Effect of Sugarcane Pressmud Biocompost on Dry Matter Yield and Nutrient Uptake in Maize

An experiment was conducted to determine the nutrient contents and manurial value of  biocompost, collected from Matiari Sugar Mill, Matiari and analyzed for macro nutrients N, P and K. The biocompost was evaluated in a pot experiment on maize crop  with eight treatments in factorial combinations of two rates of biocompost (0 and 10 tons ha-1) and four fertilizer treatments (0-0-0, 150-0-0, 150-75-0 and 150-75-60 kg ha-1 N, P and K) . The treatments were replicated three times in a randomized complete block design and maize was grown for 7 weeks. The soil was a clay loam (31% clay) with EC 0.35 dSm-1, pH 7.87, low in organic matter (0.80%) and Olsen P (7.0 mg kg-1) and high in NH4OAC-K (320 mg kg-1). The nutrient contents of biocompost were 1.8% N, 1.83% P and 0.9% K. Results revealed that there were pronounced positive effects of addition of biocompost, as well as N on plant height and dry weights of maize. Plant analysis data showed that the effect biocompost and mineral fertilizers was non-significant with respect to N, P and K contents. Soil analytical data showed that the EC values of post harvest samples increased with the application of biocompost while pH was not affected. Soil organic matter, Olsen P and NH4OAC-K increased significantly with the application of biocompost. Fertilizer application also increased Olsen P and NH4OAC-K contents in soil. The results of this study showed that biocompost can be used along with mineral fertilizers to increase maize growth and dry matter yield. Keywords: Maize, Dry matter yield, Pressmud Biocompost

Burden and risk factors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa community-acquired pneumonia:a Multinational Point Prevalence Study of Hospitalised Patients

Pseudornonas aeruginosa is a challenging bacterium to treat due to its intrinsic resistance to the antibiotics used most frequently in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Data about the global burden and risk factors associated with P. aeruginosa-CAP are limited. We assessed the multinational burden and specific risk factors associated with P. aeruginosa-CAP. We enrolled 3193 patients in 54 countries with confirmed diagnosis of CAP who underwent microbiological testing at admission. Prevalence was calculated according to the identification of P. aeruginosa. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for antibiotic-susceptible and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa-CAP. The prevalence of P. aeruginosa and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa-CAP was 4.2% and 2.0%, respectively. The rate of P. aeruginosa CAP in patients with prior infection/colonisation due to P. aeruginosa and at least one of the three independently associated chronic lung diseases (i.e. tracheostomy, bronchiectasis and/or very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) was 67%. In contrast, the rate of P. aeruginosa-CAP was 2% in patients without prior P. aeruginosa infection/colonisation and none of the selected chronic lung diseases. The multinational prevalence of P. aeruginosa-CAP is low. The risk factors identified in this study may guide healthcare professionals in deciding empirical antibiotic coverage for CAP patients

Sulphur stocks in 'Sindhri' mango soils in Sindh, Pakistan, in relation to leaf tissue analysis

Sulphur is an essential nutrient required for growth and development of plants. It increases the yield and quality of produce. As a constituent of three amino acids, cysteine, cystine and methionine, it plays a vital role in chlorophyll synthesis and is also required for enzyme activation. Studies related to sulphur contents of mango in Sindh, Pakistan, are not on the record. This study was carried out with the main aims of generating a baseline of soil and 'Sindhri' mango leaf sulphur contents and determining the relationship between them. Soil and leaf tissue samples were collected from 25- to 30-year-old 'Sindhri' mango orchards in the districts Mirpurkhas, Naushahroferoze, Shaheed Benazir Abad, Sanghar and Umerkot, Sindh province, during December 2012. Twenty-five recently matured leaves (third leaf from the top) were collected from fruiting branches of each tree and combined. Available sulphur in soil was extracted by using 0.001 M CaCl2 (1:2 soil/CaCl2) and leaf samples were digested in acid mixture (HClO4/HNO3; 1:5). Sulphur was quantified in clarified extracts in both cases by a turbidimetric method using BaCl2. Physical and chemical properties of soil showed silt loam to silty lay loam texture, electrical conductivity 0.33-0.83 dS m-1, pH 7.33-7.77 and organic matter content 0.88-1.54%. Available sulphur contents of all soils in the study varied from 11 to 550 (0-15 cm soil) and 4 to 632 (15-30 cm soil) mg kg-1, with only 3% of samples being low (KLEINERDAN10 mg kg-1). Leaf tissue sulphur contents were between 0.25 and 0.97%, with 34% of samples being low (‹0.5% S) in Umerkot, Naushahroferoze and Sanghar. The correlation coefficient between organic matter content and sulphur in leaf tissue show a linear and positive relationship (r=0.54), with significant quantities of sulphur coming from the organic pool. In the light of soil testing and leaf tissue analysis data, it is concluded that, although all the mango orchard soils ranked high to very high in sulphur contents, three (Umerkot, Naushahroferoze and Sanghar) of the five districts were low in leaf tissue sulphur

Characterization of primary and secondary metabolites of leaf and stem extracts from Eurycoma longifolia jack

This study evaluates the primary and secondary metabolite profiles of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (EL) stems and leaves to determine whether it can be utilized for therapeutic purposes as the roots. A total of six types of extracts were tested. The extracts showed high content of glycosaponins,  polysaccharides,  proteins  and  phenolics. The presence of flavonoids  and phospholipids was also detected. High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed the presence of bioactive marker of EL root, eurycomanone and 14,15ß-dihydroxyklaineanone in stem and leaf extracts. Primary and secondary metabolites identified were reported to associate with the enhancement of ergogenic and aphrodisiac activities in animal and human subjects. The result shows that stem and leaves of E. longifolia has the potential for therapeutic purposes.Keywords: Eurycoma longifolia; eurycomanone; 14,15ß-dihydroxyklaineanone; aphrodisia

Characterization of primary and secondary metabolites of leaf and stem extracts from <i>Eurycoma longifolia</i> jack

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Nutrient evaluation of 'Sindhri' mango orchards at two growth stages

Proper mango nutrition at bud initiation, flowering and fruiting stages is critical for the health of mango trees and may affect the quality and yield of fruit. This study evaluates the nutrient composition in leaf tissue of 'Sindhri' mango orchards in Shaheed Benazirabad district, Sindh, Pakistan, at two growth stages. Two orchards, 25-30 years old, were selected for the experiment. Leaf-tissue samples were collected from 12 mango trees from each orchard twice a year, once at bud initiation during December and then after harvest of mango during July in the following year. About 2030 recently matured leaves (third leaf from the top) were collected from each tree to represent the canopy and combined into a single sample. Soil samples were also collected from around each tree and underneath the canopy at 0-30 cm soil depth and combined for each tree. The soil samples were analysed for texture, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, organic matter, Kjeldahl's N and ABDTPA-P and K contents. The leaf samples were analysed for Kjeldahl's N, and P and K by wet digestion with a nitric acid/perchloric acid (5:1) mixture. This study on NPK nutrition status of 'Sindhri' mango indicated that the N fertilization regime conducted by the mango growers at both sites was adequate for mango nutrition, while P and K nutrition required adjustments to meet mango nutrition requirements. Inherent fertility status also had a bearing on the mango nutrition status, particularly in the after-harvest samples. It is proposed to design further studies focusing not only on NPK but also on micronutrients, particularly B and Zn, which are reported to be deficient in many soils of Sindh province