Journal of Plant Production and Sustainability

Assessment of growth and yield traits under irrigated and rainfed environments for genotypes selection in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

2025-10-14T05:19:57+00:00

Barley is increasingly valued as a climate-resilient cereal crop, especially in regions like Pakistan where wheat production cannot meet rising food demands. Despite its potential, barley cultivation in the country has declined due to limited research and investment in high-yielding, stress-tolerant varieties. This study aimed to evaluate the growth and yield performance of different barley (Hordeum vulgare) genotypes under rainfed and irrigated conditions to identify promising lines for cultivation in variable environments. In this study, twelve barley genotypes were evaluated across two consecutive cropping seasons (2019–20 and 2020–21) under rainfed and irrigated conditions. The experiment followed a split-plot design arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Irrigation regimes were assigned to main plots and applied at critical growth stages under irrigated conditions, while subplots represented different treatments, including rainfed plots that relied solely on natural rainfall. The findings of this study indicate that germination remained high across both environments. Under irrigated conditions, the average germination percentage was 95.9%, while under rainfed conditions, it slightly increased to 96.4%. Genotypes such as Sultan-17 (97% under both conditions), Rakhshan-10 (97% irrigated, 98 % rainfed), and JAU-21 (97% under both conditions) consistently exhibited strong germination and early vigor across both environments. Days to heading (101 days) were earlier under rainfed conditions, indicating drought-induced earliness, with Bajwar-2000 and MPT-V2 emerging as early heading genotypes. Maturity duration (149 days) remained stable across both environments. Drought stress led to reductions in plant height, spike length, biomass, and grain yield. However, certain genotypes, especially Rakhshan-10, Sultan-17, and Bajwar-2000, maintained superior performance under both moisture regimes. JAU-21 recorded the highest grain yield (5680 kg ha^-1) under normal irrigation, while Bajwar-2000 showed the highest yield (4932 kg ha^-1) under rainfed conditions. These findings highlight genotypic variation in drought tolerance and suggest the potential of specific lines for cultivation in water-limited environments. © 2025 The Author(s)

Co-expression of ZmVPP1, ZmNAC111, and ZmTIP1 confers enhanced drought tolerance in maize (Zea mays)

2025-10-14T05:55:15+00:00

Maize plants are adversely affected by abiotic stresses, among which drought is one of the most challenging hazards to production. Abiotic stress significantly affects plant development and production, necessitating the identification of stress-responsive genes for crop improvement. In the current study, drought stress was applied on maize cultivar C. Pak and we analyzed their effects on their phytohormones as compared to control. Their results illustrated that significant variations in Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), Abscisic acid (ABA), and Salicylic acid (SA) levels among the studied treatments were achieved as compared to control. Moreover, we also checked the expression pattern of the targeted 3 genes in maize under stress conditions through semi quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) in roots and shoots. The expression patterns of ZmVPP1, ZmNAC111 and ZmTIP1 in maize roots and shoots were upregulated as compared to control. The expression of ZmNAC111 was higher in both root and shoot in maize as compared to ZmVPP1 and ZmTIP1, respectively. These findings highlight the differential roles of ZmVPP1, ZmNAC111, and ZmTIP1 in drought stress tolerance, with particular emphasis on ZmNAC111, providing valuable insights into their potential applications in maize breeding for enhanced drought resilience. © 2025 The Author(s)

Deciphering the role of socio-economic factors and agronomic practices on wheat production in Shujaabad, Multan, Pakistan

2025-10-14T06:04:38+00:00

Wheat productivity in Shujaabad remains suboptimal, largely due to a complex interplay of socio-economic constraints, inconsistent agronomic practices, and limited access to agricultural information and resources. To address this issue, the present study investigates the influence of farmers’ socio-economic characteristics, agronomic practices, and information sources on wheat production in Shujaabad, Multan, Pakistan. The data were collected from 250 wheat farmers using a multistage sampling technique. The results indicated that 72.8 % of the farmers were landowners, 44.8 % had landholdings of 6–10 acres, and 67.6 % lacked access to personal tube wells. Education level, income, farming experience, credit access, and tractor ownership were significantly associated with wheat yield (p < 0.05). For example, 50.6 % of farmers with primary education and 51 % with middle-level education achieved high wheat yields (>1600 kg/acre), while only 25.7 % of illiterate farmers reached this level. Similarly, 66.7 % of tractor owners achieved high yields compared to 38.9 % of non-owners. The most adopted agronomic practices were the use of recommended seed rate (mean score = 4.66), proper soil preparation (mean = 3.77), and irrigation scheduling (mean = 3.70). The most cited sources of agricultural information were electronic media (56.8 %), fellow farmers and early adopters (47.2 %), and private agro-based companies (41.2 %). Key constraints to wheat production included low income (ranked 1^st), lack of technical knowledge (2^nd), and unavailability of quality seed (5^th). The study concludes that improving farmers’ access to information, extension services, credit facilities, and mechanization alongside promotion of best agronomic practices can significantly enhance wheat productivity and socio-economic conditions in the region. The findings would be helpful for researchers and policy makers to understand influence of socio-economic features and agronomic practices on the major staple crop (wheat) of Southern Punjab (Multan), Pakistan. © 2025 The Author(s)

Effectiveness of World Wide Fund advisory services for integrated pest and disease management in sugarcane farming in Jhang, Pakistan

2025-10-14T06:10:28+00:00

Sugarcane is a vital cash crop in Pakistan, yet national yields remain lower than those of leading sugarcane-producing countries. Since 2009, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has provided advisory services in Jhang to improve sugarcane farming practices, particularly in integrated pest and disease management. This research study evaluated the effectiveness of WWF’s advisory services in tehsil Jhang. A total of 150 farmers were randomly selected from five Learning Groups (LGs) out of 50 operating in the region. The vast majority (94.4%) reported farming as their primary income source. Farmers received guidance on controlling key sugarcane pests and diseases, including red rot, whip smut, red stripe, mosaic, root borer, termite, pyrilla, whitefly, and rats. The effectiveness of the advisory services differed across the various pest and disease management areas. The highest-rated interventions were for rat control (zinc phosphide, rated "most effective" by 73.6% of respondents, mean = 2.61), pyrilla (methamidophos, 50.4%, mean = 2.23), and whip smut (disease-free varieties, 33.6%, mean = 2.09). Moderate effectiveness was reported for mosaic and red rot control, while lower effectiveness ratings were observed for termite and root borer management. Overall, WWF’s LGs played a significant role in knowledge dissemination, with most farmers applying the recommended methods. The study concludes that WWF’s advisory services had a positive impact on pest and disease management in sugarcane farming, though the perceived effectiveness varied depending on the specific issue and recommended control measure. This study suggests that WWF’s advisory service model can be scaled to other sugarcane-growing regions in Pakistan. Future efforts should enhance farmer training, use digital tools for pest monitoring, and tailor advice to local conditions. Strengthening feedback systems and integrating services with government and private sector efforts can improve reach, sustainability, and long-term impact on pest management and sugarcane productivity. © 2025 The Author(s)

Manipulating integrated pest management technique by using marigold intercropping and foliar vegetable extracts in tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.) crop

2025-10-14T06:20:34+00:00

Tomato is one of the global crops essential for nutritional security. In Pakistan tomato cultivation is threaten by pest infestation including aphids, whitefly, lepidopteran, leaf minors, mealy bug, red spider mites and nematodes. These pests are severely destroying the crop. This research study was conducted to find out the efficiency of two bio-friendly techniques to reduce pest pressure in tomato c.v anna in an eco-friendly way, and to check the efficiency of vegetable extract in increasing crop yield. Tomato plants were planted in four blocks. In first block, tomato were planted alone as a control (T0), in 2^nd block, marigold was planted with tomato as a companion crop (T1), in 3^rd block, tomato plants were sprayed with vegetable extract (6 g l^-1) (T2) and in 4^th block, tomato plants were planted with marigold in combination with foliar application of vegetable extract (6 g l^-1) (T3). Tomato fruits were harvested at maturity, and they were analyzed. Plant samples in control block showed least performance for all parameters especially in fruit yield and pest incidence. Similarly, mealy bug count and white fly was high in control block as compared to other blocks. Marigold intercropped block received foliar application of vegetable extract have good number of fruits, flowers with less damaged fruits and leaves were recorded. © 2025 The Author(s)

Allelopathic effect of Moringa oleifera on germination and physiology of seedlings in maize (Zea mays L.)

2025-10-14T06:33:33+00:00

A greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of leaf extract of Moringa oleifera on germination and physiology of maize seedlings at Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, KPK, during the kharif season 2023. The experiment was conducted using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications and five treatments of Moringa oleifera leaf extract at concentrations of 2.5 %, 5 %, 7.5 %, 10 %, and 12.5 % (v/v). A control treatment was also included for the comparison of different treatments’ means. Data on germination %, days to emergence, leaf area index (cm^-2) at 20 and 40 days after germination, SPAD value at 20 and 30 days after germination, crop growth rate, net assimilation rate, shoot length (cm), root length (cm), shoot fresh weight (g) and shoot dry weight (g) was recorded. The results revealed that MLE 2.5 % v/v and 5 % v/v significantly improved the germination % (86.33 and 73.33) and days to emergence (3.66 days) as compared to control (68.30 and 6.33), respectively. Similarly, leaf area index at 20 and 40 days after germination, SPAD value at 20 and 40 days after germination, crop growth rate, net assimilation rate, root and shoot length, seedlings fresh and dry weight were significantly higher in the maize seedlings treated with MLE 2.5 %. However, other treatments (7.5 %, 10 % and 12.5 %) showed inhibitory effect on all the traits studied throughout the course of the experiment. Thus, from the present research study it might be recommended that by using Moringa oleifera leaf extract at lower concentrations from 3-5 % can act as plant growth regulator to increase crop production and sustainable agriculture. © 2025 The Author(s)

Exogenous application of 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid on morphological and yield traits of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) during summer cultivation

2025-10-14T06:45:01+00:00

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most economically important vegetable crops in Pakistan. However, its productivity is severely limited during the summer season due to high temperature and humidity, which adversely affects reproductive processes such as pollination, fruit setting, and flower retention. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of exogenous application of 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4-CPA), a synthetic auxin, on the growth and reproductive traits of two tomato cultivars, Roma and VCT-1, under summer climatic conditions in Islamabad. A field experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications, using foliar sprays of 4-CPA at concentrations of 0 (control), 15, 30, and 75 ppm. Using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), four doses of 4-CPA (0, 15, 30, and 75 ppm) were sprayed on leaves at the research farm, National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad. Results revealed that 4-CPA application significantly enhanced plant height (59 %), leaf number (52 %) and fruit set (3.75 times) with the 75 ppm concentration showing the most promising effects on Roma and VCT-1. However, high humidity and temperature fluctuations remained major constraints, impacting anther dehiscence, stigma receptivity, and pollination efficiency. These findings suggest that 4-CPA can mitigate the adverse effects of summer stress by promoting vegetative growth, accelerating reproductive development, and enhancing fruit set. The 75-ppm concentration was the most effective across both cultivars. However, optimization of application timing and concentration, along with integrated stress and pest management, is recommended for sustainable improvement in tomato productivity under heat-stressed conditions. © 2025 The Author(s)