This study estimated energy use flow of buffalo farms, energy use indices, production efficiency, energy use targets, impact of energy inputs on energy output, and sensitivity analysis of energy ...inputs. A well-structured questionnaire was used to collect data of 360 domestic buffalo farms from Punjab Pakistan during May–July 2017. Results revealed that milk production was mainly dependent on renewable energy inputs, particularly millet, minerals, concentrates, and sorghum. Energy use efficiency (0.08) and production efficiency (0.24) indicate that energy inputs were overused. An artificial neural network (ANN) method suggested that 30.5% of total energy input could be saved if farmers followed the targeted inputs recommended by ANN. The Cobb-Douglas production function found a negative significant impact of sorghum, millet, and wheat straw; and positive significant impact of labour, concentrates, and electricity on energy output. Among the non-renewable energy sources, electricity was found to be the most wasteful use of energy input, mainly due to the mismanagement of farmers. Sensitivity analysis estimated that a unit increase in renewable energy significantly decreased milk yield by 0.02 unit. While a unit increase in non-renewable energy significantly increased milk yield by 0.01 unit. This study stresses the importance of using energy inputs at the target quantities prognosticated by ANN method, and recommends the use of energy-efficient equipment.
•Energy mismanagement is common problem in livestock production system of Pakistan.•Artificial neural network (ANN) method was used to optimize energy inputs.•Renewable energy inputs were overused for milk production in the study area.•Electricity was overused by 28.2% mainly due to farmers' mismanagement.•ANN suggested 33% improvement in energy ratio by using target values of energy inputs.
•Pesticides and pure N were overused by 45.2% and 37.2%, respectively.•Pesticide exposure caused dizziness, nausea, diarrhoea, skin, and eye irritation.•Farmers had little knowledge of recommended ...and safe use of pesticides.•Majority of farmers not used protective measures during pesticide application.•Limited or no use of protective measures caused unacceptable human health damages.
The indiscriminate use of agrochemicals for the maximization of the crop yield has adverse effects on the air, water, soil, non-target organisms, and human health. Reducing the impacts of agrochemicals on the environment and human health is instrumental for agricultural sustainability and cleaner production. To date, limited studies have focused on the issues of rice intensification, realistic agrochemical-saving targets, human health concerns associated with agrochemical use, and protective measures that may help to reduce occupational exposure during pesticide application. Cross-sectional data of 360 rice growers were collected from September to October 2017 from 9 districts of Punjab, Pakistan using multistage sampling technique. A combination of descriptive statistics and econometric methods was used in this study. The results found a 60% rice efficiency, which is evidence that farm resources were not utilized at the optimal level. An artificial neural network method (ANN) was suggested to reduce the quantity of pesticides and pure N by 45.2 and 37.2%, respectively, at a given level of rice yield. However, pure P, pure K, zinc, and farm yard manure (FYM) were recommended to increase by 490.9, 18.4, 64.7, and 32.6%, respectively than existing level. The results of the Cobb-Douglas (CD) production function found positive significant impacts of pure P, pure K, zinc, and FYM on the rice yield. According to a Tobit regression model, the rice efficiency significantly increased with education and farming experience, while it decreased with increasing crop area under rice cultivation and the distance among rice plots. Pesticide application caused skin irritation, eye irritation, cough, dizziness, nausea, and diarrhoea in 33, 41.7, 38, 30.5, 27.5, and 12% of the population, respectively. A few cases of death (3%) and serious illness (10%) due to drinking pesticides intentionally or unintentionally were also discovered. A Poisson regression model confirmed that pesticide poisoning significantly increased the incidence of eye irritation, skin irritation, dizziness, cough, and nausea during pesticide application. Moreover, cases of occupational health exposure were significantly higher among those who did not adopt protective measures. A negative binomial regression suggested that the use of protective measures, such as protective clothes, goggles, mask, gloves and boots, during chemical application significantly reduced the risk to human health. A lack of education and awareness about the appropriate and safe use of agrochemicals are the main reasons for the overutilization of pesticides and for the negative consequences on human health. This study stresses the importance of using agrochemicals at the recommended level and instead using bio-chemicals for agricultural sustainability and to protect human health. Moreover, the use of pesticide protective measures is highly recommended to avoid respiratory and dermal exposure to pesticides.
•The public policy of land allotment to agrarians has increased crop yield.•Non-agrarians have applied farm inputs more than target quantities.•Agrarians have used farm resources at targeted ...quantities.•Non-agricultural education is a reason for inefficient use of farm resources.•The public policy of land allotment is positively correlated to increase crop yield.
The study estimates the impact of land allotment policy to agrarians on crop productivity in Punjab province of Pakistan. The term "agrarian" refers to a respondent who has formal education in agricultural sciences (agronomy, soil science, agricultrual economics, and horticulture etc.), otherwise known as "non-agrarian". In 2009 the Punjab government allotted agricultural plots to agrarians. A multistage sampling technique was used to collect data of 384 crop growers by using well-structured questionnaire from two main cop zones of Punjab province of Pakistan. From July to September 2017, the data of rice and sugarcane were collected from mixed crop zone, and cotton and wheat from cotton-wheat crop zone. Various econometric methods were used to approach study objectives. Results found that compared to non-agrarians, crop productivity of wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane was 28.9, 23.4, 19.8, and 8.3%, higher at agrarians’ farms, respectively. Agricultural education and recommended use of farm inputs were main factors of getting higher crop yield at agrarians’ farms. Artificial neural network (ANN) reported that at agrarian plots, farm inputs, particularly Pure N, Pure P, Pure K, and seed rate were used at recommended level for wheat, cotton, rice, and sugarcane crop. The overuse of Pure N and seed rate and underuse of Pure P, Pure K and farmyard manure (FYM) were found the main reasons for getting lower crop yield at non-agrarians’ farms. Moreover, Cobb-Douglas (CD) production function evident that, although the farming experience of non-agrarians significantly increased the crop productivity, excessive use of Pure N and seed rate and non-agricultural education have no significant impact on crop yield. On the other hand, propensity score matching (PSM) method confirmed that public policy of land allotment to agrarians has significanlty increased the yield of wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane by 16.5, 14.2, 12.3, and 23.2%, respectively. The study results suggested that besides of land allotment to agrarians, the government should also focus on the provision of formal and informal agricultural education and training to non-agrarians. More specifically, it is necessary to provide knowledge of basic crop production technology to non-agrarians. Furthermore, to exploit maxim crop yield it is highly suggested to apply fertilizers at the recommend level estimated by the ANN method.
The main aim of the study was to estimate the target values of agrochemical use, and its impact on crop productivity, and human health. Adoptions of protective measures and their impacts on human ...health during pesticide application were also evaluated. To fulfil the study objectives, using a standardised questionnaire, cross-sectional data of 480 rice growers were collected from September to October, 2017 from the Hafizabad and Sheikhupura districts of Punjab, Pakistan. Various econometric methods were used for data analysis. The artificial neural network (ANN) found an indiscriminate use of agrochemicals in the study area and suggested reducing the applied quantity of Pure N and pesticides by 43.6 and 52.6%, respectively, at a given level of rice yield, while the quantity of Pure P, Pure K, and farmyard manure (FYM) need to increase by 67.6, 15, and 21%, respectively, to obtain an efficient production level. The Cobb-Douglas (CD) production function estimated a positive and significant impact of Pure P, Pure K, FYM, education, and farming experience on rice yield. Results also showed that an indiscriminate use of pesticide not only compromised rice efficiency, it impinged on field worker health. Poisson regression found that occurrence of eye irritation, dizziness, cough, and nausea were significantly related with chemical application. Logistic regression found that education, farming experience, and extension services significantly increased in the adoption of various protective measures. Furthermore, cases of primary health exposures were significantly less among those who were used protective measures during pesticide application. Results of Poison regression function also confirmed that use of protective clothing, goggles, mask, gloves and boots during pesticide spraying significantly reduced human health exposures. It is recommended to apply the quantity of nutrients and chemicals suggested by ANN method. Use of biochemicals is a more sustainable and environmentally friendly strategy. Provision of educational programs and trainings to farmers on safe use of pesticides is required to avert occupational health exposures. Furthermore, governmental actions such as restriction and/or interdiction on use of highly toxic pesticides and enforcement to adopt safety measures during pesticide application, are needed to reduce pesticide exposures.
Structure of ANN method. Display omitted
•Unsafe use of agrochemicals increased the virulence of occupational health exposures.•Artificial neural network suggested to reduce overuse of agrochemicals in study area.•Use of personal protective devices was not common practice among farmers.•Education and farming experience significantly reduced occupational health exposures.•Adoption of safety measures significantly reduced the pesticide exposures.
Given the shortage and non-availability of freshwater in Pakistan, wastewater is being used for bathing water buffaloes; however, this has a negative impact on animal welfare. Although there is a ...vast literature on indirect linkages between wastewater and animal productivity, studies focusing on the direct impacts of water buffaloes bathing in wastewater on animal productivity and economic losses are rare. Therefore, using 360 domestic water buffalo farms, this study examines the expenditure and production losses associated with bathing (in wastewater and freshwater) and non-bathing water buffaloes by employing partial budgeting and resource adjustment component techniques. Furthermore, it investigates the prevalence of animal diseases and associated economic effects using correlation analysis and propensity score matching techniques, respectively. The findings reveal that compared to their counterparts (freshwater bathing and non-bathing water buffaloes), buffaloes bathing in wastewater are at increased risk of clinical mastitis, foot and mouth disease (FMD) and tick infestation. Moreover, the use of wastewater for bathing buffaloes also leads to higher economic and production losses by affecting milk productivity, causing premature culling, and reducing slaughter value. The findings of the double-log model show that economic losses are higher if buffaloes bathe in wastewater within 30 min after milking, as there are more chances that those buffaloes would be exposed to bacterial penetration in the teat ducts, which may result in intramammary infection. According to the propensity score matching method, the higher economic damages per month are associated with buffaloes bathing in wastewater and freshwater, 155 and 110 USD per farm, respectively. The study findings reference the need for policies to restrict wastewater access by water buffaloes, and a regular check of and access to cool clean water wallows for bathing during hot summer days, to reduce excess heat and economic losses, and thus improve animal welfare.
The present work was aimed to investigate the protective effects of enzymatic-hydrolyzed Auricularia polytricha polysaccharides (EnAPS) on renal functions. The characterizations were analyzed by ...physicochemical methods, and the renoprotections were processed in adenine-induced chronic kidney diseases (CKD) models of mice. Animal experiments exhibited that EnAPS showed superior renal-protections contributing to its antioxidant effects of increasing the enzyme activities and decreasing the lipid contents, and anti-inflammatory effects of reducing proinflammatory cytokines than A. polytricha polysaccharides (APS). Besides, the anti-apoptosis effects of EnAPS was proved by down-regulating Bax and Caspase-3 expressions and up-regulating Bcl-2 expressions by molecular biotechnology, and the anti-fibrosis effects was confirmed by histopathological observations of staining. The characterizations indicated that lower molecular weights possibly contributed to the superior renoprotective effects. These results suggested that enzymatic hydrolysis had potential effects in enhancing the bioactivities, and the polysaccharides could be used in the development of functional foods supplement against CKD.
Jasmonic acid (JA) is a crucial hormone in plant antiviral immunity. Increasing evidence shows that viruses counter this host immune response by interfering with JA biosynthesis and signaling. ...However, the mechanism by which viruses affect JA biosynthesis is still largely unexplored. Here, we show that a highly conserved chloroplast protein cpSRP54 was downregulated in Nicotiana benthamiana infected by turnip mosaic virus (TuMV). Its silencing facilitated TuMV infection. Furthermore, cpSRP54 interacted with allene oxide cyclases (AOCs), key JA biosynthesis enzymes, and was responsible for delivering AOCs onto the thylakoid membrane (TM). Interestingly, TuMV P1 protein interacted with cpSRP54 and mediated its degradation via the 26S proteosome and autophagy pathways. The results suggest that TuMV has evolved a strategy, through the inhibition of cpSRP54 and its delivery of AOCs to the TM, to suppress JA biosynthesis and enhance viral infection. Interaction between cpSRP54 and AOCs was shown to be conserved in Arabidopsis and rice, while cpSRP54 also interacted with, and was degraded by, pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) 126 kDa protein and potato virus X (PVX) p25 protein, indicating that suppression of cpSRP54 may be a common mechanism used by viruses to counter the antiviral JA pathway.
The light-harvesting chlorophyll
a
/
b
complex protein 3 (LHCB3) of photosystem II plays important roles distributing the excitation energy and modulating the rate of state transition and stomatal ...response to abscisic acid. However, the functions of LHCB3 in plant immunity have not been well investigated. Here, we show that the expression of
LHCB3
in
Nicotiana benthamiana
(
NbLHCB3
) was down-regulated by turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) infection. When
NbLHCB3
was silenced by tobacco rattle virus-induced gene silencing, systemic infection of TuMV was inhibited. H
2
O
2
was over-accumulated in
NbLHCB3
-silenced plants. Chemical treatment to inhibit or eliminate reactive oxygen species (ROS) impaired the resistance of the
NbLHCB3
-silenced plants to TuMV infection. Co-silencing of
NbLHCB3
with genes involved in ROS production compromised the resistance of plants to TuMV but co-silencing of
NbLHCB3
with genes in the ROS scavenging pathway increased resistance to the virus. Transgenic plants overexpressing
NbLHCB3
were more susceptible to TuMV. These results indicate that downregulation of
NbLHCB3
is involved in defense against TuMV by inducing ROS production.
This study addresses the apparent puzzle that China made great progress in mobile phone manufacturing despite weak intellectual property protection. Using the China 2012 Enterprise Surveys Data set ...of World Bank enterprises survey, we investigated whether competition order mattered for innovation behaviors of enterprise and mainly drew three major conclusions. First, when there are unregistered or informal competitors in the market, enterprises tend to choose innovation to improve the current situation of their own operations, and they may increase the R&D investment. Second, when the unregistered or informal competitors in the market become obstacles to the enterprise, with the rise of disorderly barriers to competition, enterprises will reduce their decision-making of innovation behavior or the intensity of R&D investment. Third, the impartiality degree of court may have a moderating effect on the relationship between competition order and corporate innovation behavior.
Rice stripe virus (RSV) is one of the most devastating viral pathogens in rice and can also cause the general chlorosis symptom in
plants. The chloroplast changes associated with chlorosis symptom ...suggest that RSV interrupts normal chloroplast functions. Although the change of proteins of the whole cell or inside the chloroplast in response to RSV infection have been revealed by proteomics, the mechanisms resulted in chloroplast-related symptoms and the crucial factors remain to be elucidated. RSV infection caused the malformation of chloroplast structure and a global reduction of chloroplast membrane protein complexes in
plants. Here, both the protoplast proteome and the chloroplast proteome were acquired simultaneously upon RSV infection, and the proteins in each fraction were analyzed. In the protoplasts, 1128 proteins were identified, among which 494 proteins presented significant changes during RSV; meanwhile, 659 proteins were identified from the chloroplasts, and 279 of these chloroplast proteins presented significant change. According to the label-free LC⁻MS/MS data, 66 nucleus-encoded chloroplast-related proteins (ChRPs), which only reduced in chloroplast but not in the whole protoplast, were identified, indicating that these nuclear-encoded ChRPswere not transported to chloroplasts during RSV infection. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis confirmed that RSV infection changed the biological process of protein targeting to chloroplast, where 3 crucial ChRPs (K4CSN4, K4CR23, and K4BXN9) were involved in the regulation of protein targeting into chloroplast. In addition to these 3 proteins, 41 among the 63 candidate proteins were characterized to have chloroplast transit peptides. These results indicated that RSV infection changed the biological process of protein targeting into chloroplast and the location of ChRPs through crucial protein factors, which illuminated a new layer of RSV⁻host interaction that might contribute to the symptom development.
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