Dr Yasir Anwar is an Assistant Professor in the Genetics Section of the Department of Biological Sciences at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. His area of specialisation is microbial biotechnology.Dr Khalid Rehman Hakeem is an Associate Professor at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. His research is focused on plant eco-physiology, biotechnology and molecular biology, as well as the environmental sciences.Dr Hesham F Alharby is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabis. His research focus is plant stress physiology. Professor Khalid M Alghamdi is the Head of the Biological Department at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. His area of interest is pest control and molecular entomology.