NOR AZLIZA ISMAIL
@usm.my
Universiti Sains Malaysia
EDUCATION
PhD (Plant Pathogen)
Msc. (Plant Pathology)
BSc. (Plant Biology)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Fungal diversity, mycotoxins, molecular biology, genetics
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Nur Ezzaty Farhana Hamzah, Khairunnisa Shahrum Nizam, Nabilah Zainol, Nurul Jannah Ahmad Ghulamuddin, Farah Ayuni Farinordin, Mohammad Kamaruddin Zainul Abidin, Nor Azliza Ismail, and Nur Amalina Mohd Izam
Penerbit UTM Press
Malaysia's growing transportation network has increased human impact on wildlife habitats, causing a rise in roadkill cases. This study aims to assess the distribution and abundance of roadkill in Jengka, Pahang. Surveys along selected roads for ten days in March 2022 recorded 72 incidents (0.36 roadkill km-1). The water monitor (Varanus salvator) was the most frequently recorded species with 12 incidents, while the least frequently recorded species, each with 1 incident, included the monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia) and the house rat (Rattus rattus). Species of particular concern based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Categories included the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) (Endangered), clouded monitor lizard (Varanus nebulosus) (Near Threatened), and Malayan flat-shelled turtle (Notochelys platynota) (Vulnerable). Main Federal Roads, particularly Jalan Bukit Tajau - Bandar Pusat Jengka (FT62) and Jalan Utama Jengka Utara/Selatan (FT83), had notable roadkill rates of 0.73 and 0.35 per kilometer, respectively. Jalan FELDA 25 (FT1553), linking Bandar Tun Abdul Razak to Jerantut and Kuala Krau, recorded the highest rate at 0.78 roadkill per kilometer, highlighting the need for attention. Proposed actions include wildlife crossings, wildlife warning reflectors and wildlife warning signs in hotspots, and table drains alongside roads. It is also essential to educate drivers on the importance of reducing speed, especially in wildlife crossing zones, to minimize incidents. These findings stress the importance of proactive measures in reducing roadkill and safeguarding wildlife in Jengka, urging collaborative efforts to enhance road safety for both humans and animals.
Jagaathiswary Balasubramaniam, Ka Sheng Goh, Safia Fazariah Sani, Muhammad Waqar Alam, Nor Azliza Ismail, Mark L. Gleason, and Hafizi Rosli
Elsevier BV
Ka Sheng Goh, Jagaathiswary Balasubramaniam, Safia Fazariah Sani, Muhammad Waqar Alam, Nor Azliza Ismail, Mark L. Gleason, and Hafizi Rosli
Scientific Societies
Production of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) in Malaysia was 150,000 mt in 2020 (Malaysian Department of Agriculture, 2021). In November 2019, nine locally produced watermelon fruit (red flesh, seedless) from five local stores in the states of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Penang exhibited sunken, circular, brown lesions that enlarged to1.5 to 10 cm in diameter with scattered orange masses of conidia. Lesions coalesced to cover approximately 50% of the fruit surface. Lesions were surface sterilized by spraying 70% alcohol onto the fruit followed by drying with sterilized paper towels. A total of 153 tissue segments (1×1 cm) were excised from the rind, immersed in 1% sodium hypochlorite for 3 min, rinsed twice for 1 min in sterilized distilled water, air-dried, transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates, and incubated at 25±1°C for 7 days. Single-spore transfers produced pure cultures, resulting in 12 isolates. Colonies on PDA were initially white and turned pale gray with age. Conidia were hyaline, one end round and the other narrowly acute, aseptate, smooth-walled, straight, cylindrical to clavate, 10.5-16.5 µm × 3-4.5 μm (n = 30). Observed morphological characters matched published description of Colletotrichum spp. (Damm et al. 2012). Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and glyceraldehyde-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) genes were amplified using primer sets ITS1/ITS4 and GDF1/GDF2, respectively. All sequences were deposited in GenBank (MW856808 for ITS; MZ219296 for GAPDH). A BLASTn search of both sequences on GenBank showed 99% identity with C. scovillei along with other closely related Colletotrichum species. Phylogenetic analysis of ITS and GAPDH alignments, using maximum likelihood along with reference strains of closely related species from Mycobank, confirmed species identity as C. scovillei. A pathogenicity test was conducted on two healthy watermelon fruit (red flesh, seedless). A 6-mm-diameter mycelial plug of a colony on PDA was positioned on a 0.5-cm-long wound on each fruit; a sterile PDA plug placed on a similar wound on the opposite side served as a control. Fruit were incubated at 25±1°C for 7 days in plastic-wrapped trays above distilled water to maintain high humidity. Small, sunken, circular brown lesions appeared and expanded at inoculation sites within 7 days. Symptoms were identical to those produced by natural infections, and the controls were asymptomatic. Isolates from the lesions at the inoculation sites were confirmed as C. scovillei based on morphological characteristics, fulfilling Koch's postulates. The pathogenicity test was conducted four times with a total of eight fruit. Many species in the C. orbiculare complex cause watermelon anthracnose (Keinath, 2018). To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. scovillei (C. acutatum species complex; Damm et al. 2012) causing anthracnose on watermelon in Malaysia. Anthracnose caused by C. scovillei has been confirmed on other crops such as pepper (Toporek and Keinath, 2021), banana (Zhou et al., 2017), and chili (Oo et al., 2017). This insight will inform efforts to improve management of watermelon anthracnose in Malaysia.
Tham Khai Xin, Nur Munira Azman, R. B. Radin Firdaus, Nor Azliza Ismail, and Hafizi Rosli
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Nor Azliza Ismail, Masratul Hawa Mohd, Nik Mohd Izham Mohamed Nor, and Latiffah Zakaria
Elsevier BV
Abstract Many species of Fusarium are pathogenic as well toxigenic to a wide variety of plants. The present study was conducted to determine the ability of four members of Fusarium fujikuroi species complex and F. oxysporum from various crops to produce fumonisin B1 (FB 1 ). Isolates of Fusarium species from infected parts of asparagus, ginger, oil palm, mango, banana, maize, and rice were identified as F. verticillioides (11 isolates), F. proliferatum (50 isolates), F. fujikuroi (24 isolates), F. andiyazi (six isolates), and F. oxysporum (32 isolates). FUM1 , a gene involved in fumonisin biosynthesis, was detected in 94 isolates of F. verticillioides (11 isolates), F. proliferatum (49 isolates), F. fujikuroi (24 isolates), and F. oxysporum (10 isolates) but only 61 were positive for FB 1 when tested using RIDA ® Quick Fumonisin test strip, indicating that the presence of FUM1 was not necessarily associated with FB 1 production. Based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography, all the 61 isolates were detected to produce FB 1 , at variable levels, with concentrations ranging from 0.60 to 29.2 μg/g. Our results suggested that there is a potential risk of FB 1 contamination in agricultural crops in Malaysia.
Abdul Hafiz Ab Majid, Zulaikha Zahran, Abd Hafis Abd Rahim, Nor Azliza Ismail, Wardah Abdul Rahman, Kartiekasari Syahidda Mohammad Zubairi, Hamady Dieng, and Tomomitsu Satho
Medknow
Objective: To investigate some morphological and molecular characteristics of fungal parasites
isolated from wild tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus.
Methods: A series of culture methods were used to obtain fungal isolates from field-collected
bed bugs. Characteristics of the isolates such as colony appearance, mycelial texture and
pigmen-tation were studied to explore their morphology. Isolates were also subjected to a PCRbased
genotyping test.
Results: There were noticeable differences in morphological characteristics among the four
isolates. Conidial areas of one isolate were dark green, whereas those of the remaining colonies
were olive-green, black or dark brown. Conidia of the dark green isolate were globose, while
those of olive-green, black and dark brown isolates were globose to subglobose, globose to
spherical and globose to subglobose/finely roughened, respectively. These morphological
specificities and the molecular analyses showed that the fungal internal transcribed spacer
ribosomal region and β-tubulin gene sequences of the isolates shared clade with Trichoderma
and Aspergillus sequences.
Conclusions: Overall, the new discovery of common pathogens in agricultural field developed
in live bed bugs storage tank may initiate the use of biological agents in later years.
Wejdan Shakir Khayoon, Bahruddin Saad, Baharuddin Salleh, Nor Azliza Ismail, Normaliza Hj Abdul Manaf, and Aishah Abdul Latiff
Elsevier BV
The development of a reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography fluorescence method for the determination of the mycotoxins fumonisin B(1) and fumonisin B(2) by using silica-based monolithic column is described. The samples were first extracted using acetonitrile:water (50:50, v/v) and purified by using a C(18) solid phase extraction-based clean-up column. Then, pre-column derivatization for the analyte using ortho-phthaldialdehyde in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol was carried out. The developed method involved optimization of mobile phase composition using methanol and phosphate buffer, injection volume, temperature and flow rate. The liquid chromatographic separation was performed using a reversed phase Chromolith(®) RP-18e column (100 mm × 4.6 mm) at 30 °C and eluted with a mobile phase of a mixture of methanol and phosphate buffer pH 3.35 (78:22, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min(-1). The fumonisins separation was achieved in about 4 min, compared to approximately 20 min by using a C(18) particle-packed column. The fluorescence excitation and emission were at 335 nm and 440 nm, respectively. The limits of detections were 0.01-0.04 μg g(-1) fumonisin B(1) and fumonisin B(2), respectively. Good recoveries were found for spiked samples (0.1, 0.5, 1.5 μg g(-1) fumonisins B(1) and B(2)), ranging from 84.0 to 106.0% for fumonisin B(1) and from 81.0 to 103.0% for fumonisin B(2). Fifty-three samples were analyzed including 39 food and feeds and 14 inoculated corn and rice. Results show that 12.8% of the food and feed samples were contaminated with fumonisin B(1) (range, 0.01-0.51 μg g(-1)) and fumonisin B(2) (0.05 μg g(-1)). The total fumonisins in these samples however, do not exceed the legal limits established by the European Union of 0.8 μg g(-1). Of the 14 inoculated samples, 57.1% contained fumonisin B(1) (0.16-41.0 μg g(-1)) and fumonisin B(2) (range, 0.22-50.0 μg g(-1)). Positive confirmation of selected samples was carried out using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, using triple quadrupole analyzer and operated in the multiple reaction monitoring mode.
Azmi Razak, Nur Zainudin, Siti Sidiqe, Nor Ismail, Nik Mohamad, and Baharuddin Salleh
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Relative to the established and well known rice diseases, sheath brown rot caused by Pseudomonas fuscovaginae can be considered new but getting widespread and serious all over the world. Our research was aimed to monitor and quantify the incidence and importance of the disease in Malaysia. A series of field monitoring and sampling were conducted to quantify the incidence and severity of the disease. Laboratory analysis of the collected diseased plant was done to identify the causal organism. Disease resistance
screening of selected rice cultivars were also conducted to overcome the problem. The disease was found to become more important,prevalent and widely spread throughout rice growing areas in Peninsular Malaysia. Infected plants in the field became yellowish,lower leaf sheaths turned light or dark brown, while grains produced by an infected plant were discoloured, malformed and empty. The highest disease incidence was recorded in the state of Pahang (62%) and Selangor (62%), while the most severe infection was
recorded in Pahang (55%) and Terengganu (61%). The evaluations of varietal resistance evaluation showed that the pathogen naturally infected all tested rice varieties at different levels of infection. Several rice varieties i.e. MR240, MR243, MR244, MR245, MR246, MR248 and MR249, classified as moderately resistant to the disease, could be recommended for planting in the next planting season.
Nur Izzati Mohd Zainudin, Nor Ismail, Nik Izham Mohamed Nor, Azmi Razak, Siti Mohd Sidique, and Baharuddin Salleh
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Nitrate Non-Utilizing Mutants and Vegetative Compatibility Groups ofFusarium ProliferatumandF. SacchariIsolated from Rice in the Peninsular Malaysia and Kalimantan, IndonesiaA total of 26 isolates ofFusarium proliferatumandF. sacchariwere isolated from rice in the Peninsular Malaysia and Kalimantan, Indonesia. Spontaneous chlorate-resistant sectors (CRSs) were recovered from all wild type of bothFusariumspecies when cultured on two chlorate media. The non-utilizing (nit) mutants were generated ascrn(chlorate resistant, nitrate utilizing),nit1, nit3and nitM based on phenotyping growth-types on diagnostic media with different sources of nitrogen. Thenitmutants were paired on minimal medium (MM) for examining the vegetative compatibility. The majority ofnitmutants (32.3-46.5%) recovered werenit1.Eight and seven vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) ofF. proliferatumandF. sacchariwere identified, respectively. The isolates ofF. proliferatumandF. sacchariwere genetically diverse as shown by the number and distribution of the VCGs. No strong correlation was observed between VCGs of both species and location.
Nur Ain Izzati Mohd Zainuddin, S. N. M. Sidique, Nor Azliza Ismail and B. Salleh
Seameo Biotrop
Fusarium is one of the important genera associated with grasses as saprophytes, endophytes and pathogens. A study was carried out on distribution and diversity of Fusarium species associated with two groups of grasses in 10 states throughout Peninsular Malaysia i.e. agricultural grasses ( Oryza sativa and Saccharum officinarum ) and non-agricultural grasses ( Axonopus compressus, Centhotheca lappacea, Chloris barbata, Crysopogon aciculatus, Cyanadon dactylon, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Digitaria ciliaris, Echinochloa colona, Eleusine indica, Eragrostis amabilis, Eragrostis malayana, Eragrostis uniloides, Ischaemum magnum, Panicum brevifolium, Panicum millaneum, Panicum repens, Paspalum commersonii, Paspalum conjugatum, Paspalum orbiculare, Pennisetum purpureum, Sacciolepis indica, Sporobolus diander and Sporobolus indicus ). A total of 474 isolates were single- spored and identified by morphological characteristics. F. semitectum was frequently isolated (23.6%), followed by F. sacchari and F. fujikuroi with 15.4% and 14.6%, respectively. The other nine species were F. solani (10.3%), F. proliferatum (8.9%), F. oxysporum (7.4%), F. subglutinans (6.5%), F. equiseti (5.5%), F. verticillioides (3.4%), F. compactum (2.5%), F. chlamydosporum (1.1%) and F. longipes (0.8%). Based on the Shannon-Weiner Index, F. solani was the highest (H' = 2.62) isolated from grasses. Species of Fusarium from O. sativa were widely diverse with 11 species, followed by non-agricultural grasses with nine species and S. officinarum with only six species. This is the first report on diversity of Fusarium associated with grasses in Malaysia. Key words: Oryza sativa, Saccharum officinarum, non-agricultural grass, Fusarium species, diversity and Gramineae