Vol. 28 No. 3 (2023): Romanian Biotechnological Letters
The Journal publishes original research articles, reviews and short communications. The main thematic areas of publications supported by RBL are: cellular and molecular biology, applied microbiology (microbial ecology, industrial microbiology, medical microbiology, immunology), functional genomics, metabolic engineering, physiology, ecology, nanotechnology, agriculture and farming improvement techniques, development of experimental methodology in medical, materials, life sciences and biotechnology.
Full Issue
Articles
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A statistical method for source approtionment of soil pollution
Abstract
The present study was conducted to evaluate the source apportionment of soil pollution and its impact on soil quality using multivariate statistical analysis tools. Multivariable statistical techniques such as cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), factor analysis (FA) and correlation offers superior interpretation of complicated data sets to better understand the soil quality. Soil samples were analyzed for physicochemical parameters (pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, moisture content, phosphate, potassium and sulphar) and for some important heavy metals (zinc, iron, manganese and copper). Sampling stations have been classified into three groups using Cluster Analysis (CA) in a convincing way. Results revealed that among all the sampling stations, three significantly different groups: (1) stations having highest pollution sources (HW and MW), (2) Moderate polluted area (SW and IW) & (3) control site (VW) of the study stretch. The PCA generated 2 significant factors having eigenvalues >1 which explain 82.78% of the variance in the dataset. Each soil quality parameter with strong correlation coefficient value was considered to be significant (p<0.01). Therefore, the present study revealed that mining activities, dumping of municipal sewage, disposal of biomedical waste and industrial effluent including solid waste (e.g fly ash) have greater influence on the soil quality. Results also showed that the concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Mn and Zn) in highly polluted soil are beyond the permissible limit. The pollutant levels were significantly different in the three groups of soil pollution character samples, which were confirmed by ANOVA analysis.
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Infestation and storages in Balochistan during 2019-2020
Abstract
The present study was aimed to inspect the stored product insect pests from different godowns (Governmental and Private) of four districts namely Quetta, Pishin, Loralai and Sibi (two from cold and two from hot climatic regions). Insect pests damaging cereals were collected from godowns of these localities. The collections were made on a monthly basis from five (Private/Govt./Plinth) godowns of each district. All insect pests were collected during January -December 2019-2020. These samples were identified by using the standard identification keys [1–3]. Tribolium castaneum showed the highest increase, from 10.28% in 2019 to 13.54% in 2020. Trogoderma granarium also had a significant increase from 9.28% to 12.25%, followed by Rhizopertha dominica with an increase from 7.18% to 9.83%. Sitophylus oryzae showed a smaller increase from 7.18% to 8.40%, while Angoumois grain moths had the smallest increase from 1.06% to 1.59% in Sibi while least population was noticed in Quetta as Tribolium castaneum were found with 5.03% and increased to 7.25% in 2020. Trogoderma granarium from 3.80% to 5.56%, Rhizopertha dominica were from 2.67% to 3.48%, Sitophylus oryzae from 1.75% to 1.49% and Angoumois grain moths were collected from 0.51% to 0.41%. The collected data also reveal that in governmental godowns the population of stored product insect pests were found higher than the private godowns due to their basic facilities. The values in Sibi showed an increase from 11.74% to 16.42% in 2020 for government godowns and an increase from 6.95% to 12.30% in open areas. Private godowns had 15.34% in 2019 and increased to 16.89% in 2020. Similarly, Loralai and Pishin government godowns also showed an increase in insect pests in 2020. In contrast, Quetta government godowns had a relatively stable percentage of insect pests in 2019 and 2020, while private godowns showed an increase from 2.88% to 4.04%. The present study is the first of its kind and is helped full for the identification and prevalence of different stored product pests in different storages of Balochistan during 2019-2020 in Covid condition.
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Renewable energy and leather industry - bibliometric analysis
Abstract
The impact on the environment, disregarding the industry is constant. The implications are various out of which the energy sector stands out due to its ability to help reduce the climate change effect. Renewable energies can constitute a necessary change in some domains due to their high environmental impact. Thus, in this paper, the link between renewable energy and the leather industry is highlighted through a bibliometric analysis of the scientific community research.
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Angiotensinogen: in-silico insight to mutations, protein-protein interactions and evolution
Abstract
In this era of rapidly evolving genetic and non-genetic diseases, in-silico analysis of disease related proteins has proven beneficial in identification and characterization of potential therapeutic targets. In present study, angiotensinogen (AGT) was studied for its sequence based ortholog and paralogs, structural characterization, mutational analysis, protein interactions and evolutionary changes. Sequence studies identified 194 orthologs and 36 paralogs of AGT. Functional analysis AGT polymorphisms revealed the association of M235T with increased AGT stability. Protein-protein interaction analysis exposed the involvement of AGT in metabolic diseases. So, this study provided base for the experimentally proven association of M235T polymorphism with metabolic diseases. Moreover, it presents AGT as strong therapeutic target for the control of these diseases.
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Mutagenic effect of ultraviolet rays on sex expression in summer squash genotypes
Abstract
The present study aimed to induce genetic variations within the control of sex expression in summer squash using ultraviolet rays (UV) as a physical source of mutations in plants. Because the sex expression in summer squash is fundamentally controlled mainly by genetics and partially by the environment. Therefore, this study tries to increase floral differentiation of female flowers, as well as decrease male flowers developed per plant, because summer squash usually exhibit more male flowers and lower female flowers. This will cause decreases in fruits yield per plant. This study was designed in a randomized complete block design with a factorial investigation. It was included four genotypes of summer squash subjected to four exposure periods of UV rays, with three repetitions for each experimental unit. The results showed that genotype number four increased the features of female flowers by 28% and 14% at 4 and 8 minutes of exposure period, respectively. The 12 – minute exposure period significantly increased floral differentiation among all genotypes toward male flowers developed per plant. Meanwhile, genotype number two enhanced floral differentiation toward female flowers by 14% at 8 minutes of exposure period, indicating that these few periods of exposure to UV irradiation may be responsible for induced benefit mutations in cucurbits affected on sex expression, as it induced high number of female flowers. The results indicated that UV irradiation had a direct role in promoting floral differentiation as it inducement higher female flowers in some genotypes leading to improve floral characteristics, as a consequence increased fruits yield per plant.
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Genetic Use Restriction Technology (GURT): A paradox of the good evil
Abstract
Genetic Use Restriction Technology (GURT), also known as “terminator technology”, is a type of genetic engineering that renders seeds sterile (V-GURT) or alters a specific trait of a plant (T-GURT), preventing farmers from saving and replanting harvested seeds. GURT can also be of immense benefit to agriculture. It can be used to modify crops for improved traits, such as resistance to pests, herbicides or environmental stresses, which can ultimately improve yields, reduce the need for pesticides and herbicides, and help crops adapt to changing climatic conditions. Despite its potential benefits, GURT technology is restricted in many countries due to ethical and environmental concerns. The debate on the legalisation of GURTs is based on the main issues of food security, biological and environmental impacts, and possible monopolisation of the seed industry by a few large companies. Therefore, in this review we discuss the novelty of GURT technology in crop improvement and the contentious issues that continue to be debated by scientists, policy makers and the public.
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Immobilization of different products (enzymes) with chitosan
Abstract
There is a strong emphasis on environmental preservation, and the agri-food sector is no exception. Nowadays, many food products are stored in plastic packaging, which can pose environmental challenges. That’s why, in this article, we explore a non-toxic, biocompatible, antimicrobial, antifungal alternative derived from natural sources: chitosan. We aim to develop a chitosan-based film, a biopolymer derived from chitin, to safeguard delicate fruits and vegetables from potential damage they may incur from harvest to sale. In this article, we delve into the immobilization of different enzymes using chitosan, the toxic impact of this compound, the immobilization of enzymes from various fruits, and finally, the study of coated fruits.
