13.55 gm per plant, in addition to the decrease of the root length from 22.0cm to 14.2cm per plant. The root nodulation of broad bean is not affected during the increase of NaCl, possibly due to the inter...

New primer pairs of genomic DNA microsatellite markers were tested to assess the genetic diversit... more New primer pairs of genomic DNA microsatellite markers were tested to assess the genetic diversity of eleven date palm genotypes. The results indicated that out of thirty, only seven primers (23.3%) failed to amplify the expected PCR fragments, while thirteen primers (43.3%) amplified monomorphic banding patterns and the remaining ten primers (33.4%) generated polymorphic banding patterns. A total of 77 alleles have been observed with a mean of 7.7 alleles per locus. The average of gene diversity was 0.80 ranging from 0.6 (in marker DP168) to 0.9 (in two markers DP157 and DP175). These new co-dominant markers will be a starting point for researchers making use of the markers for genetic mapping and diversity analysis of date palm.

Abstract: DNA of Qatari C. mydas samples were successfully sequenced using the Folmer forward and... more Abstract: DNA of Qatari C. mydas samples were successfully sequenced using the Folmer forward and reverse primers. The identification with BOLD of approximately 688 base pairs sequence revealed maximum homology (99.84%) with C. mydas , which is a species of turtle has been declared "extinct in wild" by IUCN. The next closest species 93.79% , was N. depressa which has a restricted geographical distribution and was reported to be endemic to the Australian continental shelf. The finding of characteristic species-specific COI sequences offers the prospect of identifying marine turtle species by using DNA barcode methodology as an auxiliary tool for taxonomy. This can also be used during field work when identifying lost nests, animals stranded on beaches or those killed as part of catching in fishery nets. A further use is in forensic litigation when turtle eggs or meat are the only available material and for the development of Qatar gene bank information.

Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions A: Science, 2019

The genetic variability of 18 individuals of Artemisia herba-alba from 3 different elevations in ... more The genetic variability of 18 individuals of Artemisia herba-alba from 3 different elevations in Green Mountain-Libya was examined using sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) techniques. Results showed distinctive SRAP and RAPD banding pattern in this species scoring a total of 17 SRAP and 61 RAPD bands including 94.12% and 100% polymorphic with amplicon size ranging from 50 to 1600 bp and 150 to 1800 bp, respectively. Phylogenetic relationship between the genotypes was able to divide the samples into two main groups with genetic similarity value ranged from 41 to 84%, indicating that the genetic relationship is slightly related to the geographical location of the studied plant area.

African Journal of Biotechnology, 2010

The role of cytokinine and auxin has been found to be effective in shoot multiplication of Ficus ... more The role of cytokinine and auxin has been found to be effective in shoot multiplication of Ficus anastasia. When the multiplication medium contained 8 mgl-1 of BA with 1 mgl-1 of IBA, a mean of 20 lateral branches per stem was induced which was the best combination recorded. Even though IAA particularly combined with 2ip or kinetin, it had weak shoot multiplication influence resulting in only two lateral shoots which increased to 7 lateral shoots per stem when combined with BA. The plant height was negatively affected by the increase of cytokinin concentration. However, the control plant was more in length than any of the cytokinin treatments among combination with IBA or IAA.

Acta Horticulturae, 2007

ABSTRACT Explants were taken from hypocotyls, cotyledons and leaves of five cucumber cultivars. T... more ABSTRACT Explants were taken from hypocotyls, cotyledons and leaves of five cucumber cultivars. The maximum callus weight in the induction medium was 1215.4 mg with the cv. Natica using hypocotyl explants and the minimum was 487.6 mg with cv. Mascot using leaf explants. When auxin was available in the induction phase somatic embryos were obtained; the absence of cytokinin caused a reduction in the number of embryos. The number of somatic embryos increased with sucrose concentration to a maximum of 9% sucrose. Three weeks on induction medium was needed for production of somatic embryos; prolonged incubation (6 weeks) gave poor somatic embryo numbers. As auxin concentration decreased in maturation medium somatic embryo yield increased; the highest number was obtained in the absence of auxin. Generally, the culture of callus on maturation medium in darkness was superior to 16 h light for somatic embryogenesis. Leaf explants of the cultivar Profito gave 37.3 embryos per replicate which was the highest number recorded. In addition, this cultivar yielded embryos in the shortest time period (6 weeks). Satisfactory somatic embryo numbers were obtained after three weeks on induction medium, plus three weeks on maturation medium, or four weeks on induction medium, plus two weeks on maturation medium, or five weeks on induction medium, plus one week on maturation medium. Comparison of characteristics of cucumber plants derived from somatic embryogenesis with those obtained from seed showed no significant difference in phenotype of plants, or fruits, or genotype (using RAPD DNA tests).

The experiment was undertaken to study the effect of one cultivar on another on callus formation ... more The experiment was undertaken to study the effect of one cultivar on another on callus formation in liquid medium. F1 hybrid seeds of cucumber cvs. Profito and Mascot were surface sterilized and germinated in vitro. Explants were taken from the leaves of plantlets and placed in induction medium, which was M&S supplemented with 2.0 mg·l-1 2,4-D, 0.5 mg·l-1 kinetin, no gelling agent and 3% sucrose; pH was adjusted to 5.8±2 before autoclaving at 120°C for 20min. Two explants from cv. Profito with two from cv. Mascot were inoculated into 5 cm petri-dishes divided into four parts by partitions with holes to let the media pass through. Controls had only one cultivar per petri dish. Callus weights were taken at the end of this stage. The cultivars had significantly different callus weights in liquid medium after 21 days. The Mascot explants when cultured alone in the liquid medium gave a mean weight of 160.2 mg callus, while when cultured with Profito explants in the same medium they gave ...

Cucumber seed used for greenhouse production consists mainly of F1 hybrids, which are preferred b... more Cucumber seed used for greenhouse production consists mainly of F1 hybrids, which are preferred by growers because of superior yield, improved diseaseresistance and good flavour. The production costs of the seed of F1 hybrids are high, and this is reflected in the price of the seed and the final produce. Artificial seed technology based on somatic embryogenesis may be one solution to the cost problem, as once the initial hybrid seed is produced it should be possible to clone it by generating somatic embryos.

The most common characteristics that are used to identify different cultivars of date palm are th... more The most common characteristics that are used to identify
different cultivars of date palm are the morphology of leaves,
spines, and fruit however, morphological traits are often
unreliable or imprecise indicators of plant genotype because they
are influenced by environmental conditions and vary with the
developmental stage of plants. Marker technology using DNA
fingerprinting methods such as Microsatellite SSR marker has
become increasingly important in recent years to discriminate
closely related plant cultivars and have been used to study the
genetic diversity and relationships of date palm cultivars in many
countries

One of the most spectacular achievements in plant tissue culture has been the discovery of the in... more One of the most spectacular achievements in plant tissue culture has been the discovery of the induction of somatic embryogenesis in cell culture by which somatic cells develop into differentiated plants through characteristic embryological stages without fusion of gametes. These steps are accurately regulated by many factors, including plant genotype, level of sugar in the medium, type and concentration of growth regulators, photoperiod, gelling agents, time exposure and induction and maturation medium which stimulates somatic embryogenesis. This article reviews the recent work carried out on the role of various factors controlling somatic embryogenesis.

Characterization of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars is valuable for identification, ... more Characterization of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars is valuable for identification, conservation and breeding programs. Three elite date palm cultivars (Taghyat, Tafsert and Talees) grown in one of the most important areas of date palm cultivation in southern region of Libya (Sabha, Ubari and Murziq). These cultivars were investigated throughout the physical characters of the fruit. The obtained results revealed that physical property of date palm fruit were affected significantly by different cultivars and geographical growing regions