Dr. Aamna Ishaq

M.Sc. Botany (PU), M.Phil. Botany (PU), Ph.D Botany (PU, Purdue University, IN, USA)
Assistant Professor (IPFP)
Email: aamna.ishaq@uvas.edu.pk

Biography

Dr. Aamna Ishaq is working as Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences-Lahore, Pakistan since December 4, 2019.  She got M.Sc. and M. Phil. degrees in Botany from University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. She has completed her PhD (2012-2017) entitled “Taxonomic diversity of some rust and smut fungi from Pakhyber Pakhtunkhwa and adjacent hilly areas of Pakistan”  She has done partial research of her PhD thesis in Purdue University, IN, USA under International Research support program (IRSIP). She has been working on identification, molecular characterization and phylogeny of various fungal plant pathogens in Pakistan since 2010. She has identified about 150 fungal pathogens and has produced more than 100 DNA sequences of these pathogens. She has published 13 research articles and has presented her research work in various national and International conferences including Turkey and USA. Before joining UVAS, she has been working in Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) as a field researcher where she was responsible for data collection, analysis and preparing field reports. Current focus of her research is molecular analysis of fungal pathogens, their distribution pattern and molecular characterization.

Areas of Interest

  • Molecular Plant Pathology
  • DNA fingerprinting of fungal pathogens
  • Distribution pattern and prediction modelling of fungal pathogen
  • Exploration and conservation of biodiversity of natural and planted forests

Publications


 

 

 

  1. Ullah S., Abbasi M., Khalid A.N., Ishaq A., Fiza M., Aime M.C. (2019). Allodus prostii comb. nov., causal agent of tulip rust. Nova Hedwigia: In press.
  2. Ishaq, A., Aime, M. C., Ayala, E. K., Ullah, S., Afshan, N. S., Fahad, M., Fiaz, M., Niazi, A. R. and Khalid, A. N. (2019). First report of Asian Pistachio rust (Pileolaria pistaciae) in Pakistan. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology (Published online).
  3. Ishaq, A., Saleem, S., Afshan, N. S., Khalid, A. N. and Niazi, A. R. and (2018). New reports of plant pathogenic fungi on Viburnum grandiflorum from Pakistan. Mycotaxon 133: 551–557.
  4. Ishaq, A., Afshan, N. S. and Khalid, A. N. (2018).  First report of Melampsora dimorphospora on white willow in Pakistan.  Journal of Plant Pathology (accepted; published online).
  5. Ishaq, A., Afshan, N. S. and Khalid, A. N. (2017). First report of the uredinial and telial states of Puccinia heraclei in Pakistan. Journal of Plant Pathology 99(3): 802.
  6. Ishaq, A., Afshan, N. S. Niazi, A. R., Aime, M. C. and Khalid, A. N. (2017). First report of Rust Caused by Pucciniastrum guttatum on Galium sp. From Pakistan. Plant Disease 101(1): 245.
  7. Sadiqullah, Ishaq, A., Fiaz, M., Khalid, A.N. & Ahmad, H. (2017). Urocystis narcissi (Ustilaginomycetes, Basidiomycota), a new record from Asia. Mycotaxon 132(1): 231-234
  8. Usman, M., Ishaq, A. Afshan, N. S., Niazi, A. R. and Khalid. (2016). Diversity and distribution of rust fungi causing plant diseases in Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Sci. Int. (Lahore) 28(4): 3993-4000.
  9. Ishaq, A., Afshan, N. S. and Khalid, A. N. (2015). New host of Puccinia coronata var. coronata from Pakistan. Journal of Plant Pathology 97(1): 220.
  10. Sadiqullah, Ishaq, A., Fiaz, M., Afshan, N.S. & Khalid, A.N.     (2014). A new report of Uromyces ambiens on box plant from Pakistan. Mycotaxon 129: 429–432.
  11.  Afshan, N. S. and Khalid, A. N. (2013). New records of Puccinia on Poaceae from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Mycotaxon, 126: 177-182.
  12.  Ishaq, A., Afshan, N. S. and Khalid, A. N. (2013). New reports of Cyperaceous rust fungi from Pakistan. Mycotaxon, 125: 189-192.
  13.  Ishaq, A., Afshan, N. S. and Khalid, A. N. (2011). New records of poaceous rust from Pakistan. Mycotaxon, 118: 237-244.

Papers submitted/Under review:

  • Ishaq, M., Ishaq, A., Fiaz, M., Khalid, A. N. (2019). First Report of Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex Causing leaf spot of Ziziphus in Pakistan. Plant Disease (Submitted).
  • Ishaq, M., Ishaq, A., Fiaz, M., Khalid, A. N. (2019). First report of rust disease caused by Puccinia crepidis-japonicae on new host Sonchus arvensis from Pakistan. Plant Disease (Submitted).
  • Riaz, M., Afshan, N. S., Ishaq, A., Niazi, A. R., Khalid, A. N. (2019). First report of powdery mildews caused by Leveillula lappae on Tricholepis stewartii in Pakistan. Plant Disease (Submitted).
  • Mujahid, U. Afshan, N. S., Ishaq, A., Khalid, A. N. (2019). First report of leaf spot of Sarcococca saligna by Paraconiothyrium brasiliense in Pakistan. Journal of Plant Pathology (Submitted).

 

 

 

 

Conference proceedings/Abstracts International:

  1. Afshan, N. S., Ishaq, A., Niazi, A. R. and Khalid, A. N. (2015). Geographical distribution and host range of genus Uromyces (Pucciniaceae, Uredinales) in Pakistan. International conference on chemical, agricultural and biological sciences (CABS) proceedings:  167-173, held in Istanbul, Turkey.
  2. Poster presentation entitled “Status of Rust fungi on Polygonaceae in Pakistan: Some new reports and an updated checklist of recorded species” in 11th international Mycological Congress (IMC) held at San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA on 16th-21st July, 2018
  3. Poster presentation entitled “New records of rust fungi (Pucciniales, Basidiomycota) from the Himalayan Forests of Pakistan” in  in 11th international Mycological Congress (IMC) held at San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA on 16th-21st July, 2018
  4. Poster presentation entitled “Aecidium Jasminicola, a new pathogen for Jasminum sp. in Pakistan?” in Botany 2017 - Botanical Crossroads held at Fort Worth, Texas, USA on 24th June-28th June, 2017.
  5. Poster presentation entitled “Sphaerophragmium, a new holomorph for Uredo dalbergiae? and a common pathogen of Shisham tree in Pakistan.” in Botany 2017 - Botanical Crossroads held at Fort Worth, Texas, USA on 24th June-28th June, 2017.
  6. Oral presentation entitled “First report of Pistachio rust in Pakistan” in 2016 Rust Symposium” by American Phytopathological Scoiety (APS) held at Penssacola Beach, Florida, USA on 8th-9th March, 2016.

Conference proceedings/Abstracts National:

  1. Oral presentation entitled “A review of fungal pathosystems, their role in biodiversity and conservation” in 2nd international conference on Plant Sciences held at Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan on 5th-7th December, 2018
  2. Oral presentation entitled “ Taxonomy and phylogeny of some Uromyces species from Pakistan” in  in 16th national and 7th international conference of Botany held at Islamia College, Peshawar, Pakistan on 23rd-25th March, 2018
  3. Oral presentation entitled “GIS-Based Predictive Modeling of Rust fungi in Himalayan box Plants in Pakistan” in International conference conventional and modern approaches in plant sciences (CMAPS-2017) held at Department of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan on 28th-29th November, 2017.
  4. Oral presentation entitled “GIS-Based Predictive Modeling of Pistachio Rust: An Emerging Challenge to Forest in Pakistan” in 15th national and 6th international conference of Botany held at Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University, Quetta, Pakistan on 9th-11th May, 2017.
  5. Oral presentation entitled “An overview of Ustilaginales in Himalyan Moist Temperate Forest of Pakistan” in 1st international symposium on Himalayas, Resources and conservation held at Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan 27-30 November, 2014.  
  6. Oral presentation entitled “Diversity of Puccinia Pers. on Poaceae in Pakistan” in 2nd International Conference of Plant Sciences (ICPS) held at GCU, Lahore, Pakistan 22-24 September, 2014.
  7. Oral presentation entitled “Study on species diversity of rust fungi in Ushu Valley, Pakistan” in 4th international & 13th national Conference of Pakistan Botanical Society held at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Shringal, Upper Dir, Pakistan 27th-30th August, 2014.
  8. Oral presentation entitled “New and noteworthy rust fungi from Deosai plains, Pakistan” in 4th international & 13th national Conference of Pakistan Botanical Scoiety held at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Shringal, Upper Dir, Pakistan 27th-30th August, 2014.

 

 

 

 

Projects

  • Principle investigator of Higher Education Commission (HEC, Pakistan) funded project (Start-up Research Grant Program) worth 0.5 million PKR
  • Title: Molecular identification of plant pathogenic fungi based on different DNA markers from Pattoki and adjacent areas

Trainings, seminars, conferences, workshops (attended/organized)

Organized

  • Secretary/Member organizing committee of One-Day training workshop on “Basic Bioinformatics tools for functional genomics” organized by Department of Biological Sciences, UVAS, Ravi Campus, Pattoki on July 05, 2019.
  • Member organizing committee of one-day seminar on “Botanical garden; living resource for research and recreation” organized by Department of Biological Sciences, UVAS, Ravi Campus, Pattoki on July 12, 2019.

Attended/Participated

  • Resource person in One day workshop on Basic Bioinformatics Tools for Functional Genomics held at Department of Biological Sciences, UVAS-Pattoki on 5th July, 2019
  • Participated in one day hands-on training workshop on techniques for preservation of museum specimen held at University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Ravi Campus, Pakistan on 6th March, 2019
  • Participated in 2nd International conference in water saving and plant protection strategies: constrains and implications for sustainable agriculture held at Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan on  26th-28th March, 2019
  • Participated in international seminar on extraction methods for commercialization of herbal products held at Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan on  29th January, 2019
  • Resource person in One day workshop on mushroom cultivation held at Faculty of fisheries and wildlife, UVAS-Pattoki on 28th December, 2018
  • One-day workshop on Quantitative Data Analysis Using SPSS held at University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan e on 15th March, 2015.
  • Participated in 3rd Invention to Innovation Summit 2014 held at AL-RAZI Hall, Centre for Undergraduate Studies, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan from 19-20 March, 2014.

Supervision

S. No.

Name

Year

Title of theses

M.Sc. THESIS COMPLETED --- Total 3

1

Nayha Noor
2017-VA-1557

2019

Identification of some plant pathogenic fungi in nurseries of Pattoki, Kasur district

2

Ali Zeeshan
2017-VA-1566

2019

Isolation and identification of phytopathogenic fungi in Pattoki and adjacent areas

3

Sadia Yaseen
2017-VA-1569

2019

Identification of fungi causing post-harvest fruit rot in Pattoki, Pakistan

M.Sc. THESIS IN-PROGRESS --- Total 11

Achievements and awards

  • Books for the World Award, 2019 by American Phytopathological Society (2019)
  • International Research Support Initiative Program (IRSIP) Fellowship (2015-2016)
  • Indigenous PhD Fellowships for 5000 Scholars, HEC (Phase-II) 2012-2016

Memberships

  1. Member American Phytopathological Society (2016)
  2. Member Mycological Society of America (2018)