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Smog poses a catastrophic threat to human health and the environment and contributes to about 128,000 annual deaths in Pakistan. Its concentration exceeds 2.5 PM in major urban and agricultural hubs like Lahore. Agricultural practices like stubble burning and agrochemical overuse significantly accelerate this crisis, alongside transportation and industry. This study explores farmers’ perceptions regarding smog and its subsequent impacts on health and the environment in Punjab, Pakistan using a mixed model approach. Random sampling technique was employed to select 218 respondents across two tehsils from district Sargodha. The data were collected from well structured survey instrument on five-point likert scale. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS. Results revealed a critical gap in awareness, though approximately 30% to 38% of respondents agreed that the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides directly leads to air and water pollution, ultimately contributing to smog formation. Given the severe health risks and environmental degradation, there is an urgent need for institutional intervention. The government should devise targeted policy framework and educational campaigns to raise awareness among the farming community to encourage them for adoption of environment friendly sustainable agricultural practices to mitigate smog and to provide safeguard for human health.

https://doi.org/10.52587/JAF060115

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is widely grown as a major food legume for its rich nutritional profile and serves as a primary source of protein in developing nations. To overcome hidden hunger linked with Fe deficiency, a field experiment on agronomic biofortification of chickpea through foliar application was conducted at the research farm of MNS-University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan, during the Rabi season, 2020-21. The experiment was laid out under Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. FeSO4 was used as the Fe source for foliar application; control, water spray, and 0.5% and 1% FeSO4 were applied. The foliar application of Fe at 1% FeSO4 resulted in a significant 21% increase in yield and quality attributes, including a 17% increase in grain Fe content, compared with the control. In conclusion, Fe foliar feeding of chickpea served as an effective, economical, and easy approach to enrich chickpea with Fe to address hidden hunger linked with Fe deficiency.

https://doi.org/10.52587/JAF070103

Eleven sugarcane clones, including two check varieties, were evaluated under field conditions to assess agronomic traits and sugar recovery for commercial selection. Clone SLF 18-92 produced the most tillers but was rejected due to lodging and lower recovery. SLF 18-743 produced the highest cane yield (111 t/ha), while SLF 18-748 yielded 108 t/ha. The maximum sugar recovery was recorded in SL-41 (12.63%), followed by SLF-569 (11.94%). Conversely, SL-83 was rejected due to poor yield (82 t/ha) and disease susceptibility. Ultimately, SL-41 was promoted for commercial cultivation due to its superior sugar recovery and adequate yield. Meanwhile, clones SLF-569, SLF 18-743, SLF-661, and SLF 18-748 were retained for further trial evaluation. This study underscores the necessity of multi-trait evaluation for selecting high-performing sugarcane clones adapted to local conditions.

https://doi.org/10.52587/JAF070104

Twenty-two genotypes were kept in local condition for three years to find the storage impact on quality and germination traits. Significant variation was observed on Zeleny sedimentation, wet gluten, dry gluten, gluten index, falling number value, germination, and germination energy, whereas, protein and moisture content showed non-significant difference among genotypes. Mean variance analysis revealed that genotype “Miraj-08” exhibited the highest germination (95.67%) and germination energy (79.73%) while Zeleny value (82.67) was recorded maximum in “Punjab-11” and gluten index (76.67) in “Shahkar-13”. The findings indicate that moisture, germination, wet gluten, gluten index, Zeleny value, and falling number are important indicators for evaluating long-term stored wheat. These traits can guide seed storage, wheat trade, utilization of carryover wheat stocks, helping maintain seed quality, reduce post-harvest losses, and ensure the availability of high-quality seed for farmers.

https://doi.org/10.52587/JAF070102