Climate change poses increasing challenges to rice production and food security, particularly in tropical regions such as Malaysia. This article presents a whole-genome resequencing dataset of a Malaysian-developed advanced rice mutant line, NMR191, and its parental cultivar, Pongsu Seribu (PS2), generated through ion beam irradiation-induced mutagenesis. Sequencing was performed using the Illumina NovaSeq X platform at approximately 30 × coverage, producing high-quality paired-end reads. Clean reads were aligned to the Oryza sativa Indica reference genome (GCA_000004655), followed by genome-wide identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions/deletions (InDels). The dataset comprises 24.8 GB and 28.6 GB of clean sequencing data for NMR191 and PS2, respectively. Raw sequencing reads are publicly available in the NCBI Sequence Read Archive under accession numbers and SRR36593642. This dataset provides a valuable genomic resource for variant discovery, comparative genomics, and future studies in rice breeding and mutation research.

Bacterial leaf blight (BLB), traditionally caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, is a major constraint in rice production. Recently, Pantoea ananatis has emerged as a BLB-associated pathogen, but its impact on rice production in Malaysia is unclear. This study isolated seven yellow-pigmented bacteria from symptomatic mutant rice leaves in Kelantan and Terengganu. Morphological characterisation and molecular identification using infB-based PCR and sequencing verified all isolates as Pantoea ananatis. Phylogenetic analysis clustered the isolates with reference P. ananatis strains, with bootstrap analysis based on 1000 replicates showing high node support (91%-100%), clearly separating them from other Pantoea species. Pathogenicity tests on MR220-CL2 produced typical BLB symptoms with high disease severity, demonstrating that P. ananatis can infect both mutant and conventional rice lines, posing a potential threat to rice cultivation in Malaysia. This study provides current evidence of P. ananatis causing BLB in mutant rice lines developed by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency through mutation breeding. By confirming the pathogen's identity and pathogenicity, the findings enhance national disease surveillance efforts, support ongoing rice improvement programmes and provide essential baseline data to guide future work in resistance breeding, disease management and diagnostic development.

Soil fertility plays a crucial role in ensuring both the quality and quantity of agricultural crop production. However, determining the optimal parameters for regulating rice growth to enhance yield remains challenging, as the correlation between soil factors and rice yield has not been quantitatively assessed. The present work will examine the relationship between soil fertility and rice yield in Malaysia. A Pearson correlation matrix heatmap was employed to quantitatively evaluate the relationships between soil chemical properties and rice yield of two paddy seed varieties, UiTM 1 and UiTM 5, cultivated across three regions in Perak, Kedah, and Johor. Furthermore, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was utilised to elucidate the multivariate structure of soil fertility data and identify the dominant factors influencing yield variance. The results revealed that soil pH exhibited a stronger positive correlation with the yield of UiTM 5 (r = 0.66, p < 0.01) compared to UiTM 1 (r = 0.45, p > 0.05). In contrast, aluminium showed a stronger negative correlation with UiTM 5 (r = - 0.87, p < 0.01) than with UiTM 1 (r = - 0.78, p < 0.01), indicating a greater risk of aluminium toxicity in UiTM 5. The PCA identified two main components accounting for 78.2% of the total variance, suggesting that rice yield is strongly associated by the Soil Acidity and Cation Status Factor (PC2) rather than nitrogenous organic fertility alone. Among the five paddy fields studied, location A9 recorded the highest rice yields, with 9.29 mt/ha for UiTM 1 and 9.11 mt/ha for UiTM 5, which aligned with the optimal vector space for pH and cation exchange capacity in the PCA biplot. This superior performance may be attributed to the soil fertility at A9, which falls within the optimal critical range for rice cultivation. The integration of correlation and multivariate analyses demonstrates that managing soil acidity and aluminium toxicity is a critical consideration for optimising productivity. Understanding these relationships provides valuable insights for improving soil management practices and enhancing rice production sustainability in Malaysia.

Rice plays a crucial role in global food security, yet it is highly vulnerable to diseases, particularly bacterial leaf blight (BLB) caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Sustainable rice production, such as mutagenesis, can help in the development of new rice varieties with imrpoved agronomic performances. Consequently, this investigation was designed to develop potential rice mutant lines resistant to Xoo from the MR297 rice variety using gamma radiation. In the preliminary stage (radiosensitivity test), MR297 seeds achieved a 50% lethality rate (LD50) or the highest mutation frequency at 382.245Gy. The M1 generation was established using 10,000 irradiated seeds at a dose of 384.245 Gy. In the subsequent M2 and M3 generations, the derived lines demonstrated superior yield and agronomic traits compared with the parental cultivar MR297. Disease screening against the Xoo pathotype indicated that M2 and M3 plants exhibited resistance scores ranging from 1 to 3. Genotypic evaluation of 30 selected M3 individuals showed that all carried the recessive Xa5 allele, while seven plants possessed a gene combination of the dominant Xa21 and recessive Xa5. These seven lines were classified within Cluster II of the UPGMA dendrogram at a similarity coefficient of 0.78. Overall, the results highlight these lines as promising breeding resources for developing high-yielding rice varieties with durable resistance to BLB.

Malaysia's rice self-sufficiency rate (SSL) is only approximately 56%, so to maintain social and economic stability in the nation, numerous initiatives have been undertaken to boost rice yield. Planting rice in the wasteland areas that are typically less fertile can help to increase rice productivity, but it is crucial to identify genotypes that are well-adapted to less fertile soil. This research aimed to identify rice genotypes that are highly adaptable in less fertile soil. The morphoagronomic performance of 58 modern and traditional rice genotypes was evaluated in paddy plots at the Greenhouse Complex, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for two planting seasons. The plot management practices were conducted in accordance with the 'Rice Check' guidelines established by the Department of Agriculture, Malaysia. In both growing seasons, significant differences between genotypes were observed for all seven traits. All traits exhibited high heritability (H) values (0.79 < H <= 1.00), except for chlorophyll content (CC) in season I (H = 0.51). Considering that genetic influences predominate over environmental ones, traits with high heritability values can be used for direct selection. Under low fertility condition, traditional rice genotypes showed better performance in terms of grain yield (GY), panicle length (PL), and panicle number (PN), although they were characterized by a longer day to flowering (DTF) compared to modern rice genotypes across both planting seasons. Additionally, a positive and significant correlation was obtained between GY with PN (r=0.40 and 0.58, p<0.01) and PL (r=0.45, p<0.001) for both planting seasons. The 58 rice genotypes were grouped into 8 clusters based on seven studied traits for both growing season. Traditional genotypes such as Towuti, Pongsu Seribu, Ulat Kuning, Huma Kuning Lenggong, and Lumut can be used as parental lines to develop new genotypes of rice with all the superior traits such as high yield, good adaptation under less fertile soil or low input system, intermediate plant height and shorter maturity by crossing them with modern genotypes that mature early and has intermediate plant height.

Kadar sara diri (SSL) beras Malaysia hanya kira-kira 63%, jadi untuk mengekalkan kestabilan sosial dan ekonomi negara, pelbagai inisiatif telah diambil untuk meningkatkan hasil padi. Penanaman padi di kawasan tanah terbiar yang biasanya kurang subur boleh membantu meningkatkan produktiviti padi tetapi adalah penting untuk mengenal pasti genotipyang beradaptasi dengan baik di tanah kurang subur selain melakukan perawatan tanah. Penyelidikan ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti genotip padi yang mempunyai adaptasi yang tinggi terhadap tanah yang kurang subur. Prestasi morfo-agronomi 58 genotip padi moden dan tradisi telah dinilai di plot padidi Kompleks Rumah Tumbuhan, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia bagi dua musim penanaman. Kaedah amalan pengurusan plot adalah berdasarkan kepada ‘Rice Check’ oleh Jabatan Pertanian, Malaysia. Dalam kedua-dua musim penanaman, perbezaan yang signifikan antara genotip diperhatikan bagi kesemua tujuh ciri. Kesemua ciri mempunyai nilai keterwarisan (H) yang tinggi (0.79 < H ≤ 1.00), kecuali kandungan klorofil (CC) pada musim I (H = 0.51). Memandangkan pengaruh genetik lebih mendominasi persekitaran, ciri dengan nilai keterwarisan yang tinggi boleh digunakan untuk pemilihan langsung. Bagi kawasan kurang subur, genotip tradisi menunjukkan prestasi yang lebih baik berbanding genotip moden daripada segi hasil bijian (GY), panjang panikel (PL) dan bilangan panikel (PN), tetapi turut mempunyai hari berbunga (DTF) yang lebih panjang dan lebih tinggi dalam kedua-dua musim penanaman. Selain itu, hubungan korelasi positif yang signifikan diperoleh antara ciri GY dengan PN (r=0.40 dan 0.58, p<0.01) dan PL (r=0.45, p<0.001) untuk kedua-dua musim penanaman. Lima puluh lapan genotip (58) padi telah dikelompokkan kepada 8 kluster berdasarkan tujuh ciri yang dikaji pada kedua-dua musim penanaman. Genotip tradisi seperti Towuti, Pongsu Seribu, Ulat Kuning, Huma Kuning Lenggong dan Lumut boleh digunakan sebagai induk untuk membangunkan genotip padi baharu dengan semua ciri unggul seperti hasil tinggi, adaptasi yang baik dalam tanah kurang subur atau sistem penanaman input rendah, berketinggian sederhana dan tempoh matang yang lebih singkat dengan mengacukkan genotip ini dengan genotip moden yang matang awal dan berketinggian sederhana.

Backcrossing of gamma-irradiated IS21 with MR220 has generated progenies (ML 82-2 and ML 125-2) with improved traits. However, studies on these new mutant lines remain limited. This study aimed to determine and compare the biochemical characteristics and transcriptomic profiles of drought-tolerance-related genes in ML 82-2 and ML 125-2, as well as in the parent lines, IS21 and MR220. Seeds were germinated for 14 days under a controlled photoperiod (16 h light and 8 h darkness) at a constant temperature of 25 ± 2°C. Biochemical analyses, including total soluble protein content, specific peroxidase activity (SPA), chlorophyll content, and proline content, were conducted. Transcriptomic profiling was performed using STRING and gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis. ML 82-2 exhibited the highest SPA, which was significantly different from that of MR220 and IS21, as well as significantly different total soluble protein content. However, ML 82-2 did not significantly differ from MR220 in chlorophyll and proline content. Drought stress-responsive genes Os01g0124401, Os08g0473900, and Os08g0518800 were identified in ML 82-2. Conversely, ML 125-2 displayed total soluble protein content and SPA similar to IS21, while chlorophyll and proline content were not significantly different from those of MR220. Drought stress-responsive genes Os10g0471100, Os01g0197100, and Os11g0701400 were identified in ML 125-2. ML 82-2 demonstrated improved SPA, whereas ML 125-2 exhibited enhanced total soluble protein content. The identified genes in both mutant lines are associated with drought resistance, with most sharing a similar genomic profile with MR220. These findings contribute to plant physiology studies and stress-responsive gene discovery in rice.

Water scarcity causedmillions of ringgit losses in a vast Malaysia from 2017 to 2021 in vast area of rice fields. The development of drought tolerant varietiesis vital as most Malaysian rice varieties are drought-susceptible. Hence the aim of this project wasto study the performance of advanced mutant rice lines (Oryza sativaL.). on phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, broad sense heritability, genetic gain and correlations. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications in the rice plot areaofSekinchan, Selangor during the 2020/2021 cropping season. All traits were drastically affected by the drought stress and significant reduction in their performance was also observed. Analysis of varianceshowed significant differences for all phenotypic and agronomic traits observed in a stressfulenvironment. Genotypes differed significantly at p<0.05for all the traits studied, which implies that the genotypes constitute a pool of germplasm with adequate genetic variability. Genotypic coefficients of variation were lower than the corresponding phenotypic coefficients in all the traits studied, indicating a considerable influence of the environment on the expression of the traits. Heritability showed two phenotypic and agronomic traits, namely, days to UFG andSF. These traits showed high heritability both under non-stress (control) (56.60-57.87) and stress (47.94-50.36%) environments. FLA had medium heritability under non-stress environment (15.98%) but low heritability under stress environment (7.37%). Several significant positive as well as negative correlations in a stressfulenvironment were observed among the traits. Similar trends of correlation were also observed innon-stress environments. Grain yield exhibited a significantly positive correlation with the number of tillers per plant (r = 0.48*), filled grains per panicle (r =0.55*) and spikelet fertility (r= 0.69*). Therefore, the results suggest that these traits can be used for grain yield selection.

In Malaysia, rice mutant varieties that are genetically altered to confer resistance against blast disease have been substantially developed through mutational breeding program. However, due to the limited accessible information on the mutant lines, mutant gene variants corresponding to the disease resistance and other useful agronomic traits are yet to be exploited. Here, we conducted whole genome re-sequencing of blast resistance with kernel elongation traits in mutant line, Mahsuri Mutant (87,639,446 bp raw reads), and its parental line, Mahsuri (85,156,783 bp raw reads) using Illumina Novaseq 6000 sequencing platform with 30x sequencing coverage. The generated genome sequences are aimed to facilitate the discovery of causal mutation and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to the intended traits. The identified SNPs can be further employed to develop allele-specific SNP molecular markers to locate the mutant gene regions. The NGS data obtained (FASTQ format) of the parental and mutant lines have been deposited in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database under sequence read archive (SRA) xwith accession numbers SRR24388814 (Mahsuri) and SRR22952097 (Mahsuri Mutant) respectively.

The genomics and genetic information of Malaysian rice (Oryza sativa L.) and their mutant lines are very limited. Therefore, the genome resequencing of two drought and submergence tolerant mutant rice lines, NMR152 and NMR151 and their parental line, MR219 was performed using Illumina Hi Seq 4000 platform with 20x sequencing coverage to facilitate the identification of causal mutations and the discovery of candidate variants of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from their genome. The identification of SNPs would be useful in developing functional SNP markers related to drought and submergences resistance traits. Genome sequence data (FASTQ format) of the mutants and their parental line have been deposited into the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database under sequence read archive (SRA) data with accessions SRR20824202 (NMR152), SRR20995190 (NMR151) and SRR21043964 (MR219), respectively.

A new high-yielding mutant rice cultivar, IS21, has been released by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency (MNA) in 2021. This cultivar matures in 105-108 days after transplanting. Since there is a need to reduce days to maturity (DTM) in most Malaysian rice mega-varieties to minimise the impacts of abiotic and biotic stresses, crossing IS21 with early maturing rice genotypes could be an efficient strategy to address these issues. Preliminary screening has successfully identified two early maturing and shorter plant statue rice genotypes, MR220CL2 and UKMRC16. Therefore, these rice genotypes were crossed to IS21 to generate two F 1 populations. These F 1 populations (IS21 × MR220CL2 and IS21 × UKMRC16) were planted in the MNA glasshouse with parental lines from December 2021 to March 2022. The agro-morphological data for F 1 populations and parental lines were recorded and analysed using the RStudio software package. The putative F 1 progenies were confirmed using two polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) SSR markers, RM628 and RM140. About 75% of the putative F 1 are F 1 hybrids. IS21 × MR220CL2 F 1 progenies showed better morpho-agronomical performances compared to IS21 × UKMRC16 F 1 progenies. This crossing combination also had positive mid-parents and better parent heterosis values of all evaluated traits except for thousand-grain weight, days to flowering and DTM. This study suggested the potential use of IS21 x MR220CL2 F 1 progenies for rice breeding programmes with high-yielding and early maturity traits.

Background It is believed that activation of microglia in the central nervous system upon detection of stimulus like lipopolysaccharides provokes neuroinflammation via the production of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines. The cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory properties of various folk medicine has been gaining attention as a strategy to combat various disease. This study aimed to assess the anti-neuroinflammatory properties of chloroform extract of in vitro Panax ginseng root culture based on nitric oxide and cytokines production. Methods The study was initiated with the determination of maximum non-toxic dose (MNTD) of P. ginseng root culture chloroform extract using the MTT assay. The lipopolysaccharides-stimulated BV2 microglia cells were treated with MNTD and ½MNTD of the extract and its anti-neuroinflammatory properties were assessed by measuring the production of nitric oxide (NO) via Griess assay, as well as TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 using Quantikine ELISA. Results It was found that the MNTD and ½MNTD of the extract did not play a significant role in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as NO, TNF-α and IL-6. However, the MNTD and ½MNTD of chloroform extract significantly increased the anti-inflammatory IL-10 compared to the untreated cells. Conclusion With this, the chloroform extract of P. ginseng root culture potentially exerts anti-neuroinflammatory properties.

Stevia rebaudiana is a sweet herb that belongs to the family Asteraceae. Steviol glycosides, a natural sweetener derived from Stevia leaves are 100–300 times sweeter than sucrose and contain a complex mixture of sweet diterpene glycosides. The mutagenic effect of colchicine to improve leaf and steviol glycosides yield in stevia was investigated. Stevia plant were treated with five different colchicine concentrations (0.5%, 1.00%, 1.50%, 2.0%, 2.5% and untreated plantlet (0.0%) act as control) for 48h. The plants were arranged in a completely randomized block design. Treated plants were characterized based on morphological traits such as plant height, leaf length and leaf thickness. The results obtained revealed significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) in the morphological traits of the mutants when compared with the control. Overall, 2.0% colchicine concentration resulted in higher average plant height by 36.0% ± 0.6 leaf length increments by 43.0%± 0.7 and the leaf thickness increment by 5.0%± 0.1. The improvement of the mutants’ traits is concentration dependent and increases with increment in colchicine concentration. Thus, we therefore suggested that 2.0% concentration should be employed in improving stevia growth and yield related traits.

Objective To investigate the anti-neuroinflammatory properties of Panax ginseng (P. ginseng) root by measuring the levels of nitric oxide (NO), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV2 microglia cells. Methods Maximal non-toxic dose (MNTD) of methanol extract of P. ginseng root culture on BV2 microglia cells was first determined via 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, followed by treatment and LPS stimulation of cells, and the measurement of NO using Griess assay and TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 using ELISA assay. Results The MNTD of P. ginseng root extract was determined to be (587 ± 57) µg/mL. Following that, NO and IL-6 levels were found to be insignificantly reduced by 6.88% and 0.14% respectively in stimulated cells upon treatment with MNTD. Treatment with MNTD yielded similar insignificant result, with only a reduction of 3.58% and 0.08% in NO and IL-6 levels respectively. However, TNF-α and IL-10 levels were significantly downregulated by 15.64% and 34.96% respectively upon treatment with P. ginseng root extract at MNTD. Conclusion Methanol extract of P. ginseng root culture did not show any significant anti-inflammatory effects on NO and IL-6 levels, but might potentially possess both anti-neuroinflammatory and pro-neuroinflammatory properties through the downregulation of TNF-α and IL-10 respectively.

The conventional breeding approach in banana was slow predominantly because of the limited genetic diversity, infertility and polyploid condition of the species. Induced mutation is one of the promising tools to create new varieties for the improvement of banana. While vitro propagation technique ensures a rapid and in an organized manner for production of banana. Thus, induced mutation using gamma ray in combination with in vitro culture micro cross section culture was conducted to evaluate the effects of gamma radiation on growth and development of plantlet of Musa acuminata cv. Berangan. Tissue cultured banana plantlet was used as the source of explant. The plantlet was cut into halved and radiated using gamma ray with the dose of 0 (control), 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 and 80 Gy. The highest survival rate (23.33%) was recorded in treatment 10 Gy while the lowest survival (0.33%) was in treatment 80 Gy. The lethal dose (LD50) which had caused 50% mortality to the irradiated material was found to be 37 Gy. The morphological study on the growth of in vitro irradiated plantlets showed that 25 Gy induced a stimulation effect on the number of shoot produced (5.56), root number per explant (8.5) and root length (37.36 cm) compared to untreated banana explants (0 Gy). Hence, this study introduces the in vitro multiplication of gamma irradiated culture system for future breeding of a new varieties of banana.

Curcuma aeruginosa from the Zingiberaceae family has been cultivated for its traditional and medicinal properties in Malaysia. This study aimed to investigate the volatile constituents of C. aeruginosa essential oil from Malaysia and evaluate its antimicrobial properties compared to C. aeruginosa essential oil from other countries. The essential oils were obtained from fresh and dried leaves and rhizome of C. aeruginosa using the hydrodistillation method and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The highest essential oil yield was obtained from dried rhizome at 0.63 % (w/w). The major volatile constituent found in the essential oil isolated from fresh leaves were 1,8-cineole (7.91 %), curzerene (5.16 %), and germacrone (4.91 %); dried leaves contained 1,8-cineole (17.21 %), camphor (6.55 %) and curzene (3.85 %); fresh rhizomes contained 1,8-cineole (20.53 %) and camphor (6.08 %) whereas dried rhizomes contained 1,8- cineole (18.41 %), camphor (9.89 %), and DL-isoborneol (3.13 %). The essential oils showed good antibacterial and antifungal activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger Candida albicans but were not effective against Serratia marcescens. This study highlights the variation in the volatile constituents of C. aeruginosa essential oil from different countries and the antimicrobial potential of C. aeruginosa essential oil from Malaysia, which may be used against various bacterial and fungal species.

The carbon ion-beam has emerged as a novel physical mutagen for creating genetic variability and crop improvement. In this study, seeds of a high-yielding pyramided rice line MR219-PL-5 were exposed to carbon ion beam irradiation at 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 Gy. The radiosensitivity test was conducted to determine the optimum dose of carbon ion beam irradiation based on the lethal dose 50% (LD50) using Sandwich Blotter Technique. The biological responses of carbon-ion beam irradiation were also observed in other characteristics such as germination rate (GeR), survival rate (SR), growth rate (GRoR), shoot length (SL), root length (RL), seedling height (SH), days to flowering (DTF), fertility rate (FR) and thousand-grains weight (TGW). Based on the polynomial curve of SR graph, the lethal dose 50% (LD50) value was 86.12 Gy. However, the optimum dose range of carbon ion-beam irradiation was between 40 and 60 Gy as these two doses recorded the highest SR, 63 and 67%, respectively. Furthermore, the shoulder dose in this study was 60 Gy since SR decreased significantly at higher doses. M1 individuals irradiated at 40 and 60 Gy had the best biological responses where significant differences were found for SR, SL, RL, GRoR, SH, DTF and FR at these two doses compared to the other doses. Further studies on M2 and M3 populations could help to identify potential individuals as well as to understand the inheritance of each trait of interest from one generation to the next.

Rice is an important staple food and provides 20% of the world’s dietary energy supply. Presently, mutation-based breeding is extensively used in rice to induce genetic variation by improving yield and agronomic traits as well as increasing tolerance to pest and diseases. Our aim in this study is to determine the radiosensitivity of a Malaysian rice (Oryza sativa L.) variety, MR284 to acute gamma irradiation. Dry MR284 seeds were exposed to acute gamma irradiation (high dose rate radiation) using Biobeam GM8000 with Caesium-137 as a source at doses of 0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 Gy at Malaysian Nuclear Agency. Effects of irradiation were measured in terms of shoot and root length. Study showed that irradiated seedlings demonstrated a reduction in plant height with increasing doses of gamma irradiation. Based on the survival curve, the 50% shoot length (SD50) for MR284 was 390.74 Gy. At doses above 800 Gy, physiological damage on the seedling in terms of plant height and root length became more severe and none of the seedlings were survived. Therefore, the study concludes that the SD50 for MR284 rice was in the range of 300 to 400 Gy and provides evidence that MR284 rice genotype displayed variable response towards gamma radiations after germination.

The demand for tomato paste is daily used over the year with the fact that it is abundant in certain seasons and scarce during other season. Many methods are used to preserve the juice or the paste through drying and with addition of preservative. Tomato grows under ambient conditions or in green houses at a temperature of 20°C - 27°C with high contents of vitamins A and B, potassium, iron, and phosphors. Tomato is a source of fiber; it doesn’t contain sodium salt, fats, or cholesterol; in fact it is the cheapest food of the poor common people. Tomato while waiting for processing to paste deteriorates rather quickly, and shall be thoroughly rinsed with sterilized clean water using rotary washers. The washed tomato is inspected, sorted, and chopped. The tomato liquor is processed through an extraction unit where the juice is separated away from outer skin, seeds and fibers. To avoid oxidation and foaming the tomato liquor is deaerated; the juice is deaerated by taking the vacuum as soon as it is formed. A double-effect evaporator is used to concentrate the tomato liquor under partial vacuum of 0.5 atmospheres; this is important to minimize heat damage, oxidation and dark color. The tomato paste is then sterilized with small amount of non-harmful preservatives and then canned, labeled and sent to store. To achieve the international standard specifications and metrology organization a control system is developed, tuned and analyzed for stability conditions. It is recommended that a tomato production plant has to be constructed in countries like Sudan and other countries with similar weather conditions.

The objectives of this work were to isolate and characterise a heavy metal-reducing bacterium with the capability to degrade another xenobiotic; an organic pollutant. Six molybdenum-reducing bacteria from soil that can reduce sodium molybdate into the colloidal molybdenum blue (Mo-blue) were isolated. One of these isolates identified as Pseudomonas putida strain Egypt-15 was capable of growing on PEG 4000. The optimal conditions for Mo-blue production were 34 degrees C, pH 6.5, 20 mM molybdate, and glucose as the electron donor. The optimum concentration supporting the growth on PEG 4000 was between 600 and 800 mgL(-1). PEG degradation showed a lag period of about two days and 75 % degradation of PEG 4000 was achieved on day six at 800 mg(-1). Growth on PEG 4000 at 800 mgL(-1) modelled according to the modified Gompertz model gave a maximum specific growth rate of 2.216 d(-1) and a lag period of 1.45 days. Growth on PEG was optimum at 30 degrees C and pH 7.5. The dual ability of this bacterium to detoxify molybdenum and degrade PEG is novel and will be very useful for bioremediation.