Host parasitoid interactions in insects offer some innovative opportunities for the development of successful biocontrol programmes in field crops. Aenasius arizonensis (Girault) is a species specific, solitary endoparasitic wasp of the cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley and a potential insect control tool. Effects of temperature on different biological traits of A. arizonensis were studied at dif f e r e n t constant temperatures i.e. , 203=2 C , 253=2 C , 303=2 C and 353=2 C with a relative humidity of 653=5%. Host insects/mealybugs were reared on sprouted potatoes or pumpkins. Total developmental period of the parasitoid at different constant temperatures was recorded with the daily parasitization rate (number of host insects parasitized). At respective temperatures, oviposition and post-oviposition periods were also observed along with the longevity of the male and female wasps. Sex ratio (male: female), reproductive rate, intrinsic rate of increase, and finite rate of increase were also determined at all temperatures. The most favorable temperature for the development and reproduction of the parasitoid was observed as 303=1 oC. The information obtained from this preliminary study will be helpful in establishing a mass rearing programme for the parasitoid leading toward sustainable insect pest management of cotton mealybugs in economically impor t a n t crops.

The full-potential linearized-augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) technique within Density functional theory (DFT) is used to compute the electronic, optical, and magnetic features of Fe, Mn and V doped binary compound PbSe. The effect of doping on energy band gap (Eg) and density of states (DOS) has been studied in detail. The computational results of DOS and band structure (BS) have confirmed that PbSe compound exhibit half-metallic ferromagnetic (HMF) nature. The Eg of PbSe binary compound is 0.16 eV which is enhanced up to 0.35, 0.23 and 0.54 eV after doping of Fe, Mn and V, respectively. Moreover, optical properties of Fe, Mn and V doped PbSe has been also studied in term of dielectric constants, absorption coefficient α (ω), extinction coefficient k (ω), refractive index n (ω) and reflectivity R (ω). The magnetic properties are calculated and it is computed that Pb0.75Mn0.25Se has greater magnetic moment (μB) as compared to Pb0.75Fe0.25Se, and Pb0.75V0.25Se. All the results revealed the appropriateness of Pb1-xAxSe (A=Fe, Mn, V) materials for spinelectronics and optical gadgets.

Transgenic cotton was improved genetically by introducing bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to produce Bt delta-endotoxins to kill the key pests of Lepidoptera. However, with passage of time low expression of Cry1Ac gene limited the glory of Bt technology. The phytohormones are key regulators of plant defense systems against the insect pests. It was noted that the defense systems of plants were significantly regulated by Salicylic acid (SA) and Methyl Jasmonate (MeJA). Particularly, Methyl Jasmonate induces proteinase inhibitors and interferes with insect digestion and feeding capability. The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of MeJA to induce proteinase inhibitors and Cry1Ac genes in Bt cotton cultivars and subsequently the mortality of three different populations of Pectinophora gossypiella. The two concentration of MeJA (0.25 mM and 0.5 mM) were sprayed exogenously foliar on five Bt and one non Bt cotton cultivars at the stage of bud and flower formation. The results of bioassay depicted that when plants were treated with a concentration of 0.5 mM MEJA, a significant mortality (66 to 78%) of early 3rd instar larvae of P. gossypiella was observed for field and resistant population whereas up to 89% mortality was noted for lab susceptible population as compared to very low mortality observed for not treated plants. Similarly, RT-PCR and ELISA tests showed the enhanced level of Cry1Ac gene expression and its protein (1.33-2.89 mu g/g) in MeJA treated plants. In conclusion, the application of MeJA can be a suitable strategy to enhance natural defense system of plant as well as to improve the expression of Cry1Ac which cause higher mortality for the resistant and susceptible population P. gossypiella.

Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a natural enemy of several important pests. This biocontrol agent is also a host for different parasitoids. Little is known about the parasitoid complex of C. septempunctata in Pakistan. The authors identified Oomyzus scaposus (Thomson, 1878) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) as a larval‐pupal parasitoid of C. septempunctata in the district of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. Out of 36 C. septempunctata pupae collected, 58.3% were parasitized by O. scaposus. This study documents the first record of O. scaposus parasitizing C. septempunctata in Pakistan.

Drip irrigation is being used for growing high value crops as an alternative to traditional flood irrigation. However, high installation cost and short life (due to exposure to atmosphere) are major hindrances in its adoptability. Sub Surface Drip Irrigation (SSDI) is getting popularity for high value crops, as drip lines buried in the soil. However, its efficiency for different crops is still needed to explore. For this purpose, a study was designed to grow onion (Allium cep L.) on raised beds and irrigated through surface and subsurface drip irrigation for two years (i.e. 2015-16 and 2016-17). Three irrigations based on 100%, 80% and 60% of crop water requirement were applied with the drip laterals buried at depths of 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 cm with three replications for each treatment. Dripper discharge of 4 l/s with operating pressure of one kg cm-2 was maintained for each irrigation. A significant effect of lateral depth was observed with maximum yield of 13,990 kg ha-1 obtained at 12 cm lateral depth, while minimum yield of 9,020 kg ha-1 was observed at the lateral depth of 24 cm. It can be concluded that shallow depth vegetables like onion can be grown with maximum irrigation water use efficiency of 57 kg ha-1 mm-1 using SSDI buried at the depth of 12 cm. Therefore, it is recommended that onion should be grown under SSDI with 12 cm depth and irrigated with 80% of CWR for better crop production and higher drip application efficiency in semi-arid regions.

Drought stress hinders root and shoot growth, leaf area, biomass accumulation, plant fresh and dry weight signifying the severe losses of plant growth and development.During drought stress, different genes are activated that increase the drought tolerance efficiency of plants.In this study, DREB1A gene was transformed in wheat cv.Lasani-08 to improve drought tolerance efficiency after optimizing in planta Agrobacterium mediated transformation protocol.The results reveal that 3.0 mg/l 2, 4-D and 6 h soaking period were found to be the best combination for in planta transformation.The inoculation of seeds with Agrobacterium suspension before germination of apical meristem was proved to be the best time for obtaining more transformation efficiency (6.38%) as compared to seeds inoculation after germination of apical meristem.Molecular analyses of transgenic plants through PCR, Southern blotting and RT-PCR confirmed the presence, number of copies and expression profile of transgene in T1 generation.The drought tolerance efficiency was assessed in T2 transgenic plants on the basis of agronomical and biochemical analyses.These detailed analyses reveal that DREB1A gene has fostering effect on the expression of a large number of genes by means of enhanced germination frequency, germination rate index, shoot, root and coleoptiles lengths, relative water contents, proline contents and total chlorophyll contents of transgenic plants relative to control plants.In summary, our results propose that DREB1A is involved in improving drought stress tolerance of transgenic wheat by sustaining growth and yield of plants.

Studies on the impacts of alien plants help to understand extent of biological invasion. Multiple analyses of diversity parameters at different locations allow general explanations of impact on species diversity and richness in plant communities. The current study assessed impact of Xanthium strumarium invasion on native plant diversity in Pothwar region of Pakistan. The approach used for study was random samplings with two categorical factors: invaded and non-invaded plots under same habitat conditions. Differences in species frequency (N), species richness (R), evenness (J'), Shannon diversity index (H') and Simpson index of dominance (lambda) were compared between invaded and control plots by t-test series. Control plots harbored by average 1.3 more species/10m(2). The control category was more diverse (H'=2.00) than invaded category (H'=1.82). Non-invaded plots showed a higher floristic richness than invaded ones. At multivariate scale, ordination (nMDS) and ANOSIM showed significant magnitude of differences between invaded and control plots. The decrease in diversity indices in invaded over control sites indicated that plant communities become less biodiverse due to Xanthium strumarium invasion. This makes X. strumarium a candidate of consideration for appropriate control measures.

Agro-chemicals are being widely used in the world for enhancing agriculture production and productivity (Muhammad et al., 2006). However, the World Health Organization report around one million illness cased due to manual spraying of pesticides in the fields (Mogili and Deepak, 2018). It is estimated that annually worldwide about 3 million metric tons of pesticides are used to control the disease (Pimentel, 2009). These chemicals not only control weeds but also help to control insect pest attack that cause the reduction of crop yield and affect the crop quality as well (Li et al., 2009). For example, In Pakistan, the insect pests reported attacking rice crop and causing 20-25% losses to this important foreign exchange earning crop on recurrent basis (Jabbar et al., 1993). On an average, 37% reduction in rice yield has been estimated due to the insect pests (Savary et al., 2000). In developing countries, including Pakistan, agro-chemicals are being applied on crops to control pests and weeds by conventional spraying systems without considering substantial variation in plant population and canopies (Faical et al., 2017). Now a day’s real time monitoring of crop health is possible by using high spectral resolution which help us in real time spraying through chlorophyll content based on vegetation indices (Tahir et al., 2018). Excessive application for the regions without vegetation could result in over-use of the expensive agro-chemicals as well as environmental hazard. The drift and the leaching of the applied agrochemicals is a threat to the environment as well as underground water reserves. The conventional sprayers used by farmers also have health impacts as the operator is in proximity of the chemical. Such conventional landspraying machines have become inconvenient for spraying in crops like rice, cotton and sugarcane as well as orchards due to crop growth stages and poor efficiency (Baggio, 2005; Daberkow and McBride, 2003; McBratney et al., 2005; Saizhang and Zhong, 2002). About 40% of all the crops could be affected due to non-uniform spray or late spraying (Peshin et al., 2009). Moreover, the continuous increasing cost of the agrochemicals and an un-precedent dependence on these chemicals for the increased production leads to an economic threat while below-par application would restrict the crop yield. This leads to the conclusion to apply the plant protection products (PPP) with utmost efficiency in a calculated manner as per the field conditions to avoid Pak. J. Agri. Sci., Vol. 56(4), 897-903; 2019 ISSN (Print) 0552-9034, ISSN (Online) 2076-0906 DOI:10.21162/PAKJAS/19.8594 http://www.pakjas.com.pk

In order to identify the parasitoids of Phyllocnistis citrella, an important pest of Citrus, the larvae and pupae of this pest were collected from Citrus reticulata Blanco orchards in the Sargodha region of Pakistan. The parasitoid species were identified, and their abundance was recorded. A total of two species were identified: Citrostichus phyllocnistoides (Narayan) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and Cirrospilus ingenuus Gahan (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Out of a total of 409 P. citrella larvae and pupae collected, 73 C. phyllocnistoides and 39 C. ingenuus adults emerged. This paper documents the species and the abundance of the parasitoids associated with P. citrella in the Sargodha region of Pakistan.

Phytosociological studies help to understand extent of biological invasion. Multiple analyses of ecological parameters at different locations derive general explanations of impact on species diversity in plant communities. Current study assessed the impact of Parthenium hysterophorus (an annual weed of great significance in Pakistan and worldwide) invasion on native vegetation in Pothwar region of Pakistan. The approach used for the study was random samplings with two categorical factors: invaded and non-invaded under same habitat conditions. Differences in number of species (S), abundance (N), species richness (R), evenness (J'), Shannon diversity index (H') and Simpson index of dominance (lambda) were compared between invaded and control plots by t-test series. Control plots harbored by average of 0.9 more species per 10 m(2). The control category was more diverse (H' = 1.73) than invaded category (H' = 1.53). The higher value of species richness in control plots shows the heterogeneous nature of communities and vice versa in invaded plots. The lower value of index of dominance in invaded plots shows less sample diversity than in the control ones. At multivariate scale, ordination (nMDS) and ANOSIM showed significant magnitude of differences between invaded and control plots in all sites. The most effected site by Parthenium invasion was Jhelum followed by Attock, Rawalpindi, Chakwal and Islamabad. The decrease in diversity indices in invaded over control sites indicated less productive plant communities due to Parthenium invasion. This makes Parthenium a candidate of consideration for appropriate control measures.

The aim of this study was to discover the geneic basis of drought tolerance, a double haploid mapping population, Drought Mapping Population 5 (DR. M.P. 5) was assessed for drought tolerance in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under control and drought stress condition. The germplasm was planted under control and stress conditions. The yield and yield components were recorded. QTLs were detected by linking morphological data with genotypic data. Five drought tolerant wheat lines were found based on a thousand-grain weight, ranging from 49 to 62 g. Novel Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) for spike length and grain per spike were identified during the present study. The novel QTLs are of great importance as these may be helpful in finding such regions in genome, which are responsible for drought tolerance contributing characteristics. The D genome is the main allele which denote drought tolerance to hexapoloid wheat while A and B genome in durum contribute the stress tolerant characteristics.

BACKGROUND:Nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB-light-chain-enhancer of activated B-cells) expression and its regulation is a key role in the development of number of malignancies, as NFkB mediates the balance between cell death and its survival. Therefore, NFkB regulation constitutes an attractive target to overcome the resistance to chemotherapeutic agents in anticancer therapy. Curcumin, as a chemopreventive agent, has a potential role in inhibiting cell growth in a variety of malignancies. Thus, this study was aimed to investigate the efficacy of curcumin along with tumor necrosis factor-α-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in KCL-22 myeloid cells along with an investigation of the mechanism by which both the agents exert their effects.MATERIALS AND METHODS:KCL-22 cells were exposed to different doses of curcumin and TRAIL alone and in combination. Cell viability was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, caspase activity by fluorescent method, protein expression by western Blot, and NFkB activity by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, respectively.RESULTS:Cell viability assay revealed that when both the agents, curcumin and TRAIL, were used together, there was reduced cell viability in dose- and time-dependent manner as compared to each agent alone. Curcumin and TRAIL enhanced the caspase-3 activity as compared to caspase-8 and caspase-9. Both the agents induced apoptosis in KCL-22 cells by suppressing the IκB kinase and NFkB activity.CONCLUSION:Our results conclude that curcumin and TRAIL effectively induce the apoptosis through the inhibition of NFkB activity and by enhancing the caspase-3 activity. Thus, curcumin may prove as a potent inhibitor of NFkB by representing its role in cancer pathogenesis, especially in chronic myeloid leukemia cells.