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Agricultural production is severely limited by an iron deficiency. Alkaline soils increase iron deficiency in rice crops, consequently leading to nutrient deficiencies in humans. Adding iron to rice enhances both its elemental composition and the nutritional value it offers humans through the food chain. The purpose of the current pot experiment was to investigate the impact of Fe treatment in alkaline (pH 7.5) and acidic (pH 5.5) soils to introduce iron-rich rice. Iron was applied to the plants in the soil in the form of an aqueous solution of FeSO4 with five different concentrations (100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 mM). The results obtained from the current study demonstrated a significant increase in Fe content in Oryza sativa with the application of iron in both alkaline and acidic pH soils. Specifically, Basmati-515, one of the rice cultivars tested, exhibited a notable 13% increase in iron total accumulation per plant and an 11% increase in root-to-shoot ratio in acidic soil. In contrast to Basmati-198, which demonstrated maximum response in alkaline soil, Basmati-515 exhibited notable increases in all parameters, including a 31% increase in dry weight, 16% increase in total chlorophyll content, an 11% increase in CAT (catalase) activity, 7% increase in APX (ascorbate peroxidase) activity, 26% increase in POD (peroxidase) activity, and a remarkable 92% increase in SOD (superoxide dismutase) in acidic soil. In alkaline soil, Basmati-198 exhibited respective decreases of 40% and 39% in MDA and H2O2 content, whereas Basmati-515 demonstrated a more significant decrease of 50% and 67% in MDA and H2O2 in acidic soil. These results emphasize the potential for targeted soil management strategies to improve iron nutrition and address iron deficiency in agricultural systems. By considering soil conditions, it is possible to enhance iron content and promote its availability in alkaline and acidic soils, ultimately contributing to improved crop nutrition and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed shattering is a critical challenge that significantly reduces sesame production by 50%. These shattering losses can be reduced by selecting shattering resistant genotypes or by incorporating modern agronomic management such as paclobutrazol, which can boost productivity and prevent seed shattering in sesame. Two-years of field trials were conducted to examine the effect of sesame genotypes, environment, and paclobutrazol (PBZ) concentrations. Twelve sesame genotypes were used in a four-way factorial RCBD with three replications and five PBZ concentrations (T0 = Control; T1 = 150; T2 = 300; T3 = 450; and T4 = 600 mg L− 1) under rainfed conditions of Pothwar. The findings revealed significant variations in the major effects of all examined variables (genotypes, locations, years, and PBZ levels). Sesame genotypes PI-154304 and PI-175907 had the highest plant height, number of capsule plant− 1, seed capsule− 1, 1000 seed weight, biological yield, and seed yield, while also having the lowest seed losses and shattering percentage. Regarding environments, NARC-Islamabad generated the highest plant height, number of capsule plant− 1, shattering percentage, and biological yield; however, the URF-Koont produced the highest seed yield with the lowest shattering percentage. Additionally, plant height, capsules plant− 1, and biological yield were higher in 2021, while seed capsule− 1, 1000 seed weight, seed losses, shattering percentage, and seed yield were higher in 2020. PBZ concentration affected all measured parameters; plant height and number of seed capsule− 1 decreased with increasing PBZ concentrations. 450 mg L− 1 PBZ concentration generated the highest biomass, number of capsules plant− 1, and seed yield. At the same time, PBZ concentration 600 mg L− 1 generated the smallest plant, the lowest seed capsules− 1, the greatest thousand seed weight, and the lowest shattering percentage. The study concluded that paclobutrazol could dramatically reduce shattering percentage and shattering losses while increasing economic returns through better productivity. Based on the findings, the genotypes PI-154304 and PI-175907 with paclobutrazol level 450 mgL− 1 may be suggested for cultivation in Pothwar farming community under rainfed conditions, as they showed promising shattering resistance as well as enhanced growth and yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Watermelon traits such as yield and other agronomic traits are highly environmentally sensitive and regulated by multiple genes; therefore, by understanding the genetic structure, the heritability and genetic influence of different traits can improve them. Five watermelon lines were crossed in a 5 × 5 full diallel parental design to estimate the genetic effect and heritability of fruit traits. Treatments were evaluated on the farm using a random complete block design. Analysis of the results showed a significant difference between genotypes, which was observed for all the studied traits at the probability level of 1%. Hayman's graphical method showed that the contribution of the nonadditive effects was more important than that of the additive effect to control most of the traits. Fruit maturation and pericarp thickness traits were regulated by incomplete dominance gene effects, and other traits were regulated by overdominance effects. The trait heritability varied between at least 0.013 and 0.352 for the fruit weight and fruit number, respectively. Results demonstrated that some traits can be modified based on the heterozygosity and production of hybrid variety methods, while the hybrid and selection in an advanced generation method can be suggested in watermelon breeding programs to breed other traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]