In calcareous soils, wheat productivity is much lower due to improper nutrient management, especially phosphorus (P). Therefore, this study was conducted to manage P availability from various organic (Control, FYM and Sugar cane straw applied at the rate of 10 ton ha⁻¹) and inorganic (Control, 100% rock phosphate (RP), 50% acidulated RP, 100% acidulated RP, single super phosphate (SSP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP)) sources applied at the rate of 90 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹ in calcareous soil while using wheat as test crop. When averaged across the organic sources, SSP performed better in emergence m⁻² (126), tillers m⁻² (431), spikes m⁻² (419), grains spikes⁻¹ (61), plant height (95.1 cm), 1000-GW (40 g), biological yield (11,023 kg ha⁻¹), grain yield (4022 kg ha⁻¹), phosphorus use efficiency (10.5%), phosphorus in leaves at tillering (2.63 mg kg⁻¹) and anthesis stage (2.50 mg kg⁻¹), soil P at heading (1.73 mg kg⁻¹) and post-harvest stage (1.56 mg kg⁻¹) compared to the rest of the mineral sources. Similarly, among the organic sources, FYM performed better than others for all tested traits. Integration of inorganic P sources with organic manures further improved crop performance and post-harvest soil P content. Therefore, using 10 tons FYM ha⁻¹ in integration to SSP or 100% acidulated RP at the rate of 90 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹ is recommended for ensuring optimum wheat productivity under calcareous soils.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a prominent grain crop. The goal of the current experiment was to examine the genetic potential of advanced bread wheat genotypes for yield and stripe rust resistance. Ninety-three bread wheat genotypes including three varieties (Kohat-2017, Pakistan-2013, and Morocco) were field tested in augmented design as observational nurseries at three locations (i.e., Kohat, Nowshera, and Peshawar) during the 2018-19 crop season. Various parameters related to yield and stripe rust resistance showed significant differences among genotypes for most of the characters with few exceptions. The analysis of variance revealed significant variations for all the genotypes for all the traits at all three sites with few exceptions where nonsignificant differences were noticed among genotypes. Averaged over three locations, genotypes exhibiting maximum desirable values for yield and yield components were KT-86 (325 tillers) for tillers m^-2, KT-50 (2.86 g) for grain weight spike^-1, KT-49 (41.6 g) for 1000-grain weight, KT-50 (74 grains) for grains spikes^-1, KT-55 (4.76 g) for spike weight, and KT-36 and KT-072 (4586 kg ha^-1) for grain yield. Correlation analysis revealed that grain yield had a significant positive correlation with grain spike^-1 and grain weight spike^-1 at Kohat, with grains spike^-1, tillers m^-2, and grain weight spike^-1 at Nowshera, and with plant height, spike weight, 1000-grain weight, and tillers m^-2 at Peshawar. Molecular marker data and host response in the field at the adult stage revealed that Yr15 and Yr10 are both still effective in providing adequate resistance to wheat against prevalent races of stripe rust. Four lines showing desirable lower average coefficient of infection (ACI) values without carrying Yr15 and Yr10 genes show the presence of unique/new resistance gene(s) in the genetic composition of these four lines. Genotype KT-072 (4586 kg ha^-1 and 1.3 ACI), KT-07 (4416 kg ha^-1 and 4.3 ACI), KT-10 (4346 kg ha^-1 and 1.0 ACI), and KT-62 (4338 kg ha^-1 and 2.7 ACI) showed maximum values for grain yield and low desirable ACI values, and these lines could be recommended for general cultivation after procedural requirements of variety release.

Utilization of modern breeding techniques for developing high yielding and uniform plant types ultimately narrowing the genetic makeup of most crops. Narrowed genetic makeup of these crops has made them vulnerable towards disease and insect epidemics. For sustainable crop production, genetic variability of these crops must be broadened against various biotic and abiotic stresses. One of the ways to widen genetic configuration of these crops is to identify novel additional sources of durable resistance. In this regard crops wild relatives are providing valuable sources of allelic diversity towards various biotic, abiotic stress tolerance and quality components. For incorporating novel variability from wild relative’s wide hybridization technique has become a promising breeding method. For this purpose, wheat-Th. bessarabicum amphiploid, addition and translocation lines have been screened in field and screen house conditions to get novel sources of yellow rust and Karnal bunt resistant. Stripe rust screening under field conditions has revealed addition lines 4JJ and 6JJ as resistant to moderately resistant while addition lines 3JJ, 5JJ, 7JJ and translocation lines Tr-3, Tr-6 as moderately resistant wheat-Thinopyrum-bessarabicum genetic stock. Karnal bunt screening depicted addition lines 5JJ and 4JJ as highly resistant genetic stock. These genetic stocks may be used to introgression novel stripe rust and Karnal bunt resistance from the tertiary gene pool into susceptible wheat backgrounds.

Salinity is a major abiotic stress affecting agricultural productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Environmental conditions play a critical role in shaping plant responses to salinity stress, potentially alleviating or intensifying its adverse effects. This study evaluated the impact of different environmental conditions and salinity levels on key morpho-physiological and yield traits of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.). The experiment was conducted using a two-factorial completely randomized design (CRD) with four environments—Net house, Greenhouse with white LED, Greenhouse with red LED, and Open Field (control)—and four salinity treatments with electrical conductivity (EC) levels of 2, 3, 4, and 5 dS/m (denoted as S1, S2, S3, and S4, respectively). Eighteen parameters were measured, including plant height, chlorophyll content, NDVI, fruit weight, and fruit yield. Overall, increasing salinity reduced plant growth, pigment content, and yield, whereas controlled environments—especially greenhouses with supplemental lighting—significantly improved performance compared to the open field. ANOVA indicated significant effects (p ≤ 0.01) of both salinity and environment on most traits. The highest fruit weight (400.25 g/plant) and yield (1.345 kg/plant) were obtained in the Net house at S1, while the lowest (241 g/plant and 0.988 kg/plant) occurred in the Open Field at S4. Plant height followed a similar trend, with the tallest plants (73.66 cm) recorded in the Net house at S1 and the shortest (57.79 cm) in the Open Field at S4. Chlorophyll content (SPAD) and NDVI decreased with higher salinity, while total chlorophyll content peaked in the Greenhouse with red LED (2.71 mg/g) and reached its lowest at S4 (1.51 mg/g). These results highlight that optimized environmental management, particularly in controlled conditions, can substantially alleviate the negative effects of salinity stress on eggplant growth and productivity.