Continuous application of phosphate (P) mineral to soil renders apatite addition during each crop growing season which is of great concern from a sustainable agriculture viewpoint. Use of efficient phosphate solubilizing microbes (PSB) is one of the most effective ways to solubilize this apatite mineral in the soil. The current study targeted hydroxyapatite mines to explore, isolate and characterize efficient P solubilizers to solubilize apatite in the soil. Efficiency of isolated microbes to solubilize rock phosphate (hydroxyapatite) and tri-calcium phosphate (TCP) as well as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACC) activity were tested. Identification and phylogenetic analysis of bacterial and fungal isolates were carried out by 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA sequence analyses, respectively. The isolated bacterial strains were identified as Staphylococcus sp., Bacillus firmus, Bacillus safensis, and Bacillus licheniformis whereas fungal isolates were identified as Penicillium sp. and Penicillium oxalicum. Results showed that the impact of identified strains in combination with three phosphate fertilizers sources (compost, rock phosphate and diammonium phosphate (DAP)) was conspicuous on maize crop grown in pot. Both bacterial and fungal strains increased the P uptake by plants as well as recorded with higher available P in post-harvested soil. Penicillium sp. in combination with compost resulted in maximum P-uptake by plants and post-harvest soil P contents, compared to other combinations of P sources and bio-inoculants. Screening and application of efficient P solubilizers can be a better option to utilize the indigenous phosphate reserves of soil as well as organic amendments for sustainable agriculture.

Background. DNA barcoding is a useful technique for the identification, conservation, and diversity estimation at the species level in plants. The current research work was carried out to characterize selected Fragaria species from northern Pakistan using DNA barcode markers. Methodology. Initially, the efficacy of eight DNA barcode markers was analyzed based on the amplification and sequencing of the genome of selected Fragaria species. The resultant sequences were analyzed using BLAST, MEGA 7.0, and Bio Edit software. The phylogenetic tree was constructed by using Fragaria current species sequences and reference sequences through the neighbor-joining method or maximum likelihood method. Results. Among eight DNA barcode markers, only two (ITS2 and rbclC) were amplified, and sequences were obtained. ITS2 sequence was BLAST in NCBI for related reference species which ranged from 89.79% to 90.05% along with Fragaria vesca (AF163517.1) which have 99.05% identity. Similarly, the rbclC sequence of Fragaria species was ranged from 96% to 99.58% along with Fragaria × ananassa (KY358226.1) which had 99.58% identity. Conclusion. It is recommended that DNA barcode markers are a useful tool to identify the genetic diversity of a species. Moreover, this study could be helpful for the identification of the Fragaria species cultivated in other regions of the world.

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Introduction: Growth of the patients occurs in both vertical and horizontal directions. The pattern of the growth can be predicted from both lateral cephalogram and orthopantomogram. GA is one of the important parameter measures from both lateral cephalogram and orthopantomogram which can predict growth direction. In the previous literature GA is measured from LCR and OPG in the vertical facial growth pattern.  The objective of this study is to evaluate the reliability of lateral cephalogram compared to orthopantomogram in determining the value of gonial angle in different types of malocclusion groups (Sagittal skeletal class I, II, III). Material and methods: This was a hospital-based study conducted at the Orthodontic Department, Institute of Dentistry LUMHS, Jamshoro/ Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan from 19 October 2020 to 12 April 2021. This study recruited 174 participants of 12 years to 30 years of age, 123 female and 51 male patients. Skeletal class I malocclusion patients are 66, skeletal class II malocclusion patients are 75, and skeletal class III malocclusion patients are 33. Radiographs lateral cephalogram and orthopantomogram were advised to patients and were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the accuracy of the results.