Comparison of Different Types of Water Melon for Their Important Nutrients

In the present study three different types (Green, light green and light green banded) of water melon was collected from local market of Peshawar and were analyzed for certain physical parameters (TSS, RI, pH, EC, and acidity) proximate composition and sugars content. The data indicated that TSS (6.90), acidity (10.08) and pH (5.79) were higher in light green banded while EC (472.33) was higher in Green type. RI (1.34) was found same in all types. Proximate showed higher values of moisture (91.93%) and crude fat (43.00 x 10 -3 %) in light green banded while ash (9.60 x 10-3 %) and crude protein (1.75 %) were higher in green. The sugar content of green was highest among all others.    It could be concluded from the data that various types of water melon along with apparent difference are also different according to their composition. So for any nutritional formulations the nutritional composition of each type should considered

Ceftriaxone Drug Utilization Evaluation (DUE) at Prince Abdulaziz Bin Moussae’ed Hospital, Arar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Bacterial resistance to the most commonly used drug ceftriaxone and its adverse effects have increased due to its injudicial use. Drug Utilization Evaluation (DUE) is an ongoing, systematic process designed to promote the appropriate and effective use of drugs. The purpose was to detect potential problems and search out solution. Methods: Data were collected in structured preform specific for DUE and were represented as numbers and percentages. For comparing numerical data, Mann–Whitney U-test was used as the data were non-parametric in distribution for ages and BMI, while Fisher exact test was used for categorical data comparison. Multivariate multi-logistic regression models to study the overlapped effect of the variables in development of Ceftriaxone induced liver functions derangement. Data were processed and analyzed using SPSS16 for statistical analysis.  Significance was considered as P < 0.05. Results: Our study showed that ceftriaxone use was more. High dose was used and for more than 10 days were the result of adverse effects and liver insult. Conclusion There is need for awareness among the general practitioners and clinicians to ensure rational use of antibiotics. This will minimize bacterial resistance to drug, adverse effects and save national economy. Keywords: Ceftriaxone, Drug utilization evaluatio

Genome-wide identification and characterization of bZIP transcription factors and their expression profile under abiotic stresses in Chinese pear (Pyrus bretschneideri)

Background: In plants, basic leucine zipper transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in multiple biological processes such as anthesis, fruit growth & development and stress responses. However, systematic investigation and characterization of bZIP-TFs remain unclear in Chinese white pear. Chinese white pear is a fruit crop that has important nutritional and medicinal values. Results: In this study, 62 bZIP genes were comprehensively identified from Chinese Pear, and 54 genes were distributed among 17 chromosomes. Frequent whole-genome duplication (WGD) and dispersed duplication (DSD) were the major driving forces underlying the bZIP gene family in Chinese white pear. bZIP-TFs are classified into 13 subfamilies according to the phylogenetic tree. Subsequently, purifying selection plays an important role in the evolution process of PbbZIPs. Synteny analysis of bZIP genes revealed that 196 orthologous gene pairs were identified between Pyrus bretschneideri, Fragaria vesca, Prunus mume, and Prunus persica. Moreover, cis-elements that respond to various stresses and hormones were found on the promoter regions of PbbZIP, which were induced by stimuli. Gene structure (intron/exon) and different compositions of motifs revealed that functional divergence among subfamilies. Expression pattern of PbbZIP genes differential expressed under hormonal treatment abscisic acid, salicylic acid, and methyl jasmonate in pear fruits by real-time qRT-PCR. Conclusions: Collectively, a systematic analysis of gene structure, motif composition, subcellular localization, synteny analysis, and calculation of synonymous (Ks) and non-synonymous (Ka) was performed in Chinese white pear. Sixty-two bZIP-TFs in Chinese pear were identified, and their expression profiles were comprehensively analyzed under ABA, SA, and MeJa hormones, which respond to multiple abiotic stresses and fruit growth and development. PbbZIP gene occurred through Whole-genome duplication and dispersed duplication events. These results provide a basic framework for further elucidating the biological function characterizations under multiple developmental stages and abiotic stress responses.This work was performed at the school of Life Sciences, Anhui agricultural university, Hefei, China and was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31640068) and Natural Science Youth Foundation of Anhui Agricultural University (No. 2019zd01). These funding bodies had no role in the design of the study, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data or in writing the manuscript

ARPN Journal of Agricultural and Biological Science PREPARATION AND QUALITY EVALUATION OF SWEET POTATO READY TO DRINK BEVERAGE

ABSTRACT Sweet potato ready to drink beverage was prepared using different formulations. The prepared beverage was formulated either with lemon juice (F 1 ), maize malt (F 2 ) or both lemon juice and maize malt (F 3 ). While one sample (F o ) was neither treated with lemon juice nor maize malt as control. Physico chemical analysis such as titratable acidity, vitamin C content, PH, total soluble solids, reducing sugar, non reducing sugar, total sugar, beta carotene content and sensory evaluation (colour, flavor and overall acceptability) was carried out in all the prepared beverage samples. Results revealed that titratable acidity (0.196%), vitamin C content (23.22 mg/kg), total soluble solids (13.92 o brix), reducing sugar (7.87%), non reducing sugar (5.99%), total sugar (13.47%), beta carotene (39.24 mg/kg), colour (8.4) and overall acceptability (8.7) values were highest for F 3 while the pH value was high for F 2 (4.29) and flavour for F 1 (8.7) as compared to the other formulations. On the basis of results obtained it is concluded that sweet potato ready to drink beverage prepared with maize malt and lemon juice (F3) is more acceptable and showed good quality attributes followed by F1 (Sweet potato ready to drink beverage + lemon juice) as compared to the other formulations used

Factors Influencing Decreased Wheat Crop Yield in 2021-22

Wheat is one of the most important sources of cereal grain which fulfills the food needs of around 40% of the world population. Numerous factors are responsible for the low yield of wheat like abiotic factors and low yielding varieties, improper inputs such as irrigation and fertilizers, sowing time, weeds, insect pests, post-harvest loses, temperature and moisture. A vast survey was conducted at University of Agriculture Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to know about the grain yield losses of wheat from 2021 to 2022 This survey is based on grain yield losses of wheat by various factors. According to survey the highest spike m-2 losses (314) was occurred in 2020 followed by 2022, the highest grains spike-1 losses (16) and lighter thousand grain weight (41.21 g) was recorded in 2022 year while total grain yield the more grain yield losses was occured in 2021.Wheat cultivation decreased to 8,976 thousand hectares (2.1 %) against last years of 9,168 thousand hectares. The production of wheat declined to (3.9 %) compared to last year. In wheat the highest yield losses was occurred at tiller loss  39.8% by underground pest followed by lodging at reproductive stage 38% while lowest yield loss was recorded at grain spike-1 at field by birds eating which is 15.1%. The average loss of yield occured in wheat is 24.1%. It is concluded that various factors, including abiotic influences, improper inputs, pests, and post-harvest issues, contribute to wheat yield losses, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to enhance wheat production and mitigate these losses  

Utilizing the Allelopathic Potential of Brassica Species for Sustainable Crop Production: A Review

Sustainable crop production under changing climate is crucial to feed the increasing population of the world. Efforts are underway to discover novel strategies to ensure global food security. Allelopathy is one such phenomenon that can help in this regard. It is a direct or indirect and positive or negative effect of plant species on other plant species and microorganisms, through the release of secondary metabolites known as allelochemicals. Brassica species are well known for their allelopathic potential as most of them endogenously produce potent allelochemicals such as glucosinolates, allyl isothiocyanates, and brassinosteroids. These allelochemicals are highly phytotoxic to target species when released at high concentrations and, therefore, affect their growth and development. This review illustrates the potential role of Brassica allelopathy for crop production in modern agriculture. Allelopathic potential of Brassica species can be utilized for weed management by using them as cover crops, companion crops, and intercrops, for mulching and residue incorporation, or simply by including them in crop rotations. Similarly, the expression of allelochemicals from these species have great value in the management of crop pests and diseases, and abiotic stresses. Most of these allelochemicals can also act as crop growth promoters when released or applied at low concentrations. Although the use of chemical herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic growth regulators is currently inevitable for crop production, the use of ecological options like allelopathy may help in achieving global food security sustainably. Exploring the potential of Brassica allelopathy could be promising in achieving higher productivity without compromising the environmental safety

Comprehensive Analysis of Glutamate Receptor-like Genes in Rice (Oryza sativa L.): Genome-Wide Identification, Characteristics, Evolution, Chromatin Accessibility, gcHap Diversity, Population Variation and Expression Analysis

Glutamate receptors (GLR) are widely present in animals and plants, playing essential roles in regulating plant growth, development and stress response. At present, most studies of GLRs in plants are focused on Arabidopsis thaliana, while there have been few studies on rice. In this study, we identified 26 OsGLR genes in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Then, we analyzed the chromosomal location, physical and chemical properties, subcellular location, transmembrane (TM) helices, signal peptides, three-dimensional (3D) structure, cis-acting elements, evolution, chromatin accessibility, population variation, gene-coding sequence haplotype (gcHap) and gene expression under multiple abiotic stress and hormone treatments. The results showed that out of the 26 OsGLR genes, ten genes had the TM domain, signal peptides and similar 3D structures. Most OsGLRs exhibited high tissue specificity in expression under drought stress. In addition, several OsGLR genes were specifically responsive to certain hormones. The favorable gcHap of many OsGLR genes in modern varieties showed obvious differentiation between Xian/indica and Geng/japonica subspecies. This study, for the first time, comprehensively analyzes the OsGLR genes in rice, and provides an important reference for further research on their molecular function