Review Reports - Exploring Wild Edible Plants in Malakand, Pakistan: Ethnobotanical and Nutritional Insights

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The study of the present manuscript is trying to evaluate the ethnobotanical, proximate nutritional and elemental potential of some wild edible plants (WEPs) of district Malakand, Pakistan. Although, it needs major revisions before it is considered for publication.

Start with the manuscript template. The authors need to follow the template of the journal. There are unnecessary spaces, paragraphs start with some case but in others are not. There are unnecessary spaces between references, too. Please, be consistent.

Tables 2, 3, 4, and 5 are not tables in my copy. Please, check them.

The aiming of the present study is missing in the introduction.

There is no need the whole name and the abbreviation of wild edible plants (WEPs) to be written each time. Only the first time it is mentioned.

Please, make clearer the fig.1.

Please, give more information about the sample preparation (reactants etc.), instrumentation (brand of grinder etc.) and conditions of measurements.

Please, define with numbers the equations.

Please, provide the EDX spectra of the measurements. In which conditions the measurements have performed? Which are the capabilities of the instrument? Typical EDX instruments is usually determines element with atomic number from 11 upwards.

The English language of the manuscript requires editing.

Author Response

JOURNAL SUSTAINABILITY MANUSCRIPT ID SUSTAINABILITY-2539227

RESPONSES TO THE COMMENTS FROM THE REVIEWERS

The comments by the Reviewers are in BLACK, and the responses from the author are in

BLUE for the Editor and Reviewer 1

RED for the Reviewer 2

GREEN for the Reviewer 3

Reviewer 1

EDITOR/GENERAL COMMENTS	AUTHORS RESPONSES
REVIEWER 1 COMMENTS	AUTHORS RESPONSES
Start with the manuscript template. The authors need to follow the template of the journal. There are unnecessary spaces; paragraphs start with some cases but in others are not. There are unnecessary spaces between references, too. Please, be consistent.	The manuscript template was properly followed. The unnecessary spaces were removed. Paragraphs were properly started with capital words. The unnecessary spaces throughout the template were removed.
Tables 2, 3, 4, and 5 are not in my copy. Please, check them.	Tables 2, 3, 4, and 5 are present in the manuscript and were highlighted.
Please, provide the EDX spectra of the measurements. In which conditions the measurements have performed? Which are the capabilities of the instrument? Typical EDX instruments usually determine elements with an atomic number from 11 upwards.	The text and spectra represented the EDX spectra of all ten plants. The EDX analysis of powdered plant samples was performed. The EDX (Inca, 200 Model Oxford Company U.K.) attached to Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used. The EDX instrument determining atomic number from 11 onwards was used.
Comments on the Quality of English Language The English language of the manuscript requires editing.	The quality of the English language was thoroughly checked. An Associate Professor of English properly edited the English language of the manuscript. The Certificate is attached.
The timing of the present study is missing in the introduction. There is no need for the whole name and the abbreviation of wild edible plants (WEPs) to be written each time—only the first time it is mentioned. Please, make clearer fig.1. Please, give more information about the sample preparation (reactants, etc.), instrumentation (brand of grinder, etc.), and conditions of measurements.	The aims and objectives of the present were to assess the ethnobotanical, proximate nutritional, and elemental analysis of commonly used wild edible plants (WEPs) of district Malakand, Pakistan, and to provide a baseline for food sustainability and development in the future, keeping in view the conservation status of these wild edible plants (WEPs) was included in last paragraph of the introduction. The author citation was removed after Table 1 in the whole manuscript text. Figure 1 was made clear and visible. The instrument's details are given in the methodology section.
Please, define the equations with numbers.	The equations were defined and numbered in the middle of the relevant section.

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear authors,

Thank you very much for submission of article on edible plants. This is surely a hot topic of interest. But the article is written very poor and need a lot of improvements.

1. English language is poor.

2. Check subtitles. Some places it is showing each word capital or somewhere it is not.

3. The quality of figures is not good and formatting of figures must be equal.

4. The tables are not aligning good. Please check it again.

5. More citations should be included in the paper with some recent ones.

6. Check also the reference style in the manuscript.

7. All equations should be numbered and in the middle of the manuscript.

English language is poor. Need improvements.

Author Response

JOURNAL SUSTAINABILITY MANUSCRIPT ID SUSTAINABILITY-2539227 REVIEWER 2

REVIEWER 2 COMMENTS	AUTHORS RESPONSES
The English language is poor.	The English language of the manuscript was properly checked and edited by an Associate Professor of English. The Certificate is attached.
Check subtitles. In some places, it shows each word capitalized, or somewhere it is not.	The subtitles were thoroughly checked and corrected throughout the manuscript.
The quality of the figures is not good, and the formatting of the figures must be equal.	The quality of the figures was made better accordingly, and the formatting was made uniform.
The figures are not aligning well. Please check it again.	The figures were aligned well and were thoroughly checked again.
More citations should be included in the paper, with some recent ones.	New citations are added accordingly in the introduction.
Check also the reference style in the manuscript.	The reference styles were checked accordingly.
All equations should be numbered in the middle of the manuscript.	All equations and formulae in the manuscript were arranged in the middle of the paper.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Respected Editor

I hope you are good in health. Some references are incomplete, page Numbers are missing. Authors need to cross verify the reference section carefully.

Regards

Dr.Shamyla Nawazish

Author Response

JOURNAL SUSTAINABILITY MANUSCRIPT ID SUSTAINABILITY-2539227

REVIEWER 3 COMMENTS

AUTHORS RESPONSES

Review report of Sustainability-2539227. The font size of 1st author's affiliation is not the same as mentioned in other authors. Abstract: Which was the authority to identify these edible plants mentioned in the abstract section?

The font size of the author's 1^st affiliation was corrected. The WEPs collected were identified with the help of the flora of Pakistan, as referenced in the methodology section (Ali and Qaiser (1993-2015). The plant list (http:// www.theplantlist.org) and world flora online (http:// www.worldfloraonline.org) were used to cross check the nomenclature and taxonomic position of each plant species.

Introduction section needs to elaborate more. Addition of some literature review regarding nutritional status of these edible species in past. Why author choose these already known edible wild plants because peoples have been using in their routine diet?

Introduction section was elaborated by adding some new and relevant literature as suggested. The author selected these WEPs because these plants were commonly and extensively used by the local people of the area in their diet.

The pictorial view of all species and their sampling sites are missing.

The pictorial view of all species and sampling sites were included.

Please correct the caption of Figure No.1 and include AJK in the given map. Add official approved map of Pakistan including the species frequencies

AJK (Azad Kashmir) is there in the given map seen near Northern areas, Malakand and Hazara division in the map.

Write the equation in Math type in line No.151 and align it in central position.

The equation is corrected and placed in the central position in the relevant section.

Is only N % detection justify the crude protein analysis in plant samples?

Proteins are the only macronutrients that contain Nitrogen element. Nitrogen is the element used for protein synthesis and is an essential part of amino acids. The total N% in plant samples multiplied by a factor (6.25) represents total crude proteins in the plants.

Revise the description of proximate nutritional analysis of edible plants mentioned in Table. No.2. Add few lines detail of Fig No. 2, 3, and 4.

The description of proximate nutritional analysis of WEPs was revised and figure no 2, 3 and 4 were explained.

Although these plants have nutritional value as it has been proven by various scientist. If people will over-exploit these edible plants what will be the sustainable solution to retain the eco-balance of these species.

These plants have been used extensively by the local people as wild edible plants. It has been observed and noted in some sites of the research area that these WEPs are over- exploited by the local people due to population growth and livestock rearing. The people have been aware and alerted about the importance and wise use of the WEPs in group discussions during field visits. The sustainable solution is that people should use it wisely and must cultivate these plants as regular vegetable crops in farming. The various conservation and sustainability measures have been discussed with local people about these WEPs.

It would be better to add some medicinal properties of these edible plants and reproduction methods for the future generations.

The various ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal studies have already been conducted in the research area exploring medicinal uses of these WEPs. Their medicinal and ethnobotanical values have been exposed in the research area. The recommendation has been given in the conclusion section to cultivate and propagate these plants properly to conserve and sustain food for future generations.

The correlation analysis has not been mentioned in conclusion section. Author made recommendation in the conclusion section. Conclude the all aspect of the present study in 6-7 lines.

The correlation analysis has been included in the conclusion section and the conclusion section has been reduced as suggested by the reviewer.

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

The manuscript can be considered for publication.

Author Response

Thank you for reviewing our manuscript and providing us with such constructive feedback. It has significantly improved its quality, and we are committed to ensuring that your comments are appropriately acknowledged.

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear Authors,

Thank you very much for resubmission the article after improvement. I appreciate your efforts made to improve the manuscript. However there are still minor changes required for consideration.

1. The equations should be numbered. e.g. ....(1),....(2) like this

2. Horizontal and vertical lines should be removed in tables except in top and bottom.

3. In Figure 6, the legend should be like EDX analysis of A. Amaranthus viridis L. B. Nasturtium officinale L.......so on

The English language need minor editing.

Author Response

JOURNAL SUSTAINABILITY MANUSCRIPT ID SUSTAINABILITY-2539227

REVIEWER-02COMMENTS

AUTHORS RESPONSES

Point Raised by Reviewer 2	Response
1. Equation Numbering	We appreciate your suggestion regarding equation numbering. It indeed improves the manuscript's organization. We have diligently numbered all equations in the format you recommended, such as Equation (1), Equation (2), and so forth.
2. Table Lines	Your observation regarding table lines is duly noted. We have thoroughly revised the tables, adhering to the guideline of excluding horizontal and vertical lines within the tables, except for the top and bottom lines. This change contributes to a cleaner presentation of the data.
3. Figure 6 Legend	Thank you for your meticulous attention to detail regarding Figure 6's legend. We have followed your suggestion by rephrasing the legend to provide a clear and concise description of each component, using the format "EDX analysis of A. Amaranthus viridis L." and "B. Nasturtium officinale L. " for subsequent components.
English Editing	We have further taken this opportunity to conduct an extensive English editing pass throughout the manuscript, focusing on enhancing clarity, coherence, and overall readability.

Reviewer 3 Report

Dear Author

Address 2 comments in manuscript

Regards

Dr.Shamyla Nawazish

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

JOURNAL SUSTAINABILITY MANUSCRIPT ID SUSTAINABILITY-2539227

REVIEWER 3 COMMENTS

AUTHORS RESPONSES

Reviewer Point	Response Explanation
Incorporation of Nutritional Status Literature and Pictorial Views	In response to your suggestion, we have enhanced the manuscript by incorporating an extended literature review focusing on the nutritional status of discussed edible species. We have also introduced pictorial views to improve visual engagement and understanding.
Rephrasing of Abstract Section	Your feedback on the abstract has been considered. We have rephrased lines 45 and 4 to ensure clearer communication of our main research points to readers in a concise and effective manner.
Conclusion and Recommendation Section Enhancement	We have acted on your suggestion by expanding the conclusion and recommendation section. This expansion aligns with the article's focus, providing deeper insight into study conclusions and pertinent recommendations for sustainability.
English Editing	Additionally, we have undergone a thorough English editing process to enhance the clarity, coherence, and overall language quality of the manuscript. This step ensures that the manuscript is presented in a polished and professional manner, facilitating better understanding for readers.