EcoBiotics: Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences
EcoBiotics is an international journal focusing on the study of animal and plant sciences, ecology, and biodiversity. It publishes high-quality research that advances our understanding of life sciences and environmental sustainability. The journal welcomes articles on agriculture, genetics, ecosystems, and conservation practices. With a commitment to ecological balance, it highlights the importance of research in preserving natural resources. EcoBiotics serves as a platform for scientists, educators, and environmentalists to share discoveries that benefit both nature and society.
RESEARCH JOURNALS ONLINE (SMC-PRIVATE) LIMITED
Role of Cover Crops in Reducing Soil Erosion and Enhancing Biodiversity
One of the maximum economically and ecologically steeply-priced forms of land degradation withinside the international is soil erosion, wherein topsoil is disadvantaged of its fertility and switch of sediment, nutrients, and agrochemicals into the water our bodies which arise at a charge lots better than that that is replenished. At the identical time, the discount of the biodiversity of farmlands and its neighboring habitats has been substantially driven through homogenization of the rural landscapes thru the power of monoculture. Cover cropping is a longtime intervention that has been promoted as an ecologically sound technique to each of those problems (coping with soil erosion and providing pollinating, beneficial, and soil-residing bugs a habitat), and to provide protecting bodily houses to soils with the aid of using binding roots and bodily defensive in opposition to erosion (interceptive). This paper mentioned the significance of cowl crop practices withinside the shape of species diversity, coping with planting density, rotation frequency, and residue control withinside the discount of soil erosion and the boom of biodiversity withinside the agricultural surroundings wherein the survey statistics become drawn on farmers who used cowl cropping practices. The quantitative studies layout became used. A survey changed into carried out the use of a based questionnaire on two hundred farmers as a number one supply of statistics. Participant choice become achieved the use of a random sampling technique. The secondary statistics series changed into carried out to gather facts at the quotes of soil erosion and biodiversity signs of agricultural initiatives via the rural extension reviews and environmental datasets. The evaluation of information became accomplished via descriptive statistics, Cronbachs Alpha reliability and Pearson correlation and more than one regression evaluation with SPSS software. The 4 variables of cowl crop practices had been discovered to be tremendous high-quality predictors of the discount of soil erosion (version R2 = 0.671, F(4, 195) = 99.83, p < 0.001) and enhancement of biodiversity (R2 = 0.638, F(4, 195) = 85.84, p < 0.001). The maximum prolific predictor of the erosion discount (b = 0.412, p < 0.001) and biodiversity enhancement (b = 0.438, p < 0.001) become the quilt crop species diversity. Cronbach Alpha turned into determined to be among 0.791 and 0.873, which proves the excessive inner consistency of all constructs. Cover cropping additionally allows to lower the soil erosion in addition to boom the biodiversity of agriculture. The cowl crop adoption need to be supported with guidelines that increase schooling on such practices, subsidies on inputs, or even marketplace incentives to scale up the dual-gain sustainable agricultural practices in numerous farming systems.
Copyright (c) 2026 Bilal Ahmed Awan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Precision Livestock Farming and Its Role in Improving Livestock Productivity and Sustainability
Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) is on the interface of virtual innovation and farm animals farming, and it gives an possibility to gain superior productiveness and sustainable farming. As worldwide call for for animal-derived commodities is at the upward thrust and environmental strain is intensifying, precision cattle farming is gaining an increasing number of studies attention. This studies goals to discover the effect of precision cattle farming on cattle productiveness and environmental sustainability, with unique connection with computerized feeders, sensor era for fitness monitoring, and virtual gear for farm control utilized by farmers and farm managers. This studies turned into performed with the quantitative technique and collected facts from 250 farm animals farmers thru a dependent questionnaire. Stratified random sampling became used to make sure illustration from numerous farming sizes—small, medium, and large-scale farming operations. The records changed into analyzed with descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s Alpha reliability test, correlation, and more than one regression analyses with SPSS software. The outcomes indicated that computerized feeders (β = 0.412, p < 0.001), sensor era for fitness monitoring (β = 0.367, p < 0.001), and virtual equipment for farm control (β = 0.298, p < 0.01) are sizeable predictors of cattle productiveness. The effects additionally indicated that the blended impact of the impartial variables on cattle productiveness changed into 68.4%, with R² = 0.684. The effects in addition indicated that there has been a advantageous and great correlation among sustainability and precision cattle farming generation adoption. The Cronbach’s Alpha values ranged from 0.seventy nine to 0.87, which indicated top reliability many of the studies constructs. Therefore, precision cattle farming generation adoption complements farm efficiency, productiveness, and environmental sustainability. In order to expedite precision cattle farming era adoption, mainly amongst small-scale farmers, coverage interventions and era and education guide are recommended
Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Uzair Maqsood https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Food Security and Agricultural Policy Responses to Climate Change in Pakistan
Pakistan is one of the countries in the world which is more vulnerable to climate change. The country’s agrarian economy is more vulnerable to climate change because of the rise in temperature, the erratic nature of the monsoon rains, the melting of the glaciers, and the occurrence of more extreme weather events. Agriculture contributes about 22% to the country’s GDP, and about 38% of the country’s workforce is employed in the agriculture sector. However, the sector is vulnerable to a number of compounding threats to productivity and sustainability which have a direct impact on the country’s food security. There is a scarcity of integrated empirical evidence on the efficacy of the responses to climate change in the country’s agriculture sector. This research was undertaken to examine the role of the country’s agriculture sector policies in addressing the issue of climate change, food security, and to gather views from the country’s farmers on the impact of climate change on food production and the efficacy of the existing policy measures to mitigate the impact of climate change on the country’s food security. The research was undertaken through a mixed research methodology where quantitative data was collected from 200 farmers and experts through a quantitative method of data collection, while the quantitative data was analyzed through the application of the Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis in SPSS. The key findings included that perceived climate change severity (-0.461, p < 0.001), perceived policy effectiveness (0.384, p < 0.001), and adaptive capacity index (0.312, p < 0.01) were significant predictors of food security outcomes. The model explained 67.2% of the variance. The thematic analysis revealed five key themes, which included weak policy implementation, water scarcity as a key threat, financial exclusion of smallholders, fragmented institutions, and climate-smart agriculture potential. Overall, it was revealed that Pakistan’s agricultural policies are currently addressing climate-food security linkages to a limited extent. There are significant gaps to be addressed regarding policy implementation. There is a need to enhance policy coordination, financial support to smallholders to adapt to climate change, and accelerated development of climate smart agriculture infrastructure to ensure food security in Pakistan despite climate change.
Copyright (c) 2026 Israr Ahmed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Effectiveness of Integrated Nutrient Management, Carbon Sequestration, and Soil Fertility in Sustainable Farming
Viable signs of soil degradation, diminishing soil natural carbon and immoderate use of artificial fertilizers are only a few of the maximum pressing troubles going through the present day agriculture. Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) - a control technique that integrates natural and inorganic reassets of vitamins with organic inputs has persevered to be supplied as an street toward growing soil fertility, enhancing carbon sequestration and decreasing the environmental price of meals manufacturing. Nevertheless, tough quantitative records which could show the performance of sure INM practices below the situations of the smallholder and medium-scale farmers withinside the growing international locations context continues to be lacking, for that reason there's an opening among the coverage advocacy and the empirical basis. This studies became a quantitative studies layout because the researchers had been inquisitive about exploring the impact of included nutrient control practices, which consist of using natural fertilizers, composts, crop rotation, and a discounted use of chemical fertilizers, at the fertility signs of soil and improving the carbon sequestration system in farmers with sustainable farming practices. A questionnaire survey turned into used to collect number one information on 2 hundred of the farmers in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, the use of a dependent questionnaire. Participant choice became achieved by means of a easy random sampling method. Indicators of soil fertility inclusive of the soil natural carbon, nutrient availability, and crop productiveness have been additionally checked out the usage of secondary agricultural reviews and farm statistics. The evaluation of records turned into accomplished by means of descriptive information evaluation, Cronbachs Alpha reliability evaluation, Pearson correlation and Multiple regression evaluation via using SPSS software. The consequences hooked up that using natural fertilizers (b = 0.401, p = 0.001), compost application (b = 0.352, p = 0.001), crop rotation (b = 0.287, p = 0.01) and using much less chemical fertilizers (b = 0.224, p = 0.05) had been all giant effective predictors of the soil fertility. The 66.eight percentage of variance turned into defined withinside the soil fertility regression version (R2 = 0.668). The version accounted 61.four percentage of variant withinside the case of carbon sequestration (R 2 = 0.614). The values of Cronbach Alpha had been among 0.783 and 0.871 and that is confirming that the inner consistency is suitable to excessive in all of the constructs. INM practices are vital and really useful toward development of soil fertility and carbon sequestration. It is especially advised that scale-up of INM adoption ought to be furnished to satisfy sustainable farming and weather-clever agriculture desires by means of presenting centered coverage support, education farmers, and supplying backed deliver chains of natural inputs.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hassan Raza https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Agricultural Expansion, Habitat Fragmentation, and Their Effects on Ecosystem Biodiversity
Agricultural enlargement has remained one of the maximum tremendous reasons of terrestrial biodiversity loss and in reality the quantity of cropland and pasture now covers over 1/2 of of the Earth to the ice-loose land surface. The reclamation of herbal habitats into agricultural environments and the continuing fragmentation of the ultimate herbal habitats have long-lasting outcomes at the richness of species, variety of the habitat, and the long-time period ecological processes. Although the global recognition of this disaster has increased, however, incorporated studies that makes use of quantitative fashion evaluation at the side of qualitative perspectives of professionals continues to be a rarity, mainly on the subject of agricultural regions withinside the growing world. The paper tested how agricultural increase, habitat division, and biodiversity loss have been related via the evaluation of land-use extrade records all through 10-15 years and exploring the critiques of professionals at the perceived environment modifications withinside the selected agricultural regions. The examine became primarily based totally at the blended-approach studies layout that mixes each secondary quantitative records (authorities environmental reports, biodiversity databases, and satellite tv for pc land-use statistics) and qualitative information (semi-established professional interviews with 20 environmental scientists, agricultural officers, and conservation professionals). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and a couple of regression evaluation had been used withinside the quantitative evaluation. The thematic evaluation turned into used to research qualitative facts and changed into triangulated with statistical consequences. Quantitative evaluation confirmed that there's statistically full-size poor correlation among fee of agricultural land growth and index of the richness of species (r = -0.712, p < 0.001). The crop land turned into the maximum great predictor of a lower in biodiversity (b = -0.487, p < 0.001) accompanied through isolation of habitat patches (b = -0.361, p < 0.001) and the depth of area consequences (b = -0.274, p < 0.01). Regression evaluation accounted 71.three percentage of the version withinside the consequences of biodiversity (R2 = 0.713). Analysis of professional interviews followed thematic evaluation with which 5 topics most important withinside the subject matters assisting and contextualizing those statistical dispositions had been identified. The agricultural unfold and resultant habitat fragmentation are the number one reasons of biodiversity erosion. An included land-use planning, flora and fauna corridors, and a restructured agricultural coverage is right away required to stability meals manufacturing needs and goals in biodiversity conservation.
Copyright (c) 2026 Umar ishaq, Muhammad Saad Khan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Role of Green Manuring in Improving Soil Fertility and Crop Yield
Green manuring is a very ancient though becoming an important agronomic practice that plays a significant role in improving the soil fertility as well as crop production in the sustainable agricultural systems. It involves planting and incorporation of specific species of plants, mostly legumes in the soil to provide organic matters as well as nutrients necessary in the soil. The growing fear of soil erosion, the declining soil fertility, as well as the adverse impact of chemicals on the environment due to the high usage of the fertilizers have resulted in the renewed emphasis on green manuring as a more sustainable means of keeping the soil healthy. This process supplements the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil through the incorporation of organic carbon into soil, which increases the availability of nitrogen to soil by reacting with soil biology and doubles soil structure and generation of microbial activity. Moreover, green manuring will assist in increasing the water retention, soil erosion and nutrient cycling, which will consequently lead to high crop produce and long term sustainability of agriculture. Extensive amount of research in different agro-ecological areas demonstrate that green manuring leads to high level of crop performance particularly in cropping systems where peonage crops predominantly feature. The paper is concerned with the significance of green manuring to increase the soil fertility and crop yield with keen interests of the mechanisms, the benefits, and significance of green manuring in the modern sustainable farming.
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Saad Khan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Ecological Role of Beneficial Insects in AgroEcosystems
The beneficial insects constitute a significant component of the organization and the operation of agro systems in regard to their pest control function, improvement of pollination, and their involvement in nutrient circulation and soil wellness. Such organisms include predators, parasitoids, pollinators, and decomposers, which belong to complex trophic networks which promote the equilibrium of the ecosystem and the agricultural output. Although modern day agriculture has been more inclined towards adopting chemical control practices, recent developments involving environmental degradation, biodiversity and food security loss have seen a shift in focus towards exploiting the useful insect communities in relation to integrated pest management (IPM) techniques. The paper addresses the ecological services of useful insects, how such are helpful in the delivery of agro ecosystem services, and the issues involved in conserving and enhancing useful insects in highly-managed agricultural environments. The synthesis brings out the importance of managing the habitat, reduced reliance on pesticides, and landscape diversity in order to maximize the benefits of useful insects to sustainable crop production.
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Jawad https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Evaluation of Plant Growth Regulators under Stress Conditions
Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) are biochemical agents of great importance, which regulate physiological activities in plants especially in situations of abiotic and biotic stresses. Drought, salinity, heat, and cold, and heavy metals are among the stress factors that can affect the growth of plants and crop yield negatively. The implementation of PGRs like auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid, salicylic acid, jasmonates, brassinosteroids, and ethylene modulators has been demonstrated to reduce the effects of the stress through the improvement of stress tolerance mechanisms including antioxidant enzyme activity, osmolyte accumulation, and the regulation of the expression of genes. This paper assesses the effectiveness of various PGRs in improving plant stress resilience in any form of stress using physiological, biochemical and molecular methods. Findings indicate that stress-induced plant performance is dramatically enhanced by the selection of PGR, which implies their possible use in sustainable farming.
Copyright (c) 2025 Bilal Ahmed Awan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Assessment of Biological Control Agents against Major Crop Pests
Biological control agents have become a key element in the sustainable control of pests because of the growing concern over the environmental and health effects of synthetic pesticides. The growing world problem of food needs and pressure to reduce damage to the environment has led to such studies to harness the power of natural enemies and microbial agents in the suppression of major crop pests. Biological control includes a wide variety of biological organisms such as predators, parasitoids, pathogenic microbes, and entomopathogenic nematodes, which work by predation, parasitism, infection and competition to decrease the pest population. Despite the successes in particular cropping systems, a lack of widespread adoption because of such challenges as environmental dependency, limitations in mass rearing and inconsistencies in field efficacy. This paper evaluates existing biological control methods against key pests of crops, their effectiveness and the opportunities and the constraints that are involved in integrating them into modern agriculture. Overall, biological control comes as a promising route that will help bring the world towards becoming less dependent on chemical pesticides while still securing agricultural productivity.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jahanzeb Choudhary https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Biodiversity Assessment of Agro-Ecosystems under Different Farming Systems
The biodiversity in agro-ecosystem is one of the key components that ensure stability, productivity and sustainability of the ecosystem. In the last few decades, agricultural intensification has caused a major change in the natural habitats which has resulted in reduced species richness, functional diversity, and ecosystem services. The paper evaluates patterns of biodiversity in agro-ecosystems with respect to the various farming systems, such as conventional, organic and diversified agro-farming. Based on standardized biodiversity metrics, including, species richness, Shannon diversity index, and functional group abundance, the study will compare plant, soil and arthropod biodiversity between two environmental management regimes. The results indicate that the organic and diversified farming systems are always able to contribute to a greater number of biodiversity as compared to the conventional systems, which are mainly based on the fact that their chemical input is low, the heterogeneity of the habitat is high, and the soil is healthy. The paper identifies the ecological trade-offs of intensive agriculture and the significance of agriculture that does not harm the environment in the long term and food security.
Copyright (c) 2025 Syeda Okasha Javed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Effects of Climate-Induced Temperature Rise on Mango and Citrus Production in Pakistan
Climate induced increase in their temperature is a serious threat in case of fruit sector of Pakistan as well especially of mango and citrus fruits which are contributing a large share in domestic income, export income and rural livelihood. This study is concerned with the physiological, phenological and yield related effect of increasing temperature trend on the mango and citrus orchards of major fruit growing areas of south known as South Punjab, Sindh and cross-section of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Drawing on climatological datasets and current research in agriculture, it is concluded that the impact of increased temperature expedites flowering and fruit maturation, causes increasing fruit drop, increases degree of heat stress experienced and adverse impacts of pests and diseases that cause cultivators to low yields and reduced fruit quality. The outcomes show that in both aspects, mango is especially susceptible to heat-induced malformation of floral organs and sunburn of fruits, while citrus is affected by declined juice content, premature hardening of the rind, and citrus canker and greening movement. The study concludes that pathway of temperature increase is threat to long term fruit sustainability if the concept of climate smart orchard management with adaptive strategies is not urgently incorporated in the sector of horticulture in Pakistan.
Copyright (c) 2025 Bilal Ahmed Awan, Dr. Mubashir Ali Khalique https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Influence of Pesticide Misuse on Soil Microbial Communities in Punjab’s Agricultural Zones
The intensive exploitation of the soil for agricultural purposes combined with the intense use of pesticides have been the object of concerns toward their unintended impact on soil health but also on soil microbe diversity. In Punjab, Pakistan, there is a tendency among the agriculture workers to use chemical pesticide in indiscriminate manner and many times for more dosages than recommended and without adhering to advisory rules to safety practices. This study considers the impact of the pesticide abuse of soils in microbial communities of major agriculture zones of Punjab. Soil samples were taken from the fields with a history of high pesticide application and compared to low/zero pesticide applications. Microbial biomass, diversity indices and functional groups were investigated using culture techniques, but also molecular techniques (16S rRNA and ITS). Results showed a significant decrease in microbial diversity and changes in the composition of microbial communities in the pesticide-intensive fields with significant reduction in the populations of beneficial bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, long term exposure to pesticides was associated with the decrease of enzymatic activity and the nutrient cycling patterns of the soil. These findings indicate the ecological risks that are linked with the excessive use of pesticides and is another indication that the sustainability of pest management practices are needed to maintain soil microbial integrity and agricultural productivity.
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Shakeel Khan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Effectiveness of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Adoption in Pakistani Farming Systems
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an environmentally friendly and sustainable method of managing pests in agricultural systems and minimizing the use of chemical pesticides to sustain crop production. In Pakistan, the traditional pest control systems have resulted in environmental degradation, pest resistance and health hazards. This study assesses the effectiveness of IPM adoption in major farming systems by the Pakistanis, with specific reference to the consequence of its uptake in terms of pest incidence, crop yield, economic return and environmental safety. Field surveys were carried out in three provinces i.e. Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in order to gather data from farmers practising IPM and conventional pest management techniques. Results show that the use of IPM can lead to a significant reduction of pest population, as well as a reduction in pesticide use by up to 40%, in addition to increased crop yield. Farmers enforcing IPM had been determined to have better internet go back due to decreased farm enter fees and decreased losses of crops. The key elements recognized withinside the examine to persuade IPM adoption are the information of the farmers, extension support, availability of bio manage retailers and education programmes. The effects of this have a look at offer a effective reminder of the significance of advancing empty philosophy in country wide in all elements the arena so that you can develop sustainable agriculture, beautify meals safety, and guard farmer livelihoods.
Copyright (c) 2025 Hafiz Muhammad Asadullah https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Soil Salinity Impacts on Cotton and Sugarcane Productivity in Sindh’s Irrigated Areas
Soil salinity has become a significant problem for agricultural productivity in irrigated lands of Sindh, Pakistan and the crops (cotton, sugarcane) are also facing the problem. High amounts of soluble salts in the soil decrease the availability of water, interfere with the uptake of nutrients, and affect the plant's growth leading to tremendous yield losses. This study is aimed at the evaluation and ascertainment of the effects of salinity of irrigation water on cotton and sugarcane growth, physiological traits and agro productive potential of sugarcane and cotton in important irrigated areas of Sindh. Soil samples were taken from several fields of different salinity levels and tested for electrical conductivity, sodium adsorption ratio and nutrient content. Crop growth parameters such as plant height, leaf area and biomass were recorded, whereas yield components were measured at harvests. Results showed that rising soil salinity had a negative impact on both crops resulting in a decline in growth and yield that were more noticeable for sugarcane than for the cotton. Salinity stress was related with reduction of chlorophyll content as well as decreased stomata conductance and imbalance nutrients indicating physiological burden of plants during saline condition. These results highlight the need for urgent management of salt, such as better irrigation and use of salt tolerant cultivars and soil amendments to maintain cotton and sugarcane productivities in the irrigated areas of Pakistan's leading sugar cane and cotton producing provinces-Sindh.
Comparative Study of Organic and Chemical Fertilizer Use on Wheat Production in Pakistan
The overriding demand for sustainable agriculture has even created mindful interest in comparison of utility of organic and chemical fertilizer on crop production and soil health. Wheat (Triticum aestivum) being a basic crop in Pakistan plays a very critical role in food security and rural livelihood. This study analyses the effects of organic and chemical fertilizer applications on wheat production both in terms of yield, grain quality and soil nutrient status. Data was taken at wheat fields and in South Punjab, Pakistan by using randomized field experiment where organic compost, urea based chemical fertilizer and combination of both were used. Soil samples were studied for soil macronutrients, pH and organic matter content before and after cropping period and yield parameters like plant height, spike length, grain weight and total yield at harvesting stage were recorded. Statistical analyses including analysis of variance (ANOVA), correlation analysis were applied in comparing the effects of treatments, and in finding the relationships between soil fertility and the crop performance. The results indicate that even though the short-term yield has been expanded by a significant margin, organic fertilizers do have an impact on the health of the soil and preserve nutrient availability for a longer period of time. The combination treatment showed the greatest performance overall that suggests combining organic and chemical fertilizers can be used in an optimal way to optimize the wheat productivity and agricultural sustainability to the environment. This study provides some practical information for policy makers, agronomists and farmers for better wheat production while maintaining long term soil fertility in Pakistan.
Copyright (c) 2025 Saad Aziz Ajmal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Evaluation of Livestock Genetic Diversity for Climate-Resilient Breeding Programs
Climate has ended in breeding applications having greater importance in cattle that can resist the excessive temperatures, water scarcity and rising diseases. Assessing the cattle genetic range: foundation on choice of animals below climatic stressors. The paper gives a dialogue on how genetic variant contributes to the adaptive ability enhancement of farm animals species with the emphasis laid at the significance of genetic tools, indigenous breeds and conservation of the essential farm animals species. According to the synthesis of the current empirical research made through the author, the examine has concluded that control and usage of genetic variety is the maximum essential to expand weather resistant herds to sell meals safety and sustainable farm animals production. The findings suggest that molecular markers, genomic choice, and community-primarily based totally breeding integration can produce a first-rate impact in improving adaptive characteristics, which might be related to warmth tolerance and ailment resistance similarly to feed efficiency. Such an assessment factors out that genetically numerous inventory the use of inventory populace of farm animals will provide a organic coverage in opposition to shocks in a brand new surroundings to grow to be vital in breeding strategies.
Copyright (c) 2025 Tariq Ali Khosa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Influence of Seasonal Variations on Insect Population Dynamics in Agro-Ecosystems
Seasonality contributes significantly to the population of insects in agro- ecosystems, which defines the amount of pests, pollination, and ecosystem functionality. The temperature humidity precipitation photoperiod interaction facilitates the regulation of reproduction, development and migration of insects hence dictating population structure and species composition. This study assesses the effect of seasonal variation on the insect diversity, abundance and distribution over time in agricultural landscapes and the research implications to crop production and pest management methods. Long-term monitoring and ecological models as well as observational studies have synthesized information that has put forward that predictability of insect populations is tendentious with species abundance skyrocketing within good environmental conditions. Furthermore, the abnormal seasonality, e.g. long-term droughts or untimely precipitation, can disrupt the population dynamics, altering the interdependence between predators and prey and pollination. The findings reveal the importance of considering the seasonality role in agro-ecosystem management tools to enhance crop protection and the maintenance of a positive population of beneficial insects as well as the attainment of sustainable agriculture.
Copyright (c) 2025 Hassan Raza https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Evaluation of Drought-Resistant Wheat and Rice Varieties under Pakistani Agro-Climatic Conditions
Drought stress is one of the major abiotic stress factors in limiting crop productivity in Pakistan especially of the staple cereal crops (wheat: Triticum Aestivum and rice: Oryza Sativa). This study is an extensive evaluation study of performance of drought resistant wheat and rice varieties in varying agro climatic conditions for the major growing areas in Pakistan. Field trials have been conducted in the current cropping seasons (2024-2025) to estimate the morphological, physiological and yield related parameters. Key drought tolerance indicators like relative water content, stability of chlorophyll, accumulation of proline and grain yield was measured. Results indicate a considerable variation from variety to variety in that some wheat varieties show improved water use efficiencies and both rice and wheat varieties have a similar yield under water limited conditions. The findings highlight the importance of identifying and propagating drought resistant cultivars in order to increase food security and sustainable agriculture in the water scarce areas.
Comparative Analysis of Seed Germination Strategies under Abiotic Stress Conditions
Seed germination is an important phase in plant development, and it is sensitive to abiotic stress, making it an important determinant of plant survival and productivity. Various species have developed different strategies to germinate so that they can deal with salinity, drought, temperature variation, and toxicity of heavy metals. The understanding of these strategies is critical to boosting the resiliency of crops to a changing environment brought about by climate induced environmental changes. This study contains a comparative analysis of physiological, biochemical, or molecular mechanism adopted by different plant species during germination under abiotic stress. Based on this review of empirical evidence, the role of osmotic adjustment, hormonal regulation, antioxidant defense and modifications in the structure of the seed are emphasized in differential stress tolerance. The results highlight the need for incorporating genetic screening and stress-adaptive traits into breeding with sustainability being the territorial goal regarding agriculture.
Copyright (c) 2025 Subhan Ahmed khan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Biochemical Mechanisms of Plant Resistance Against Fungal and Bacterial Pathogens
Plant pathogen interactions have significant implications (positively or negatively) for the productivity and tenacity of the agricultural environment and both fungal and bacterial pathogens pose threats to the world's harvest of crops. Plants have developed complex biochemical mechanism of defence against infection by pathogens or microorganisms, to detect and respond the infection and alleviate it. These mechanisms consist of production of phytoalexins, activation of pathogenesis related proteins, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, secondary metabolites production and activation of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) and induced systemic resistance (ISR) pathway. This research is a review of the biochemical strategies involved in the resistance of plants against fungal and bacterial pathogens, in this case with emphasis in the signaling pathways, metabolism responses and cross-talk between defense mechanisms obtained at molecular levels. The understanding of these processes can be used in the development of disease resistant cultivars and sustainable plant protection strategies to minimize the use of chemical pesticides and optimize food security.
Copyright (c) 2025 Tooba Maroof https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Role of Photosynthetic Efficiency in Crop Yield Improvement under Climate Change
All the productivity of plants is based on photosynthesis and it is the primary topic of food supply all over the world. Light energy is converted into chemical energy, and this is the source of carbohydrates that keep us alive on Earth. Nevertheless, the photosynthetic efficacy of the majority of crops are extremely low-in most cases it is only 1-2 percent of the incident solar energy that is changed to biomass. With the increasing intensity of the climate change, crops are vulnerable to drought, high temperature, and varying CO2 concentration, which adversely impact the photosynthetic activities. Enhancing photosynthetic efficiency has thus been one of the most potential ways of enhancing crop production and attaining sustainable agriculture. In this paper, the importance of photosynthetic efficiency in enhancing crop productivity in changing climatic conditions is discussed critically. It examines physiological, genetic and biotechnological approaches to improve photosynthesis including: optimizing the performance of the enzyme Rubisco, regulation of photo respiration and light use efficiency. Experimental data and modeling outcomes are also examined in the study to determine the ability of stress to be represented by increased photosynthetic capacity as a way to achieve stability of yield. These results highlight that the improvement of the photosynthetic efficiency is not only the biological enhancement, but the strategic need of the food security in the 21st century.
Plant–Microbe Interactions and Soil Health
Plant-soil interaction is one of the most dynamic biological interactions occurring in terrestrial ecosystems and forms the basis for soil fertility, plant productivity and ecosystem resilience. The role of useful soil microbes, namely rhizobacteria, mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing microorganisms for soil health, nutrient cycling and plant growth are explored in this manuscript. Contemporary experimental studies and literature published between 2000 and 2025 are being used as an illuminating tool to understand the interaction of the microbial consortia with plant roots, their direct and indirect control of hormonal pathways and their contributions towards sustainable soil management. Field trials with microbial inoculants were performed in three types of soil management systems, namely conventional, organic and integrated. The physicochemical, microbial enzyme activities and plant growth parameters were analyzed. Findings show bioinoculated plots were shown to have significantly more nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, and microbial biomass than controls. Mycorrhizal fungi provided improved drought resistance while rhizobacteria improved root morphology and plant biomass. Metagenomic data showed the high abundance of beneficial taxa with known associations to established soil-health parameters in an organic soil management approach. Consequently, plant-surrounding microbe symbioses can lessen reliance on chemical fertilizers, lower the soil erosion and help agriculture systems to become more sustainable. A good understanding of these interactions, both at ecological and molecular level, is imperative for the development of future biofertilizer technologies and realization of long-term soil sustainability.
Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR)
Influence of Light, Soil Nutrients, and Environmental Stress on Plant Growth and Development
Plant science is important in the study of the physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes which are involved in plant growth and adaptation. The research paper provides studies on three key factors that have a serious impact on the productivity of plants, that is, light intensity, the availability of nutrients in soil, and environmental stress conditions. Light is the most important energy source in photosynthesis and it directly influences the morphology of plants, formation of chlorophyll and the biomass of the plant (Zhu et al., 2010). The soil nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, control the enzyme activities, the formation of structure and yield potential (Marschner, 2012). Also, the extreme constraints of plant metabolism caused by such abiotic stresses as drought, salinity, and temperature changes cause physiological and genetic responses leading to tolerance (Zhu, 2016). Through combination of recent discoveries made between the years 2000 and 2025, this study will give a complete picture of the interaction of these factors to give superlative plant health and productivity. The research design was a mix of controlled growth study, soil nutrient client and literature-based analysis of stress physiology. The findings indicated that the optimal photosynthetic efficiency is at moderate light intensity (around 3000- 3500 lux), balanced nutrient supply is more effective in increasing the plant vigor, adaptive stress responses increase the resilience of plants to unfavorable conditions. The discussion indicates new developments in molecular breeding, genetic engineering and the sustainable management of soil as the key ways forward to the achievement of global food security amid climate change. This combined discussion reveals the need to merge environmental, physiological and molecular approach to reinforce the basis of the current form of plant science.
Abiotic stress (drought, salinity, heat)
Copyright (c) 2025 Umar Ishaq https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Effects of Water Availability, Temperature, and Soil pH on Plant Growth and Physiological Performance
Abiotic stresses (water stress, temperature extremes, suboptimal soil pH) are the major limiting factors to plant productivity and agricultural stability throughout the world. The independent and interactive effects of these stressors need to be determined in order to develop resistant cultivars and effective management practices. This study assessed the main and interaction effects of three water levels (100%, 60%, and 30% field capacity), three temperature regimes (25degC, 32degC, and 38degC), and three levels of pH (5.0, 6.5, and 8.0) on growth, physiological and biochemical responses of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato). A full-factorial approach was adopted under the control of greenhouse conditions. Results showed that each of the stressors when applied individually significantly decreased plant height, biomass accumulation, leaf area, photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance. The biggest drops were under combined high-stress treatments. For instance, the 30 percent field capacity and 38 degrees Celsius treatment combination was especially detrimental regardless of soil pH. Moreover, the suboptimal pH values (5.0 and 8.0) enhanced the negative effects of drought and heat stress, presumably through limiting nutrient supply and root growth. Biochemical analyses showed significant elevation of proline level and antioxidant enzyme (catalase and superoxide dismutase) activities in stress condition, suggesting an induced defense response, which was, however, not able to prevent significant physiological damage under severe conditions of combined stress. These findings highlight the critical importance of dealing with abiotic stressors in concert, as the negative impacts they have are substantially higher than the additive negative impacts of the different stresses.
Phytohormones or plant hormones are low-molecular-weight organic compounds, which act at very low doses to regulate practically every facet of plant growth, development and stress acclimatization. They constitute the chemical language that cells utilize to arrange morphogenesis, reproduction, as well as environmental signal response. The classical phytohormones (auxins, cytokinin, gibberellins, abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene) form this regulatory core, which has been broadened by the more recent classes, including brassinosteroid, jasmonates, salicylic acid and strigoglactones. The new genomic, proteomic and metabolomic received information has demonstrated complicated signaling crosstalk among these molecules which are controlled by the receptor-ligand selectivity, repressor degradation through ubiquitin, and incorporation of transcriptional systems. New forms of analysis technologies, including LC-MS/MS/MS quantification, fluorescence-based biosensors, and CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing are already in a position to provide an unprecedented degree of accuracy in quantifying and manipulating hormone dynamics (Waadt et al., 2020; Mukherjee et al., 2022). Hormonal processes can be controlled to produce superior plant structure, nutrient utilization and drought, salinity and disease adaptation. However, hormonal networks are complex and hence the majority of interventions are pleiotropic and therefore this needs integrative, systems-based, interventions which are an overlap of molecular, physiological, and field approaches. The current paper provides a summary of the available data on the hormone perception and signal transduction, overview of cross-communication among the pathways, the most advanced research methodology and implications of manipulating hormone to enhance crops sustainably.
Copyright (c) 2025 Mudabbir Sadiq https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0