Influence of environmental factors on seed germination and seedling characteristics of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.).

Information regarding the germination and seedling growth behavior of a potential weed species is an important tool to manage weeds without the use of agricultural chemicals that cause harmful effects on human health and the environment. A series of experiments were directed to investigate the influence of different environmental factors (temperature, pH, NaCl, moisture stress, and seed burial depth) on germination and seedling emergence of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) under controlled conditions. Results suggested that 25 °C is the optimum temperature for maximum germination (95%) and seedling growth of perennial ryegrass, however, a quick decline was observed at 35 °C. Seed germination was unaffected by pH levels ranging from 5 to 10. The 92% seed germination was recorded where no salt stress was applied and germination was reduced by 87% at 250 mMNaCl concentration. Seed germination was unaffected by osmotic potential ranges from 0 to - 0.4 MPa thereafter declined and completely inhibited at - 0.8 or - 1.0 MPa. No seed emerged at the soil surface or a soil depth of 6 or 7 cm and 90% emergence occurred at 1 cmsoil depth. The germination and seedlings parameters like time to initial germination, mean germination time, time taken to 50% germination and germination index, root and shoot length, and fresh and dry weight of root and shoot are significantly affected with the environmental factors. The information obtained in this study will be helpful to develop better management strategies for germination and the emergence of perennial ryegrass in areas where it has the ability to rapidly colonize.

Efficacy of Metribuzin Doses on Physiological, Growth, and Yield Characteristics of Wheat and Its Associated Weeds.

Weeds cause a serious constraint to wheat productivity. Chemical weed control is considered the most effective method to control weeds; however, a suitable dose and combination of herbicide with adjuvants play a vital role in controlling weeds and producing maximum wheat production. A field study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of various doses of metribuzin alone or in combination with adjuvants [Bio-power (alkyl ether sulfates and sodium salts) and Ad-500 (fatty alcohol ethoxylate)] on the growth and yield of wheat and its associated weeds. Metribuzin at 175, 140, and 105 g a.i ha-1, each in combination with adjuvants (Bio-power or Ad-500) at 400 ml ha-1, were sprayed. A weedy check was also included as a control treatment. The wheat crop was infested with Fumaria indica, Melilotus indica, Anagallis arvensis, and Phalaris minor, and metribuzin with or without adjuvant was sprayed at two- to four-leaf stage of the weeds. The photosynthetic activity, weed population of each weed, and biomass of each weed was significantly affected by all herbicides along with the adjuvant. However, maximum inhibition of tested weeds was observed where metribuzin at 175 g a.i ha-1 + Bio-power at 400 ml ha-1 were sprayed. Metribuzin sprayed at 175 g a.i ha-1 with or without Bio-power recorded a maximum 1,000-grain weight, biological yield, and grain yield. Conclusively, metribuzin sprayed at 175 g a.i ha-1 + Bio-power at 400 at ml ha-1 have the potential to improve wheat yield by inhibiting weed growth, and Bio-power was superior to Ad-500 in improving the efficacy of metribuzin against weeds of wheat crop.

Effect of Salinity Stress on Germination, Seedling Growth, Mineral Uptake and Chlorophyll Contents of Three Cucurbitaceae Species

Abstract This study was performed to screen out the various species of 'Cucurbitaceae' family, musk melon (Kalash and Durga), bottle gourd (Crystal Long and Nuefield) and squash (Green Round, and Squash Malika) against the salt stress. All genotypes were treated with five different levels of NaCl (T0 = control, T1 = 1.5 dS m-1, T2 = 3.0 dS m-1, T3 = 4.5 dS m-1 and T4 = 6.0 dS m-1) and half strength of Hoagland's nutrients solution as the base nutrient solution. Results showed that the bottle gourd varieties "Nuefield" and "Crystal Long" performed best by maintaining the highest germination (93.2% and 85.6%), number of leaves per plant (4.5 and 5.7), shoot length (16.84 cm and 16.14 cm), root length (13.48 cm and 13.00 cm), plant fresh weight (942.2 g and 918.6 g), plant dry weight (118.4 g and 107.5 g), leaf area (171.2 cm2 and 169.1 cm2), chlorophyll content (3.5 μg/cm-2 and 3.4 μg/cm-2) with low chloride (1.57 ppm and 1.59 ppm) and sodium content (0.47 ppm and 0.51 ppm) under salt stress followed by varieties of Squash (Green Round, and Squash Malika) and musk melon (Kalash and Durga). It was also found that a higher level of salinity (4.5 dS m-1 and 6.0 dS m-1) has more adverse effects on the performance of all selected genotypes. Conclusively, it can be recommended that as compared to all tested species, bottle gourd varieties "Nuefield" and "Crystal Long" have the ability to withstand against salinity stress and should be planted under salt stress conditions.

Evaluation of Three Rapid Screening Tests for Detection of Hepatitis C Antibodies on Mass Scale.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading health problem across the globe. Only 20% of HCV positive individuals know their positive disease status. Effective HCV screening tests are required to screen both general and high-risk populations and identify the silent cases of HCV. In this study, we analyzed the performance of three rapid HCV screening kits. A total of 300 subjects from three populations groups, were enrolled from Rawalpindi and Islamabad cities of Pakistan. The three groups were blood donors (n = 50), pregnant women (n = 50), and hepatitis C positive individuals (200). Blood samples of all the individuals were screened on three rapid screening tests for anti-HCV: CTK Biotech's OnSite HCV Ab Rapid Test, SD Bioline One Step anti-HCV test, and Intec Products Advanced Quality Rapid Anti-HCV Test. The performance of these three rapid tests was also compared with the Roche Anti-HCV II test performed on the cobas 601 platform based on the electrochemiluminescence immunoassay principle. In total, 300 samples were analyzed in this study, out of which 208 were positive for anti-HCV positive and 92 were negative for anti-HCV. The sensitivities of the Intec product, SD Bioline, and CTK Biotech were 98.56%, 97.59%, and 95.67%, respectively. The specificity of SD Bioline and CTK Biotech were 100%, whereas Intec products showed 98.91% specificity. The positive predictive value (PPV) of SD Bioline and CTK Biotech was 100%, but Intec products showed 99.51% PPV. The negative predictive values of the Intec product, SD Bioline, and CTK Biotech were 96.80%, 94.84%, and 91.09%, respectively. There is a dire need to speed up HCV screening to achieve the targets in the World Health Organization global viral hepatitis strategy (2016-2021). The rapid tests evaluated in this study can be used in hepatitis screening on much larger scales.

Prevalence of hepatitis C in people who inject drugs in the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.

Pakistan has the second highest burden of hepatitis C (HCV) in the world. The major route of HCV transmission is contaminated blood or needle sharing. Seventy percent of people who inject drugs (PWIDs) shared needles at some time in their addiction history. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of HCV in PWIDs in cities of Pakistan. We enrolled 100 PWIDs from the Rawalpindi and Islamabad cities of Pakistan. Blood samples were taken in collection tubes and were subjected to HCV screening by using three rapid HCV screening kits including one step anti-HCV test, onsite HCV Ab rapid test and advance quality rapid anti-HCV test. All 100 blood samples were also subjected to HCV detection by using Elecsys anti-HCV II performed on the Roche Cobas 601 platform based on the ECLIA principle. Seventy-two percent of PWIDs showed the presence of HCV antibodies using the Roche anti-HCV II ECLIA test. We also compared the performance of different rapid kits in comparison with the anti-HCV II by Roche. The sensitivity of CTK kit was 84.72%, which was almost equal to the sensitivity by the SD Bioline HCV and Advanced Quality Rapid HCV tests, which was 83.33%. All three kits showed 100% specificity and positive predictive values. The results showed that the three market competitors of HCV rapid test showed almost equal results. The prevalence of HCV is very high in PWIDs in the capital twin cities of Pakistan. There is dire need to initiate the administration of a hepatitis test and treatment program for both high-risk and the general HCV-positive population. This is the optimal way to achieve HCV control targets established by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Global Health Sector Strategy by WHO.

Pakistan needs to speed up its human immunodeficiency virus control strategy to achieve targets in fast-track acquired immune deficiency syndrome response.

In last fifteen years remarkable success in the fight against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is achieved globally. The number of HIV infections has decreased and the number of people on antiretroviral therapy is increased. This all is possible by strong political commitments and heavy investments in the fight against HIV. Pakistan is among few Asian countries in which HIV cases are increasing year by year since 1990. There are 94000 cases of HIV in Pakistan and only 14000 are registered with government. The main source of HIV infection in Pakistan is the use of contaminated injection equipment among people who inject drugs (PWID). The overall prevalence of HIV among PWID in Pakistan is 27.2%. There are five cities in Pakistan in which HIV prevalence is above 40% in PWIDs. In June 2016, United Nations political declaration on acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) provided a global mandate to fast-track the AIDS response over the next five years to achieve the targets in Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve the targets in fast-track AIDS response, the global leaders showed strong commitments to invest $ 26 billion per year by 2020. Pakistan needs to speed up its HIV control program. There is a dire need to locate all HIV positive people and enroll them in the treatment program. Pakistan also needs to calculate exact number of people living with HIV, increase HIV treatment centers and increase HIV awareness. Recently, Global Fund invested handsome money in the fight against HIV. Let's hope the country will have effective HIV control strategy to achieve the HIV elimination target by 2030.