This study was planned to detect the adverse pathological consequences of aflatoxin B1 in White Leghorn (WLH) layer breeder males. Eight-week-old male layer cockerels were separated into six experimental categories: A group was kept as negative control, offered with normal feed only; group B was fed with 400 ppb amount of aflatoxin, while groups F and D fed with normal feed and supplemented with vitamin E 100 ppm and 1% Moringa oleifera , respectively, whereas groups E and C were fed with 400 ppb aflatoxin containing feed and ameliorated with vitamin E 100 ppm and 1% Moringa oleifera , respectively. This study was continued for 2 months and immunologic disorders and reproductive parameters were observed during the trial. To find out immunological status lymphoproliferative response to phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P), antibody titers against sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) and carbon clear assay were performed by collecting samples from five birds from each group. The whole data was measured by ANOVA test, and group means were compared by DMR test by using M-Stat C software. Regarding the reproductive status, spermatogenesis, blood testosterone level, testes weight, testes histology, sperm motility, and morphology were negatively affected by aflatoxins, but these deviations positively ameliorated by vitamin E and Moringa . Vitamin E and Moringa found advantageous in boosting the immune status of affected bird. All the immunological parameters including antibody titers against sheed red blood cells, lymphoproliferative response to avian tuberculin and phagocytic potential of macrophages were suppressed by AFB1 however in control, Moringa and vitamin E groups these immunological responses were significantly higher

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food crop worldwide, but its production is threatened by pests like rice stem borers. Effective pest management strategies are crucial for ensuring high yields and food security. In this study, the effectiveness of various insecticides was evaluated against rice stem borers while considering their impact on the survival of beneficial insect fauna. Five treatments were tested: chlorantraniliprole, chlorantraniliprole + thiamethoxam, fipronil, flubendiamide, and a control group. The efficacy of each treatment was assessed by measuring pre- and post-treatment infestation levels of deadhearts and whiteheads, along with the survival percentage of beneficial insect fauna after one week. Chlorantraniliprole exhibited the highest effectiveness, with post-treatment percent infestation of deadhearts reduced to 2.10% after 72 hours and 1.24% after one week, and an effectiveness rate of 82.53% after 72 hours and 91.17% after one week. Chlorantraniliprole + thiamethoxam showed similar efficacy, with post-treatment percent infestation of deadhearts at 1.00% after 72 hours and 0.67% after one week, and an effectiveness rate of 91.71% after 72 hours and 95.18% after one week. Fipronil and flubendiamide also demonstrated significant effectiveness, albeit slightly lower than chlorantraniliprole-based treatments. The control group exhibited high post-treatment infestation levels and no effectiveness against deadhearts or whiteheads. However, the survival percentage of beneficial insect fauna was remarkably high in the control group. These findings highlight the potential of chlorantraniliprole and its combination with thiamethoxam as effective pest management options for rice cultivation, while emphasizing the importance of integrated approaches to minimize environmental impact. Further research is warranted to validate these results under diverse field conditions and optimize insecticide application protocols for sustainable rice production.

Stored products are significantly affected by certain well-known stored grain pests, with Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) being one of the most destructive pests of stored products. It is a primary pest that causes substantial quantitative and qualitative losses. The present study was conducted to investigate the insecticidal efficacy of different plant extracts from four commonly grown plants in Pakistan: ginger (Zingiber officinale), neem (Azadirachta indica), clove (Syzygium aromaticum), and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) against S. oryzae infesting stored wheat. Crude extracts from these plants were applied to stored wheat at various dose rates (20, 40, 60, 80 mg). Adults of S. oryzae were introduced to the treated wheat and observed for mortality, repellency, and grain damage. The results of the study indicated that the maximum mortality of S. oryzae (99.17%) was recorded due to the application of crude extract of Z. officinale, while the minimum mortality of S. oryzae (67.50%) was recorded due to the crude extract of N. tabacum at an 80 mg dose rate after a 10-day exposure interval. The maximum grain damage due to S. oryzae (0.19%) was observed in N. tabacum treated crude extract at an 80 mg dose rate, while the minimum grain damage due to S. oryzae (0.04%) was observed in Z. officinale treated crude extract at an 80 mg dose rate. Z. officinale also exhibited the maximum repellent effect on S. oryzae (95.77%). This study concluded that Z. officinale emerged as a potent, readily available biopesticide against S. oryzae, surpassing current alternatives with near-eradication efficacy, minimal grain damage, and a proactive repellent effect, paving the way for sustainable and eco-friendly pest management. Further research is needed to optimize extraction methods, dosage recommendations, and assess long-term effects on grain quality and storage stability.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food for nearly half of the world's population, including Pakistan. But several diseases are always posing a threat to rice farming, with bacterial blight and sheath blight being the two most common causes. R. solani is the main source of rice sheath blight and stood crop’s most destructive diseases. Reviewing published data on pathogenicity and disease management is crucial to developing effective crop protection against sheath blight. It also helps identify research gaps that need more in-depth investigation. Although there has been progress in identifying rice and pathogen-related genes linked to pathogenesis, the underlying processes are still unknown. Research on the applications of; agronomic techniques, chemical control, biological control, and genetic improvement in disease management strategies has been conducted. Optimizing the application of nitrogen fertilizer in combination to plant-plant spacing can minimize the transmission of infection, whereas SMART agricultural technologies; like crop monitoring using Unmanned Aerial Systems help detect and treat sheath blight disease early on. Biological agents and natural fungicides can be used to effectively prevent sheath blight while reducing the negative effects on the environment. Genetic strategies that hold potential to control sheath blight include the use of exogenous dsRNA to suppress pathogen gene expression, genome editing to create rice lines less susceptible to sheath blight, and the development of transgenic rice lines that over express or silence genes related to pathogenesis. The pathogen’s flexibility, the absence of resistant rice types, the lack of single resistance genes for breeding, and farmers' restricted access to informative programs about optimum management methods all work against effective crop protection against sheath blight.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) stands as a paramount staple food, catering to the nutritional needs of over half of the world's population. Amidst burgeoning global demand and environmental challenges, the imperative to bolster rice yields has intensified. This abstract encapsulates the multifaceted approaches adopted in rice breeding to augment yield, encompassing both traditional methodologies and innovative transgenic techniques. Traditional breeding methods, honed over centuries, involve the meticulous selection of elite varieties based on desirable traits such as high yield potential, disease resistance, and adaptability to diverse agro-climatic conditions. Through conventional breeding, breeders have successfully developed improved rice varieties with enhanced yield potential, contributing significantly to global food security. In parallel, the advent of transgenic technology has revolutionized rice breeding by enabling the precise manipulation of genetic material to confer desired traits. Transgenic approaches facilitate the introduction of genes associated with traits such as pest resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, and increased photosynthetic efficiency, thereby elevating yield potential and resilience in rice cultivars. Despite controversies surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs), transgenic rice varieties have demonstrated promising results in field trials, offering novel solutions to address pressing agricultural challenges.

This study assessed people's awareness and perception regarding green belts and existing plantations in Multan. Three different roads were randomly selected to collect data for this study. A validated and well-structured questionnaire was developed and data were collected from 385 respondents. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that dense trees and evergreen shrubs were highly preferred for greenbelts. Preferred facilities included jogging tracks and sitting areas. The responsibility for green belt management and cleanliness was primarily attributed to the government, although private institutions were also recognized for their role in protecting it. Chi-square tests indicated significant associations between demographic factors and awareness of green belts. Age, education, gender, and occupation were significantly related to perceptions of green belts' benefits, such as beautification, pollution reduction, health improvement, infrastructure development, increased land value, and business opportunities. Highly educated and middle-aged respondents showed greater support for green belt awareness. By aligning urban planning and policy decisions with these public preferences and demographic insights, policymakers can enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of green belt projects.

Droughts have a detrimental effect on plenty of social and economic endeavors along with surface and groundwater resources. Therefore, drought must be adequately considered when planning and regulating the water supply. This study will look at the latest developments in merging techniques to lessen the inconsistent drought monitoring and characterization attributed to the global standard shortage. The current research considers the framework of three distinct standardized indicators, SPI, SPTI, and SPEI, of six metrological stations in Pakistan from 1971 to 2017, intending to analyze drought using integrating techniques. Two merging techniques, Modified Triple Collocation (MTC) and proposed Scaled Triple Collocation (STC), are examined relative to Triple Collocation (TC). Correlation, Sen's Slope, Taylor diagram, Kling Gupta Efficiency (KGE), and error variance analyses were used to evaluate their performance. The correlation study reveals that individual series have a comparable relationship with Merged Drought Index (MDI) model from MTC, STC, and TC. However, individual indices SPI and SPTI are strongly associated with MTC and STC-based MDI compared to SPEI. Sen's slope shows the same trend across all approaches with minimal amplitude divergence. KGE was assessed using an average of one hundred thousand simulated values, and STC and TC demonstrated higher efficiency than MTC. But MTC has a lower error variance in contrast to STC and TC. Overall, the current study's findings validate that Merged Drought Index (MDI) based on MTC and proposed STC provides a better quantitative way to merge three separate drought indices into a single index. So, MDI successfully captured recorded drought episodes throughout the research locations, indicating that the merging method can be a workable option to identify drought accurately.

Lung and Colorectal (LC) cancer is life-threatening and rapidly developing cancers. According to World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 4.14 million lung and colorectal cancer cases were newly diagnosed, with 2.7 million fatalities. An International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reported that there will be more than 3 million additional instances of colorectal cancer worldwide between 2020 and 2040. Early diagnosis of LC cancer is very helpful for treatment and can save the precious human life. The conventional diagnosis methods are expensive and time consuming. In this work, we present an accurate and efficient model for the classification of Lung and Colorectal (LC) cancer. We utilize two well-known pre-trained deep learning models, ResNet50 and EfficientNetB0, and fine-tuned the both models based on the addition and removal of layers. After the fine-tuning, manual hit and trail based hyperparameters are initialized. Later on, the deep transfer learning was performed and obtained the trained models. Two different feature vectors have been extracted from both models and fused using a priority based serial approach. To further improve the performance of extracted features, Normal Distribution based Gray Wolf Optimization algorithm is employed and obtained the best features that given as input to five classifiers. The output of these five classifiers is then utilized by soft voting technique to generate the final prediction. Experimental results show that the proposed architecture achieved an overall 98.73% accuracy on LC25000 dataset. Furthermore, prediction time was reduced by 19.14%. Comparison with the state-of-the-art techniques shows that the proposed technique obtained the improved performance results.

Nature is decaying day by day with the application of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, highlighting the need to sustain both the environment and nature. There is a growing demand for plant protection measures in the agronomy sector because of new and existing plant diseases. There are many beneficial uses of plant extracts/biostimulants as plants oil have antifeedant, antiviral, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antifungal, antitermitic and antinematical activities. These plant extracts are extracted from various crops and trees like garlic, eucalyptus, onion, neem and many wild plant species. These extract may be used for plant protection measures to control insect pests and weeds and can also be used biostimulants to improve the growth and yield of the crops. Although, these extracts are not a quickly reactive as synthetic chemicals, their long-term use is sustainable and environmentally friendly. In this chapter, we discuss various plant extracts and their use in agriculture for plant protection and enhancement of crop yield.

Chemical plant ecology is a multi-faceted field focusing on prevalence, task, and combination of plant-based secondary metabolites. Understanding of these secondary metabolites helps in the discovery of the applications of these secondary metabolites in medical science. Abiotic components of the ecosystem can be influenced by chemicals released by plants, that is, the accumulation and availability of inorganic ions. The activities of allelochemicals are subjected to ecological factors such as availability of nutrients, photoperiod, and moisture deficiency. Soil microbial populations can perform a vital role in organizing various plant communities. The plants possess a layer of a cuticle, whose surface plays a critical role in autecology and physiology, which initiate the defence system of plants. Human beings are feebly designed to comprehend chemical-mediated interactions as they understand the planet principally by means of visualization and auditory cues. Freshwater populations recommend that heavy metals be significant info-disruptors, and comparably same kinds of effects haven't been suggested from terrestrial populations. Heavy metal pollutants in atmosphere may directly be influenced by the plants through bestowing an elemental defence against natural enemies.

Sunflower production is significantly lower in arid and semi-arid regions due to various crop management problem. Conservation of tillage provides the most excellent opportunity to reduce degradation of soil reserves and increase soil productivity. The main objective of this study was to investigate the combined effects of conservation tillage and drought stress on growth and productivity of different sunflower hybrids. Experimental treatments included two sunflower hybrids (‘NK-Senji’ and ‘S-278’), two drought stress treatments (i.e., well-watered and drought stress at flowering and grain filling stages) and three tillage practices (i.e., conservation, minimum and deep tillage). The results indicated that morphological and physiological parameters, and yield-related traits were significantly (P≤0.05) affected by all individual factors; however, their interactive effects were non-significant. Among sunflower hybrids, ‘NK-Senji’ performed better for morphological, physiological, and yield-related traits than ‘S-278’. Similarly, conservation tillage observed better traits compared to the rest of the tillage practices included in the study. Nonetheless, conservation tillage improved growth and yield-related traits of hybrid ‘NK-Senji’ under drought stress. Hence, it is concluded that conservation tillage can improve the productivity of sunflower under low moisture availability. Therefore, conservation tillage could be suggested in the areas of lower water ability to improve sunflower production. Nonetheless, sunflower hybrids or varieties need thorough testing for their adaptability to conservation tillage and low moisture availability before making recommendations.

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is staple of Pakistani people. However, its yield at farmer field is low as compared with its genetic potential. Integration of various crop and soil management strategies might be an option to enhance wheat productivity at farmer field. This 2-year experiment was conducted to check the influence of combine application of natural plant water extracts and biochar on the productvity of wheat during the winter season of 2015-16. The experiment consisted of seven treatment viz. (1) control (2) application of biochar (0.18 kg pot-1) alone, (3) application of sorghum water extract (SWE) alone, (4) application of moringa water extract (MWE) alone, (5) application of biochar + SWE, (6) application of biochar + MWE, (7) application of biochar + SWE+MWE. The results revealed that application of both crop water extracts in combination with biochar improved the growth and grain yield of wheat. Use of MWE in combination with biochar enhanced the grain weight, grain number and grain yield of wheat by 44, 14, and 24%, respectively than the control treatment. In crux, use of MWE in combination with biochar might be a viable option to improve the productivity of bread wheat.

Biogas from biomass is a promising renewable energy source and its importance is increasing increased in European countries. The biomass of 14 sorghum cultivars (Bovital, Branko, Cerberus, GK Csaba, Goliath, Inka, Lussi, KSH 6301, Maja, Silage king, Super Sile 15, Super Sile 18, Super Sile 20 and Superdolce 1) and 1 maize cultivar (Agrogas) were included in field experiments carried out at the experimental station Gross-Gerau and Giessen experimental stations during 2009. The contents of protein, sugar, starch, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, and acid detergent lignin in each sorghum sample were determined using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. The volume of biogas was measured by using a Gas Wet Ritter. A non-dispersive Infrared (NDIR) sensor (GS IRM-100) was used to measure the concentration of methane. Briefly indicate how the study was conducted. The Cerberus and Goliath cultivars produced significantly higher biomass yields compared to other cultivars studied at both experimental stations. The cultivars and sites differed significantly in the chemical composition of the sorghum biomass. The lowest lignin content was exhibited by cv. Branko while Maja achieved the highest lignin content followed by Goliath and Cerberus. Maize cv. Agrogas produced the highest biogas yield of 720 nL/kg volatile solid, compared to the sorghum cultivars. Among the sorghum cultivars, Branko achieved the maximum specific biogas yield followed by Super Sile 15, Super Sile 20, and Super Sile 18. The highest biogas yields per ha was produced by maize cv. Agrogas, followed by sorghum cv. Lussi, Cerberus, and Branko. Therefore, cultivars having higher biomass and specific methane yields should be selected to maximize methane yield per ha. The biogas and methane yields of some of the tested cultivars, such as Maja, Lussi, Branko, Supersile 20, KSH 6301 and Supersile, are comparable to that of maize. Hence, it can be concluded that sorghum can be used as an alternative to maize for energy production.