Partial Factor Productivity, Agronomic Efficiency, and Economic Analyses of Maize in Wheat-Maize Cropping System in Pakistan

Getting maximum benefits from cereals do not lie in reducing N-rate and its number of splits but lowering cost per unit cereal production through higher yields. Field experiments were conducted on maize (Zea mays L.) at the New Developmental research Farm of NWFP (Northwest Frontier Province) Agricultural University Peshawar-Pakistan during 2002-03 and 2003-04 in order to investigate effects of variable rates of N and its time of application on the partial factor productivity (PFPN), agronomic efficiency (AEN), net returns (NR), value-cost ratio (VCR) and marginal returns (MR). The 2 x 3 x 6 factorial experiment was designed having two plant densities (D1 = 60,000 and D2 = 100,000 plants ha-1) and three N levels (N1 = 60, N2 = 120 and N3 = 180 kg N ha-1) applied to main plots, while six split application of N in different proportions were applied to subplots in two equal (T1), three equal (T2), three unequal (T3), four equal (T4), five equal (T5) and five unequal splits (T6) at sowing and with 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th irrigation at two wk intervals. Maize ranked first with maximum PFPN, AEN, NR, VCR and MR at higher than at lower plant density, and the increase in all these parameters studied in the experiments was more in 2003-04 as compared to 2002-03. Both PFPN and AEN showed negative relationship with increase in N rates and the cast that vary, but NR, VCR and MR showed positive relationship with increase in N rates and the cost that vary. Among time of N application, maximum PFPN, AEN, NR, VCR and MR were calculated when N was applied in five equal splits (T5) almost comparable with T4 and T6 but was more economical when compared with T1, T2, and T3. In conclusion, the findings suggest that growing maize at D2 applied with N3 in four to five splits is more economical in the wheat-maize cropping system of NWFP.maize, Zea mays L., planting density, nitrogen, agronomic efficiency, economics, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, International Development, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis,

Correcting for lensing bias in the Hubble diagram

Gravitational lensing will cause a dispersion in the Hubble diagram for high redshift sources. This effect will introduce a bias in the cosmological parameter determination using the distance-redshift relation for Type Ia supernovae. In this note we show how one can diagnose and correct for this bias when doing precision cosmology with supernovae.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&

On Modulo AG-groupoids

A groupoid G is called an AG-groupoid if it satisfies the left invertive law: (ab)c = (cb)a. An AG-group G, is an AG-groupoid with left identity e \in G (that is, ea = a for all a \in G) and for all a \in G there exists a' \in G such that a.a' = a'.a = e. In this article we introduce the concept of AG-groupoids (mod n) and AG-group (mod n) using Vasantha's constructions [1]. This enables us to prove that AG-groupoids (mod n) and AG-groups (mod n) exist for every integer n \geq 3. We also give some nice characterizations of some classes of AG-groupoids in terms of AG-groupoids (mod n).Comment: 10 page

Source and rate of nitrogen application influence agronomic N-use efficiency and harvest index in maize (Zea mays L) genotypes

The objective of this research work was to compare the agronomic N use efficiency (NUEA) and harvest index re¬sponse of different maize (Zea mays L) genotypes to different N-fertilizer sources [urea, calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) and ammonium sulphate (AS)] at various levels (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 kg ha-1). Field experiments were conducted at the Agriculture Research Farm of The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan during summer 2008 (year one) and 2010 (year two). The two years data indicated that NUEA had negative relationship with in¬crease in N rate (50 > 100 > 150 > 200 kg ha-1) while harvest index had positive relationship with increase in N rate up to 150 kg ha-1 (200 100 > 50 kg ha-1). Both NUEA and harvest index ranked first with application of AS (AS > CAN > urea). The maize hybrid produced higher NUEA and harvest index than local cultivars (Pioneer-3025 > Jalal > Azam). Although AS had the highest NUEA and harvest was still considered the less profitable N-fertilizer source because of its highest N cost kg-1 [AS (143 and 191 PKR kg N-1) > CAN (77 and 97 PKR kg N-1) > urea (44 and 56 PKR kg N-1)] in 2008 and 2010, respectively. The decline in AS price could make it more profitable and most beneficial N-fertilizer source in the calcareous soils of the country because of its free available sulfur (24%) lacking in urea and CAN

Juristic differences over the implementation of qiṣāṣ against a Muslim who kills a non-Muslim

Muslim jurists differ on whether Muslims who murder non-Muslims should be sentenced to death or not. Although Ḥanafī jurists maintain that they should be, most Muslim jurists hold that they should not. Modern scholars such as ʿAwdah, El-Awa and others have discussed the issue. Based on classical and modern fiqh (Islamic law) literature, this article examines the principal arguments used by both groups, concluding that the Ḥanafī opinion is to be preferred because it is based on stronger proofs and conforms more closely to the public interest of contemporary Muslims and non-Muslims

Misunderstanding about the Usuli Maxim "no Ijtihad in the presence of a text" and its clarifications

There is a misunderstanding among some students and scholars of Islamic jurisprudence that if a Qur’anic or Sunna’ic text is available on a particular issue, in order to derive the rule for this issue, neither is ijtihad required nor is it allowed. Rather, this text is sufficient to know the rule and implement it. This misunderstanding goes back to a wellknown usuli maxim: “No ijtihad in the presence of a text.” Using the method of critical analysis, this research intends to remove this misunderstanding and provide the correct understanding about this maxim and issues related to it