Growth, yield and quality attributes of guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) genotypes grown under different planting dates in a semi-arid region of Pakistan

Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) is grown in semi-arid regions worldwide as a forage, vegetable, and green manure crop. An experiment was conducted to evaluate growth, forage yield and nutritional quality of guar genotypes grown under different sowing dates. To this end, seven genotypes, viz., Desi Punjab, Farmi Punjab, Desi Sindh, Farmi Sindh, BR-90, BR-2017 and Baluchistan were grown at three sowing times (mid-May, late-May and early-June) during the two years 2020 and 2021. Results showed that maximum leaf area and pods per plant were recorded in genotype Farmi Punjab, while maximum fresh and dry forage yield were archived in genotype ‘BR-90’. Similarly, maximum crude protein in the forage and gum content in mature seeds, were also recorded in BR-90. In addition, mid-May was proved to be the best sowing time for guar genotypes studied in view of achieving maximum morphological traits, fresh and dry forage yield and forage quality, compared to later planting times. Moreover, late sowing caused reduction in yield and other related attributes. It is perceived that synthetic guar variety BR-90 and planting time at mid-May are the best for semi-arid region of Punjab, Pakistan

The fingerprints of climate warming on cereal crops phenology and adaptation options

Growth and development of cereal crops are linked to weather, day length and growing degree-days (GDDs) which make them responsive to the specific environments in specific seasons. Global temperature is rising due to human activities such as burning of fossil fuels and clearance of woodlands for building construction. The rise in temperature disrupts crop growth and development. Disturbance mainly causes a shift in phenological development of crops and affects their economic yield. Scientists and farmers adapt to these phenological shifts, in part, by changing sowing time and cultivar shifts which may increase or decrease crop growth duration. Nonetheless, climate warming is a global phenomenon and cannot be avoided. In this scenario, food security can be ensured by improving cereal production through agronomic management, breeding of climate-adapted genotypes and increasing genetic biodiversity. In this review, climate warming, its impact and consequences are discussed with reference to their influences on phenological shifts. Furthermore, how different cereal crops adapt to climate warming by regulating their phenological development is elaborated. Based on the above mentioned discussion, different management strategies to cope with climate warming are suggested

Genetic analysis of physio-morphological traits in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under water stress conditions

A diallel cross involving six wheat varieties, namely Sehar 06, Punjab 96, GA 2002, Barani 83, Kohistan 97 and Chakwal 86 was carried out to determine the mode of gene action for some physio-morphological traits under water stress conditions. Analysis of variance showed highly significant differences among genotypes for all the traits studied. Additive type of gene action with partial dominance was observed for flag leaf area, stomatal frequency, leaf venation, days to heading and spike density while 100-grain weight was controlled by over dominance. Additive type of gene actions shows the fruitfulness of early selection for the traits while over dominance type of gene action indicates selection in later generations. Epistasis was absent for all the traits studied

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Fodder production and livestock farming are major farming activities in peri-urban areas of Faisalabad. A baseline survey was conducted to study socio-economic aspects and farming practices of the fodder growing areas in 2010-11. A total of 109 households, selected by snowball method, were interviewed based on a structured questionnaire. Results revealed that all households were headed by male and most of them (53%) had only completed primary education or even less. Agriculture was the predominant occupation as 89% of the households rely on it for income. Average income per household was US$ 550 per month with great variability. Berseem, maize and sorghum were identified as major commercial crops of the area grown by around 90% of the respondents. Most of the farmers (86%) rely on integrated fertilizer use (combination of mineral fertilizer and farm yard manure). Alternate canal and tube well watering was common as reported by 80% of the respondents. Major problems reported were the scarcity of irrigation water (97%), poor access to fertilizer (55%) and marketing of the farm products (45%). It is concluded that high illiteracy rate, shortage of irrigation water and an imbalanced use of fertilizers are the major reasons for low productivity. Introducing water and nutrient efficient crops and extension services for improved technology could provide good perspectives for a sustained fodder production in these peri-urban areas

Transplanting improves the allometry and fiber quality of Bt cotton in cotton-wheat cropping system

In cotton-wheat cropping system of Pakistan, wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) is harvested in late April; however, the optimum sowing time of Bt cotton is mid-March. This indicates a time difference of 4-6 weeks between the harvest of wheat and cotton sowing. It is hypothesized that this overlapping period may be managed by transplanting cotton seedlings (30-45 days old) in late April, after the harvest of wheat due to better performance of already established seedlings. To this end, this study was conducted to evaluate the allometric traits and fiber quality of transplanted Bt cotton after harvesting wheat in the cotton-wheat cropping system. The Bt cotton-wheat cropping systems were flat sown wheat (FSW)-conventionally tilled cotton, FSW-zero tilled cotton, ridge sown wheat-ridge transplanted cotton using 30- and 45-days-old seedlings, and bed sown wheat (BSW)-bed transplanted cotton (BTC) also using 30- and 45-days-old seedlings. The study was conducted at Vehari and Multan in Punjab, Pakistan. Bt cotton in BSW-BTC with 45-days-old seedlings showed better performance for allometric (leaf area index; (LAI), net assimilation rate; (NAR), and crop growth rate; (CGR)), seed cotton yield, and fiber traits (fiber uniformity, fiber length, fiber strength, and fiber fineness) in comparison to other treatments. Most of the fiber quality traits were positively correlated with allometric traits and biological yield (dry matter yield at maturity) at both locations, except correlations of CGR and LAI with fiber fineness and fiber length and NAR with fiber length. As plant growth and fiber quality of transplanted cotton was significantly higher than conventionally grown cotton, our data indicate transplanting is an interesting management practice for improving productivity in wheat-cotton cropping systems.Higher Education Commission of PakistanHigher Education Commission of PakistanThe authors are highly thankful to Higher Education Commission of Pakistan for providing financial support to this PhD project.WOS:00056828550000

Biochar Reduced Cadmium Uptake and Enhanced Wheat Productivity in Alkaline Contaminated Soil

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal present in the environment which causes severe environmental, nutritional, and ecological losses. A pot incubation study was conducted to assess the role of biochar derived from various organic feedstock's [poultry manure (PM), farmyard manure (FYM) and sugarcane press mud (PS)] and dosages (0, 2.5 and 5 g kg(-1) soil of each) to immobilize Cd (5 mg kg(-1)) in Cd polluted soil. Moreover, impact of applied biochar to reduce the bioavailability of Cd in wheat tissues and to improve wheat growth and yield was also observed. Among all type of applied biochar, application of farmyard manure (FYM) derived biochar improved tillers population (77%), chlorophyll SPAD value (74%), plant height (69), grains yield (77%) and biological yield (82%) of wheat. Moreover, FYM derived biochar lowered the Cd uptake and its translocation from roots (71-92%) shoots (82-92%), and grains (90-96%) as compared with control. While in Cd-contaminated soil without biochar application, the Cd concentration in roots, shoots and grains were 1.4, 1.14 and 0.9 mg kg(-1) of dry matter, respectively. Overall, FYM derived biochar, applied at 5 g kg(-1) of soil performed better in reducing the Cd toxicities in soil (0.12 mg kg(-1)) and wheat roots (0.13 mg kg(-1)), shoots (0.1 mg kg(-1) ) and grains (0.03 mg kg(-1)) along with higher wheat yield in Cd polluted soil. In conclusion, FYM derived biochar has the potential to remediate Cd toxicities in alkaline polluted soil. (C) 2020 Friends Science Publisher

Effect of foliar applied zinc sulphate on phenotypic variability, association and heritability of yield and zinc biofortification related traits of wheat genotypes

Wheat is an important food crop worldwide, providing substantial calories and nourishment. Genetic variability in wheat germplasm is crucial for the development of cultivars with desirable features. This two years study (2020–21 and 2021–22) was conducted to evaluate 13 diverse wheat genotypes factorially combined with foliar-applied zinc sulphate (0, 0.4, 0.6%) arranged in a triplicate randomized complete block design. Boxplot analysis revealed the significant (P < 0.01) phenotypic variation of wheat germplasm for all the studied traits, but maximum variation was observed for yield and Zn biofortification-related traits. Correlation and path analysis revealed a significant (P < 0.01) association among yield and biofortification-related traits. Zinc uptake showed maximum strength of association (r = 0.96, p < 0.01) with grain Zn concentration. The Biplot analysis showed the graphical representation of wheat accessions based on similar characteristics and then assort into distinct groups. Broadsense heritability (Hbs) was calculated to determine the proportion of variation transmitted to future generations. The high value of Hbs for yield and Zn biofortification-related traits indicates that these traits are governed by the additive type of gene action and can be fixed in early segregating generations. In crux, this study validated the genetic variability in existing wheat genotypes for yield and Zn biofortification-related traits and may be helpful to devise an efficient breeding program for wheat Zn biofortification

Influence of Transgenic (Bt) Cotton on the Productivity of Various Cotton-Based Cropping Systems in Pakistan

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important fiber crop in Pakistan with significant economic importance. Transgenic, insect-resistant cotton (carrying a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)) was inducted in the cotton-based cropping systems of Pakistan during 2002, and is now sown in &gt;90% of cotton fields in the country. However, concerns are rising that Bt cotton would decrease the productivity of winter crops (sown after cotton), leading to decreased system productivity. This two-year field study determined the impacts of transgenic (Bt) and non-transgenic (non-Bt) cotton genotypes on the productivities of winter crops (i.e., wheat, Egyptian clover, and canola), and the overall productivities of the cropping systems including these crops. Four cotton genotypes (two Bt and two non-Bt) and three winter crops (i.e., wheat, Egyptian clover, and canola) were included in the study. Nutrient availability was assessed after the harvest of cotton and winter crops. Similarly, the yield-related traits of cotton and winter crops were recorded at their harvest. The productivities of the winter crops were converted to net economic returns, and the overall economic returns of the cropping systems with winter crops were computed. The results revealed that Bt and non-Bt cotton genotypes significantly (p &lt; 0.05) altered nutrient availability (N, P, K, B, Zn, and Fe). However, the yield-related attributes of winter crops were not affected by cotton genotypes, whereas the overall profitability of the cropping systems varied among the cotton genotypes. Economic analyses indicated that the Bt cotton&ndash;wheat cropping system was the most profitable, with a benefit&ndash;cost ratio of 1.55 in the semi-arid region of Pakistan. It is concluded that Bt cotton could be successfully inducted into the existing cropping systems of Pakistan without any decrease to the overall productivity of the cropping system

Influence of Transgenic (<i>Bt</i>) Cotton on the Productivity of Various Cotton-Based Cropping Systems in Pakistan

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important fiber crop in Pakistan with significant economic importance. Transgenic, insect-resistant cotton (carrying a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)) was inducted in the cotton-based cropping systems of Pakistan during 2002, and is now sown in >90% of cotton fields in the country. However, concerns are rising that Bt cotton would decrease the productivity of winter crops (sown after cotton), leading to decreased system productivity. This two-year field study determined the impacts of transgenic (Bt) and non-transgenic (non-Bt) cotton genotypes on the productivities of winter crops (i.e., wheat, Egyptian clover, and canola), and the overall productivities of the cropping systems including these crops. Four cotton genotypes (two Bt and two non-Bt) and three winter crops (i.e., wheat, Egyptian clover, and canola) were included in the study. Nutrient availability was assessed after the harvest of cotton and winter crops. Similarly, the yield-related traits of cotton and winter crops were recorded at their harvest. The productivities of the winter crops were converted to net economic returns, and the overall economic returns of the cropping systems with winter crops were computed. The results revealed that Bt and non-Bt cotton genotypes significantly (p Bt cotton–wheat cropping system was the most profitable, with a benefit–cost ratio of 1.55 in the semi-arid region of Pakistan. It is concluded that Bt cotton could be successfully inducted into the existing cropping systems of Pakistan without any decrease to the overall productivity of the cropping system