Cell membrane stability (CMS) technique was used to screen for drought tolerance, salt tolerant accessions of three Aegilops species, Ae. tauschii, Ae. cylindrica, Ae. geniculata and two hexaploid wheat (Tricitum aestivum L.) cultivars comprising salt tolerant LU-26 and drought tolerant Chakwal-86. The objectives were to see how valid it is for a salt tolerant plant to be drought tolerant as well and to identify the character(s) that may contribute to drought tolerance. Three moisture levels equal to 100, 50 and 25% saturation capacity of the soil were used for plant cultivation. Injury percentage (IP) based on in-vitro desiccation induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG) in leaf tissue was measured through the conductivity of the electrolyte leakage. Injury percentage decreased in all the test material with decrease in soil moisture contents. Ae. cylindrica exhibited minimum injury at 100% soil moisture level followed by Ae. tauschii and Ae. geniculata while drought tolerant wheat cultivars exhibited the maximum. The wheat cultivar Chakwal-86 has been developed for dry areas, with low soil moisture levels, and high water potential enhances the injury percentage. Aegilops cylindrica is a salt tolerant species and can thus tolerate water deficit conditions created due to low osmotic potential. Potassium appeared to play an important role in drought tolerance which was evident from high K+ contents and low K+ leakage from Aegilops cylindrica and drought tolerant wheat cultivar Chakwal-86. It was inferred from the study that salt tolerant species might prove drought tolerant in the areas where water deficit prevails due to the ability to create low intracellular osmotic potentials.

Der Umsatz von 14C‐markierter Glukose, Zellulose, Weizenstroh, Phenolen oder von Lignin wurde im Boden in Gegenwart von (15NH4)2SO4 untersucht. Die Pflanzenbestandteile wurden mehr oder weniger rasch zu 14CO2 abgebaut und die zugesetzte Stickstoffquelle in unterschiedlichem Ausmaß organisch gebunden, aber auch wieder remineralisiert. Ebenfalls unterschiedlich war der Einbau des 14C bzw. 15N in humifizierte Rückstände oder in mikrobielle Metabolite. Während des Umsatzes der Kohlenhydrate und des Strohs erfolgte eine rasche Zunahme von 14C und 15N in Aminosäuren oder in nichtidentifizierbaren Bestandteilen von Bodenhydrolysaten, die von einer Abnahme gefolgt war. Phenole verhielten sich in ihrem Umwandlungsverhalten meistens ähnlich wie Kohlenhydrate, aber im Vergleich zu ihrer Mineralisierungsrate erfolgte ein geringerer Einbau in die hydrolysierbaren Bodenbestandteile. Obwohl das Lignin beträchtlich zu CO2 mineralisiert wurde, war ein Einbau des im Boden verbleibenden Kohlenstoffs in hydrolysierbare Bestandteile, besonders in Aminosäuren sehr gering. Ein etwas höherer Einbau erfolgte in die nichtidentifizierbaren Bestandteile der Hydrolysate, vor allem aber war ein Verbleib im nichthydrolisierbaren Rückstand zu beobachten.

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Polygamy is socially accepted and religiously allowed in most parts of the world. Polygamy is practiced by males, particularly for various justifiable reasons. The current study aims to analyze the interplay of culture and religion to describe the existing practice of polygamy in Punjab, Pakistan. It is further interested in analyzing the male perspective regarding the practice of polygamy. The study is theoretically grounded in the patriarchal theory and Agarwal’s concept of bargaining in gender relations. In Pakistan, like many other Muslim countries, religion is the major support taken by men for practicing polygamy along with other cultural justifications. Wife’s infertility or inability to produce the male offspring and forced marriage practices are amongst the major justifications of polygamy found in the current study. During this phenomenological research, the researchers included the male perspective only by targeting 5 polygamous marital unions from the various parts of the Punjab province. The findings include forced marriages, cousin marriages, age difference in first marriage, first wife’s infertility and inability to produce the male offspring, and the absence of male successor in case of landowning families as major causes for males being polygamous. The study also found males from different socioeconomic backgrounds living in polygamous marital unions. This study suggests that the patriarchal interpretation of religion and culture needs to be defined and the prevalent justification of polygamous marriages needs to be revisited. Similarly, the true Islamic intent for marrying multiple women and of equality and justice amongst wives needs to be explored through scholarly research.