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• FNS-PK can be used to assess novel food phobia in Pakistani mothers. • We adapted cross-cultural reliability and validity of 8-item FNS-PK for mothers in Pakistan. • Pakistani preschoolers' food neophobia linked to mothers' levels. • Mothers' food neophobia inversely relates to controlled feeding behaviors. Maternal food neophobia, a significant influencing factor in modeling maternal feeding practices, also plays a vital role in regulating preschoolers' food neophobia. This cross-sectional study was conducted to culturally adapt and validate the Food Neophobia Scale for Pakistani mothers (FNS-PK), assess the prevalence of maternal food neophobia, and explore the correlation between maternal food neophobia, maternal controlling feeding practices and preschoolers' food neophobia. The 10-item food neophobia scale was translated into the Urdu language following WHO guidelines, and various measures of validity (construct validity and discriminant validity) and reliability (internal consistency, test–retest consistency, and composite reliability) were used to test the scale. Afterward, a cross-sectional study was performed to assess the prevalence and correlation between maternal food neophobia, feeding practices and preschoolers' food neophobia. A total of 260 preschool children and their mothers were recruited for the cultural adaptation of the FNS-PK. The original 10-item FNS was modified to an 8-item FNS-PK, which exhibited good scale validity (χ2/ df = 1.113; TLI = 0.998; RMSEA = 0.021; AVE > 0.05) and reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.857). In a cross-sectional study involving 347 mother–child pairs, 15.9 % of the mothers and 8.0 % of the preschoolers exhibited food neophobia. Furthermore, there was a significant negative correlation between maternal food neophobia and controlling feeding practices, while there was a significant positive correlation between maternal and preschoolers' food neophobia. The adapted 8-item FNS-PK is a reliable tool for assessing food neophobia in Pakistan, and the significant correlation between maternal and preschoolers' food neophobia warrants further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The 6-item CFNS-PK exhibited high validity and reliability metrics. • The prevalence of food neophobia among Pakistani preschoolers was 22.3 %. • Preschooler's FN was correlated with their age, gender and maternal education status. The evaluation of food neophobia in preschool-aged children is crucial as it helps in understanding their eating habits, ensuring their nutritional adequacy, and promoting healthier food choices from an early age. This study aimed to culturally adapt the Child Food Neophobia Scale (CFNS) for Pakistan, determine the prevalence of preschooler's food neophobia and find out its correlation with different demographic characteristics. The CFNS was translated into Urdu language following the WHO scale translation guidelines. After that, various validity (construct validity, content validity, discriminant validity) and reliability (internal consistency, test–retest consistency, and composite reliability) measures were used to test the translated CFNS. The sample size consisted of 260 mother–child pairs from four kindergartens across three cities. About 64.6 % of the preschoolers were aged 55 to 72 months. Whereas the maternal mean age was 30.1 ± 5.9 years. The Child Food Neophobia Scale for Pakistan (CFNS-PK) retained all 6 items from the original scale and exhibited satisfactory validity (χ2/ df = 1.28; TLI = 0.99; RMSEA = 0.04; AVE > 0.05 and CVI = 0.80) and reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.80; Kappa > 0.07; CR > 0.7) indicators. Furthermore, the prevalence of preschooler food neophobia was found to be 22.3 %. Whereas preschooler age, gender and maternal education level was correlated with preschooler's food neophobia occurrence. Findings suggest that the 6 item CFNS-PK exhibited high validity and reliability metrics, making it suitable for use in food neophobia assessments among Pakistani children. Furthermore, the high prevalence of food neophobia among Pakistani preschoolers calls for attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato is one of the most demanding crops in terms of water and fertilizer inputs. To meet irrigation water demand, growers use surface and ground water resources. These resources are in decline Realizing the importance of water and fertilizer, tomato yield under deficit irrigation regimes, and different Nitrogen (N) levels were studied during 2015 and 2016 at the research farm of the University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan, using factorial arrangement of randomized complete block design (RCBD). These factors were four irrigation levels; full irrigation (I0), 15% deficit (I15), 30% deficit (I30) and 45% deficit (I45); and four nitrogen doses; 100% of recommended dose (120 kg ha-1) (N100 ), 85% of recommended dose (N85), 70% of recommended dose (N70) and 55% of recommended dose (N55). Io was based on 30% of management allowed deficit. Effect of Nitrogen doses on Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) was found to be highly significant and showed an increasing trend of 7, 25 and 68% with reducing Nitrogen doses. However, the effect on dry-to- fresh weight ratio, plant height, days to 50% flowering, were found to be non-significant. Results indicated that deficit irrigation (I15, I30 and I45) had significant effect (P<0.05) on plant height and NUE. Plant height tends to decrease by 1.3 and 5.5% with deficit irrigation. NUE also decreased by 17, 16 and 24 with deficit irrigation. Compared to I0, while the effect on dry to fresh weight ratio and days to 50% flowering was found to be non-significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato is one of the most input demanding crop in terms of water and fertilizer. To fulfill the irrigation water demand, the growers use surface and ground water resources, which are declining day-by-day. Realizing the importance of water, tomato yield was studied under deficit irrigation regimes and different Nitrogen (N) levels during 2015 and 2016 at the research farm of the University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with factorial arrangement was used for the study. These factors were four irrigation levels i.e. full irrigation (I0), 15% deficit (I15), 30% deficit (I30) and 45% deficit (I45) along with four Nitrogen doses i.e. 100% of recommended dose (120kg) (N100), 85% of recommended dose (N85), 70% of recommended dose (N70) and 55% of recommended dose (N55). Frequency Domain Reflectometry (FDR) was used for soil moisture monitoring. Full irrigation was determined on the basis of MAD 30%. Simulation of nitrate leaching showed that Nitrate leaching was more sensitive to irrigation levels than Nitrogen doses. With the increasing level of irrigation nitration, leaching increased significantly compared to the increasing Nitrogen doses and same pattern was observed with the decreasing irrigation levels and decreasing nitrogen doses. When irrigation levels were increased by 10 and 20% nitrate leaching increased by 38 and 48%. Similarly when Nitrogen levels were increased by 10 and 20% increase in nitrate leaching was about 20 and 35% but when irrigation level were decreased by 10 and 20 % nitrate leaching also decreased by 20 and 48% and when the nitrogen level was decreased to 55% the nitrate leaching also dropped by 70%. Based on the above results, it can be concluded that deficit irrigation with low nitrogen doses can be used to minimize nitrate leaching. HYDRUS-ID can be effectively used for simulating Nitrate leaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many researchers argued that increasing global temperature will result in waning glacier based freshwater availability in future. River Indus fed by glaciers is critical for Pakistan as it is irrigating its 80% of agricultural land. Shigari Kalan watershed is one of the water sheds located in Skardu, Northern Pakistan, which also contributes to River Indus flowing to Pakistan. The aim of instant research is to evaluate the correlation amid temperature and the rate of glacier/snow melt which could have future implications for water availability in the River Indus flowing into Pakistan for which data pertaining to snow/glacier melt from the Shigari Kalan watershed was regularly monitored during the period spread over September 2015 to November 2015 and March 2016 to September 2016. Results showed that in the flow discharges of the stream during summer months was much higher with peak in June. The snow/glacier melt increases with air temperature from 12.5 C onwards and at 20C onwards it gets exponential rate. From the results it transpires that the effect of global warming in Himalaya and Karakorum Mountains has already set in. Any further increase in global temperature as predicted in many studies will further increase glacier melt rate which could result in extinction of glaciers in the long run. Such a situation will have serious implications for Skardu and water availability in River Indus and thus for Pakistan whose major water requirements are met from snow/glacier melt from the River Indus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive subsurface drainage system was installed in district Mardan in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan in 1987 to control increasing water logging and salinity problems due to canal irrigation. Several recently completed fields studies have indicated that subsurface drainage system has enormously lowered watertable in certain areas due to extensive drainage network. Therefore, a study of controlled subsurface drainage technique was initiated in Mardan Scarp area to observe the temporal and spatial variations in water table depths of this specific case under various modes of canal irrigation and monsoon rains. Two artificially drained areas, consisting of 40 ha and 160 ha respectively, were controlled and selected for extensive monitoring. A total of 98 observations wells (7.6 cm dia. and 4.1 m depth) were installed in between lateral drains to observe water table fluctuation. The results of this study are very interesting. Each of the two areas monitored in the study behaved differently. It was observed that in one of the areas design water table depth at 1.1 m was maintained with proper functioning of the controlled technique applied to the subsurface drainage system. The results from this area showed that 25 to 55% of the time throughout the year achieved this objective whereas in the second area desired water table could not be maintained and water table depth in this area remained between 2.0 to 2.7 m causing unnecessary water stress to plants. Also it was observed that watertable in the former area is mostly controlled by the functional behavior of the irrigation canal. In addition, the proper functioning of controlled techniques in subsurface drainage system supplemented very efficiently to retain the groundwater level to the optimal limits in dry season and to the design ones in the others for timely needs of the crops. Also rainfalls have significant impact on the spatial and temporal behaviors of water table depths in both the areas during the monsoon season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of trace elements is inevitable to reduce stress on environment due to urbanization and industrialization. Rawalpindi, the fourth largest city of Pakistan, rapidly moving towards industrialization and has a large number of automobiles. In the present study, the urban area of Rawalpindi was divided into five parts: Gawal Mandi, Pir Wadhai, Soan Adda, Chah Sultan, and Central Ordinance Depot (COD), to determine distribution of trace elements. Soil samples were collected from 5 to 20 cm depth. After drying and sieving, samples were digested using di-acid (HNO 3 and HClO 4 at 2:1). Concentrations of heavy metals were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to reduce multidimensional space of variables and samples. Observed mean concentrations of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were 164, 33.4, 295, 336, 634, 236, 1572, and 546 mg kg -1 , respectively. Mean concentrations of all the heavy metals in urban area soil were higher than the WHO permissible limits. Correlation coefficient analysis showed positive correlation among Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Pb, whereas no obvious correlation for Cr and Mn was found with any other heavy metal. Zn was positively correlated with Co, Ni, and Mn, whereas negative correlation was found with Cr. Results showed that Pir Wadhai and COD were the most and least contaminated parts of the city, respectively, and this is attributed to the presence and absence of heavy traffic loads and industrial effluents. Graphical abstract ᅟ.