Science Heritage Journal | Galeri Warisan Sains (GWS)

The third-most important food crop in Nepal after rice and maize is wheat, widely known as the “king of cereals” and the most important food crop in the entire globe. The actions and combinations of several direct and indirect features lead to grain yield. While path coefficient analysis identifies direct and indirect effects of one variable on another and analyses cause-and-effect linkages among the characteristics, correlation coefficient is a measure of the degree of association between yield and yield attributing components. Plant breeders employ both correlation and path analysis to help them find qualities that may be used as selection criteria to increase crop output. In a number of investigations, earlier researchers measured relationships between yield and yield-attributing characteristics. This study was conducted with the intention of reviewing a few such studies on the correlation and path coefficient analysis of wheat production conducted by other researchers. The number of grains per spike, the length of the spike, the biomass yield, the harvest index, the number of spikes per square metre, the effective tiller, the weight of a thousand grains, the height of the plant, etc. all had a positive direct impact on the yield, whereas the days until flowering, the days until booting, and the days until heading had a positive indirect impact. The maximum negative direct impact shown by chlorophyll concentration on grain yield. The features to be chosen for the hybridization programme should have a direct and positive impact on the yield.

Wheat serves as the number one crop for ensuring food and nutritional security in the world. The production and productivity of wheat have been greatly influenced by global warming and climate change which have created environments such as drought, heat stress, and saline conditions. To address the advances in the study of the response of wheat against such climatic implications, this review was done. Abiotic stress mainly affects the morphology, phenology, and physiology of wheat. Abiotic stress induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) in wheat causing a reduction in root, shoot, and reproductive growth. Impact on important yield-related traits such as spike length, grains per spike, grain weight, thousand-grain weight, and reduces the yield of wheat. The plant has earliness as a phenological, rolling of leaves as morphological, waxiness as physiological, and production of heat shock proteins and proline content as a biochemical defense. A proper study of these effects and responses at the genetic and molecular level is necessary to cope with the existing yield gap in a farmer’s field as compared to normal conditions. The study of wheat against such circumstances would help plant breeders identify stress-tolerant genotypes that could significantly contribute to eradicating existing hunger and malnutrition in the world.

The study was undertaken to assess how the growth and yield of the NS-1701 chili variety were impacted by different nitrogen doses in the Lamjung district’s Rainas area. The study involved arranging five different treatment combinations within a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), with each combination being replicated four times. The application consisted of doses (0 kilograms per hectare, 30 kilograms per hectare, 60 kilograms per hectare, 90 kilograms per hectare, 120 kilograms per hectare). Various parameters related to plant growth and yield were observed throughout the study timeframe. The data underwent statistical analysis utilizing Microsoft Excel and R-studio software. Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) was applied to distinguish means at a significance level of 5% for the purpose of separation. Growth characteristics such as plant height and the quantity of branches, along with yield-related attributes like fruit length, number of fruits per plant, individual plant weight, and yield (tons per hectare), displayed noteworthy variations until the point of harvest. Among varying nitrogen quantities, the most pronounced plant height (82.40 cm), branch count (8.38), fruit length (11.41 cm), fruits per plant (116.55), per-plant yield (475.5 gm), and overall yield (31.70 t/ha) were achieved with the application of 120 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare. Across all characteristics studied, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated a noteworthy disparity between the various nitrogen doses concerning both yield and growth parameters. Among the range of nitrogen doses tested, the utilization of 120 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare resulted in enhanced growth and yield characteristics. This outcome could be proposed as a beneficial approach for cultivating chili in both the Lamjung district and comparable agro-ecological circumstances.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is fungus species that is found in the Himalayas and on the Tibetan plateau. It has a complex life cycle which gets completed in two-phase. Fungus infects the host in late summer before it goes into hibernation but for the mode of infection, different thoughts are addressed.
The oral mode of infection and the ecdysis phase of infection are two thoughts that prevail in the life cycle. The oral mode of infection is predicted to occur while consuming fungus-contaminated food while the ecdysis phase of infection is supported to be due to contact of fungus to the skin. This paper will also provide certain knowledge about the feeding of caterpillars of host species to fungi. Moreover, the review explores the various preference of fungal hosts, fungal distribution and abundance, and fungal life cycle, shedding light on prevailing threats to the fungus in its natural vegetation.

Twenty-four diagnostic Paleocene benthic foraminiferal species of Anan, which related to eighteen genera were erected from five widely separated countries in the Southern and Northern Tethys, its proposed evolutionary trends of them, and the taxonomic revision of these taxa, which will greatly aid paleontologists and biostratigraphers to helpfully understanding. Thirteen species of them were erected from Egypt ((Siphogaudryina strougoi, Pseudoclavulina hewaidyi, P. youssefi, Annulofrondicularia bignoti, Tristix aubertae, Lenticuzonaria misrensis, Percultazonaria alii, P. ameeri, Palmula berggreni, P. salimi, Vaginulinopsis boukharyi, Citharina plummerae, Gyroidinoides luterbacheri), five species from UAE (Repmanina mazeni, Psammolingulina bahri, Laevidentalina hudae, Hemirobulina olae, Ramulina futyani), three species from Pakistan (Textularia haquei, Spiroloculina haquei, S. pakistanica), two species from Jordan: (Pseudoclavulina futyani, Lenticuzonaria hodae), and one species of them is recorded from Tunisia (Leroyia tunisica). The paleogeographic distribution of these taxa are recorded in some other countries in the Southern and Northern Tethys than the original type locality, e.g. Iran, Czech, Bulgaria and Argentina. Some of these species are used to introduce an evolutionary trend marked by changes in the morphology and other characters of these benthic foraminiferal test. The Southern Tethys assemblage indicates an open marine environment, which represents middle-outer neritic environment and shows an affinity with Midway-Type Fauna (MTF).

Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) is an economically significant oilseed crop cultivated widely in India with versatile applications in various industries. However, weed infestation poses a major challenge to successful mustard cultivation, leading to reduced crop productivity and growth. To address these challenges, farmers and researchers have employed various weed management practices encompassing cultural, mechanical, chemical, and biological approaches. Understanding the effectiveness of these weed control strategies is essential for optimizing mustard cultivation and enhancing overall crop productivity. In this study, an experiment was conducted at the Experimental Research Farm Rampur of Doon (P.G) College of Agriculture Science & Technology in Uttarakhand, India. The experiment followed a Randomized Block Design (R.B.D) with eight weed management treatments and three replications, resulting in 24 experimental plots. The treatments included weed check, hand weeding, and various herbicides (Pendimethalin, Oxyfluorfen, Isoproturon, Quizalofop, Oxadiaryzl, and Clodinoflop). Data on growth attributes (plant height and number of branches per plant) and yield attributes (number of siliqua per plant, siliqua length, number of seeds per siliqua, and 1000-seed weight) were collected at different growth stages. The results showed that hand weeding and Pendimethalin @ 1.25 kg/ha were effective in promoting plant growth and yield attributes, while Clodinoflop @ 0.75 kg/ha had adverse effects on growth and yield. In terms of yield, hand weeding resulted in the highest seed yield, Stover yield, and biological yield, while the weed check treatment exhibited the lowest values. Economically, hand weeding demonstrated the highest gross return, net return, and benefit-to-cost ratio, emphasizing its economic superiority. However, herbicidal treatments like Pendimethalin also showed competitive economic benefits.

This study investigated effects of various crop residues on Gazania development and growth. A twenty-day pot research was conducted with transplant seedlings on various crop residues as media, including FYM+Silt (1:3), FYM+Silt (1:3) cockscomb and maize residues as treatment Silt as FYM+Silt control (1:3). Completely Randomized Design (RCBD) was applied to test the significance of the treatments and to compare them. The effectiveness data was. FYM+Silt (1:3) was noticeably better at competing with assessed crop residues. As a result, FYM+Silt (1:3) strongly influenced plant height (38.66 cm) with maximum number of leaves (392.00) and more number of branches (45.66) as the control. This result suggests that crop residues affect Gazania’s growth and productivity somewhat positively. In the meantime, FYM+Silt (1:3) are good medium for gazania’s growth performance.

The majority of both human and animal diets are made up mostly of seed, which is also the foundation and the first input used in the transmission of genetic features in crop development. Seed dormancy, a physiological phenomenon in plants that can be brought on by internal or external stimuli, prevents seeds from sprouting even under ideal circumstances. Hard seed coats, underdeveloped embryos, primitive embryos, and inhibitory compounds can all contribute to seed dormancy. Under normal circumstances, soil melting and freezing, microbial activity, forest fires, soil activity, and animal consumption break dormancy in seeds. The most common method for releasing seeds from their dormancy is scarification, which can be carried out mechanically or chemically followed by others like scarification, light and heat treatment, dipping in hot water, etc. Leaching is another method for ending seed dormancy because it destroys the inhibitory components of the seed coat.

This study assessed the effect of cattle dung (CD) enhanced with fungi isolated from spent engine oil (SEO)-polluted soil on Lead (Pb) decontamination. Twenty plastic bottles containing 20 g of soil each were prepared with varying weights of CD and volumes of fungal isolates in potato dextrose broth each. The mixture was incubated at room temperature. It was a 4 x 2 factorial experiment. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was employed to determine Pb decontamination of the bio-enhanced fungal consortium in the 2nd, 4th and 6th week of incubation. At the 2nd week, there was no significant (p> 0.05) difference between the addition of 10 g of CD (0.1750 mg/kg) and 15 g of CD (0.1750 mg/kg). At the 6th week, the lowest concentration (0.0400 mg/kg) of Pb was recorded with the addition of 20 g of CD and inoculation with fungal isolate (15 mL). Fungi bio-enhanced with CD influenced decontamination of Pb in SEO-contaminated soils in this study.

Dengue fever is endemic in Malaysia and has posed a significant economic and health burden to the country. Malaysia is experiencing the transmission of four dengue serotypes: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4. To prevent dengue cases, genotypic characterisation is an essential tool to determining the dengue serotypes that are circulating in the dengue cases area. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the genotype of DENV isolates obtained from DENV-infected Aedes collected. A total of 4,438 Aedes albopictus and 2,454 Aedes aegypti larvae were collected from 132 dengue hotspot localities. They were then reared to adult mosquitoes and pooled. Later, it was tested for determine dengue serotypes using RT-PCR targeting Capsid-preMembrane regions. All DENV serotypes were carefully isolated from DENV positive pools and sequenced. DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4 serotypes were proven positive in 16.83 % of the samples, and were found co-circulating at the study areas. A total 84 isolates were successfully identified, with 17 of them being DENV-2, 36 being DENV-3, and 31 being DENV-4. DENV-2 isolates were of genotype IV, DENV-3 isolates were of genotype III and V, and DENV-4 isolates were of genotype II. This study highlights the importance of active DENV serotype at dengue outbreak areas. This information assists the stakeholders by strengthening dengue genotyping surveillance and providing a solid evidence base for decision making regarding dengue management initiatives. The findings from this study can be utilized to the search for novel genotypes, to the observation of potential genetic alterations in dengue viruses, and to the development of vaccines.