Nutritional evaluation of some commercial wheat varieties grown in Pakistan

The nutritive value of some commercial wheat varieties grown in Pakistan was measured chemically, including amino acid analysis, and biologically in N-balance experiments with growing rats. The protein content ranged from 13.2% in Punjab-83 to 16% in Barani-83. Lysine per 100g protein varied between 2.46 and 2.75%. The available carbohydrate ranged from 67.3 to 74.7%. Iron content was highest in Sonalika while the concentration of zinc and manganese was highest in Sarhad-82. The protein digestibility (TD), biological value (BV) and net protein utilisation (NPU) varied between 92–95%, 56–68% and 53–65% respectively. Level of wheat protein was negatively correlated with available carbohydrate (r=–0.93), lysine per unit protein (r=–0.67) and BV (r=–0.76). The lysine content (g/16gN) of commercial wheat varieties showed a positive correlation (r=+0.95) with the BV. The protein quality was lowered in varieties having higher content of protein.     

Evaluation of assimilate remobilization and yield of wheat cultivars under different irrigation regimes in an arid climate

To investigate the effects of irrigation regimes on assimilate remobilization, water use efficiency (WUE), relative water content (RWC), photosynthesis and yield of five wheat cultivars, a field experiment was conducted at Shiraz University during the 2008 and 2009 growing seasons. The experimental design was a randomized complete block and treatments were arranged as split-plot in three replicates. There were four levels of water regime including well-watered [irrigation based on 100% field capacity (FC)], excess watered (125% FC), mild drought (75% FC) and severe drought (50% FC) stress, and four bread wheat cultivars (Shiraz, Bahar, Pishtaz and Sistan) and a durum wheat (Yavaros). In all cultivars, progressed leaf senescence at 30 days after anthesis (DAA), was associated with a reduction in chlorophyll content. The reduction was more pronounced in Shiraz and Yavaros than Pishtaz and Sistan. With increasing temperature and remobilization of assimilate to grain, net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance were decreased significantly at 18 DAA compared with 8 DAA. Sistan and Pishtaz cultivars maintained higher RWC than sensitive cultivars of Shiraz and Yavaros under drought stress. The higher WUE in Pishtaz and Sistan was attributed to the effectiveness of a small amount of water in alleviating severe stress during the sensitive stages of growth. Under mild drought stress, controlled soil drying could enhance remobilization efficiency of assimilates in Pishtaz and Sistan and under severe drought, these cultivars had the highest grain yield compared with the other cultivars. Reduction of assimilates remobilization to the grain and 1000-grain weight, caused lower grain yield in Shiraz under severe drought. Overall, controlled soil drying in Sistan and Pishtaz might result in better mobilization of pre-stored assimilates to the grain in arid areas, where a rapid depletion of water resources is threatening crop production.     

Effect of copper and nitrogen nutrients on diosgenin production in fenugreek

Different amounts of nitrogen (N) and copper (Cu) in the forms of urea and copper sulfate (CuSO₄·5H₂O) were applied and their effects on diosgenin production and dry matter yield in fenugreek were investigated under farm cultivation conditions. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed to analyze diosgenin content. Diosgenin contents were measured in 25, 45 and 65 day-old leaves and in leaves at flowering stage and in fruits. The maximum diosgenin content was obtained in 45 day-old leaves. The results showed that simultaneous addition of Cu and N and the level of supply had significant effects on diosgenin production in leaves, fruits and dry matter yield. Simultaneous use of urea (100 kg ha^?1) and copper sulfate (30 kg ha^?1) increased diosgenin production and dry matter yield in 45 day-old leaves for 7.72 and 1.32 times, respectively, compared to unfertilized control group. But, the use of higher amounts of urea and copper showed a decrease in diosgenin production.     

Effect of short-term supply of farmyard manure on maize growth and soil parameters in pot culture

Farmyard manure (FYM) improves various soil parameters and to a large extent, the availability of water and nutrient to crops when it is applied to the soil. This study aims to further investigate the short-term effects of different levels of FYM on maize plants and soil parameters. Maize plants grown in pot culture were treated with no FYM (control), recommended NPK (inorganic fertilizers), and FYM at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 t ha^?1 along with recommended NPK, and the cultures were analyzed 8 weeks after germination. Soil bulk density and soil pH decreased with the increasing levels of FYM, whereas soil porosity, soil organic matter (SOM), soil water content, plant height, root and shoot yield, and NPK uptake of maize were increased compared with the control or recommended NPK, respectively. The present results indicate that short-term application of higher FYM levels improves soil properties. Furthermore, the application of FYM at only higher rates significantly increases the nutrient uptake of maize plants due to improved soil properties. The supply of different amounts of nutrients increases biomass and nutrient uptake in plants.     

Morpho-physiological Responses of Tomato Genotypes Under Saline Conditions

Gesunde Pflanzen - Salinity is a complex abiotic stress that affects physiology and biochemistry of plants and significantly reduces both crop yield and quality. Considering the global...     

Effects of dietary administration of Echinacea purpurea on growth indices and biochemical and hematological indices in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fingerlings

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Echinacea purpurea (EP) on growth and some hematological and blood biochemical indices of rainbow trout fingerlings. A basal diet was supplemented with 0 (control), 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 g EP kg?1 to formulate five experimental diets. Each diet was randomly allocated to triplicate groups of fish with an initial average weight of approximately 8 g. After 8 weeks of feeding trial, fish fed diets with 0.25 and 0.5 g EP kg?1 showed highest final weight and SGR and fish fed with the control diet indicated the lowest final weight and SGR. There was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in FCR between the control group and the groups fed with diets of 0.25 and 0.5 g EP kg?1. Biochemical parameters such as serum total protein content, albumin content, globulin content, and albumin/globulin ratio in the fish were evaluated. There were significant differences between hematological parameters including RBC, WBC, HB, lymphocyte, and neutrophil percentage in fish fed with dietary nucleotide compared with control treatment (P < 0.05). The results suggest that EP administration at 0.25 and 0.5 g EP kg?1 exerted positive effects on growth and biochemical and hematological indices in rainbow trout.     

Maize production under risk: The simultaneous adoption of off-farm income diversification and agricultural credit to manage risk

Farmers in Pakistan continue to produce maize under various types of risks and adopt several strategies to manage those risks. This study is the first attempt to investigate the factors affecting the concurrent adoption of off-farm income diversification and agricultural credit which the farmers use to manage the risk to maize production. We apply bivariate and multinomial probit approaches to the primary data collected from four districts of Punjab Province in Pakistan. The results show that strong correlations exist between the off-farm diversification and agricultural credit which indicates that the use of one risk management strategy leads to another. The findings demonstrate that education, livestock number, maize farming experience, perceptions of biological risks and risk-averse nature of the growers significantly encourage the adoption of diversification as a risk management tool while farm size inversely affects the adoption of diversification. Similarly, in the adoption equation of credit, maize farming experience, farm size, perceptions of price and biological risks and risk attitude of farmers significantly enhance the chances of adopting agricultural credit to manage farm risks. These findings are important for the relevant stakeholders who seek to offer carefully designed risk minimizing options to the maize farmers.     

Foliar Application of Iron (Fe) Improved the Antioxidant Defense and Cd Accumulation Potential of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ricinus communis</Emphasis> Under Hydroponic Condition

Heavy metal-polluted water has become a problem for sustainable environment, agriculture, and human health. Phyto-accumulation is an eco-friendly technique for decontamination of metal-polluted water and soil. The efficiency of phyto-accumulation and rhizo-filtration can be enhanced by the application of certain nutrients to accumulator plants. In this study, we focused on the role of iron (Fe) in rhizo-filtration and phyto-accumulation of cadmium (Cd) from polluted water/media, using Ricinus communis plant. Medium was contaminated with 10 ppm Cd while Fe (2.50, 5.00, and 7.50 ppm) was applied both as foliar spray and medium addition separately. Accumulation of Cd and concentrations of soluble proline, phenolic compounds, and chlorophylls were measured in plant tissues. Addition of Fe into media significantly increased biomass in the plants but decreased Cd absorption by roots and its accumulation in other tissues of the plants. Foliar application of Fe, especially 7.5 ppm, significantly increased biomass as well as accumulation of Cd in tissues of the plants. Contents of soluble proline (41.88?±?3.56 ppm) and phenolics (171.00?±?4.98 ppm) in leaves were highly increased by foliar spray of 7.5 ppm Fe on the plants. On the other hand, highest concentrations of free proline (67.00?±?2.00 ppm) and total phenolics (82.67?±?2.52 ppm) in plant roots were observed in 7.5 ppm Fe added to media and as foliar spray, respectively. Strong correlations were observed between phenolics content in roots and leaves with Cd accumulation after foliar application of 7.5 ppm Fe.     

Growth,yield and silicon uptake of rice (Oryza sativa) as influenced by dose and timing of silicon application under water-deficit stress

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of dose and timing of silicon (Si) application on rice under limited water supply. The treatments for the first study included five Si doses (0, 75, 150, 300 and 600 kg Si ha^–1) under three soil moisture conditions (100%, 75% and 50% field capacity). For the second study, the treatments were four Si application timings [100% basal, 50% basal + 50% panicle initiation (PI), 25% basal + 75% PI and 25% basal + 50% PI + 25% heading] at the dose of 300 kg ha^–1 under the same moisture conditions. The highest number of panicle plant^–1 (14.6) and grain yield (13.6 g plant^–1) were obtained with the dose of 300 kg Si ha^–1. Similarly, an increase of 34–45% in grain yield was observed for different Si application timings compared with the control. Shoot dry matter and grain yield had positive linear relationship with shoot Si content. Grain yield and number of spikelet panicle^–1 were higher at the 300 kg Si ha^–1 dose applied as 100% basal, and hence could be a feasible option for RD57 Thai rice variety under water-deficit conditions.     

Effects of accelerated ageing on germination and biochemistry of eight rice cultivars

Rice seed deterioration rate due to aging is correlated with ambient temperature, relative humidity, and moisture. Eight cultivars were analyzed for differences in seed deterioration via accelerated ageing at 45°C and 100% relative humidity (RH) for 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 hr. Khazar and Neda had highest germination percentages when exposed to 120 hr seed ageing. For Lenjan, with increased seed ageing, moisture content increased from 9.8% in the control to 21.7% after the 120 hr treatment. Khazar and Shiroudi had the lowest decrease in shoot length. Root length decreased from 0 hr control to 120 hr treatment, and was lowest in Fajr and Khazar. Minimum electrical conductivity was observed in Neda and Fajr after 120 hr. Lowest increases in lipid peroxidation from control to 120 hr treatment was in Fajr, Khazar, and Neda. Neda and Khazar are the most suitable cultivars to store in the humid, sub-tropics of northern Iran.