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Wheat, being a staple food crop in Pakistan—especially under the cotton and wheat cropping system in Punjab—faces persistent yield stagnation due to inappropriate seed rates and imbalanced nutrient management. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of various seed rates and NPK fertilizer levels on yield parameters, overall yield, and nutrient use efficiency of wheat under the agro-climatic conditions of the cotton-wheat cropping system over two years (2020-21 and 2021-22) at the Adaptive Research Farm, Vehari, Punjab, Pakistan. The experiment included two seed rates (125 and 150 kg ha-1) and five different NPK fertilizer levels (recommended NPK of 158-114-62 kg ha-1, 12.5% increase, 12.5% decrease, 25% decrease, and 25% increase over the recommended NPK). Results showed a clear interaction between seeding rate and NPK level, with both significantly affecting yield and yield parameters across both growing seasons. The combined results indicated that the treatment with a 25% increase over the recommended NPK and a seed rate of 125 kg ha-1 produced the highest grain yield of 4046 kg ha-1, while the lowest yield of 3607 kg ha-1 was recorded from plots treated with 25% decrease over the recommended NPK. The highest agronomic use efficiency—1.01 kg grain per kg NPK—was also observed with the 25% increase over recommended NPK at a seed rate of 125 kg ha-1. This approach enhances grain yield, optimizes resource utilization, and supports sustainable wheat production practices in Pakistan.

https://doi.org/10.52587/JAF060204

Wheat is a staple food for approximately 35% of the global population, with Pakistan being the largest consumer, consuming 120 kg per person annually. The country cultivates 24.2 million tonnes of wheat over 8.7 million hectares. Wheat is rich in protein (>10%), fats (2.4%), and complex carbohydrates (79%). Given its significance, wheat is a key priority in Pakistan’s agricultural policy. However, wheat cultivation faces challenges, particularly from abiotic stresses like drought, which reduces soil moisture content. These stresses cause alterations at morphological, biological, molecular, and physiological levels, leading to decreased production and potential crop failure. Drought tolerance in wheat is complex, as low water availability can induce toxicity, nutrient deficiencies, and temperature instability, all of which affect plant function. To develop drought-resistant wheat, both traditional breeding and genetic engineering approaches are used. This paper explores the latest technologies for improving drought resistance in wheat, including drought-inducible genes, promoters, and transcription factors. Integrating molecular breeding strategies with conventional methods is recommended to develop resilient cultivars tailored to local environmental conditions, ensuring sustainable wheat production amidst increasing drought pressures.

https://doi.org/10.52587/JAF060206

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a vital legume crop regarding its high protein content and adaptability to semi-arid conditions, which make it a stable in diverse agricultural systems. Current experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of water soaking durations and NPK levels on the growth of chickpea under semi-arid conditions of Thal-Khushab, Punjab. The experiment was conducted in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 4 replications and 20 treatments consisting of all possible combinations of 5 water soaking durations (W0=no water soaking, W1=soaking for 30 mints, W2= soaking for 60 mints, W3= soaking for 90 mints, W4=soaking for 120 mints) and 4 fertilizer levels (NPK) (F0=no NPK, F1=20:40:20 kg ha-1, F2= 25:50:25 kg ha-1, F3=30:60:30 kg ha-1). Data of growth parameters was recorded and analyzed using ANOVA, LSD test which showed a significant effect of the treatments. Among the growth parameters, the minimum emergence time was recorded under W2F2 (5.96 days), maximum plant stand count (100m-2) was recorded with W2F1, maximum Primary branch number (8.37 per plant) under W2F2, maximum plant height (120.59 cm) with W1F3, maximum Biomass Yield (kg ha-1) with W0F3 and maximum harvest index (6.3) was recorded with treatment W4F2. Correlation test was also conducted, which showed mixed response including positive, negative and no association among the different parameters.

https://doi.org/10.52587/JAF060203

Grapes (Vitis vinifera) are woody perennials propagated mainly via cuttings, with berries that can be green, pink, golden, black, red, or purple. In this study, we investigated the effect of Indole-3-Butyric Acid (IBA) concentrations on the propagation of grape cultivars using cuttings in the monsoon season under greenhouse conditions. The experiment was designed as a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with each treatment replicated three times. The medium used was solarized sand, free from pathogens and weed seeds. Cuttings, 6–8 inches long and from three grape cultivars (“King’s Ruby”, “NARC Black”, and “Flame Seedless”), were treated with 0 (control), 2000, 3000, and 4000 ppm IBA concentrations. Various parameters were measured, such as the number of leaves per cutting, shoot length, rooting percentage, and survival percentage. The data showed a significant effect of IBA concentrations (p<0.05). “King’s Ruby” showed the highest number of leaves and roots per cutting at 4000 ppm IBA, while “Flame Seedless” responded with the most extended shoot and root length at 2000 ppm IBA. Interestingly, “Flame Seedless” without IBA application had the best shoot diameter, rooting percentage, and survival rate. These results suggest that grape cultivars respond differently to IBA concentrations.

https://doi.org/10.52587/JAF060201

This article was originally published with errors in the affiliation address, and the correct affiliation address is below as foot note. Tipu, M. A., Tauqir, N. A., Zohra, A., Faraz, A., R.H. Mirza, Ahmad, F., F. Shahzad, Ahmad, T. (2024). Impact of Ralgro (growth promoter) implants on the growth performance of Sahiwal and crossbred male calves. Journal of Agriculture and Food, 5(2), 93–102. https://doi.org/10.52587/JAF050206

https://doi.org/10.52587/JAF060202

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a global staple crop, yet it frequently exhibits zinc (Zn) deficiency, especially in calcareous soils. This study evaluated the effects of soil, foliar, and combined Zn applications on agronomic traits and grain Zn content across ten wheat genotypes, including biofortified and non-biofortified lines. The experiment, conducted under a split-plot RCBD, included four treatments: control (T0), soil application (T1), foliar application (T2), and combined soil + foliar (T3) using ZnSO₄•7H₂O. Significant improvements (p < 0.01) were observed in plant height, flag leaf area, mother spike weight, thousand-grain weight (TGW), and grain yield per plant (GYPP) under Zn treatments. Akbar-19 (G3) and SD-75 (G9) were the top-performing genotypes under T3, with GYPP increasing up to 98.43 g plant⁻¹ and TGW reaching 33.27 g. Grain Zn content also surged under T2 and T3, with peak values of 519.76 ppm and 776.58 ppm, respectively, compared to control. Principal component analysis revealed that the first three components PC1 (25.5%), PC2 (17.9%), and PC3 (15.4%) explained 58.8% of the total variance, with PC1 driven mainly by yield-related traits. Correlation analysis revealed strong positive associations between GYPP and TGW (r = 0.82), spike weight (r = 0.78), and plant height (r = 0.74). These findings indicate that integrated soil and foliar Zn application can considerably enhance wheat yields and grain Zn content, especially in genotypes Akbar-19 and SD-75, offering a sustainable approach to mitigating Zn deficiency in human diets.

https://doi.org/10.52587/JAF060205