Agronomic performance of Indian wheat varieties and genetic stocks known for outstanding chapati quality characteristics

The aim of the present study was to evaluate set of wheat genotypes in one location for their agronomic performance and chapati quality. The cultivars included the tall traditional wheat of the pre-dwarfing era, which were known to excel for chapati quality. This set also included varieties known to have good chapati quality, commercially grown wheats, advanced lines and genetic stocks excelling in one or other quality attribute. All these genotypes developed for different component traits were evaluated along with the recently released high yielding varieties to assess their quality. The mean chapati score of these genotypes revealed that the tall varieties had a distinct edge over others and are the best resource available for this trait. C306 had a high mean chapati score of 8.17 followed by C518, C591 and C273. The released varieties WG357, HD2733 and PBW343 were intermediate in chapati quality whereas the genetic stocks WH1103 and WH712 had lowest score in the group. Among other agronomic traits recorded the traditional varieties were tall and had lower yields than the recently released varieties. The tall varieties had a slightly higher test weight. The environmental conditions and the quantitative nature of the chapati quality did not auger well with the set of genotypes tested however, better and stable performance of the tall traditional varieties. C306 the wheat variety released in 1965 for cultivation has remained the best quality genotype over the years and was also established from this study

Causative factors of cost overrun in highway projects of Sindh province of Pakistan

Cost overrun is an increase of cost of project from approved budget which was signed by parties at the time of tender. Cost overrun in construction of highway projects is a common problem worldwide and construction industry of Pakistan is also facing this crucial problem of cost overrun in highway projects of Pakistan. The main objective of this research is to identify the causative factors of cost overrun in highway projects of Sindh province of Pakistan. A well designed questionnaire was developed based on 64 common factors of cost overrun from literature review. Developed questionnaire was distributed among selected 30 experts from owner/client, designer/consultant and contractor who have experience more than 20 years’ experience in highway projects. The collected data was statistical analyzed. After analysis results showed that delay process in payment by client, inadequate planning , client interference, poor contract management, delay of decision making, change of scope of project and financial problems faced by client were most causative factors of cost overrun in highway projects. This research will provide alertness to stakeholders of highway projects of Sindh province to avoid cost overrun in projects

A Comparative Study of Construction Waste Generation Rate Based on Different Construction Methods on Construction Project in Malaysia

High construction waste (CW) generation in Malaysia has serious impacts although there are very little available data regarding the relevant issue in Malaysia. This lack of data results in improper CW management and CW disposal without proper control measures. To control the implications of CW, it is very important to understand their quantity which is currently unknown. Past researches in Malaysia, found that CW generation was affected by construction methods (CMs) practiced on site. The aim of this study is to compare the CW generation rate between different CMs for on-going construction projects in Malaysia. Common CMs practiced in Malaysia are conventional construction method (CCM), mixed construction method (MCM) and industrialized building system (IBS). To obtain CW generation data, site visit (SV) method, which consists of direct measurement (DM) and indirect measurement (IM) is applied to this study. CCM was recorded to have the highest amount of waste (197.657 tons). IBS method records 77.188 tons and MCM 53.191 tons. Regarding the average waste generation rate (AWGR), IBS recorded a value of 0.018 tons per square meter, while MCM recorded 0.030 tons per square meter and CCM recorded the highest amount of 0.046 tons per square meter

Analysis of variability and correlations among different forage traits in guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.Taub.)

The present study was conducted with 15 genotypes at experimental area of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during Kharif 2021 with an objective to assess the variability, correlations and path coefficients among different forage and quality traits. The traits like leaf stem ratio followed by number of branches per plant, stem girth, number of leaves per plant, dry matter yield and green fodder yield exhibited high PCVand GCVvalues. High heritability (> 90%) was observed for plant height, number of branches per plant, number of leaves per plant, stem girth, days to flowering and leaf stem ratio while more than 85% heritability was observed for green fodder yield. Higher genetic advance was observed for leaf stem ratio (48.9%) followed by number of branches per plant (35.9%), stem girth (32.1%) and number of leaves per plant (25.3%). Traits like plant height (0.42), number of branches per plant (0.75), stem girth (0.61) had significant positive correlation with green fodder yield. High positive direct effects were observed for number of branches per plant (0.890), acid detergent fiber (0.620), Leaf stem ratio (0.514), dry matter yield (0.508) and number of leaves (0.419).The results revealed that traits like number of leaves per plant, leaf stem ratio and number of branches per plant are the main forage yield components which can be improved through selection

Implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Pakistan Construction Industry

This paper examines the implementation of building information modeling (BIM) in construction industry. Various initiatives and approaches are used in different countries to promote the BIM implementation in their construction industries. The real implementation and use of BIM remains a major concern of the construction industry. This study investigates the implantation of BIM globally, in developed countries and the percentage of implementation of BIM in constriction industry of Sindh, Pakistan. This research demonstrates 131 responses from BIM users regarding BIM implementation whose collaboration aspects produce the highest positive impact. The adopted methodology is an online questionnaire survey and literature review which was conducted to find out the implementation of BIM in construction industries of developed countries. This research reveals that BIM implementation is increasing continuously over the past few years. A Number of developed countries are emerging successful BIM implementation strategies, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France are generally leading the way. However, according to our study findings, only 11% of industries have implemented BIM in Sindh, Pakistan

Genetic divergence studies in pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum L.(R.) Br.] inbred lines

In the present investigation genetic diversity amongst 190 pearl millet accessions viz., 95 maintainer (B line) and 95 restorer lines (R line) was analyzed using SSR markers. A total of 40 SSR primers were used for screening, out of which 34 were polymorphic. PIC value ranged from 0.002 (PSMP 2068) to 0.749 (CTM 60) with an average of 0.445. AMOVA showed greater variance represented by individuals within the group (65%) and between group (B and R lines) variance was <35%. The neighbor joining tree based on dissimilarity matrix of germplasm lines differentiated B from R lines into two major clusters with few exceptions of R lines grouping with B lines and vice versa. Genetic dissimilarity estimates ranged from 0.12 (RPR 22; IPC 917) to 0.85 (ICMR 10222; ICMB 97333). The maintainers ICMB 97333, RPB 6 and ICMB 92777 and restorers ICMR 10222, RPR 25, RPR 56, RPR 62 and RPR 40 were identified as most distinct and divergent which could be used as parents for heterosis breeding

Preliminary Survey on the Crucial Root Causes of Material Waste Generation in Malaysian Construction Industry

Construction waste generation has been perceived as a crucial issue that has critical consequences on the project effectiveness and ecological effect of the construction industry. The key objective of the current research is to identify the root causes of material construction waste generation in Malaysia. A well-structured questionnaire was designed based on the 52 identified root causes of material waste generation. The developed questionnaire was distributed to 35 highly experienced in Malaysian construction industry experts. The collected data was analyzed by the use of mean score analysis. The top identified root causes are poor supervision during the construction stage, lack of efficient site management, last minute changes, cutting uneconomical sizes of materials, and constant design changes during the construction period. The initial findings will aid construction practitioners to focus on these root causes in order to reduce the material construction waste generation at construction sites

Leaky-wave wires antenna for future D- band 6G communication systems

Future communication generation such as 6G and beyond will be utilizing the terahertz band, as this range promises potential benefits such as a high data rate. However, designing different electronic components for 6G is complicated and has low fabrication precision due to its small wavelength. Additionally, the cost is also very high as compared to 5G components. These antennas feature high data rates, small size, and high bandwidth and are a critical component for the communication system. Therefore, in this study, an antenna design is proposed for the future sub-THz communication system that operates at D- band which is proposed for the 6G communication system. The simulation analysis shows that the proposed antenna has a high gain of 9.9 dBi at 120 GHz operating frequency and good performance characteristics for the complete D-band. The design of the proposed antenna is simple, low-cost, and does not require any complex fabrication, and can be the potential leaky-wave antenna for future 6G if properly excite

Morpho-physiological traits and leaf surface chemicals as markers conferring resistance to sorghum shoot fly (Atherigona soccata Rondani)

Sorghum shoot fly, Atherigona soccata,causes substantial economic losses in sorghum globally. Cultural practices and host plant resistance are effective measures for mitigating the losses caused by sorghum shoot fly. Therefore, we evaluated 32 sorghum genotypes consisting of a set of 10 restorer lines, 10 CMS (cytoplasmic male-sterile) lines and their respective maintainers exhibiting resistance/susceptibility to shoot fly along with resistant and susceptible checks under field conditions. The traits such as leaf glossiness, leaf sheath pigmentation, percentage plants with shoot fly deadhearts and number of shoot fly eggs per plant were used as morphological markers for selecting genotypes with resistance to shoot fly during the rainy and post rainy seasons of 2016 and 2017. The test material was also subjected to biochemical analysis (total soluble sugars, protein and tannin contents), while the leaf surface chemicals were analysed by GC–MS to identify the compounds associated with resistance/susceptibility to shoot fly. The genotypes differed significantly for all the traits, except percentage plants with shoot fly deadhearts during the 2016 rainy season. The genotypes ICSB 458, ICSA/B 467, ICSA/B 487, ICSA/B 14037, IS 18551 and ICSV 93046 exhibited moderate to high levels of resistance to shoot fly based on number of plants with shoot fly deadhearts, plants with shoot fly eggs and total number of shoot fly eggs. The shoot fly resistant genotypes ICSB 84, ICSA/B 467, ICSB 487, ICSB 14024, and IS 18551 had low shoot fly deadheart incidence, higher amounts of condensed tannins, soluble sugars, phenols and lower protein content as compared to the susceptible genotypes. Thirteen unique compounds were identified from leaf surface extracts by GC–MS which were associated with shoot fly resistance/susceptibility. While HPLC analysis revealed that Protocatechuic and coumaric acids were present in most of the sorghum genotypes, but their amounts were significantly greater in resistant as compared to the susceptible ones. The findings of the study highlight the importance of various morphological and biochemical traits conferring resistance to sorghum shoot fly, and these traits can be used as markers to identify shoot fly resistant genotypes for use in breeding programs

Utilization of sugarcane bagasse ash in concrete as partial replacement of cement

This research addresses the suitability of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) in concrete used as partial cement replacement. Two grades of concrete M15 and M20 were used for the experimental analysis. The cement was partially replaced by SCBA at 0%, 5%, and 10%, by weight in normal strength concrete (NSC). The innovative part of this study is to consider two grades of concrete mixes to evaluate the performance of concrete while cement is replaced by sugarcane bagasse ash. The cylindrical specimens having size 150 mm x 300 mm were used and tested after curing period of 7, 14 and 28 days. It was observed through the experimental work that the compressive strength increases with incorporating SCBA in concrete. Results indicated that the use of SCBA in concrete (M20) at 5% increased the average amount of compressive strength by 12% as compared to the normal strength concrete. The outcome of this work indicates that maximum strength of concrete could be attained at 5% replacement of cement with SCBA. Furthermore, the SCBA also gives compatible slump values which increase the workability of concrete