Journal of Pure and Applied Agriculture

Impact of different pectin levels and banana varieties on the nutritional and sensory properties of banana jam

2024-08-21

Banana is a significant crop worldwide, and it is prone to spoilage after ripening. Processing bananas into food products reduces their post-harvest losses and promotes food security. Jam is a popular banana product, and its preparation is influenced by several factors, including pectin content and different banana varieties. The current research aimed to assess the nutritional and sensory properties of banana jam developed from Cavendish dwarf (local variety) and Indial long (hybrid variety) and treated with three different levels of pectin i.e., 5, 10, and 15 g kg^-1. The results revealed that 15 g kg^-1 pectin levels resulted in a better nutritional profile and sensory attributes, with 0.72% ash, 61.59% TSS, 4.28 pH, 13.84 mg 100 g^-1vitamin C, 4.34% protein, 40.10% carbohydrate, 1.34% fat, 0.50% crude fiber, 0.32% titratable acidity, 78.13 mg 100 g^-1 potassium, 0.82 mg 100 g^-1iron, 1.56 mg 100 g^-1 calcium, 1.36 mg 100 g^-1 magnesium, 29.62 mg 100 g^-1 sodium, and sensory scores of 7.87 for color, 7.78 for flavor, 7.85 for texture, and 7.92 for overall acceptability. This was followed by the 10 g and 5 g kg^-1 pectin levels. Similarly, the results of varieties showed the Indial long variety to have superior nutritional and sensory qualities compared to the Cavendish dwarf variety, with 0.86% ash, 54.20% TSS, 4.23 pH, 12.78 mg 100 g^-1vitamin C, 4.56% protein, 39.29% carbohydrate, 1.15% fat, 0.37% crude fiber, 0.33% titratable acidity, 78.01 mg 100 g^-1 potassium, 0.81 mg 100 g^-1 iron, 1.62 mg 100 g^-1 calcium, 1.27 mg 100 g^-1 magnesium, and 29.67 mg 100 g^-1 sodium. Its sensory scores were 7.93 for color, 7.83 for flavor, 7.90 for texture, and 7.96 for overall acceptability. It can be concluded that banana jam prepared with a pectin ratio of 15 g kg^-1 has better nutritional and sensory characteristics. The results reflected that the Indial long variety was more suitable for banana jam production as compared to the Cavendish dwarf variety.

Effect of biochar on seed germination and growth of Glycine max L. under induced stress of drought

2024-08-21

As a carbon-rich substance made from organic waste by pyrolysis, biochar has demonstrated encouraging promise as a soil supplement to improve soil fertility, water retention, and plant development. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of biochar application on seed germination, growth parameters, moisture content, and biochemical constituents of Glycine max L. (hereafter G. max L.) under drought stress. The results show that the drought treatment (T1) had a considerably lower germination percentage. In contrast, treatments (T2 and T3) that applied 10 and 20 tons of biochar per hectare had emergence rates of 56.66% and 50.33%, respectively, without significantly changing the germination percentage. Biochar treatments (T4 and T5) exhibited a considerable improvement in germination percentage under drought stress; T4 exhibited an emergence rate of 53.33%. In T2 (17 ± 1.53), the number of roots were maximum, whereas the longest roots were found in T3 and T4, measuring 6.65 cm and 5.87 cm, respectively. Biochar considerably increased shoot length; T2 reached 17.75 ± 0.01 cm. With the use of biochar, the quantity of leaves increased; T3 had the highest count, at 13.00 ± 0.00. Biochar considerably increased the field capacity and soil moisture content, particularly in T3, where the field capacity was 16.92 ± 0.14%, demonstrating the benefit of better soil water retention. In addition, the use of biochar improved the other biochemical substances in soybeans, such as chlorophyll “a” “b”, sugar, protein, and proline contents in treatment T2 and T3, respectively. This study demonstrates that biochar treatments may be used as a viable soil amendment to enhance soybean development, growth, stress mitigation, and biochemical composition, with implications for improved agricultural yield and sustainability. Further investigation is essential to reveal the fundamental mechanisms making these benefits under different environmental conditions and to enhance biochar application procedures.

Comparative analysis of organic and inorganic amendments on maize yield and soil health in clay loam soil

2024-08-21

Maize (Zea mays L.) is widely regarded as a valuable food and fodder crop. Organic and inorganic nutrients are required for crop growth and soil health improvement. This study was conducted at experimental site of Gomal University Dera Ismail Khan, KP, Pakistan, and aimed to evaluate the performance of maize fertilized with organic and inorganic fertilizers in clay loam soil. The organic amendments were farmyard manure (FYM), poultry manure (PTM), and pressmud (PM), whereas the inorganic fertilizers were N, P₂O₅, and K₂O. As a control, no ameliorants were added to the soil. The experiment was done in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results show that when NPK @ 150+100+60 kg/ha^-1 was given to maize crop, there was a higher increase rate in terms of plant height, number of plants per plant, cob weight, grain weight, thousands grain weight, grain yield, biomass yield in NPK treated soil in comparison to FYM, PTM, PM, and control (2019 and 2020). Similarly, economic study revealed that soil treated with inorganic fertilizer had the highest benefit-cost ratio (BCR) compared to other treatments. Furthermore, the findings indicate that organic additions boosted the NPK concentration of the soil. Conclusively, NPK application appears to be more successful than organic nutrition sources for maize productivity.

Genetics of seed yield and related traits in biparental crosses of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench)

2024-08-21

The yield of okra is consistently hampered by several problems, including outdated cultivars. This usually results in lower quality and yielding pods. Therefore, in order to meet the needs of consumers, it is essential to develop genotypes of okra that are both high-yielding and adaptable. The randomized complete block design experiment was carried out in 2022 at the Agricultural Research Farm, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda. The results showed highly significant differences observed for nearly all of these variables under investigation except primary branches plant^-1 and seeds pods^-1. The best genotypes were found to be P5×P2 for internode length (3.59 cm), P4×P1 for individual fruit weight (9.65 g), P3×P1 for maximum plant height (102 cm), and P2×P3 for the largest number of internodes plant^-1 that were recorded (22.5). The highest reported pods plant^-1 (33.5) and seeds pod^-1 (48.5) for P4×P5 and P1×P2 were found, respectively. All features were controlled by non-additive gene action, according to combing ability analysis. In a similar vein, parental lines P2 and P3 demonstrated strong general combiners for several characteristics. Due to their strong SCA effects and good performance per se, P2×P3 and P3×P4 were also exceptional crosses. Heritability studies cautioned against relying solely on phenotypic performance for trait selection. Most crossings surpassed the checks in heterosis, suggesting their suitability for future okra breeding programs. Additionally, inbreeding depression estimates indicated negative effects due to selfing, yet self-pollinated crops like okra demonstrated resilience to inbreeding depression Based on our findings, the top crosses for yield and associated traits were identified as P2×P3, P3×P4, and P5×P3. We recommend further breeding programs utilizing these genotypes to enhance the quantitative traits of A. esculentus.

Assessment of growth, floral and biochemical characteristics of wild rose (Rosa sp.) across varied elevations of Rawalakot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir

2024-08-21

Roses have held their status as exquisite decorative plants since ancient times, captivating people with their timeless beauty. The rising demand for roses as an industrial raw material has led to a significant increase in their value. The picturesque state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir is home to flourishing large-scale rose plantations, particularly in the stunning wilderness of Rawalakot, located in District Poonch. The objective of this study was to collect wild roses from four distinct locations, each characterized by a unique elevation, and to evaluate their growth, floral, and biochemical characteristics. These locations include Khai Gala at 6329 ft, Chota Gala at 5744 ft, Mutyal Mehra at 5341 ft and Drake at an elevation of 3378 ft. The comparative analysis of the roses revealed that those cultivated at higher elevations exhibited a remarkable increase in growth characteristics and petal diameter, with measurements indicating a substantial difference from their counterparts grown at lower elevations. Furthermore, the analysis of rosehip content demonstrated a significantly higher concentration of essential nutrients (such as total soluble solids: 40%; vitamin C 49.8 mg/100 g FW; total flavonoids 1.73 mg/100 g FW) in the rosehips of the higher-altitude roses, making them a more nutritionally dense source. The findings from the study demonstrate that the specific environmental conditions and variations in elevation significantly influence the physical characteristics and biochemical composition of wild roses. This suggests that there are opportunities to enhance the quality of roses through the implementation of tailored cultivation methods designed to accommodate the diverse elevations at which they grow.

Construction of a modified Cobb-Douglas model using a machine learning approach to optimize wheat productivity

Rabia Siddiqui, Abdul Qayyum, Muhammad Islam and Mirza Waseem Abbas — 2024-08-21

Food availability has become a tangible issue in the face of the prevailing threat of food insecurity. Wheat production is leading significant role to concerns over the country's ability to meet its food needs. In the current study, modified Cobb-Douglas regression model is developed using machine learning model (MLM), which is not developed earlier. MLM is integrate with traditional statistical model (TSM) for multiple linear regression (MLR) with the aims to identify significance of agronomical constrains (factors) for wheat production in Pakistan. The secondary data of crop cut experiments is collected from the Crop Reporting Service (CRS). Python’ key library (Scikit Learn) is used to analyze the experiment. The MLM is applied using 80% and 20% randomized partition. The MLM performed better than TSM for MLR. To find the better model, Cobb-Douglas regression is applied using the MLM and TSM for the same dataset. MLM is applied for the train dataset. Highest R² and lowest MSE and MAE found for Cobb-Douglas regression using MLM, comparing with TSM. The modified Cobb-Douglas regression using MLM found better fitted model. There is positive but insignificant relation exist for urea, water and adoption of new varieties trends. The harvesting and sowing period shows positive and significant relation, while DAP, other fertilizers, spray pest and soil type shows positive and highly significant relation against wheat productivity. This study can provide deep insights the productivity enhancement practices and can lead to layout the effective strategies to enhance wheat production with the aim to ensure the food availability.

Impact of supplemental irrigation through sprinkler raingun at alternate phenological stages of wheat crop

2024-08-21

In Pakistan, wheat yield in the rainfed area is being affected due to erratic, unexpected pattern of rainfall. Heat stress is also a limiting factor that decreases the grain weight as well as yield badly. Water is a precious finite natural resource in rainfed areas, and its proper utilization is critical for optimizing crop water yield. During wheat growing season 2010-11, research was planned to evaluate various watering treatments at National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) on wheat crop variety (Chakwal-50). Treatments are applied at three phenological Feeks growth stages viz. Feeks Scale = 2.00 (Tillering), Feeks Scale = 10.50 (Anthesis) and Feeks Scale = 10.5.1 (Grain Filling). The experiment was designed using a randomized complete block design and replicated thrice. The research site perceived 257.7 mm rainfall water during growing season of wheat crop. The 25 mm level of irrigation water produced maximum biological yield (10392 kg/ha), economic yield (3534.3 kg/ha), 1000 grain weight (40.9 g), plant height (90.8 cm) and length of spike (9.3 cm). There were 64% and 55% increments in biological and grain yield kg/ha when level of irrigation water was applied at the rate of 25 mm at Feeks Scale = 2.00, and Feeks Scale = 10.5.1 of wheat as compared to barani at Feeks Scale viz. Feeks = 2.00, Feeks = 10.50 and Feeks = 10.5.1.

Determination of the proximate composition and total antioxidants of the locally available fruits

2024-08-21

The Biochemistry Section at the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) in Faisalabad served as the research hub for our study throughout 2020-21. We delved into the antioxidants and biochemical parameters found in an array of fruits including peach (Prunus persica), grapes (Vitis vinifera), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), lychee (Litchi chinensis), fig (Ficus carica), plum (Prunus domestica), sweet lime (Citrus limetta), Kuranda (Carissa carandas), kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa), and pear (Pyrus communis). These fruits offer vital nutrition like Vitamin C, ranging from 2.49 in fig to 48.7 in sweet lime, mineral matter is minimum (0.34%) in pear and maximum 6.19% in Lychee, crude fiber was highest (7.26%) in kuranda and lowest (0.82%) in Grapefruit, crude fat was less than 1 in all the fruits except kuranda having crude fat 1.66%. crude protein was also less than one in most of the fruits under study except Fig (2.05%), Plum (3.33%) and Kuranda (1.16%). Total antioxidants were higher in Peach (94.1%) followed by Plum (88.5%), Sweet lime (84.6%) and Fig (83.9%) while lowest value was observed in Kuranda (10.4%). Their adequate consumption not only fortifies the immune system but also serves as a shield against afflictions. Phenols packed abundantly within fruits, stand out as some of the most nutrient-rich components. Total phenols were ranging from 13.8 µg GAE/mL (Grapefruit) to 1182.5 µg GAE/mL (Kuranda). Total sugar lies between 6% (Plum) to 14.3% (Luchee). This paper delves deep into an exhaustive analysis of bioactive compounds, exploring their antioxidant capacities within the most widely cultivated fruits. Our exploration identifies that all the fruits are useful due to one or more nutritious elements. Our findings conclusively advocate the regular consumption of fruits, emphasizing their pivotal role in fostering nutrition and safeguarding against diseases.

Evaluating the flora and visitor dynamics of Cantonment Garden Multan, Pakistan

2024-08-21

Cantonment Garden Multan is a famous historic site with key importance in the life of the local community. It is one of the well-maintained gardens in Multan city, famous for its notable diversity of plants. This study was planned to document visitors' experience and approaches to improve facilities in Cantonment Gardens Multan. The floral data were collected visually, while a questionnaire-based face-to-face interview of 151 visitors was conducted about visitors’ preferences, causes of attraction, purpose of visit, facilities, and people activities with demographic characteristics. The visitors were also asked about recommendations and suggestions for the improvements of the garden. The data were analyzed statistically by using the standard statistical procedure SPSS (software). According to the results, a significant relationship was recorded between visitor satisfaction and physical activities in the garden. Most of the visitors showed higher satisfaction with conservation (82.1%) and maintenance (69.5%) of the garden. Maximum people (89.4%) like to walk in gardens or parks, rather than on the roadside because of traffic rush and air pollution. Visitor’s favorite trees were evergreen (65.6%) flowering (41.1%) with red color flowers (35.1%) along with natural paving material (35.8%) and waterfalls (26.5%). Most of the visitors were not recommended by the doctor (76.2%) and preferred to visit the garden with their family (58.3%). Maximum (55%) people preferred parks and gardens for outings with the cantonment garden as most favorite garden (64%). Visitors suggested the addition of flowering trees (13.2%), dustbins (9.3%), lighting (7.3%), rain shelter (6.6%), music corner (5.3%), and water cooler (4%), improving zoo (11.3%), canteen and food (9.9%), gym (4%) and maintenance of plants and trees (6.6%). It is concluded that well-planned and maintained gardens play a positive role in the life of the local community. Moreover, facilities in the gardens play important role for attraction of visitors.

Productivity and nutritive value of Brachiaria mulato and Centrosema pascuorum mixtures at various ratios in Bauchi State, Nigeria

Ibrahim Sani, Khadijat Musa Bello, Mohammed Abubakar and Sani Hussain Nuhu — 2024-08-21

This study was carried out in 2023 at the Pasture plot of the Department of Animal Production Teaching and Research Farm, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Gubi Campus, Bauchi State. Grass-legume mix ratios of Brachiaria mulato (BM) and Centrosema pascuorum (CP) at different mix rates (B. mulato only, 3 part B.M: 1 part C.P, 1 part B.M: 1 part C.P, 1 part B.M: 3 parts C.P and C. pascuorum only) were studied to determine their growth rate, yield and quality of the forages. Forages across treatments were fertilized at 150 kg/ha of Single Super Phosphate (SSP) in full application at 2 and 5 weeks of age. Plant mix ratios constituted the main plots and stage of harvest (4, 6, 8, 10 & 12 weeks) were the sub factor in a Completely Randomized Block Design layout. The highest (P<0.05) plant height was obtained at 1B.M: 3C.P plant mix ratio for both B. mulato (57 cm) and C. pascuorum (67.67 cm) plants separately. Plant height and tiller number were observed to have increased (P<0.05) as pasture weeks increased from week 4 to 6. Soil cover percentage was significant (P<0.05) and was highest (80.30%) in sole C. pascuorum followed by 53.33% in sole B. mulato and 1B.R: 1C.P mixtures. Plant mix rates significantly (P<0.05) increased leaf area index (LAI) and dry matter yield of B. mulato & C. pascuorum mixtures. The highest (P<0.05) total fresh (32.90 t/ha) and dry matter yield (10.31 t/ha) were in 1BM: 3C.P mix ratio at week 12 (31.55 & 9.35 t/ha, respectively). Similarly, the chemical composition showed 1BM:3C.P had the best (P<0.05) Crude protein (16.02%), NDF (51.94%) and ADF (40.98%) values compared to other treatments except sole C. pascuorum while week 10 had the best CP (17.28%), NDF (49.01%) and ADF (44.53%). Hence, B. mulato and C. pascuorum are recommended for planting at a mixed rate of 1B.M: 3C.P (1: 3) and harvested at 10 weeks old for best productivity for improved animal production.

Interactive impact of zeolite with nitrogen sources on garlic yield under temperate agro-ecosystem of Azad Jammu and Kashmir

2024-08-21

Absorbable N (NO₃^–) leaching losses have been a challenge for a long time to agricultural scientists, in all types of vegetable and field crop production. Zeolites are alumino-silicate minerals that have the capacity to hold moisture, N and other nutrients due to large reactive surface area making sustainable N supply to plants throughout the cropping season. We studied the impact of various nitrogen sources like zeolite, poultry manure, and urea N individually and in combinations on garlic production. Zeolite, poultry manure, and urea along with combinations (3 only, 6 combinations and Control) comprising 10 treatments, were used to assess nitrogen supply during garlic crop and its yield under temperate agroecosystem. Combinations of zeolite, poultry manure, and urea positively enhanced biological yield, but differences among combinations were non-significant and significantly differed from the control and single source. Urea-nitrogen and poultry-manure combination at 60 + 60 kg ha^-1 gave a maximum yield of garlic 8.7 tones ha^-1; zeolite, Urea-Nitrogen and poultry-manure at 250 + 60 + 30 kg ha^-1 yielded 7.68 tones ha^-1. Poultry-manure plus zeolite, and poultry-manure plus urea combinations increased ascorbic acid 0.2 mg.100g^-1 and antioxidant 0.2597 mg 100 g^-1 in the garlic crop. Zeolite, urea, and poultry-manure at the doze of (500 kg + 30 kg + 30 kg ha^-1) were proved to be the best dose, economical, and cost-effective. This study will help a common farmer to manage their crop fertilization in combinations for targeted biological and quality of yield contents by efficient nitrogen use through slow releasing and reduced leaching in temperate hilly areas with average to below average organic matter.