This study contributes to the current ethnomedicinal knowledge of the Swat Valley, Pakistan. District Swat possesses remarkable biodiversity owing to its varied topographical and climatic conditions, prompting a distinct human-plant association. Our hypothesis is that the presence of such a great biodiversity has shaped into a formal ethnobotanical culture in the area transmitted through generations. We suspect that the versatility of some plant species has greater influence on the culture. Therefore, the prime objective of the study is to understand this unique human-plant relationship in the valley and to create scientific roots for the selection and practice of herbs in the ethnobotanical domain of the district. Primary data were collected using questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with the locals. The data collected were used for calculating some important indices, i.e. relative frequency of citation (RFC), participant agreement ratio (PAR), frequency of citation (FC), Smith’s Salience Index (SI), Relative Importance Index (RII), Cultural Value Index (CVI) and a newly proposed, Ali’s Conservation Priority Index (CPI). Index scores were used as key identifier of the ethnobotanically important plants of the area. Residents of the Swat Valley have listed plant uses in 15 use categories. Around 9% of the respondents have a common consensus on the selection and use of plants for the treatment of evil eye with similar results for body cuts (8.2%) followed by psychological/neural ailments (8.0%). Respondents agree that Berberis lyceum Royle. dominates in all five indices. Skimmia laureola Franch. also constitutes one of the central plants of the ethnobotanical domain, ranking second in the SI, fifth in the RII, seventh in CVI, and third in the Cultural Importance Index. It holds the thirty-fifth position in the CPI. Over 80% of the population treat different diseases with herbal remedies. In the common ethnobotanical domain of the area, plants like Mentha longifolia L., Berberis lyceum, and Skimmia laureola are very important and have high salience and importance values, thus suggesting these plants are versatile for their uses in the study area. In conclusion, only some plant species are prioritised for their use in the ethnobotanical domain of the community. Medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) usage is widespread in the Swat Valley. The ethnobotanical knowledge could be used as a tool to understand the adaptability of a specific taxon in the area and the possible conservation risk to their existence.

The usage of novel Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) as bioinoculant is a good opportunity for ecological farming practices to improve soil condition, quality of grain, crops’ yield and biodiversity conservation. The purpose of recent research was focused to examine, isolate and characterize PGP bacteria that colonize the rhizosphere for the duration of the maize plant's seedling. For this purpose, 14 samples of soils and roots in the maize rhizosphere were collected from rock phosphate area of Hazara, Pakistan. Forty morphologically natural bacterial colonies have been extracted and tested for their PGP innovations and biocontrol residences and further recognized as plant production advancing rhizobacteria. To find the effective PGPR strains with numerous activities, an aggregate of 150 bacterial colonies were sequestered from different rhizospheric soils of the Hazara Pakistan rock phosphate area. These tested bacterial strains were subjected to biochemical description and in vitro screening for their plant growth-promoting qualities like generation of indole acetic acid (IAA), alkali (NH3), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), siderophores, catalases, proteases and pectinases. All the isolates of rhizobacteria showed IAA producing capacity, as well as found positive for catalase and HCN. The above results suggested that, in addition to biocontrol marketers, PGPR could be used as biofertilizers to substitute agro-chemicals in order to increase crop production. These microorganisms can therefore be further developed and used for greenhouse and discipline packages.

Reasonable application of nitrogen fertilizer can improve the yield and quality of tea. This study used Jin Xuan as the tested variety and applied nitrogen fertilizer at rates of 0 kg/ha (N0), 150 kg/ha (N150), 300 kg/ha (N300), and 450 kg/ha (N450) in the summer and autumn seasons to analyze the effects of nitrogen application on the quality components and gene expression of tea leaves. The results showed that the N150 treatment significantly increased total polyphenols (TP), total catechins (TC), and caffeine contents, with the most significant increase observed in the content of six monomers of catechins (EGCG, ECG, EGC, GCG, GC, and EC) in the summer. The N300 treatment significantly increased TP and AA contents in the autumn while decreasing TC content. Additionally, the N300 treatment significantly increased caffeine and theanine contents in the autumn. Notably, the N300 treatment significantly increased both summer and autumn tea yields. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that TPs, AAs, TCs, EGC, and caffeine were key factors affecting the quality of Jin Xuan. Furthermore, the N150 treatment upregulated the expression of the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) gene, which may increase the accumulation of catechins. In conclusion, it is recommended to apply 150 kg/ha of nitrogen fertilizer in the summer and 300 kg/ha of nitrogen fertilizer in the autumn. This recommendation provides a theoretical basis for improving the quality and yield of tea leaves in summer and autumn.

Protection of agricultural crops from pests and diseases is very important to fulfill the needs of growing population. For this purpose, different types of chemicals are used which leads to the accumulation of toxic organic and inorganic compounds in agricultural cycle particularly in economically important fruits and vegetables. Pesticide residue analysis is fundamentally important to ensure the safety of foods, plant and animal origin, and to preserve the environment. It is therefore crucial to monitor fruits and vegetables for pesticide residues using available advanced analytical techniques. The current study was assigned to investigate pesticide residues in peach fruit. We selected six peach cultivars (Early Grand, Florida King, NJC (05), Elberta (06), Maria Delezia, and Indian blood) from four different locations of district Swat. The sampled fruit varieties were then analysed for pesticide residues using gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Results showed that Early Grand variety had pesticide residues with highest concentration of Cypermethrin (16.7±1.38 μg kg-1) followed by Pyridaben (7.425±0.11μg kg-1). In Florida King, the highest c oncentration of Endosulfan (32.78±0.9 μg kg-1) is detected followed by Metachlore (17.36±0.44 μg kg-1). In variety NJC and Elberta, Pyredaben, Propachlor, Carbofuran, Cypermethrine, Endosulfan, and Cyhalothrine compound were found. In both varieties, Endosulfan was in the highest concentration (21.27±1.20 μg kg-1and 67.94±4.61 μg kg-1respectively). As these two varieties had close harvesting time, both varieties showed a similar pattern of pesticide residues. In variety Maria, Difenaconazole was found in the highest concentration (187.51μg kg-1) while the Indian blood variety difenaconazole was noted with the highest concentration (88.60±8.9 μg kg-1). The Chloropyrifos was not detected in any variety and the possible reason may be, it is applied at flowering stage before fruit initiation. Although all cultivars at different locations had pesticide residues, however it cannot be considered a serious public health problem because compounds and their residual levels were below critical concentration as defined by European Union regulations. Furthermore, judicious use of pesticides in fruit and vegetable would certainly ensure their minimal exposure in products.

Soil chemical properties and soil microbial communities are the key factors affecting the content of tea. The mechanism by which altitude changes soil’s chemical properties and microbial community structure to affect tea content is unclear. This study was conducted on a typical tea plantation in the Fenghuang Mountains of Chaozhou, China. It systematically revealed the relationship between soil chemical properties and microbial communities with tea quality components between different altitudes (396 m/517 m/623 m). We discovered that soil pH and soil Catalase activity appeared to decrease and then increase with altitude, and soil SOM content and soil Acid Phosphatase activity were significantly higher at mid-altitude. Soil TP and TK content were lowest at high altitudes (0.20 mg/kg, 5.98 mg/kg). Non-significant differences were found in the spatial composition of microbial communities at different altitudes. The abundance of fungi (Sobol index) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) at low altitudes than in other altitude groups. Redundancy analysis indicated that soil pH and TP are drivers of changes in bacterial community structure. The abundance of Fibrobacteres, a key functional group of bacteria, showed a decreasing trend with increasing altitude, and Stachybotrys (fungi) likewise had the lowest abundance at high altitude (p < 0.05). The catechin, theanine, and caffeine content of tea leaves accumulated the least at high altitude (12.91%, 0.39%, 2.88%). Fibrobacteres and Stachybotrys, as well as soil TK and TP content, were strongly associated with the accumulation of major contents in tea leaves. Meanwhile, fungal abundance was significantly and positively correlated with theanine (p < 0.05). This study enhances our understanding of soil chemical property–soil microbial community–tea tree interactions. By exploring the differences in soil key nutrient content and the abundance of functional flora driving tea quality at different altitudes, it provides a basis for the precise microecological management of tea gardens.