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AbstractThe present studies report the use of an ecofriendly biomass Ficus religiosa in untreated (UFR) and xanthate treated (XFR) forms for the Cd (II) ions removal in a fixed bed column. FTIR, SEM‐EDS, BET surface area, and elemental analysis (CHNS) techniques were used to characterize the biosorbents. The acquired data supported FTIR findings regarding the nature of functional groups present in the materials. Packed bed continuous flow studies explored the effects of various parameters such as Cd (II) ion concentration (100 mg/L–300 mg/L), bed heights (5 cm–30 cm), pH (3–5), at a constant linear flow rate (~1.13 cm/min). The obtained S‐shaped breakthrough curves indicated the efficiency of the packed bed for the Cd (II) removal. Breakthrough time and exhaust times increased (67.5 min–390 min and 292.5 min–1852.5 min) (97.5 min–442.5 min and 345 min–1920 min) for unmodified and modified respectively with bed heights. The BDST, Thomas, and Yoon‐Nelson models were used to evaluate the experimental results. The Yoon‐Nelson model describes the breakthrough data more efficiently compared to other models. Under similar conditions, the modified material exhibited 400% increased capacity (55.20 mg/g) than that of unmodified material (13.33 mg/g). Thus, xanthate modification significantly enhanced the capacity for Cd (II) ions from aqueous solutions.Practitioner Points Xanthate modification of Ficus religiosa is an environmentally friendly process. Modified and unmodified materials were utilized for Cd (II) removal in fixed bed column process which is industrially viable process. Low inlet Cd (II) concentration at pH 5 and higher bed height favored the continuous flow process at fixed flow rate. Modification caused an increase of about 400% in the capacity of material.

Two chickpea genotypes viz. Bhakar-2011 (desi) and Noor-2013 (kabuli) were sown in soil filled pots supplied with low (0.3 mg kg-1) and high (3 mg kg-1 soil) zinc (Zn) under control (70% water holding capacity and 25/20 °C day/night temperature), drought (35% water holding capacity) and heat (35/30 °C day/night temperature) stresses. Drought and heat stresses reduced rate of photosynthesis, photosystem II efficiency, plant growth and Zn uptake in chickpea. Low Zn supply exacerbated adverse effects of drought and heat stresses in chickpea, and caused reduction in plant biomass, carbon assimilation, antioxidant activity, impeded Zn uptake and enhanced oxidative damage. However, adequate Zn supply ameliorated adverse effect of drought and heat stresses in both chickpea types. The improvements were more in desi than kabuli type. Adequate Zn nutrition is crucial to augment growth of chickpea plants under high temperature and arid climatic conditions.

Although nitrogen (N) is the most limiting nutrient for agricultural production, its overuse is associated with environmental pollution, increased concentration of greenhouse gases, and several human and animal health implications. These implications are greatly affected by biochemical transformations and losses of N such as volatilization, leaching, runoff, and denitrification. Half of the globally produced N fertilizers are used to grow three major cereals—rice, wheat, and maize—and their current level of N recovery is approximately 30–50%. The continuously increasing application of N fertilizers, despite lower recovery of cereals, can further intensify the environmental and health implications of leftover N. To address these implications, the improvement in N use efficiency (NUE) by adopting efficient agronomic practices and modern breeding and biotechnological tools for developing N efficient cultivars requires immediate attention. Conventional and marker-assisted selection methods can be used to map quantitative trait loci, and their introgression in elite germplasm leads to the creation of cultivars with better NUE. Moreover, gene-editing technology gives the opportunity to develop high-yielding cultivars with improved N utilization capacity. The most reliable and cheap methods include agronomic practices such as site-specific N management, enhanced use efficiency fertilizers, resource conservation practices, precision farming, and nano-fertilizers that can help farmers to reduce the environmental losses of N from the soil–plant system, thus improving NUE. Our review illuminates insights into recent advances in local and scientific soil and crop management technologies, along with conventional and modern breeding technologies on how to increase NUE that can help reduce linked N pollution and health implications.

The multipurpose plant species Linum usitatissimum famous for producing linen fibre and containing valuable pharmacologically active polyphenols, has rarely been tested for it's in vitro biosynthesis potential of lignans and neolignans. The current study aims at the synergistic effects of mineral nutrients variation and different photoperiod treatments on growth kinetics and biomass accumulation in in vitro cultures of Linum usitatissimum. Both nutrient quality and quantity affected growth patterns, as cultures established on Gamborg B5 medium had comparatively long exponential phase compared to Murashige and Skoog medium, while growth was slow but steady until last phases of the culture on Schenk and Hildebrandt medium. Similarly, we observed that boron deficiency and nitrogen limitation in culture medium (Gamborg B5 medium) enhanced callus biomass (fresh weight 413 g/l and dry weight 20.7 g/l), phenolics production (667.60 mg/l), and lignan content (secoisolariciresinol diglucoside 6.33 and lariciresinol diglucoside 5.22 mg/g dry weight respectively) at 16/8 h light and dark-week 4, while that of neolignans (dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol glucoside 44.42 and guaiacylglycerol-β-coniferyl alcohol ether glucoside 9.26 mg/g dry weight, respectively) in continuous dark after 4th week of culture. Conversely, maximum flavonoids production occurred at both Murashige and Skoog, Schenk and Hildebrandt media (both media types contain comparatively higher boron and nitrogen content) in the presence of continuous light. Generally, continuous dark had no significant role in any growth associated parameter. This study opens new dimension for optimizing growing conditions and evaluating underlying mechanisms in biosynthesis of lignans and neolignans in in vitro cultures of Linum usitatissimum.

Globalization has resulted in several technical advancements, including the ability to connect people all over the world and drive the economies with higher agricultural output. With agricultural productivity expanding quickly, the negative impact of globalization on environmental degradation is being disregarded. Rapid agricultural expansion and globalization have resulted in significant increases in energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The primary purpose of this research is to assess the role of Pakistan’s massive agriculture industry in encouraging or discouraging CO2 emissions under Globalization scenario. Therefore, we applied Non-linear Autoregressive Distributive Lag Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag model from 1971 to 2021. Our results showed that in presence of globalization, agricultural production shows asymmetries in case of positive and negative shocks. A positive shock in Agricultural production increased the CO2 emissions while negative shock in agricultural production decreased CO2 emissions. Furthermore, GDP, energy consumption and economic globalization have positive association with economic globalization while on the other hand, surprisingly trade and urbanization in the presence of globalization have negative association with CO2 emissions. Environmental deterioration due to greenhouse emissions causes climatic variation in the economy and several mitigation strategies are required on sustainable basis in Pakistan. So, our study recommends that farmers of Pakistan should adopt organic farming this will help to reduce CO2 emissions.

The over-exploitation of groundwater resources is a significant concern due to the potential risks associated with the depletion of this valuable freshwater source. Future planning must consider changes in groundwater availability and urban expansion which are critical for understanding urban growth patterns. This study aims to investigate the impact of land cover change on groundwater depletion. Further, the Land surface temperature (LST) analysis has been performed to find the spatial spread of urbanization and its impact on surface temperature. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data for groundwater storage monitoring and Landsat data for land cover and LST mapping have been used. The GRACE-based Groundwater Storage (GWS) anomaly has been correlated with Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)-based precipitation data. The GWS is further cross validated with the groundwater monitoring stations in the study area and the correlation of 0.7 is found. The time series analysis of GWS and the land cover maps with a decadal interval from 1990 to 2020 has been developed to find the impact of groundwater change due to urbanization. The results demonstrate a rapid increase in groundwater depletion and urbanization rates over the past decade. The LST spatial pattern is increasing similarly with the study area’s urban expansion, indicating the temperature rise due to urbanization. The study highlights the limitation of effective policies to regulate groundwater extraction in urban areas and the importance of proper planning to ensure the long-term sustainability of freshwater resources.

Purpose This study aims to investigate risks associated with climate change vulnerability and in response the adaptation methods used by farming communities to reduce its negative impacts on agriculture in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The study used household survey method of data collection in Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, involving 116 randomly selected respondents. Findings Prevalent crops diseases, water scarcity, soil fertility loss and poor socio-economic conditions were main contributing factors of climate change vulnerability. The results further showed that changing crops type and cultivation pattern, improved seed varieties, planting shaded trees and the provision of excessive fertilizers are the measures adapted to improve agricultural productivity, which may reduce the climate change vulnerability at a household level. Research limitations/implications The major limitation of this study was the exclusion of women from the survey due to religious and cultural barriers of in Pashtun society, wherein women and men do not mingle. Practical implications Reducing climate change vulnerability and developing more effective adaptation techniques require assistance from the government. This help can be in the form of providing basic resources, such as access to good quality agricultural inputs, access to information and extension services on climate change adaptation and modern technologies. Consultation with other key stakeholder is also required to create awareness and to build the capacity of the locals toward reducing climate change vulnerability and facilitating timely and effective adaptation. Originality/value This original research work provides evidence about farm-level vulnerability, adaptation strategies and risk perceptions on dealing with climate-change-induced natural disasters in Pakistan. This paper enriches existing knowledge of climate change vulnerability and adaptation in this resource-limited country so that effective measures can be taken to reduce vulnerability of farming communities, and enhance their adaptive capability.

The Sichuan–Tibet Railway crosses through the largest maritime glacier region in China. A large number of moraines formed after the rapid glacial retreat caused by climate warming. Moraines could induce frequent geological hazards that seriously threatened the safe construction and operation of the railway. Accordingly, moraines in this maritime glacier region have become a new challenging research topic with respect to the formation of geological hazards. Using remote-sensing image interpretations, field investigations, and dating tests, moraines and their topographic information were systematically obtained. After analyzing the geometrical distribution characteristics of the moraine accumulations, the geometrical characteristics of three typical moraine accumulation forms were generalized into corresponding mathematical models. Consequently, a method to quickly and quantitatively estimate the moraine reserves is proposed. The moraine distribution is primarily affected by the elevation, slope, river–valley morphology, and climate conditions. Old moraines that formed in the Pleistocene epoch (the Guxiang and Baiyu glacial periods) are primarily distributed below 3,500 m above sea level, while most of the new moraines that formed in the Holocene epoch (Neoglaciation and Little Ice Age) are primarily distributed above 4,000 m above sea level. Both the new and old moraines are primarily distributed within a slope range of 10–30°. Furthermore, the main river–valley morphology has a significant impact on the distribution of the old moraines, which are primarily distributed in the Zhongba–Guxiang section of the river valley where the longitudinal slope is relatively gentle. The difference in glaciation is the main reason why the new moraines distributed on the south banks in the study area are different from those on the north banks and why those distributed upstream are different from those distributed downstream. In addition, moraines are the main source of glacial debris flows. According to the presented method, the loose moraine reserves can be accurately calculated by analyzing the position, consolidation, and supply capability of the new and old moraines in each debris flow gully. It is anticipated that the presented results can be used to better understand the formation mechanisms of glacier-related hazards and improve risk assessments.