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At present, the forage production is the foundation of beef cattle and sheep industries in graziery. This study was designed to assess the toxic metal composition of the conventional pastures and non-conventional pastures in consideration of mineral needs of ruminants. At all the surveyed sites, these mean soil metal concentrations were measured to be higher or lower than the referred threshold levels. Specifically, these concentrations of Co, Pb, and Cr were observed as much higher than the referred threshold levels of 0.01-0.06 mg/kg (Co), 0.05 mg/kg (Pb), and 0.02 mg/kg (Cr). On the contrary, the mean soil concentrations of Cd were observed to be relatively lower than the threshold levels of 0.50-10 mg/kg at all sites. The estimated mean concentrations of Co, Cd, Pb, and Cr in both conventional and non-conventional forage species were measured to be lower than the referred threshold levels. The supplementation of these metals for livestock grazing from pasture was unnecessary based on these findings. However, further research should be conducted for ecological safety and conservation of ruminant forages, so that both the conventional and non-conventional pastures are employed as livestock friendly consuming forages.

Plants and insects are members of diverse ecological communities. Feeding of herbivore insects may damage the host plants indirectly by altering the photosynthetic activity. The objective of this s...

In the present study, the effects of untreated wastewater and associated health risks were assessed in an abundantly consumed vegetable, Luffa cylindrica. In this direction, trace metal accumulations in L. cylindrica samples irrigated with three different water regimes (municipal wastewater, groundwater, and canal water) were determined. The metal levels were defined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer equipped with a graphite furnace and D2 corrector. Trace metal concentrations in L. cylindrica samples were in the range of 7.91–9.01, 3.78–4.22, 0.54–0.63, 39.18–43.27, 15.76–20.82, 29.04–42.49, 6.96–8.24, 5.85–7.72, 4.06–4.39 and 0.18–0.42 mg/kg for Mo, As, Se, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cd and Co, respectively. The health risk index values of As, Cd, Pb, Mo, Ni, Se and Co; and pollution load index values of As, Mo, Ni, Cu, Cd and Pb were high, indicating possible phytotoxicity. As had the highest value for the pollution load index suggesting high-risk levels. High levels of some metals could be an alarm call for consumers as the vegetable is irrigated with untreated wastewater.

The cheapest way of disposal of wastewater is its use in agriculture. The pressure in using fresh water resources may be alleviated by the domestic wastewater in agriculture. Wastewater holds significant quantity of plant nutrients like N, P, Ca, K, Co, Zn, and Mn. Therefore, it increases the crop yield. Triticum aestivum is the staple food crop for Pakistan, where it is an important caloric source. It is grown successfully in rain fed areas of the country as well as in irrigated areas with minimum water without losing its production potential. In this study, cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), and cobalt (Co) were evaluated; the effect of wastewater was studied on wheat variety (Punjab-2011) by applying different treatments of wastewater. In the comparison between five different treatments, in soil, Fe was the highest. The chromium in the current findings exceeded the permissible limit (0.03 mg/kg) in wheat grains. The reason of high Cr concentration might be due to the increased usage of wastewater for long periods. The level of pollution or the factor of contamination was the lowest for Zn and was highest for Cd in all treatments. Chromium has the lowest value of health risk index while Cd has the highest value in all treatments, indicating that exposed population is unlikely to experience obvious adverse effects on utilization of these contaminated grains of wheat.

Heavy metal contamination of food crops irrigated with municipal wastewater is a growing problem worldwide. In this direction, heavy metal accumulations in Abelmoschus esculentus crops were irrigated with three different water regimes (municipal wastewater, groundwater, and canal water) as well as in soil and the water sources were determined. Also, transfer factors, enrichment coefficients, pollution load indices, and health risk indices were assessed to understand the metal transportation and accumulation through the food chain. The concentrations of heavy metals in soil, water and plant samples were analysed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer equipped with a graphite furnace and D2 corrector (Perkin–Elmer Model 503). Heavy metal concentrations in the irrigation water samples ranged between 0.513–0.951 for Mo, 0.256–0.615 for As, 0.266–0.606 for Se, 41.604–54.642 for Fe, 0.285–0.753 for Cu, 0.255–0.619 for Zn, 4.684–5.212 for Ni, 3.792–5.526 for Pb, 0.035–0.065 for Cd and 2.635–4.608 for Co mg/L. The contents of Mo, As, Se, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cd and Co in soil samples ranged from 5.03 to 7.80, 34.27 to 38.96, 2.41 to 2.54, 4.77 to 5.94, 2.89 to 3.36, 1.76 to 3.63, 35.02 to 37.32, 25.10 to 28.12, 2.42 to 3.20, and 5.76 to 5.99 mg/kg, respectively, and the contents of Mo, As, Se, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cd and Co in A. esculentus samples ranged from 7.003 to 9.291, 2.800 to 3.585, 0.378 to 0.485, 39.718 to 44.048, 11.791 to 19.840, 28.203 to 37.051, 6.085 to 9.330, 4.885 to 7.061, 3.375 to 4.198, and 0.128 to 0.328 mg/kg, respectively. The range values of metal accumulation in A. esculentus samples were lower than the maximum permissible limits in plant samples except for Mo and Cd. Statistically, Se, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cd and Co concentrations did not vary significantly at all sites, while As, Mo, Cu, and Pb concentrations varied significantly in the vegetable samples.

Pakistan is an agricultural country and due to the shortage of clean water, most of the irrigated area (32,500 ha) of Pakistan was supplied with wastewater (0.876 × 109 m3/year). Concentrations of heavy metals in radish (Raphanus sativus) and turnip (Brassica rapa) taken from vegetable fields in Sargodha, Pakistan, were measured. Untreated wastewater was used persistently for a long time to irrigate these vegetable fields. A control site was selected that had a history of fresh groundwater irrigation. Mean metal concentrations were found for irrigation water, soil, and vegetables. In irrigation water, concentrations of Mo and Pb at three sites and Se at sites II and III were higher than the recommended limits. In vegetables, concentrations of Mo and Pb were above the maximum permissible limits. High bioconcentration factor was observed for Zn (12.61 in R. sativus and 11.72 in B. rapa) at site I and high pollution load index was found for Pb (3.89 in R. sativus and 3.87 in B. rapa) at site II. The differences in metal concentrations found in samples depended upon different soil nature and assimilation capacities of vegetables at different sites which in turn depended upon different environmental cues. The entrance of metal and metalloids to human body may happen through different pathways; however, the food chain is the chief route through which metals are transferred from vegetables to individuals. Health risk index observed for metals, (Mo, As, Ni, Cu, and Pb) higher than 1 indicated high risk through consumption of these vegetables at three sites.

The present study aimed to investigate the concentration of highly toxic heavy metal, lead (Pb), in cows and buffaloes of Sargodha district, Punjab, Pakistan. Samples of three major organs (spleen, lungs, bones) from five localities were obtained from two age groups ( 2 years) of each animal. With the confidence level of 95%, the investigated results demonstrated that lead concentration ranged from 0.28 to 1.12 mg kg−1 and 0.31 to 0.83 mg kg−1 in cows and buffaloes respectively. Out of the three tested organs, spleen contained the highest level of Pb (0.64–0.83 mg/kg) followed by lungs (0.28–1.12 mg/kg) and bones (0.36–0.87 mg/kg). Furthermore, a significant increase of Pb was observed in older animals. It was demonstrated that both age groups had Pb accumulation higher than the standard limit of 0.1 mg kg−1. Serving as bioindicators, the presence of toxic levels of lead in the animals indicated environmental pollution and possible risks for public health. High lead concentration in dietary commodities from Sargodha district calls for the sound management of hazardous waste. High levels of this toxic metal also indicate the possible health risks to human population of the areas in Sargodha. It is highly needed to address this metal contamination and its probable entry route into the food chain of the domesticated animals. This must be further investigated to prevent animals from lead exposure.

This study determined the effect of tamboti wood ash and burnt goat dropping ash along with a chemical insecticide (avi-klorpirifos) on the reproduction, egg hatchability, damage, and mortality of cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus Fabr.). The germination potential of treated cowpea seeds was also determined using a susceptible variety-Blackeye. Two hundred grams of clean cowpea seeds were mixed with 25 g of tamboti wood ash and goat dropping ash. These seeds were then infested with 5 pairs of newly emerged adults of C. maculatus under controlled laboratory conditions. The experiment revealed that both tamboti wood ash and goat dropping ash had negative effects on the efficiency of C. maculatus and significantly reduced the extent of damage. In germination test, these ashes showed a significant improvement in germinability of treated cowpea seeds. However, in all instances, tamboti wood ash proved to be much more effective than goat dropping ash. The study observed that these natural products have the potential to protect cowpea seeds from the damage caused by C. maculatus during storage and can, therefore, be used as an alternative pest management method against cowpea weevils.

Citrus leafminer (CLM), Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), is one of the most important insect pests of Pakistan’s citrus nursery stock and caused extensive damage to young flushes. The organic compost is a widespread technique used to manage insect pests and plant diseases. Different composts (biofert, tara root and vermicompost) at 0.5 and 0.25 kg/plant concentration in comparison to NPK fertilizer at 0.4 and 0.2 g/plant were evaluated for CLM infestation and the associated citrus canker disease in nursery plantations of Citrus reticulata Blanco. Application of biofert at 0.5 kg/plant reduced the CLM infestation up to 54.5% during Fall-2016 and 39.1% during Summer-2017 in comparison to control treatment. The CLM larval density was also found lower by the application of biofert followed by vermicompost during both seasons. Both concentrations of biofert followed by vermicompost at 0.5 kg/plant resulted in remarkable protection against citrus canker disease in both flushes. The incidence of canker associated with CLM infested leaves was also studied and found lower by the application of biofert and vermicompost compared with control treatment. Conclusively, the soil amendment using biofert and vermicompost affects the CLM population and canker infection in nursery plantations. These organic fertilizers can be used in future citrus IPM programs as a tool to suppress the CLM population and citrus canker disease.

This study was conducted to determine the concentration of toxic metals in soil, forage and blood plasma of lactating and non-lactating buffaloes in the district Jhang, Punjab, Pakistan. Soil samples were collected from varying distances from the road side. Plasma separation was achieved by centrifugation. The concentration of arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and cobalt (Co) were determined by using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The results of the study showed that the mean As, Se and Cd concentrations in soil samples were lower while Cr, Fe, Zn, Cu and Co were higher than the official guidelines. In plasma samples, mean concentration values of Co, Zn, Fe, Cd, Se and As were lower while Cu and Cr were higher than the recommended concentrations. According to the results of the study there was no potential exposure of toxicity in buffaloes of the study area.

This study focused on evaluating the metal and metalloid contamination and associated risks in the two vegetables crops, coriander (Coriandrum sativum) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) treated with three water regimes, canal water, groundwater and municipal wastewater. These vegetables are widely consumed by people and are also used in traditional medicine for treating various disorders. Metal and metalloid accumulation (Zn, Pb, Se, Cu, As, Mo, Fe, Ni) was found higher in vegetables treated with wastewater. Wastewater treated soil had high pollution load index. Fe, Zn, As and Pb had higher values in water, soil and vegetables as compared to other studied metals. Overall, metal correlation for soil and vegetables was significant and positive except for Fe and Cu in spinach. The highest value for daily metal intake was estimated for Fe while Se had the lowest value for the same index. It was thus concluded that trace metal and metalloid accumulation was a major health concern for the public consuming these vegetables.

Entomopathogenic fungi (EPFs), Isaria fumosorosea and Beauveria bassiana, are efficient biological agents in the management of multiple arthropod pests. In this study, the effects of both EPF species on various life stages of Spodoptera litura (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and its natural enemy Rhynocoris marginatus (Fab.) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) were determined under laboratory conditions. I. fumosorosea significantly ( P

Metal buildup was estimated in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), grown in central Punjab, Pakistan. This crop was irrigated with multiple water sources like ground, sewage and canal water. Concentrations of different metals like zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu), and selenium (Se) were assessed in the potato crop irrigated with different types of waters. Sewage water treated crop and soil had higher metal concentrations than those treated with other two treatments. All metals had positive and significant correlation except for Mo which was non-significantly correlated between the vegetable and soil. Highest daily intake was observed for Fe (0.267), whereas the lowest was seen for Se (0.003). The enrichment factor and health index varied between 0.135-15.08 and 0.285-83.77, respectively. This study concludes that vegetables cultivated on soil treated with sewage water is a potent threat for human health as the metals manifest toxicity after entering the food chain.