Economic outlook of food crops in Pakistan: An empirical study

Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan's economy, highly depends on food crops. There is a huge gap between the products purchased and the actual products, which suffer from inadequate technology, inadequate resource use, inappropriate use of water and land, and inappropriate pests management studies, it's not just negatively affects production but also reduces production. Most farmers use synthetic chemicals to control pests, but they are often used in vain. In order to illustrate the main gaps and actual results of the main upland crops. The study examines the link between food security and GDP growth in Pakistan, including wheat, rice, sugarcane and maize, and water availability in Pakistan from 1999 to 2018. Periodic data are collected from the Pakistan Economic Survey (various sources). Use conventional miniature methods and refine Dickey-Fuller (ADF) testing to analyze crop data, and use Johansen aggregation testing to interpret results. Our research found that wheat, rice, sugarcane, and maize yields were positively correlated with Pakistan's agricultural GDP, while water supply was negatively correlated with Pakistan's agricultural GDP without significant correlation. Water resources related to climate change and the context of climate change will have a devastating effect on Pakistan's water resources. Therefore, the study suggests that the Pakistani government should provide major agricultural inputs on subsidies formulate policies, and launch new funding programs to develop and improve water availability. &nbsp

Evaluation of different fungicides against stalk rot of Maize caused by Fusarium moniliforme

Maize is the world's leading crop and is widely cultivated as a cereal grain, it is the only food cereal crop that can be grown in diverse seasons, ecologies and uses. Maize yields in Pakistan are very poor due to insect pests and diseases. Among them, the stalk rot of maize caused by Fusarium moniliforme is very important. Keeping in view the huge losses caused by the disease, the present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of selected fungicides against the disease development under field conditions and on the plant growth and yield parameters. A total of six fungicides were used such as Scoure, Plyrem, Topguard, Ridomil, Fenatac M, and Cobox with three different concentrations i.e., (50, 100 and 200 ppm). The effect on disease incidence, growth and yield parameters such as plant height, root length, root weight, leaf weight per plant, grain weight, and biological yield (t acre-1) were recorded. The results showed that all applied fungicides significantly affect against stalk rot of maize caused by F. moniliforme. The maximum plant height, root length, root weight, leaf weight per plant, grain weight and biological yield (t acre-1) was noted under Ridomil and Scoure fungicides, followed by Topguard, Cobox, Plyrem and Fenatac M. Whereas, the minimum plant height, root length, root weight, leaf weight per plant, grain weight, and biological yield (t acre-1) was observed under control plants where no fungicides were applied

Better Cotton: An Approach to Sustainable Agriculture

Cotton is the largest industrial sector in Pakistan. However, due to bad traditional practices and use of high amount pesticides, the whole industry lost about 10-15% of cotton. For reasons of socioeconomic and environmental harm, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) launched "Better Cotton" in Pakistan. Better cotton production is a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cotton due to its efficient resource utilization and lower environmental externalities. CABI encourages farmers to implement better cotton production principles and criteria, use better cotton standard system and good agricultural practices (GAP), and provide participatory training for small, medium and large-sized farmers and farm workers in their "learning groups" and medium-sized farmers' fields. The aim of this short communication article is to put together a concise review of Better Cotton production. In this short communication we briefly present the history, importance, aim, distribution and principles of Better Cotton Initiative

In vitro bioassays of some plant extracts against Banana anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum musae

Anthracnose of banana caused by Colletotrichum musae is an invasive disease, which is difficult to control in the export process. Plant extracts used to control plant diseases are gradually becoming substitutes for traditional fungicides because they are safe for the human body and environmentally friendly. The study was conducted to record the prevalence of banana anthracnose in two locations and to determine the best medium for the growth of C. musae and botanical extracts for managing the fungus under in-vitro conditions. Six media viz., Ripen banana peels media (RBPM), Unripen banana peels media (URBPM), Ripen banana flash fruit media (RBFFM), Unripen banana flash fruit media (URBFFM), Banana leaf media (BLM) and Potato dextrose agar media (PDA), four botanical extracts including Garlic (GC), Mint (MT), Eucalyptus (EC) and Neem seed (NS) at 2, 4 and 6% concentrations were tested against the fungus and the control (CL) remain untreated. Potato dextrose agar media (PDA) was used as a standard semi-synthetic growth media. The prevailing frequency of the disease was high in the investigation area. The maximum linear mycelial growth of the C. musae was recorded on PDA (85 mm) followed by URBFFM (40 mm), RBFFM (26 mm) whereas the lowest mycelial growth was recorded on BLM (20 mm) and URBPM (8 mm). In-vitro experiments showed that PDA was the best medium for the mycelial growth of C. musae. Moreover, tested botanical extracts showed high variation in reducing the colony growth of the fungus. EC was found most effective in reducing the colony growth of the fungus followed by NS, GC and MT. These results suggest that all the botanical extracts may be potentially useful for controlling anthracnose of bananas, EC extract can be effectively used for the field experiment