40 research outputs found
Hydraulic simulations to evaluate and predict design and operation of the Chashma Right Bank Canal
No full textIrrigation systems / Irrigation canals / Flow control / Velocity / Canal regulation techniques / Hydraulics / Simulation models / Design / Operations / Crop-based irrigation / Distributary canals / Water delivery / Policy / Protective irrigation / Water allocation / Water requirements / Sedimentation / Water distribution / Equity / Water conveyance / Pakistan / Chashma Right Bank Canal
Nano-Biochar Suspension Mediated Alterations in Yield and Juice Quality of Kinnow (Citrus reticulata L.)
No full textNutrient deficiency negatively affects the yield and quality of citrus fruit. The present experiment was carried out to investigate the improvement in fruit yield and juice quality of Kinnow (Citrus reticulata L.) by foliar application of nano-biochar suspension (NBS). The experiment was carried out in a citrus farmer’s orchard with a history of low fruit yield, using a randomized complete block design. Four NBS treatments, i.e., 0% (control), 1, 3, and 5%, were applied through foliar application at the flowering stage. Foliar application of NBS at 5% and 3% significantly (p < 0.05) improved flowering, fruit retention, fruit set, fruit size, length, weight, diameter, juice volume levels, and minimized fruit dropping. The electrical conductivity of the juice was significantly decreased by increases in NBS concentration. Total dissolved solids increased slightly with treatments as compared to control. However, NBS foliar application did not show significant effects on nitrogen (N), potassium (K), and sodium (Na) leaf contents, but had some effect on phosphorus (P) content. Principal component analysis and a correlation matrix revealed significant (p < 0.05) positive and negative associations among the studied traits. The results of the current experiment showed that all parameters were significantly improved with the application of NBS at 3 and 5%, except that N, K, and Na levels were unaffected. The most encouraging results were achieved at a concentration of 5% NBS. In conclusions, the foliar application of NBS had a significant positive impact on fruit yield and juice quality
Nano-Biochar Suspension Mediated Alterations in Growth, Physio-Biochemical Activities and Nutrient Content in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at the Vegetative Stage
No full textNano-biochar is a source of blackish carbonaceous material, a prerequisite for sustainable crop productivity. By using a variety of feedstock materials, nanobiochar synthesis can be employed via pyrolysis. Therefore, a project was initiated to explore the morpho-physio-biochemical alteration at the vegetative stage of wheat crops after the foliar application of nanobiochar suspension (NBS). This investigation was conducted at the Botanical Research Area of the University of Lahore in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) arrangement, with four treatments (0, 1, 3, and 5% NBS) by maintaining three replications for each treatment using the wheat variety “Zincol”. Nano biochar suspension in above mentioned concentrations were foliarly applied at the end of tillering/beginning of leaf sheath elongation of wheat seedlings to assess the morphological changes (root length, shoot length, number of leaves, fresh biomass/plant, dry biomass/plant), physio-biochemical alterations (total free amino acids, total sugars, chlorophyll content, protein, phenols, flavonoids), and nutrient uptake (Na, K, Ca, Mg, N, P contents. Our findings indicate that the foliar application of 3% NBS yielded the most favorable results across all measured attributes. Furthermore, Treatment-4 (5% NBS) specifically improved certain traits, including leaf area, total soluble proteins, and leaf calcium content. Finally, all NBS resulted in a decrease in carotenoid and sodium content in wheat seedlings
Effect of foliar application of potassium on wheat tolerance to salt stress.
No full textSalinity stress severely hampers wheat productivity by impairing growth, photosynthesis, and metabolic balance. Potassium nutrition, however, can mitigate these effects by supporting physiological and biochemical stability. This study assessed the impact of foliar potassium application (0, 200 and 400 ppm) on two wheat cultivars, Galaxy-13 and Uqab-2000, exposed to normal (0 mM NaCl) and saline conditions (100 and 150 mM NaCl, respectively). Salinity significantly reduced root and shoot growth, biomass, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, and stomatal conductance. Potassium supplementation, particularly at 400 ppm, alleviated these reductions, with Galaxy-13 showing a 32.01% increase in shoot length and a 45.11% increase in shoot dry weight compared to Uqab-2000. Biochemical analyses revealed that Galaxy-13 sustained higher nitrate and nitrite reductase activities (6.23 and 3.63 μmol NO2 g-1 FW h-1, respectively) and total soluble proteins (10.1 mg g-1 FW), whereas Uqab-2000 accumulated more soluble sugars and free amino acids under stress (9.8 and 19.8 mg g-1 FW, respectively). Oxidative stress indicators (malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide) rose under salinity, but potassium reduced their levels, with Galaxy-13 exhibiting stronger antioxidant regulation. Nutrient profiling further demonstrated that Galaxy-13 maintained higher N, P, and K contents and minimized Na uptake, unlike Uqab-2000, which showed severe ionic imbalance. Multivariate analyses (PCA, heatmap, and correlation) highlighted strong positive associations of potassium, especially K400, with biomass accumulation, photosynthetic efficiency, and nutrient homeostasis. The findings establish that Galaxy-13 possesses superior salinity tolerance and responds more favorably to potassium nutrition. This study provides novel evidence that cultivar-specific potassium management can enhance wheat resilience in saline environments, offering a practical strategy for sustaining yield under stress
Lead Toxicity-Mediated Growth and Metabolic Alterations at Early Seedling Stages of Maize (Zea mays L.)
No full textTo investigate the toxic effects of lead (Pb) on key metabolic activities essential for proper germination and seedling growth of maize seeds, experiments were carried out with different levels of Pb (0 to 120 mg of Pb L−1 as PbCl2) applied through growth medium to two maize hybrids H-3310S and H-6724. The research findings indicated that growth and metabolic activities were adversely affected by increased Pb contamination in growth medium; however, a slow increase in these parameters was recorded with increasing time from 0 to 120 h. Protease activity decreased with an increase in the level of Pb contamination but increased with time; consequently, a reduction in seed proteins and an increase in total free amino acids were observed with time. Similarly, α-amylase activity decreased with an increase in Pb concentration in growth medium while it increased with increasing time from 0 to 120 h; consequently, reducing and non-reducing sugars increased with time but decreased with exposure to lead. The roots of both maize hybrids had higher Pb contents than those of the shoot, which decreased the uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. All these nutrients are essential for optimal plant growth; therefore, the reduction in growth and biomass of maize seedlings could be due to Pb toxicity that altered metabolic processes, as sugar and amino acids are necessary for the synthesis of metabolic compounds, rapid cell division, and proper functioning of enzymes in the growing embryo, but all were dramatically reduced due to suppression of protease and α-amylase by toxicity of Pb. In general, hybrid H-3310S performed better in Pb-contaminated growth medium than H-6724
Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Induced Growth and Physio-Biochemical Changes in Maize (Zea mays L.) in Saline Soil
No full textResearch on nanoparticles (NPs) is gaining great attention in modulating abiotic stress tolerance and improving crop productivity. Therefore, this investigation was carried out to evaluate the effects of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) on growth and biochemical characteristics in two maize hybrids (YH-5427 and FH-1046) grown under normal conditions or subjected to saline
stress. A pot-culture experiment was carried out in the Botanical Research Area of “the University of Lahore”, Lahore, Pakistan, in a completely randomized design. At two phenological stages, both maize hybrids were irrigated with the same amount of distilled water or NaCl solution (EC = 5 dS m−1) and subjected or not to foliar treatment with a suspension of CuO-NPs. The salt stress significantly reduced the photosynthetic parameters (photosynthetic rate, transpiration, stomatal conductance), while the sodium content in the shoot and root increased. The foliar spray with CuO-NPs improved the growth and photosynthetic attributes, along with the N, P, K, Ca, and Mg content in the roots and shoots. However, the maize hybrid YH-5427 responded better than the other hybrid to the saline stress when sprayed with CuO-NPs. Overall, the findings of the current investigation demonstrated that CuO-NPs can help to reduce the adverse effects of salinity stress on maize plants by improving growth and physio-biochemical attributes
Travelogue "Butterfly Rays and Tornadoes" Intellectual Review
No full textTravel is part of human nature. He wants to get acquainted with the culture and way of life of
the place where he is traveling. The First travelogue is “Ajaibat e Farang” the author of which
is Yousaf Hussain Kambal posh. After him Sir Syed Ahmed khan, Allama Shibli Noumani and
Muhammad Hussain Azad also wrote travelogues. The twinth century remained popolur
because of travel. Travelogues of Shafiq ur Rehman, Ibn e Insha and Begum Akhtar Riaz ud
Din came to light during this period. Women travelogues Sheen Farukh, Bushra Rehman and
Parveen Atif. Parveen Atif wrote two Urdu travelogues “Kiran Titli Or Bagoly” and “Taper
Wasni”.Her travelogues are beautiful gift in intellectual terms.
 
PV System Information Enhancement and Better Control of Power Systems.
No full textabstract: Due to the rapid penetration of solar power systems in residential areas, there has
been a dramatic increase in bidirectional power flow. Such a phenomenon of bidirectional
power flow creates a need to know where Photovoltaic (PV) systems are
located, what their quantity is, and how much they generate. However, significant
challenges exist for accurate solar panel detection, capacity quantification,
and generation estimation by employing existing methods, because of the limited
labeled ground truth and relatively poor performance for direct supervised learning.
To mitigate these issue, this thesis revolutionizes key learning concepts to (1)
largely increase the volume of training data set and expand the labelled data set by
creating highly realistic solar panel images, (2) boost detection and quantification
learning through physical knowledge and (3) greatly enhance the generation estimation
capability by utilizing effective features and neighboring generation patterns.
These techniques not only reshape the machine learning methods in the GIS
domain but also provides a highly accurate solution to gain a better understanding
of distribution networks with high PV penetration. The numerical
validation and performance evaluation establishes the high accuracy and scalability
of the proposed methodologies on the existing solar power systems in the
Southwest region of the United States of America. The distribution and transmission
networks both have primitive control methodologies, but now is the high time
to work out intelligent control schemes based on reinforcement learning and show
that they can not only perform well but also have the ability to adapt to the changing
environments. This thesis proposes a sequence task-based learning method to
create an agent that can learn to come up with the best action set that can overcome
the issues of transient over-voltage.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Electrical Engineering 201
Effects of working capital management on firm performance: Evidence from the EFQM certified firms
No full textThe main aim of the current study is to explore the relationship between working capital (WC) and firm performance. We chose a sample of 326 Czech firms, including 20 certified firms from the EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) Excellence Model from the Albertina database. The sample of the Czech firms was taken from three sectors: manufacturing, automobile, and construction. We employed a two-step system generalized method of moment (GMM) technique to determine the results. The study results revealed a negative impact of WC on firm performance; moreover, the firms having a quality certificate from the EFQM Excellence Model perform better. The findings of previous research, which were held globally, and the current study results will encourage the directors, managers, and leaders of the Czech firms to participate in the quality award. © 2021 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.Internal Grant Agency (IGA) of Tomas Bata University in Zlin, the Czech Republic [IGA/FAME/2021/008, IGA/FAME/2021/014]Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlíně: IGA/FAME/2021/008, IGA/FAME/2021/01
Enhancing Fruit Retention and Juice Quality in ‘Kinnow’ (Citrus reticulata) Through the Combined Foliar Application of Potassium, Zinc, and Plant Growth Regulators
No full textImproving fruit quality and reducing pre-harvest fruit drop are critical goals for Citrus reticulata production in Pakistan, where climatic and nutritional challenges affect yield and juice quality. This study evaluated the combined effects of plant growth regulators (salicylic acid and indole acetic acid) and nutrients (potassium and zinc) on fruit drop and juice volume in Citrus reticulata L. Field trials were conducted at three locations in Punjab, Pakistan (Layyah, Faisalabad, and Sargodha) using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five replications per treatment. Nutrients (K and Zn at 100 mg/L each) and growth regulators (SA at 100 mg/L and IAA at 5 mg/L) were applied individually or in combination at three growth stages. Statistical analyses, including PCA, ANOVA, and GGE biplot, were used to identify the most effective treatments for improving fruit juice quality and reducing fruit drop. The combined foliar application of SA + K + Zn was the most effective across all parameters, except fruit drop, juice citric acid contents, and juice pH, which were negatively affected. The highest juice potassium content was observed with K application. The PCA and GGE biplot analysis indicated that the Sargodha orchard performed best, with the SA + K treatment being the most effective there, while SA + K + Zn showed the best results at Layyah and Faisalabad for reducing fruit drop, enhancing juice volume, and improving fruit quality. However, individual fruit, juice, and juice nutrient contents traits analyses revealed that the most significant improvements in fruit and juice quality were observed at the Sargodha site instead of Layyah and Faisalabad. The treatment SA + K + Zn proved to be the most stable and consistent in enhancing citrus fruit and juice quality across all three selected locations. The findings suggest that adopting the SA + K + Zn treatment could be a practical approach for citrus farmers aiming to enhance crop yield and fruit quality, thereby supporting agricultural productivity and export potential in Pakistan
