Spatio-temporal variability of drought characteristics across Pakistan

Climate change in Pakistan has a great impact on the spatial and temporal variation of precipitation and ultimately alters the frequency and duration of droughts. In this study, spatial and temporal trend analyses of precipitation and droughts were observed at 58 meteorological stations across Pakistan from 1981 to 2018. The existing trend analysis methods were evaluated to address the issue of serial correlation in the climatic data. Results of precipitation analysis showed significant decreasing trends in winter (November, December) and significant increasing trends were observed in summer (June and September) at a confidence level of 95 percent. The magnitude of the precipitation trends showed the highest variation during summer season and the least variation in winter season. Rotated Principal Component (RPC) analysis showed the severe droughts (high positive loading) in southeastern side (Sindh province) of Pakistan due to lack of summer rains. Furthermore, variance correction approaches are identified as the most suitable in coping with the effect of serial correlation. The highest drought frequencies were observed in the southern areas of Pakistan and the drought events are expected to occur more frequently in the late winter, early spring, and early autumn, while droughts were expected to occur least frequently in summer.

     

Wheat Straw Burial Improves Physiological Traits,Yield and Grain Quality of Rice by Regulating Antioxidant System and Nitrogen Assimilation Enzymes under Alternate Wetting and Drying Irrigation

Wheat straw burial has great potential to sustain rice production under alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation. A field experiment was conducted with three wheat straw burial treatments, including without straw burial (NSB), with light straw burial of 300 kg/hm² (LSB) and dense straw burial of 800 kg/hm² (DSB), as well as three AWD regimes: alternate wetting/moderate drying (AWMD), alternate wetting/severe drying (AWSD) and alternate wetting/critical drying (AWCD). The rice growth and grain quality were higher in LSB and NSB than those in NSB under the same AWD regime. The AWMD × DSB treatment resulted in the highest yield, brown rice rate, milled rice rate, amylose content and protein content. Conversely, the AWCD × NSB treatment led to the lowest yield, brown rice rate, milled rice rate, amylose content and protein content. The active absorption area and nitrate reductase activity of roots were higher in the AWMD × DSB treatment than those in the AWCD × NSB treatment, as the former increased organic carbon and nitrogen contents in the rhizosphere, whereas the latter reduced their availability. Total soluble protein content and glutamine synthetase activity were greater in the AWMD × DSB treatment than those in the AWCD × NSB treatment. The activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were higher in the AWMD × DSB treatment compared with the AWCD × NSB treatment, leading to the amelioration of oxidative cell injury, as shown by a lower malonaldehyde level. This study suggested that farmers should implement AWMD irrigation after leaving the straw residues in the field, followed by deep tillage to improve soil quality and mitigate the drought stress cycles of AWD. This approach can improve rice growth and grain quality and alleviate the problems of disposal of straw residues and water scarcity for sustainable rice production.     

Valproic Acid Ameliorates Locomotor Function in the Rat Model of Contusion via Alteration of Mst1, Bcl-2, and Nrf2 Gene Expression

Background:In animal models of inflammatory diseases, Mst1 facilitates the programmed cell death as a novel pro-apoptotic kinase. This research aimed to determine the expression level of Mst1 gene in a rat model of SCI treated with VPA. Methods:Severe rat model contusion was used for evaluation of the neuroprotective effect of valproic acid. The BBB test, was performed to determine locomotor functions. H&E staining and TUNEL assay were performed to detect cavity formation and apoptosis, respectively. The mRNA levels of the genes Mst1, Nrf2, and Bcl-2 were evaluated, using quantitative RT-PCR. Results:The results revealed that Mst1 gene expression and TUNEL-positive cells in the VPA-treated group were significantly reduced as compared to the untreated group (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion:Our findings indicate that VPA has therapeutic potential and can be a candidate for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and traumatic injury as a promising drug. Key Words: Bcl-2, Contusion, Mst1, Nrf2, Valproic acid     

Far-red light: A regulator of plant morphology and photosynthetic capacity

Plant photosynthetic capacity directly determines crop yield. Light quality regulates photosynthetic capacity. This review discusses plant responses to far-red light from the phenotypic to the molecular level, focusing specifically on the improvement of photosynthetic capacity by adjustment of photosynthetic electron transport and the path of light energy. Far-red light can also regulate leaf angle and increase plant height and leaf area, via expression of associated genes, to capture more light energy.Thus, far-red light regulates plant morphology and photosynthetic capacity. Identifying the mechanism of this regulation may lead to increased crop yields.     

Physiochemical Responses of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni Subjected to Sodium Chloride (NaCl) Salinity and Exogenous Salicylic Acid Application

Gesunde Pflanzen - Soil salinity is one of the ecological problems limiting plant growth and development, especially in semi-arid and arid regions where water availability is very limited. Stevia...     

Microbiological study and insecticidal potential of purified extract from Streptomyces sp. on the larvae of Galleria mellonella

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - In the present study, one Streptomyces species was isolated from a soil sample that was collected in Khafr El Shikh Governorate. Actinomycetes are...     

Future of Abies pindrow in Swat district,northern Pakistan

Swat district is a biodiversity hub of Pakistan. The plant species, especially trees, in the Swat District are exposed to extinction threat from global climate change. Maximum entropy （MaxEnt） modelling of species distribution, using HADCM3 A2a global climate change scenario, pre-dicted a considerable change in the future distribution ofAbies pindrow （Royle ex D.Don） Royle. AUC （area under the curve）values of 0.972 and 0.983 were significant for the present and future distribution models of the species, respectively. It is clear that bioclimatic variables such as the mean temperature of the warmest quarter （bio_10） and the annual temperature range （bio_7） contribute significantly to the model and thus affect the predicted distribution and density of the species. The future model predicts that by the year 2080 population density will have decreased significantly. The highest density of the species is recorded in the eastern and western borders of the Valley in the areas of Sulatanr and Mankial. The changes in density and distribution of the species can have considerable impact, not only on the tree species itself, but on the associated subflora as well.     

Modulus of elasticity in scarf-jointed wooden beams: a case study with polyvinyl acetate and isocyanate adhesives

In the present study, elastic properties of scarf-jointed oak (Quercus castaneifolia) timbers with the application of two different types of adhesives (polyvinyl acetate and isocyanate) were evaluated using free flexural vibration of free–free beam method in different flexural directions of vibration, i.e., tangential and redial directions. Samples were taken from trees of Hyrcanian forests in Iran with nominal dimensions of 20 × 20 × 360 mm³. Comparing the results of elastic properties of clear oak wood beams with scarf-jointed samples wood showed that scarf joints with the bonding angles of 70° and 75°, covered by polyvinyl acetate adhesive, did not demonstrate any significant effect on modules of elasticity. Scarf-jointed beams with smaller joint angles (60° and 65°) were considerably weaker or totally unreliable in their moduli of elasticity. It is also shown that the magnitude of effect gets worst by using isocyanate rather than polyvinyl acetate adhesive.     

Effect of butyrate,clopidol and their combination on the performance of broilers infected with Eimeria maxima

1. The effect of butyric acid glycerides (BAGs) with and without clopidol (CLP) on Eimeria maxima on growth and associated biochemical variables was investigated in broiler chickens.

2. One-day-old chicks were divided into 6 equal groups (Gps) of 30 chicks each; each group was subdivided into 6 equal subgroups. Gp 1 was not infected and not treated. Chicks in Gp 2 were not infected and fed on a ration mixed with 4 g BAGs/kg for 6 successive weeks. Chicks of the other groups were directly inoculated intra-crop with 1 × 10⁴ sporulated oocysts of E. maxima at 14 d of age. Gp 3 was infected and not treated. Chicks in the remaining three groups were given diets mixed with the tested drugs for 6 successive weeks. Gp 4 was fed on a diet mixed with CLP (125 g/kg). Gp 5 was given a diet mixed with BAGs (4 g/kg diet). Gp 6 was fed on a diet mixed with both BAGs (4 g/kg diet) and CLP (125 g/kg).

3. Birds in Gps 5 and 6 showed a reduction in the mean oocyst count, lesion scores and developmental stages in the lamina propria and improved growth and biochemical variables. BAG supplementation enhanced growth and production of healthy broilers.

4. It was concluded that BAGs were a useful supplement in broiler diets as an alternative to growth promoters and antimicrobial drugs.     

The effect of dietary supplementation with the natural carotenoids curcumin and lutein on pigmentation,oxidative stability and quality of meat from broiler chickens affected by a coccidiosis challenge

1. An experiment was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the antioxidants curcumin (CRM) and lutein (LTN) on the quality of meat from coccidiosis-infected broilers. A total of 200 one-day-old Arbor Acre chicks were randomly assigned to a treatment group with 5 replicates. The treatments included a basal diet without carotenoid supplementation (control), with 300 mg/kg CRM, with 300 mg/kg LTN or with a combination (C + L) of 150 mg/kg CRM and 150 mg/kg LTN. All chickens were challenged with Eimeria maxima at 21 d old.

2. The results revealed that the coccidiosis reduced redness of meat, while supplementation with carotenoids improved the fresh meat’s redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) and contributed to colour stability maintenance after storage (1 month at ?18°C and 3 d at 4°C).

3. Coccidiosis did not produce lipid and protein oxidation in fresh meat, but after storage for one month, the malondialdehyde levels and carbonyl contents were lower in the CRM and C + L birds and the sulfhydryl contents were higher in C + L birds.

4. The sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis banding pattern showed equivalent myosin chain fragmentations in all treatment groups, whereas lower intensity actin bands were observed in the control group (CONT). Moreover, myofibril protein denaturation (differential scanning calorimetry) profiles showed a reduction in the CONT myosin and actin peaks. Coccidiosis reduced the meat’s water holding capacity in non-supplemented chicken meat and was improved by natural carotenoid.

5. These results emphasise that coccidiosis did not decrease the eating quality of fresh meat, that natural carotenoids are efficient antioxidants and that CRM (300 mg/kg) fed individually or combined with LTN was the most effective supplemented antioxidant compound.