Agricultural Exports Competitiveness of Pakistan in Global Market

Agricultural sector is a major source of employment and export earnings for Pakistan. Exports of Pakistan are highly concentrated in agricultural products including cotton, rice, sugar and fruit. This study analyzed comparative and competitive advantages of the main agricultural products of Pakistan, i.e. cotton, rice and tangerines. Consumption patterns of top exporting countries in each category were also analyzed. Results revealed that Pakistan had strong competitiveness for export of these commodities. Strong potential for growth in the agricultural sector of Pakistan was found and it could be optimized to raise export earnings and meet the objectives of the strategic trade policy framework(STPF) 2015-2018 of Pakistan.     

Physical,Chemical and Biological Properties of an Accelerated Cassava Based Compost Prepared Using Different Ratios of Cassava Peels and Poultry Manure

Monitoring the physical, chemical and biological properties during accelerated composting enables concise determination of its stability and maturity. Determination of physical parameters such as pH, moisture and temperature, chemical parameters such as total nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), organic matter and humic acid as well as biological parameters such as microbial count and carbon dioxide (CO₂) evolution was carried out during a four (4) week composting period, The trend observed for pH showed the mesophilic and thermophilic phases and a similar trend was observed for the compost temperature. Intermittent increase and decrease was observed for total N, P, K as well as for the fungal and bacterial population. A direct relationship was observed among the bacterial population, CO₂ evolution and humic acid. However, composting for four (4) weeks produced a stable compost, which was evident through the physical observation of the final product and the results obtained for the chemical and biological parameters.     

Research achievements in plant resistance to insect pests of cool season food legumes

Plant resistance to at least 17 field and storage insect pests of cool season food legumes has been identified. For the most part, this resistance was located in the primary gene pools of grain legumes via conventional laboratory, greenhouse, and field screening methods. The use of analytical techniques (i.e., capillary gas chromatography) to characterize plant chemicals that mediate the host selection behavior of pest insects offers promise as a new, more rapid way to differentiate between insect-resistant and susceptible plant material. Examples of research achievements in mechanisms of resistance and host-plant resistance within the context of integrated control programs are discussed. Accelerating the development and subsequent releases of insect-resistant cultivars to pulse farmers requires more involvement from interdisciplinary teams of plant breeders, entomologists, plant pathologists, plant chemists, molecular biologists, and other scientists.     

beta-Lactam resistance and beta-lactamases in bacteria of animal origin

beta-Lactams are among the most clinically important antimicrobials in both human and veterinary medicine. Bacterial resistance to beta-lactams has been increasingly observed in bacteria, including those of animal origin. The mechanisms of beta-lactam resistance include inaccessibility of the drugs to their target, target alterations and/or inactivation of the drugs by beta-lactamases. The latter contributes predominantly to beta-lactam resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. A variety of beta-lactamases have been identified in bacteria derived from food-producing and companion animals and may further serve as a reservoir for beta-lactamase-producing bacteria in humans. While this review mainly describes beta-lactamases from animal-derived Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp., beta-lactamases from animal-derived Campylobacter spp., Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp. and other pathogens are also discussed. Of particular concern are the increasingly-isolated plasmid-encoded AmpC-type CMY and extended-spectrum CTX-M beta-lactamases, which mediate acquired resistance to extended-spectrum beta-lactams. The genes encoding these enzymes often coexist with other antimicrobial resistance determinants and can also be associated with transposons/integrons, increasing the potential enrichment of multidrug resistant bacteria by multiple antimicrobial agents as well as dissemination of the resistance determinants among bacterial species. Characterization of beta-lactam-resistant animal-derived bacteria warrants further investigation of the type and distribution of beta-lactamases in bacteria of animal origin and their potential impact on human medicine.     

Variance components,correlation and path analyses in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L., Walp)

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Cowpea as a low-input crop has a potential to significantly ameliorate poor nutrition and food insecurity in sub-Sahara Africa if problem of poor seed...     

Fast track participatory approach to release of elite cassava genotypes for various uses in Nigeria’s cassava economy

The aim of the Integrated Cassava Project (ICP) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture was to pre-emptively manage the cassava mosaic disease (CMD) to avert an imminent and increasing possible threat of the Ugandan strain of the CMD virus of the pathogen from doing damage to the Nigerian cassava economy. The strategy was to engage in activities that would lead to cultivar-substitution by replacing the susceptible varieties on farmers’ fields with superior genotypes that are not only CMD resistant or tolerant but also high yielding with good dry matter content. A fast track participatory selection approach was used in 2 years to release nine new lines in Nigeria. It was intensive and several lessons were learnt. The varieties released after 2 years were TMS 98/0510, TMS 98/0581, TMS 97/2205, TMS 98/0505, TME 419, TMS 92/0326, TMS 96/1632, TMS 98/0002, and TMS 92/0057.     

Nutritional evaluation of toasted Mucuna utilis seed meal and its utilization in the diet of Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822)

The value of toasted Mucuna utilis seed meals was investigated in this study by evaluating the nutritional profile and the utilization of the processed seeds in isonitrogenous (35% CP) and isocaloric diets (17 kJ g?1) for African catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell 1822). Toasting the M. utilis seed significantly reduced the levels of tannins, phytate, trypsin, and hemagglutinin in the seeds. However, protein, gross energy, arginine, histidine, and valine were increased (P ≤ 0.05). The processed seed was then used to formulate five experimental diets by progressively increasing its inclusion (by 50 g kg?1) from zero up to 200 g kg?1. A sixth diet was also formulated with raw M. utilis included at 200 g kg?1 to determine the efficacy of the processing method applied in this study. Fifty fingerlings of C. gariepinus (2.02 g ± 0.08) stocked in 18 hapas measuring 1 × 1 × 1 m³ were then fed the diets for 56 days. The growth of C. gariepinus fingerlings was significantly improved by the addition of the toasted M. utilis seed meal. However, fish fed the diet containing 200 g kg?1 of raw M. utilis had poor growth with higher mortality (35%). Estimation of the feeding cost using the diets revealed reduction in production cost of fish with the inclusion of toasted M. utilis seed meal. It was concluded that toasting significantly improved the nutritional quality of this unconventional feedstuff, allowing better utilization at up to 200 g kg?1 inclusion level in the diet of African catfish C. gariepinus.     

Dietary combination of pawpaw seed and onion peel powder: Impact on growth,haematology, biochemical and antioxidant status of Clarias gariepinus

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of pawpaw–onion powder (POP) mixture on the growth, and haemato‐biochemical and antioxidant responses of Clarias gariepinus (4.02 ± 0.01g/fish) for 60 days. Five trial diets were formulated as control (without POP or antimicrobial growth promoter (AGP)), AGP (basal diet + 10ml AGP/kg diet), POP 2.5 (basal diet + 2.5g POP/kg diet), POP 5.0 (basal diet + 5.0g POP/kg diet) and POP 10 (basal diet + 10g POP/kg diet). Two hundred and twenty‐five fish were equally distributed into five groups in triplicate and fed twice daily. The results indicate that AGP or POP supplementation exerted no effects on the growth and blood profile among the various groups, but a significantly higher lymphocyte count was observed in POP 10g/kg. The highest whole‐body protein and lipid contents were noticed in fish fed the control diet (p < .05), whereas POP 5.0g/kg group recorded the highest hepatosomatic value. Furthermore, the cholesterol level was found to be lower in the AGP‐ and POP‐fed fish compared with the higher level recorded in the control. The glucose concentration and superoxide dismutase enzyme activity were found to be higher in POP 2.5‐fed fish, whereas POP 10‐fed fish showed higher catalase activities compared with other groups (p < .05). Based on the result obtained, this study showed that dietary POP had no significant impact on the growth performance but has direct effects on the whole‐body lipid content, lymphocyte count, cholesterol level, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and antioxidant response of Clarias gariepinus.