Agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Biochar has been recommended as a potential strategy to mitigate GHG emissions and improve soil fertility and crop productivity. However, few studies have investigated the potential of biochar co-compost (BCC) in relation to soil properties, rice productivity, and GHG emissions. Therefore, we examined the potential of BC, compost (CP), and BCC in terms of environmental and agronomic benefits. The study comprised four different treatments: control, biochar, compost, and biochar co-compost. The application of all of the treatments increased the soil pH; however, BC and BCC remained the top performers. The addition of BC and BBC also limited the ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) availability and increased soil organic carbon (SOC), which limited the GHG emissions. Biochar co-compost resulted in fewer carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, while BC resulted in fewer methane (CH₄) emissions, which was comparable with BCC. Moreover, BC caused a marked reduction in nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions that was comparable to BCC. This reduction was attributed to increased soil pH, nosZ, and nirK abundance and a reduction in ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) abundance. The application of different amendments, particularly BCC, favored rice growth and productivity by increasing nutrient availability, soil carbon, and enzymatic activities. Lastly, BCC and BC also increased the abundance and diversity of soil bacteria, which favored plant growth and caused a reduction in GHG emissions. Our results suggest that BCC could be an important practice to recycle organic sources while optimizing climate change and crop productivity.

Soil flooding is a serious abiotic stress that can repress plant growth and yield. The intensity of flooding stress is continuously increasing owing to rapid climate change and changes in rain intensity and frequency. Biochar (BC) emerges as an important soil amendment to mitigate adverse impacts of abiotic stress. The role of BC against different stresses is well reported, however, its role under flooding stress is not determined yet. Thus, this experiment was conducted to determine the role of BC on the performance of brassica crops under flooding stress. The experiment was comprised of well-watered (WW) and flooding stress (FS) conditions and biochar application: control, 1% biochar, and 2.5% biochar. The results indicated that flooding stress stunted the plant growth and impaired the photosynthetic pigments, leaf water status, osmolytes yield and yield traits, and oil concentration and increased the electrolyte leakage (EL), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration. The application of BC at the rate of 2.5% mitigated the adverse impacts of salinity and upgraded the antioxidant activities (~50-120%), reduced the oxidative stress markets (~70-300%), and increased the leaf water status, photosynthetic pigments, osmolyte accumulation, nutrient uptake, yield traits, and oil contents. In conclusion, BC application can improve the productivity and oil yield of brassica under drought stress by improving plant physiological and biochemical functioning. However, more in depth studies are direly needed to explore the mechanism of BC to induce flood tolerance.

Background: Basic life support is the ultimate first-line treatment given to save the lives of persons who have a circulatory arrest or cardiopulmonary arrest, a cerebrovascular accident, or choking or abrupt blockage of the airways. Objective: To determine adult basic life support knowledge and awareness among undergraduate (Medical and Non-medical) students of different universities of Punjab. Materials and Methods: The study design was cross-sectional. Study period was six months, from April 2022 to September 2022. By using convenient sampling technique, 1500 participants were recruited from various universities of Punjab. Inclusion criteria of the study were undergraduate medical and non-medical students of age between 18 to 26 years. Modified BLS Questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analyzed by version 20 of SPSS. Results: Out of 1500 students, 55.2% were males and 44.8% were females. Chi-square test between BLS awareness & knowledge and subject specialty showed statistically significant association with p value of 0.008. Chi-square test between gender and BLS awareness & knowledge showed no statistical significant association with p value 0.052. Conclusion: The study concluded that while there is a significant association between students’ knowledge & awareness of Basic Life Support (BLS) and their subject specialty, gender does not influence BLS knowledge levels. BLS awareness programs should be regularly conducted across various academic specializations to boost students’ knowledge and preparedness for emergency situations. Key Words: Basic life support; BLS; Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Emergency; Punjab

The recent study aimed to determine whether the use of fulvic acid can enhance the inhibitory effects of arsenic stress on the growth and physiology of wheat, thereby inducing arsenic tolerance in wheat. One specific variety of wheat, known as Lasani wheat (Triticum aestivum L), was obtained from the Ayyub Agricultural Research Institute in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Seeds of this variety were planted in jars filled with sandy loamy soil (dimensions: 25 cm in height, circumference of 20 cm at the top, and 16 cm at the bottom). The research was conducted using a completely randomized design with three replicates. At the vegetative stage, wheat plants were subjected to one level of arsenic (3 mM) along with a control group. After 15 days of arsenic treatment, a foliar spray of fulvic acid (1.5 mM) was applied to the plants. Some plants received no spray, while others were sprayed with water. Tissue samples were collected after 21 days of treatment to assess growth, physiological, and biochemical characteristics. The results clearly showed that arsenic stress significantly affected the growth and physiochemical traits of wheat. Foliar application of fulvic acid increased various growth factors, such as root and shoot length, fresh and dry weight, and leaf area in wheat. Furthermore, fulvic acid enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including POD, SOD, APX, and CAT. It also increased the levels of total soluble protein, chlorophyll, proline, and total amino acids under arsenic stress. Malondialdehyde and H2O2 levels increased under arsenic stress, but a foliar spray of fulvic acid mitigated the oxidative stress. All experimental data were analyzed using the software COSTAT through analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures.