Conservation of genetic resources for five traditional crops from Jazan, SW Saudi Arabia, at the KACST Gene-Bank

A preliminary detective survey of hymenopteran insects at Jazan Lake Dam Region, Southwest of Saudi Arabia

A preliminary detective survey for the hymenopteran insect fauna of Jazan Lake dam region, Southwest Saudi Arabia, was carried out for one year from January 2018 to January 2019 using mainly sweep nets and Malaise traps. The survey revealed the presence of three hymenopteran Superfamilies (Apoidea, Vespoidea and Evanioidea) representing 15 species belonging to 10 genera of 6 families (Apidae, Crabronidae, Sphecidae, Vespidae, Mutillidae, and Evaniidae). The largest number of species has belonged to the family Crabronidae is represented by 6 species under 2 genera. While the family Apidae, is represented by 2 species under 2 genera. Family Vespidae is represented by 2 species of one genus. While, the rest of the families Sphecidae, Mutillida, and Evaniidae each is represented by only one species and one genus each. Eleven species are predators, two species are pollinators and two species are parasitics. Note for each family was provided, and species was provided with synonyms and general and taxonomic remarks and their worldwide geographic distribution and information about their economic importance are also included. All species were photographed with dorsal and lateral views.

Ex-situ conservation of wheat genetic resources from Saudi Arabia

Wheat (Triticum L.) is one of the major food crops of the world, and an important component of food security. The aim of this study was to collect and preserve seeds of wheat growing in eight regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Al-Qassim, Asir, Al-Taif, Najran, AL-Baha, Jazan, Al-Madinah and Wadi Al-Dawasir) where wheat has been cultivated since ancient times. Sixty-one accessions/samples of wheat (Triticum aestivum) were collected and placed in dry storage (ex-situ conservation) at −18 °C (i.e. permanent storage). The accessions of local wheat have the ability to grow under harsh environmental conditions such as (high temperature, drought and salinity). Most of these samples were collected directly from farms, but a few were collected from markets. The most important criteria for ex-situ conservation is that seeds need to have a low moisture content (MC) and a high percentage viability. Seed MC was measured for all 61 accessions by the oven-drying method and seed viability was tested in three ways: percentage of germination, tetrazolium chloride testing, and X-ray radiography.

The seed MC of the 61 accessions was uniformly very low (0.10–0.12%), and 97 to 100% of the seeds were viable. Thus, all 61 wheat accessions collected in this study have the initial requirements to remain viable for long periods of time in ex-situ conservation in the gene seed bank.

Chemical characterization and antibacterial efficacy of Saudi sesame oil against human pathogenic bacteria

Bacterial infection and its resistance is a major health issue that affects millions of people throughout the world. There is always a need to search forth new and safest drug from natural resources to fight these challenges. Sesame seed essential oil is a rich source of protein with high medicinal value since the ancient time peoples are using for several remedies in Saudi Arabia.Therefore, the current study is aimed to discover the potential activity of the locally available sesame oil for antibacterial action based on ethnobotanical knowledge and traditional utilization as a therapeutic agent to treat several kinds of health problem in Saudi culture. Gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of sesame essential oil extracted from locally available sesame seeds represented 39 different chemical compounds. Sesamin and sesamol were the principal components alongwith fatty acids and triglycerides. Results indicated that the locally available sesame oil was found rich in sesamin contents (24.45%). The spectrum of antibacterial effect of sesame seed essential oil was exhibited significantly against Escherichia coli followed by Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively. The results indicate that sesame oil was found most effective against three bacteria i.e. E. coli, S. aureus and S. pyogenes.