Crop wastes could be applied in conjunction with synthetic fertilizers to satisfy crop nutritional needs and enhance soil fertility. A field experiment was carried out during winter 2019–2020 at the AMK Research Farm (Palatoo) Mardan, KPK (Pakistan) to investigate the combined effect of phosphorous (PS) and organic sources (OSs) on wheat productivity under different irrigation regimes. The experimental factors were: two irrigation regimes (limited and full irrigation), three inorganic sources of phosphorus (triple super phosphate (TSP), single super phosphate (SSP) and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP)) applied at 90 kg ha⁻¹, and three organic amendments (farmyard manure (FYM), mung bean residue (MBR), and canola residue (CR)) applied at a rate of 10 t ha⁻¹. A control plot (no phosphorus or organic supply) was included. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications was adopted. Among the fertilization strategies, SSP + FYM outperformed all other P fertilizers combined with legume or nonlegume residues in terms of grains per spike⁻¹ (52), thousand-grain weight (41.6 g), biological yield (9.7 t ha⁻¹), and grain yield (4 t ha⁻¹). Under full irrigation, improved yield, yield components, and profits were obtained compared to the limited irrigation regime. Three clusters were obtained after applying an Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) conferred the positive effects of inorganic P with FYM on the wheat yield and its related parameters. This study indicated that the productivity of wheat under the SSP + FYM fertilization strategy was found to be more economical with respect to the benefit–cost ratio (BCR). The combined application of SSP + FYM was more profitable in terms of a higher BCR (3.25) than other treatments under the full irrigation regime.

Enhancing cereal crop production to feed the largely growing population is an important approach towards maintaining food security. Fertilizer management is the major component of crop production requiring special attention for sustainable application. Integrated nutrient management (INM) is an evolving idea, which appears to contribute to sustainable nutrient management. A field study was designed to see the impact of INM on a maize–wheat cropping system during winter (wheat) and summer (maize) season at Agronomic Research Farm, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan. Both wheat and maize crops were grown consecutively along with full inorganic fertilizer (NPK) as well as with partial dose of fertilizer (25%, 50%, 75% NPK) supplemented with or without the addition of biochar (5 ton/ha). Data were collected regarding crop growth, yield and quality and further analyzed using MSTAT-C statistics software. Results revealed that the INM approach (75% of NPK + Biochar) enabled crops to improve dry matter production and its translocation towards sink which in turn boosted the crop productivity. This treatment improved dry matter (19%, 57%), grain weight (44%, 54%), grain yield (60%, 63%) and harvest index (30%, 29%) over the control in maize and wheat crops. It also improved the nutrient uptake in the plants which in turn improved the nutrient contents in the grains. Similarly, crops recorded higher system productivity (USD 790, USD 830) in both years and were found to be economically sustainable under INM. It was concluded that an INM strategy (75% of NPK + Biochar) can improve the productivity and sustainability of a maize–wheat cropping system to maintain the food security.

Mitral valve pathology in rheumatic heart disease patients is a common cause of secondary pulmonary hypertension (PH). Our aim was to evaluate pulmonary hypertension severity as a predictor of in-hospital mortality and early complications following mitral valve replacement. A retrospective review of rheumatic heart disease patients who underwent mitral valve replacement between January 2017 and August 2020 was performed. Systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) was used to classify patients as no PH (60 mmHg). Patients subjected to additional cardiac procedures (such as aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting) were excluded from the study sample. The study group was composed of 159 patients (mean age: 40; 73 male, 86 female) categorized as no PH (n = 32; 20.1%), mild PH (n = 14; 8.8%), moderate PH (n = 65, 40.9%) and severe PH (n = 48, 30.2%) groups. Patient demographic data and preoperative comorbidities were comparable among the four groups. Use of intraoperative and postoperative blood products was similar in all the groups. Severe PH patients had similar in-hospital mortality (4.2%; p = 0.74) as in groups with lesser degrees of pulmonary hypertension. Likewise, increasing severity of pulmonary hypertension did not confer any significant increase in early postoperative complications, namely prolonged ICU stay (10.4%; p = 0.41), prolonged ventilation (2.1%; p = 0.70), reintubation (4.2%; p = 0.90), reopening for bleeding tamponade (6.3%; p = 0.39), new-onset renal failure (6.3%; p = 0.91), postoperative stroke (4.2%; p = 0.52) or prolonged length of stay (mean: 5.6 + 2.8 days; p = 0.49). Increasing severity of pulmonary hypertension does not appear to have a significant impact on in-hospital mortality or early postoperative outcomes of patients undergoing mitral valve replacement.

Weed infestation is among the main factors which decrease cotton yield. Allelopathy has been well-documented as a phenomenon offering natural weed control in agro-ecosystems. An experiment was conducted to figure out the herbicidal potential of a mixture of sorghum and brassica water extracts (SBWE) against weeds in cotton. Combinations of SBWE each at 16 L ha-1 were sprayed alone and in combination in a tank mixed with and ¼ doses of both pendimethalin (0.625 and 0.416 kg a.i. ha-1) and S-metolachlor (1.075 and 0.716 kg a.i. ha-1). Recommended doses of pendimethalin (1.25 kg a.i. ha-1) and S-metolachlor (2.15 kg a.i. ha-1) were also sprayed for comparison. As control, a weedy check treatment where nothing was sprayed was also included in the experiment. Lower doses () of both herbicides in combination with SBWE gave approximately the same level of weed reduction and crop improvement as given by the recommended doses of herbicides. Furthermore, economic and marginal analysis showed that maximum net benefits were obtained in using allelopathic water extracts alone and in combination with lower rates of commercial herbicides. Thus, in conclusion, allelopathy can be employed for weed management and yield maximization in modern agriculture.

A higher sterility percentage is a common characteristic in the rice crop nowadays due to soil moisture and elevated temperature stress. We hypothesised that an improved auxin level during the reproductive stage may overcome this issue in common rice cultivars. Various rice cultivars were grown in pots, and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) was applied as a source of auxin with a variable concentration (0 (N0), 20 (N1), 30 (N2), 40 (N3), and 50 (N4) µmol L-1) at the reproductive stage. The results revealed that all the levels of NAA improved crop productivity in all the cultivars, while its higher level (40 µmol L-1), i.e. N3 along with cultivar V2 (Punjab Basmati) gave supreme results. The NAA application elevated the auxin level in the plants and improved the content of antioxidants to overcome the oxidative stress in the rice crop. The improved physiological mechanism resulted in higher crop productivity in terms of grain weight, grain yield, and harvest index under the aforementioned treatment combination. Moreover, it improved the quality of rice grains, and a very low sterility percentage was recorded in the treatment with the NAA application. It was also reported that grain quality was also maintained even after cooking. Therefore, the foliar application of NAA at the reproductive stage may be a useful strategy for improving rice growth, morpho-physiological characteristics, grain yield, and quality attributes.

Aim: To determine the risk factors associated with early knee osteoarthritis in patients presented to tertiary care hospital. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 120 patients presenting with early knee osteoarthritis at Sialkot Medical College Sialkot Pakistan from November, 2022 to April, 2023. We assessed the risk factors associated with early knee osteoarthritis. Results: Mean age recorded was 50.80±8.94 years. Majority of the patients were females. About 30% of the patients were house wives while 53.3% were office employees and 16.7% were laborers. About 20% patients had normal BMI while 35% overweight and 45% obese. About 60% patients were diabetic and 69.2% patients had vitamin D deficiency. Conclusion: Profession, obesity, diabetes and vitamin D deficiency are leading risk factors with early knee osteoarthritis in patients.