Forthcoming Issue

The increasing world population has created an alarming situation to meet the demand for food. Ultimately wheat yield is required to be increased proportionally to the world’s population. An estimated increase of 05 tonnes per hectare is direly needed from the current production of 3.3 tonnes by the end of 2050. To achieve this goal it is required to adopt new, emerging, and efficient breeding techniques which caused a recent breakthrough in wheat genome sequencing and provided sufficient information for the traits which are directly related to quality and yield of crops. This review provides a comprehensive overview of tools and techniques which are widely used for discovering the functionality of genes that results in specific phenotypes of Wheat. It gives a deep historical account of the development of wheat transformation techniques and provides an idea about in which way these techniques have been adapted to produce gain-of-function phenotypes through gene overexpression, loss-of-function phenotypes through the expression of antisense RNAs (RNA interference or RNAi). Recently, gene structure and expression manipulation using site-specific nucleases such as CRISPR/Cas9 for genome editing. The review summarizes recent successes in the application of wheat genetic manipulation to enhance yield, improve wheat's nutritional and health-promoting qualities, and boost the crop's resistance to various biotic and

The study centered on (ICTs) application and its relationship to the job performances of extension workers in North central Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was administered to 291 extension workers. A sampling method with a mixture of techniques was adopted. Descriptive statistics, Z test, Pearson correlation, and Factor analysis were employed. A significant majority 87.6 % often used Facebook, 86.9% What’s app, and 84.2% internet sources/mobile/smartphone. Factors affecting ICTs application, Factor 1 having high loading were lack of availability of professionals for training, gender issues, lack of Government intervention, and lack of monitoring and evaluation from the government. Factor 2 with higher loading was the need for ICTs infrastructure and inadequate availability of electricity. Factor 3 with high loading was high equipment cost and poor income. Among the three factors that contributed most to explaining the total challenges of ICTs training and application is factor 1 with about 20.5%, followed by factor 2 which accounted for 18.6%. There was a significant difference between gender and performances at a 0.05 level. There was a positive and moderate effect and significant correlation at 0.01 level between ICTs application (r=0.309) and job performance at P<0.01. ICTs application also had a small effect and Positive and significant association with the Quantity of work, quality of work, and speed of work at a 1% level of significance. It is recommended that the Government should intervene through equality professional training and set up a good monitoring team to encourage effective ICTs applications directed towards organizational development. Keywords: ICTs, application, relationship, performances, extension workers.

In this research, the biosurfactant production by Enterococcus faecium isolated from Raw cow's milk was studied when growing in the MRS medium containing Lactose as a carbon source without Tween-80. E.faecium supernatant exhibited emulsion action of 60% towards kerosene oil as oil in water, while the surface activity was 34 mm. Biosurfactants with surface tension activity properties were extracted and partially purified from E. faecium by cold acetone 3:1, The chemistry structure of the biosurfactant was analyzed, which indicated that it is a glycol-lipo-peptide. Biosurfactant that purified from E. faecium showed antibacterial activity by reducing growth of several pathogenic G-ve and G+ve bacteria, including aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus sp., Staphylococcus Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Acinetobacter sp. and Serratia sp. The inhibitory activity of biosurfactant against pathogenic bacteria was studied by using agar diffusion method, where the biosurfactant had higher inhibitor activity against E. coli, where highest diameter of inhibition zone was (23mm). At all concentrations examined, a biosurfactant derived from E. faecium considerably decreased bacterial adhesion, albeit to a lower amount. Keyword: Enterococcus faecium, LAB, Biosurfactant, Antibacterial and Antiadhesive activity.

Cotton is the main cash crop and back bone of agriculture. However, its yield is decreasing due to insect pests attack. Among them, sucking insect pests are serious problem in cotton and various agricultural crops. Hence, present research work was executed to assess the toxicity of some synthetic insecticides against Thrips tabaci in cotton crop. The research trial was executed with varied planting geometry under different irrigation regimes. Sowing of the cotton crop was done with plant to plant distance of 30 and 60 cm while row to row distance was 4 ft. apart. The plants were irrigated under single lateral and double lateral arrangements of drip irrigation while control plot was irrigated through conventional surface irrigation method. Results of relative incidence of thrips population on different irrigation plots showed that highest thrips population (19.43/plant) was noted in case of flood irrigated plot having plant to plant distance of 30 cm followed by in double lateral drip irrigation plot (15/plant) and single lateral plot (13.10 thrips/plant). Comparatively lower mean thrips population values; 16.30, 12.40 and 10.56 thrips/plant, respectively were recorded in experimental plot under 60 cm plant to plant distance. Toxicity bioassays revealed that highest reduction (75.27%) was recorded in spinetoram while lowest thrips population reduction (28.18%) was recorded in case of spinosad. It can be concluded that spinetoram can be effective tool for efficient control of thrips leading to augmentation in cotton crop yield. Keywords: Population, insecticides, incidence, irrigation, crop produce, Comparison, Toxicity, Synthetic insecticides, Thrips (Thrips tabaci), Cotton crop, Irrigation regimes, Insecticide effectiveness, Pest control, Crop protection, Integrated pest management.

Cotton is an important cash crop in Pakistan. But insect pests attack and emerging water scarcity glitches are alarming the crop yield on sustainable basis. Hence, the present research trial was executed to probe out the toxic effects of plant extracts and some insecticides against cotton whitefly, Bemisia tabaci. Different concentrations of the plant extracts and insecticides were applied. Results showed that highest mean incidence (10.6 adults/plant) of whitefly population was observed in case of BS-15 variety, was under double Lateral+30 cm P×P distance while in case of NIAB-878, the value was 13.1 adults/plant. Results to toxicity bioassays showed that maximum population reduction (79.10%) was recorded in case of pyriproxyfen while comparative less reduction (51.17%) was observed in case of dine to furon after exposure period of 72 (h.). . The values were after 48 and 24 h. In case of plant extracts, highest mortality (51.46%) was noted in case of A. indica whereas comparatively low mortality (46.32%) was recorded in case of M. oleifera extract at 30% concentration of plant extracts after exposure period of 72 (h.). 20 and 10% concentrations of the tested plant extracts showed relatively lower mortality values. Data of morphological growth showed that plant height got increased by increasing planting distance from 30 to 40 cm in case of the both varieties. Number of leaves and boll size did not increase with increasing planting distance in case of BS-15 variety whileincreased in case of NIAB-878 variety and the values were 105.1 (number of leaves), 44.4 (number of bolls) and 10.2 cm2 (boll size). Crop water productivity of variety BS-15 was higher (0.51 kg m-3) as compared to NIAB-878 (0.49 kg m-3). It is concluded that the variety BS-15 performed better under single lateral system while variety NIAB-878 performed better under double lateral system. Plant to plant distance of 30 cm was found better than 40 cm distance. Keywords: Cotton varieties, morphogical characteristics, drip irrigation, Planting geometry.

This study presents a comparative analysis of the phytochemical compositions of the flowers and fruits of Capparis spinosa L. (Flora Iraq) sourced from Basra, southern Iraq. Soxhlet extraction and maceration methods were employed to prepare extracts for comparative phytochemical yield assessment. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were quantified using standard controls via spectroscopic analysis. Additionally, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) facilitated the identification and quantification of specific antioxidants, including cinnamic acid. Comparative analysis revealed significantly higher levels of phenols, flavonoids, and alkaloids in the flowers of C. spinosa compared to the fruits. HPLC profiling highlighted the presence of essential bioactive compounds such as kaempferol, quercetin, hexaoxane, vitamin E, and stigmasterol in both flower and fruit extracts. This study marks the first comprehensive report on HPLC profiles and quantification of prominent phytochemicals in C. spinosa (Flora Iraq) flowers and fruits from Basra, Iraq. The findings provide fundamental insights into the phytochemical compositions, serving as a valuable resource for future pharmacological research and the quality control of C. spinosa materials from this specific region. Keywords: Phytochemical analysis, Capparis spinose, Flower and fruit extracts, Maceration, Soxhlet extraction, Total phenolic content, Flavonoid content, Spectroscopic analysis, Cinnamic acid, Antioxidants.

The experiment was conducted in pots within the plastic house of a nursery located in the Al-Muqdadiya district, situated to the north of Baqubah, the central city of Diyala governorate, which lies 90 km northeast of the capital, Baghdad. This study focused on Capsicum annuum L, specifically the Barbarian F1 class of Indian origin, during the autumn season. The objective of the experiment was to investigate the effects of melatonin and glutathione treatments on the physiological characteristics of Capsicum annuum L grown under conditions polluted with cadmium. The research followed a Randomized Complete Block Design (R.C.B.D.) with three replicates. Three treatments were applied: cadmium, added to the soil at concentrations of 0 and 15 mg.kg soil-1, and melatonin and glutathione, applied to the leaves at concentrations of 0, 50, and 100 mg.L-1. The results revealed a significant decrease in fruit carbohydrate content and catalase enzyme activity when treated with cadmium at a concentration of 15 mg.kg soil-1. However, applying melatonin at concentrations of 50 and 100 mg.L-1 led to a significant increase in fruit carbohydrate and protein content, along with a notable rise in catalase and peroxidase enzyme activities. The concentration of 100 mg.L-1 demonstrated the highest mean values for these features. Moreover, the study demonstrated a significant increase in fruit carbohydrate and protein content, as well as catalase enzyme activity, when plants were treated with glutathione at concentrations of 50 and 100 mg.L-1. The highest mean values for these features were observed when plants were treated with glutathione at a concentration of 100 mg.L 1. Keywords: Bioactive compounds, Antioxidants, Heavy metals, Physiological characteristics, Pollution, Capsicum annuum L.

The study was conducted at the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences / University of Baghdad for the period from 3-30-2022 until 4-10-2022 to determine the extent of improvement or change in the rumen fluid of Awassi lambs after inoculation with Iraqi buffalo rumen fluid, and 5 different percentages of Iraqi buffalo rumen fluid were used. Which was collected immediately after slaughter and (0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8) represented the parameters (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5). It was added to the rumen fluid of Awassi lambs in in vitro digestion tubes to estimate the in vitro digestibility coefficient for the dry and organic matter of the Iraqi wild Reeds, pH, and total number of microorganisms in rumen fluid. The results showed a highly significant increase (P<0.01) for the two treatments (T4 and T5) in the in vitro digestibility coefficient of organic matter and dry matter compared to the treatments (T1, T2, and T3). While the digestibility coefficient of organic matter improved significantly compared to dry matter. The pH values recorded a highly significant increase (P<0.01) after 9 and 12 hours for all treatments compared to their values after 6 hours of in vitro digestion. The results showed a highly significant (P<0.01) superiority of the two treatments (T2 and T4) with buffalo rumen fluid in the pH values compared. With parameters (T1, T3, and T5) with different times during which the pH was measured. The treatments (T3, T4, and T5) were highly significantly (P<0.01) superior in terms of the total number of microorganisms compared to the two inoculation treatments with buffalo rumen fluid (T1 and T2), while the two inoculation treatments (T3 and T5) recorded a highly significant (P<0.01) superiority in The total number of microorganisms in rumen fluid compared to other treatments. From the results achieved above, we conclude that the treatments (T3, T4, and T5) are considered the best rates for inoculation with buffalo rumen fluid, and the T4 treatment is considered the best compared to other inoculation treatments. Keywords: Ruminants, microbiology, improving environment, roughage fodder, modifying, natural compounds, microbial activity, improve the quality of diets.

Lycium barbarum, popularly known as Goji berries, is revered for its exceptional properties as a super-plant, owing to the abundance of minerals and bioactive chemicals present in its fruits and leaves. Throughout history, several Asian countries, particularly China, have integrated Lycium barbarum (hereafter referred to as L. barbarum) into their traditional medicinal and nutritional practices. This widespread adoption is primarily due to the vital role played by the active components found in L. barbarum extracts, such as carotenoids, flavonoids, and polysaccharides, which exhibit notable efficacy in preventing various chronic ailments, including age-related macular degeneration. This study seeks to explore the impact of ultrasound-assisted extraction, in comparison to the re-maceration extraction method, on the antioxidant activity of L. barbarum fruits and leaves obtained from three distinct cities in Iraq. The findings of this investigation hold significant promise for expanding our understanding of the optimal extraction technique for maximizing the antioxidant potential of L.barbarum, thus contributing to the potential development of novel applications in the medical and nutritional sectors. Keywords: Lycium barbarum, medicinal plants, antioxidant, herbal medicine, Iraq flora and wild plant

Exporting to any country is an important factor in generating income and providing foreign exchange by increasing those exports. The purpose of the study is to determine the feasibility of production and export of dates to Iraq and to use the Box- Jenkins methodology to predict date exports to Iraq for the years 1990–2025 based on time series. They were represented by the number of dates exported to Iraq in the years 1990-2019. Statistical means and methods were used to study the nature of the time series, where it was noted that there is a clear fluctuation in the quantity of exports. The researchers concluded, through the use of the Box- Jenkins methodology, that the appropriate model for predicting the amount of date exports is the ARIMA model (2,2,1) among a group of models that does not have the best values through the criteria adopted for selection. As well as the model (1,0,0) to predict the production quantities of dates. The study concluded to continue to support the agricultural sector, especially production Dates, because Iraq is characterized by different types, as well as the increase in exports, which is an important part in achieving agricultural economic development, as well as the adoption of economic policies that help encourage exports by supporting producers, which achieves returns on the trade balance and foreign currency. Keywords: Exports, prediction, production, Box-Jenkins, dates, RIMA model, Time series analysis, Economic development, Production quantities