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Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan where 40% of total camel population is present. People in Balochistan mostly use camel for milking, meat, draught and irrigation purposes to meet their socio-economic needs. Though the camel is a resistant animal, it may get affected by parasitic infections leading to reduced performance. The knowledge regarding occurrence of hemoparasites in camels is still unrevealed, especially in Balochistan. To this end, 384 blood samples were collected from camels from five districts of Zhob division through simple random sampling method. Samples were subjected to microscopic examination which showed 7.55% and 7.03% prevalence of Babesia and Theileria spp., respectively. Furthermore, the 18S rRNA gene of these parasites was amplified through PCR which showed prevalence rate of 25% and 21.35% in case of Babesia and Theileria spp., respectively. Sequence analysis of amplicons confirmed these parasites as B. caballi and T. annulata, Phylogeny of these parasites showed that they were included in a separate clade. Among different factors, the prevalence of these parasites was higher in female animals (Babesia (B)=27.30%, Theileria (T)=23.75%) and the animals with >5 year of age (B=27.27%, T=22.52%). Furthermore, the prevalence was significantly higher (p<0.05) in pregnant camels as compared to lactating and dry animals. Results of this study provide a systematic epidemiological data on the occurrence of Babesia and Theileria spp. in camel population in Balochistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinity stress is a major abiotic stress limiting the crop production worldwide. Salt accumulation in root zone and uptake of toxic ions (i.e., Na+ and Cl- ) causes disturbance in water uptake by osmotic stress, oxidative stress, salt injury of roots and specific ion toxicity to the plants reducing the crop growth and production. Silicon (Si) treatment to stressed plants exhibits positive effect on growth, physiology and ionic homeostasis of plants. A study was conducted to check the varietal response of bread wheat genotypes against moderate (75 mM NaCl) and strong (150 mM NaCl) saline conditions in hydroponics and stressed plants were treated with exogenous silicon (2 mM) to evaluate it against saline stress in wheat seedling. Fifty days old wheat seedling showed negative response to saline stress under both levels but when treated with Si, its growth traits, tissue health parameters and ionic homeostasis were improved. Exogenous silicon application improved growth traits shoot and root length, fresh and dry weight upto 75% and tissue health parameter i.e., membrane stability index and relative water contents upto 61% as compared to salinity stress. It improved the ionic homeostasis in wheat seedling by decreasing the Na+ uptake upto 43 and 84% and increasing the K+ concentration by 26 to 39% respectively under moderate to strong saline conditions. Different genotypes showed different response against salinity and exogenous Silicon application. Faisalabad-08 and Anaj-17 performed best in all growth, physiological and ionic parameters and also ranked as top varieties in Principle component analysis on the basis of salt tolerance index. It was concluded that Faisalabad-08 and Anaj-17 has higher salt tolerance among all wheat genotypes tested, and silicon treatment to stressed plants increases the salt tolerance and improves growth traits, tissue health and ionic homeostasis in all wheat genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticides are applied on grapevines to combat various pests which are catastrophic for grapes and cause menace for farmers. Hence, to investigate the fate of difenconazole and cymoxanil their supervised trial was conducted on 2 grape varieties with 3 doses of each. Perlette variety is elliptical and sweet in taste with greenish color whereas black grapes are round and have blackish appearance with sweet and sour taste. Moreover, black grape has thick skin as compared to perlette. The residues (mg Kg-1) of cymoxanil dissipated from 2.44±0.11 to 0.18±0.02 at recommended dose (RD), 3.08±0.25 to 0.21±0.02 at double dose (DD) and 5.70±0.29 to 0.26±0.02 at triple dose (TD) on perlette while 2.42±0.14 to 0.078±0.007 at RD, 3.45±0.28 to 0.003±0.001 at DD and 5.71±0.28 to 0.083±0.008 at TD on black grape, correspondingly showing greater dissipation. Similar trend was witnessed from perlette where difenconazole residues (mg Kg-1) dissipated from 9.41±0.24 to 0.45±0.03 at RD, 15.98±1.42 to 0.66±0.023 at DD while 23.93±0.31 to 0.74±0.040 at TD. Nonetheless, on black grapes difenconazole disappeared more as compared to perlette from initial to final residues (mg Kg-1) i.e.9.64±0.21 to 0.26±0.015 at RD, 16.13±0.42 to 0.53±0.048 at DD but 24.15±1.57 to 0.026±0.002 at TD, respectively. Mathematical first order model having exponential decay was best fitted to forestated residues where allied parameters (half-life, end point identifier i.e. DT90) were calculated for both varieties and pesticides. Cymoxanil dissipated earlier than difenconazole and black grapes represented excellent pesticide loss than perlette. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture production can be enhanced by considering all the farm operations especially the harvesting of crops is the more sensitive operation. The selection of appropriate farm machinery for harvesting not only save the harvesting time but also enhance the farm profitability. The agro-climatic and economic factors are the major hindrance on the way to adopt the harvesting machinery and latest movers in Pakistan. The objective of this work was to redesign an engine operated reaper at affordable price and performance evaluation of this reaper for harvesting three different crops (wheat, rice and brassica). Three levels of reaper ground speed (S) (1.94, 2.54 and 3.18 kmh-1) and three different levels of moisture contents (MC) for each crop were considered as factors. A (3 x 3) factorial analysis was conducted to see the impact of "MC" and "S" on percent slippage, field efficiency and shatter losses. The main effects of S and MC were significant for all the crops for each factor (p<0.05), except MC which was non-significant for shatter losses in wheat and rice (p= 0.0667) and (p=0.847), respectively. Statistical Analysis showed that selected levels of MC and S had significant effect on % slippage, field efficiency and shatter losses. The cost analysis indicated that the breakeven point of the modified reaper can be achieved after 19 days of purchase. Study demonstrated that grain losses can be minimized, and farm profitability can be maximized by selecting suitable combination of M and S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of agrochemicals on crops is important for plants protection. Multiple factors influence the application of agrochemicals on plants such as climatic conditions, crop characteristics and spraying system design. There is a need for reliable methods to investigate these properties more precisely with low cost and in reasonable time. In the present study, the velocity distribution of an extended flat fan nozzle is investigated to determine the weak jet areas, which have high risks of droplet drift. Two methods are used and compared: the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) method used as an experimental approach versus a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with volume of fluid (VOF) integrating k-epsilon model as a simulation approach. The nozzle was operated at eight different pressures on a custom-made nozzle operating prototype while ANSYS 16 Fluent software was employed for the simulation approach. The obtained findings showed three significant results. First, the spray sheet (jet) has maximum velocity in its center. Second, the particles present in the central region of spray sheet have maximum kinetic energy and this region has the ability to hit the right target on the plant surface, while liquid particles present in the surroundings of this central area have less velocity with minimum kinetic energy and have maximum chances to be off-target during spraying. These particles can move away from the targeted surfaces easily even with very low wind velocity. Third, the study also showed that PIV and CFD simulation methods were in agreement and both showed reliable ways to measure the jet velocity and plot the velocity distribution under the sprayer nozzle. The applications of these findings are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distribution of agro-chemicals through sprayer nozzles is very important because there is a significant loss of agro-chemicals such as pesticides during spraying due to non-uniformity of droplet and off-target drift. Improving the efficiency of spray pattern would reduce energy, costs and also minimize environmental pollution. In this paper, we examine jet patterns to study the performance of water distribution during the spraying process. We present a method to quantify water amount from a sprayer jet by using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system in combination with imaging processing. For this study, ten sets of images were acquired with a PIV system in double frame mode. Each set of images contained different numbers of doubleframed images: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 at eight different pressures 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 kPa. The PIV images obtained were analysed using an image processing software for droplets and volume calculations. The results showed good agreement of both manual and PIV measurements and suggested that the PIV coupled with image processing technique can be used for a precise quantification of flow through sprayer nozzles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parthenium hysterophorus L. (parthenium weed) is a destructive invasive weed in agroecosystems of >45 countries. Chemical control is highly effective and economical against parthenium among various weed control strategies. This two-year field study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of five herbicides applied 25 days after parthenium emergence viz., atrazine 80WDG at 360 g a.i. ha-1, atrazine + S-metolachlor 720SC (320:400) at 720 g a.i. ha-1, bromoxynil + MCPA + metribuzin 720EW (20:20:7) at 470 g a.i. ha-1, atrazine + nicosulfuron 22SC (2.5:19.5) at 385 g a.i. ha-1 and dicamba 40.6AS at 304.5 g a.i. ha-1. Application of bromoxynil + MCPA + metribuzin provided 100% control. Dicamba was the second most effective herbicide with the lowest parthenium dry weight (2.9 to 9.7 g m-2) and its uptake of N (1.5 to 4.5 kg ha-1), P (0.16 to 0.66 kg ha-1) and K (1.0 to 3.9 kg ha-1). Herbicide applications increased maize grain yield by 23 to 138%. Bromoxynil + MCPA + metribuzin at 470 g a.i. ha-1 showed superlative performance by achieving the highest grain yield (9.51 t ha-1). This herbicidal mixture was proved to be the most efficient and economical for parthenium control as it exhibited the highest marginal rate of return (706 to 750%). It is recommended that Bromoxynil + MCPA + metribuzin at 470 g a.i. ha-1 should be used for controlling parthenium in maize crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was designed to develop Aloe vera juice (100%), and further analyze its phenolics and flavonoids contents. Moreover, the developed Aloe vera juice was scrutinized for its antioxidant potential, radical scavenging capacity and also for efficacy study of lipid lowering potential in rat models. The results indicated that total phenolic contents were 821 ± 16.71gallic acid equivalents (GAE) /100 mL and total flavonoid contents were 89±4.94quercetin equivalent (QE) /100 mL. Maximum antioxidant activity of juice was found to be 34 ± 1.99 %. The radical scavenging assays showed 20.6 ± 1.97 %, 2.33 ± 0.4 µmol trolox equivalent (TE)/mL and 7.33 ± 2.01µmolTE/mL for DPPH, FRAP and ABTS, respectively. In addition, the lipid lowering effect of Aloe vera juice was assessed by in vivo study on rats as the level of cholesterol and triglycerides in serum was reduced to 21 % and 25.7 % respectively. Furthermore, the intake of juice significantly increased (18.3 %) the level of high-density lipoproteins and decreased (52 %) the level of low-density lipoproteins, indicating its positive role of lipid metabolism in the body. The liver enzymes (30-39 %) and oxidative stress indices i.e., superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione were also significantly improved in G-II. Therefore, in vivo efficacy studies validated the functional potential of Aloe vera juice against hyperlipidemia induced metabolic dysfunctions. Hence, the provision of locally processed aloe juice could remarkably lower the lipid profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research work was carried out in the Grain Research, Training and Storage Management Cell (GRTSMC), Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad to evaluate the qualitative losses caused by maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) on eight maize genotypes viz: NK-8441, MMRI-Yellow, 30K08, Agati-2002, Swl-2002, Ev-6098, Ev-1098 and Pak-Afghan and its response to plant extracts. The experiment was conducted in a walk-in environmental chamber maintained at 28, 32 and 35°C with 60-65% relative humidity. The experiment was performed using Completely Randomized Design with three replications for each treatment. Qualitative losses included percentage moisture content, crude protein, ash, fat and crude fiber. The data were recorded after 120 days . High moisture content was observed in MMRI-Yellow and lowest moisture content was observed in 30K08 while high percent amount of ash, fiber and fat was observed in MMRI - Yellow and low amount was observed in 30K08. At the end different concentrations of three plant extracts including Terminalia chebula, Chicorium intybus, Glycyrrhiza glabra were used to investigate the percent mortality of the tests insect. Percent mortality data was recorded after 24, 48 and 72 hours of treatment. Maximum mortality of 89.09% was observed by using of Chicorium intybus at 5% concentrations after an exposure period of 72 hours while minimum mortality of 25% was observed by using Glycyrrhiza glabra at 10% concentration after an exposure period of 24 hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present research work, the levels and combinations of gums were optimized by using response surface methodology (RSM) to prepare bread with better properties. For this purpose, Guargum, Xanthan gum, Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (CMC) were added in different levels and combinations. Effect of gums on the rheological properties of premix (combination of flour and gums) their impact on the physical properties of the bead was observed. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied to estimate the responses of independent variables. The responses for farinographic characteristics from Box Behnken Design (BBD) showed significant effect of variables. However, linear terms of variables did not affect the farinographic characteristics considerably except degree of softening. The results regarding physical properties of the flour revealed that the regression coefficients as well as correlation coefficients related to the physical properties of bread like texture, volume, water activity and weight under the influence of independent variables were sufficient for a well fitted response surface model. The effects of linear terms, quadratic terms and their interaction of independent variables showed significant effects on physical properties especially volume of bread during storage. For the target values of farinographic and physical properties of bread, the optimized variable levels of gums were 0.501% (Guargum), 0.504% (Xanthan gum) and 0.481% (CMC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rosa damascena, Rosa gallica L., Rosa centifolia L., Rosa bourboniana and Gruss an Teplitz are important species which are being used in the production of rose oil. The improvement of existing rose germplasm is necessary to sustain the public demand of rose oil globally. In the present study, five Rosa genotypes (Rosa damascena, Rosa gallica L., Rosa centifolia L., Rosa bourboniana, Rosa indica and Gruss an Teplitz) were crossed bred to check genotypic compatibility and seed setting potential under local climatic conditions. The results indicated that maximum fruit set percentage (83%) was exhibited by Gruss an Teplitz followed by Rosa indica (70.33%) and Rosa damascena (53.33%). Significant variations were recorded for time to maturity of hips, number of seeds per hip, and weight of hips in all crosses. Overall, Gruss an Teplitz and Rosa indica proved better female parents and yielded high values of number of hips per plant and fruit set percentage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agronomic practices can improve the phenological characteristics of crops leading to greater harvestable yield. Two year field experiment was carried out on a clay loam soil to quantify the effect of different tillage practices, zero tillage (T1), minimum tillage (T2), conventional tillage (T3) and deep tillage (T4), under the application of different levels of poultry manure (PM1= zero, PM2= 5, PM3= 10, Mg ha-1) on the phenology of maize in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Days to tasseling, days to silking, tassel length and ear height were measured at the physiological maturity while days to full maturity and harvest index were measured at crop harvest during both years of study. Significantly more number of days to tasseling (52.2 and 56.2) and silking (54.6 and 56.6), more days to maturity (112.5 and 118) and greater tassel length (47.7 and 51.2 cm) were measured in the zero tillage sown crop than the other tillage practices during 2010 and 2011, respectively. More ear height position on the maize stem (85.5 and 105.5 cm), grain yield (7.9 and 9.2 tons ha-1) and maximum harvest index (46.5 and 48.3 %) were recorded in the deep tillage practice during the both years of study. Increasing poultry manure rate to the maize crop significantly increased the number of days to tasseling, days to silking and maturity, tassel length, ear height, grain yield and harvest index. This study results indicate that the tillage practices along with poultry manure application can help in achieving the full yield potential of a maize crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing fuel prices in international market and depletion of fossil fuel resources are reasons to find new and cheap energy resources to meet increasing energy demands throughout the world. Potential energy resources include wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and biomass. Biomass can be collected from wheat, rice and sugarcane fields. Sugarcane is most abundant cultivated crop in world providing trash (leaves and tops) and baggas as renewable energy resource for power generation which can replace 50% use of fossil fuels. Because of poor sugarcane mechanization status in Pakistan, traditional practice to get rid of this extraneous material is to burn the trash in standing crop or by manual means which is hectic due to decreasing labour availability for agricultural practices. 20-30% trash is delivered to mill along with stalk due to poor cleaning efficiency resulting deduction in farmer payment and lowering mill sugar recovery efficiency. Sugarcane stripping machine was developed for small scale farmers and different mechanical and crop physical factors were investigated to improve trash recovery and to reduce labour dependence and in field burning practice on local farms during 2018-2019 at University of Agriculture Faisalabad. The investigating crop physical factors included crop varieties (V1=US-658, V2=HSF-240, V3=CPF-249), moisture content in trash (MC1=8.2, MC2=17.6) and mechanical factors included velocity ratio between intake rollers (VR1=1.3, VR2=1.7, VR3=1.9), cleaning element speeds (CE1=660 rpm, CE2=763 rpm, CE3= 1033 rpm) and intake roller combinations types (C1, C2, C3). Three replications for each factor were recorded and data was statistically analyzed under factorial design. Results revealed that by combining V1, MC1, VR2, CE3 and C3 factors, trash recovery efficiency of 97% can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three phase study was conducted for the determination of phytotoxic effect of Astragalus spp. (milkvetch or goat's-thorn) on the emergence and seedling growth of chickpea. In phase I, Astragalus whole plant, leaf, stem, fruit and root aqueous extracts were tested for their effect on chickpea seed germination. In phase II, and III different concentrations (1,2,3, 4 and 5%) of Astragalus leaf extract were tested for their phytotoxic influences on the emergence and early seedling growth of chickpea. Distilled water was applied as control treatment. Each experiment was conducted under completely randomized design (CRD). All extracts significantly inhibited the germination energy, germination index, caused delay in time to 50% emergence and mean emergence time of chickpea. Leaf aqueous extract application considerably reduced the root and shoot length and dry weight. P-coumeric, ferrulic, hydroxy, caffeic acid, meth oxybenzoic acid and syringic acid were the phytotoxins detected in leaf extract of Astragalus spp. Vanillic acid and syringic acid were determined in fruit extract. Pcoumeric, M-coumeric acid and syringic acid were observed in root extract. Whereas, ferrulic, caffeic acid, M-coumeric acid and syringic acid were found in whole plant extract of Astragalus spp. ThusAstragalus species infestation in chickpeareleases allele chemicals in the rhizospherethat may cause poor germination and growth of chickpea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Escherichia coli is a commensal microorganism while spread of its resistant pathotypes may cause life threatening issues. In this study, fecal samples (n =150 each) of broiler, slaughterers and non-slaughterers were observed for resistance rate of their E. coli isolates against 16 antibiotics. Significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher E. coli counts (3.4×105 CFU/g) were observed in fecal samples of broiler than slaughterers (3.1×104 CFU/g) and non-slaughterers (2.8×104 CFU/g). Higher antibiotic resistance rates were observed in broiler isolates than slaughterer against all the tested antibiotics except Oxytetracycline, Cephalexin and Ceftriaxone; for which the differences were non-significant. As compared to isolates of non-slaughterers, isolates of slaughterers had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher antibiotic resistance rates against 8 of the tested drugs. The results revealed that 100% broiler, 78% slaughterer and 17% non-slaughterer isolates were simultaneously resistant to more than 4 antibiotics. Both Tet-A and Tet-B genes (tetracycline-resistance genes) were concurrently detected in 21% of broiler, 15% of slaughterer and 5% of non-slaughterer isolates. Differences in antibiotic resistance rates between the isolates of slaughterers and non-slaughterers clearly depicts one of the possible spreading route of resistant E. coli from broiler to human population. Hence, it is recommended that slaughterers must adopt hygienic protocols to avoid the spread of resistant bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring and investigation of different toxic effects of frequently used food additives is of vital importance for public health. Tartrazine is an artificial food coloring compound and is extensively used in numerous food items to enhance their aesthetic value. The mechanism of toxic effects of tartrazine is not clear and is under debate. Hence, present work was planned to evaluate the toxicity of tartrazine and to assess the potential of melon seed oil to alleviate the toxic effects of tartrazine in experimental rats. Therefore, different doses of tartrazine alone and along with melon seed oil were given to experimental rats for a period of 60 days. The rats were killed at 20, 40 and 60 days of experiment and blood was collected and analyzed for various hematological and serological parameters. No mortality and behavioral changes were recorded though out the experiment. The results exhibited significant decrease in hematological parameters (hemoglobin and hematocrit), serum lipid profile (cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein) and serum proteins (albumin, total proteins). Results revealed significantly higher levels of liver function tests (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin), renal function tests (urea, creatinine), cardiac enzymes (LDH, CPK and CK-Mb) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in response to various treatments of tartrazine. Different doses of melon seed oil used in current experimental research partially reversed the toxic effects of tartrazine in experimental rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A little is known about the brassica species response to different phosphorus (P) amendments and its effects on accumulation of P, proteins, oil and fatty acids in canola (Brassica napus L.) seeds. The two years field study was conducted to evaluate the yield and quality of canola hybrids (Hyola-401 and Hyola-43) in response to different P management strategies. The two canola hybrids were tested under different P application rates (@ 30 kg ha-1 or 60 kg ha-1) applied through broadcasting and side-drilling, alone and in combination with farmyard manure (FYM). Phosphorus applications have significant positive linear (p>0.05%) effects on yield and yield components in the both canola hybrids. The maximum seed yield (2749±6.96 kg ha-1; 2698±7.67 kg ha-1), oil contents (43.73±0.18%; 42.20±0.20%), protein contents (26.23±0.12%; 26.37±0.12%) and P accumulated in grains (0.52±0.01%; 0.45±0.02%) were recorded in Hyola-43 when fertilized @ 60 kg P ha-1 through side drilling along with FYM during 2004-05 and 2005-06, respectively. Hyola-43 appeared a good crop yielding canola hybrid as compared to Hyola-401. The high oleic and low linolenic acid provide good quality oil during frying process. Two folds increase was observed P accumulation in grain and this increase in endogenous grain P may have significant effects on next crop growth on soils having low inherent P. The study result suggests incorporating of FYM along with P fertilizer to overcome the issues of world inorganic P reserves utilization and for the sustainable higher quality canola production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower production is generally correlated with pruning of flowering plants. The present research work aimed to explore the ideal date of pruning which produce plants with excellent growth and flowering characteristics of Rosa centifolia during winter months where most scented flowers are disappear and marketing is lucrative. Pruning experiment was carried out on most important rose flower specie Rosa centifolia at Faisalabad during 2010-2012. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five different pruning dates during winter months i.e. second week of December, end of December, second week of January, end of January and second week of February. Plants that were pruned during the end of December dominate all growth parameters (plant height, number and length of branches, days to first bud emergence and number of buds plant -1) and flowering characteristics (number, diameter and weight of flowers) that were studied in this experiment. Overall plant growth was also the best in plants when pruned at the end of December. It seems all dates of pruning during winter improve plant growth and development but end of December proved best pruning time in Rosa centifolia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]