Effect of Various Levels of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potash on the Yield of French Bean

The experiment was conducted at the farm of Agricultural Research Station, Baffa (Mansehra) during August 2014 to monitor the effect of various levels of fertilizer treatments on plant height, number of branches plant-1, pod length, pod weight and pod yield of French bean variety (paulista). The experimental results revealed that that all the fertilizer treatments increased the plant height, number of branches plant-1, pod length, pod weight and pod yield of French bean significantly over control treatment. Maximum plant height (39.03 cm), number of branches plant-1(18.25), pod length (14.10 cm),  pod weight (5.37 gm) and pod yield (8.26 t ha-1) were recorded in the treatment receiving 120 kg N, 90 kg P2O5 and 90 kg K2O ha-1. The economics of fertilizers were also worked out on the basis of current market prices and it was found that use of fertilizer was profitable. The cost benefit ratio ranged between 4.90. to 6.05.

Effect of Sowing Dates on the Yield and Seed Production of Okra Cultivars in Mansehra

To monitor the effect of different sowing dates on the yield and seed production of okra cultivars, an experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station, Baffa Mansehra during 2014. Six cultivars of okra i.e. Irka, Sabz Pari, Pusa Green, Pusa Sawani, Sarhad Green and Green Star were sown on three different sowing dates with 15 days interval i.e. 15th March, 30th March and 14th April, 2014. Maximum number of pods plant-1 (32.12), pod length (11.12 cm), pod diameter (1.54 cm), pod weight (15.24 gm), plant height (184.28 cm), pod yield (16.24 t ha-1), seed yield (1601.92 kg ha-1) and 1000-seed weight (86.92 gm) were recorded in cultivars, sown on 30th March, 2014. Maximum number of pods plant-1 (32.75), pod length (11.57 cm), pod diameter (1.67 cm), pod weight (16.04 gm), plant height (187.17 cm), pod yield (17.50 t ha-1), seed yield (1735.00 kg ha-1) and 1000-seed weight (89.32 gm) were recorded in cultivar Sabz Pari. Sowing of okra cultivar Sabz Pari on 30th March is recommended for realizing maximum fresh pod and seed yields under the agro-climatic conditions of Mansehra District. Key words: okra, cultivar, sowing date, pod yield, seed weight

Effect of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Brinjal Cultivars under the Agro-Climatic Conditions of Mansehra

The effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers on Brinjal cultivars under the agro-climatic conditions of Mansehra was studied at Agricultural Research Station Baffa Mansehra, during crop season 2011. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with two factors having split plot arrangement. There were three treatments which includes control (No fertilizer), inorganic regime (NPK @ 100:50:50 kg ha-1) and organic regime (Farm yard manure + Poultry manure + Mashroom waste @ 25 t ha-1, 5 t ha-1 and 10 t ha-1 respectively) were assigned to main plot. Four brinjal cultivars i.e. Pusa Long, Long Black, Black Beauty and Purple Long were used as sub plot factors.  Both the growing regimes and cultivars significantly affected all the growth and yield parameters except the survival percentage of seedlings. Among the growing regimes the organic fertilizer significantly influenced most of growth and yield components of brinjal. However, minimum days to flowering (33.6), fruit set (46.6), fruit harvest (57.3) and the maximum fruit length (21.2 cm) and fruit diameter (7.0 cm) were recorded in plants grown under organic fertilizers.  The brinjal cultivars also significantly influenced most of the parameters. The cultivar Pusa Long significantly resulted in the maximum plant height (82.9 cm) and also took less number of days to flowering (37.8). While the maximum fruit length (20.8 cm), less number of days to fruit set (48.1) and days to harvest (58.6) were recorded for cultivar Purple Long. Regarding to interaction of growing regimes and cultivars, the organic regime and cultivar Pusa Long showed the best performance for most of the growth and yield characteristics of brinjal. It is concluded from the present findings that brinjal cultivar Pusa Long should be cultivated under organic regime to obtain the higher yield and maximum profitability at Mansehra, Abbottabad- Pakistan. Keywords: Brinjal, variety, organic, inorganic, fruit diameter

Efficacy and Safety of Whey Protein Supplements on Vital Sign and Physical Performance Among Athletes: A Network Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Athletes train physically to reach beyond their potential maximum aerobic threshold. Whey protein supplements (WPS) are often used in conjunction with physiotherapy and psychotherapy to regain better vital sign and physical performances. This review aimed to explore the clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of WPS in sports performance and recovery among athletes.Methodology: A comprehensive literature search was performed to identify relevant randomized control trials (RCTs) that investigated the efficacy and safety of WPS on the vital sign and physical performance among athletes. The Cochrane Risk of Bias (ROB) Assessment tools were used to assess the quality of the studies. Meta-analysis was conducted using the frequentist model with STATA version 14.2®.Results: A total of 333,257 research articles were identified out of which 20 RCTs were included for qualitative synthesis and network meta-analysis with 351 participants. Among the studies, 7 had low ROB and 3 RCTs had high ROB. Of these 20 trials, 16 trials were randomized clinical trials which compared whey protein supplements (WPS) with various comparators i.e., L-alanine, bovine colostrum, carbohydrate, casein, leucine, maltodextrin, rice, protein + caffeine were compared with placebo. Analysis from the pairwise meta-analysis revealed that for respiratory exchange ratio (RER) WPS was found to be significantly improving compared to maltodextrin (WMD = 0.012; 95%CI = 0.001, 0.023). Similarity to RPE (Rate Perceived Exertion), slight difference between WPS and the comparators, however, when the estimation was favorable to the comparators, there was moderate-high heterogeneity. For VO2max, high heterogeneity appeared when WPS compared to maltodextrin with the I2 = 97.8% (WMD = 4.064; 95% CI = −4.230, 12.359), meanwhile bovine colostrum (WMD = −2.658; 95%CI = −6.180, 0.865) only comparator that was better than WPS. According to the estimated effect of the supplements on physical performance outcome results, maximum power (8 studies, 185 athletes), highest ranked was bovine colostrum (SUCRA = 70.7%) and the lowest ranked was placebo (SUCRA = 17.9%), yet all insignificant. Then again, on average power (nine studies, 187 athletes), WPS was the highest ranked (SUCRA = 75.4 %) about −112.00 watt (−187.91, −36.08) and most of the estimations were significant. Body mass was reported in 10 studies (171 athletes), carbohydrate may be at the highest ranked (SUCRA = 66.9%) but it is insignificant. Thought the second highest ranked was WPS (SUCRA = 64.7%) and it is significant (WMD = −6.89 kg; CI = −8.24, −5.54).Conclusion: The findings of this review support the efficacy and safety of WPS as an ergogenic aid on athletes' sports performance and recovery. The overall quality of clinical evidence was found to be valid and reliable from the comprehensive search strategy and ROB assessment

GRADE-ADOLOPMENT of clinical practice guidelines and creation of clinical pathways for the primary care management of chronic respiratory conditions in Pakistan

Abstract Introduction In Pakistan, chronic respiratory conditions contribute a large burden of morbidity and mortality. A major reason for this is the lack of availability of local evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (EBCPGs) in Pakistan, particularly at the primary care level. Thus, we developed EBCPGs and created clinical diagnosis and referral pathways for the primary care management of chronic respiratory conditions in Pakistan. Methods The source guidelines were selected by two local expert pulmonologists after a thorough literature review on PubMed and Google Scholar from 2010 to December 2021. The source guidelines covered idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders, and bronchiectasis. The GRADE-ADOLOPMENT process consists of three key elements: adoption (using recommendations as is or with minor changes), adaptation (effective context-specific changes to recommendations) or additions (including new recommendations to fill a gap in the EBCPG). We employed the GRADE-ADOLOPMENT process to adopt, adapt, adopt with minor changes, or exclude recommendations from a source guideline. Additional recommendations were added to the clinical pathways based on a best-evidence review process. Results 46 recommendations were excluded mainly due to the unavailability of recommended management in Pakistan and scope beyond the practice of general physicians. Clinical diagnosis and referral pathways were designed for the four chronic respiratory conditions, explicitly delineating the role of primary care practitioners in the diagnosis, basic management, and timely referral of patients. Across the four conditions, 18 recommendations were added (seven for IPF, three for bronchiectasis, four for COPD, and four for asthma). Conclusion The widespread use of the newly created EBCPGs and clinical pathways in the primary healthcare system of Pakistan can help alleviate the morbidity and mortality related to chronic respiratory conditions disease in the country