No abstract

Seed surface area is the basic ground for lint production in cotton and, hence, a starting point for genetic improvement in lint yield. Experiments on upland cottons were carried out under 2 temperature regimes (April sown, high temperature regime; June sown, moderate regime) for 2 years in the field to study their modifying effect on phenotypic expression and combining ability of lint weight per seed (LW/S), lint weight per unit seed surface area (LW/SA), lint weight per unit fibre length (LW/FL), lint frequency (LF), number of spinnable fibres per seed (F/S), and number of spinnable fibres per unit seed surface area (F/SA). Variation among cultivars for relative decrease in the basic lint traits under high temperature regime indicated their differences in heat sensitivity. Genetic variation for all basic lint traits was low over environments but high within environments. Temperature regime was a stronger source of variation in basic lint traits than year. Temperature regimes modified phenotype, ranking among parents, and combining ability of basic lint traits. Relative contribution of specific combining ability to total variation decreased under high temperature regime for all the basic lint traits, except LW/FL, with a corresponding increase in general combining ability due to either female or male parents. Relative contribution of general combining ability due to female parents for LW/S and LW/SA, and that due to male parents for LW/SA, LF, F/S, and F/SA, increased substantially under high temperature regime. High temperature regime was favourable for the expression of additive genetic variability. From the breeding point of view, F/S and F/SA were more useful traits.

Physical seed traits such as seed weight, volume and density are determinants of seed vigour in cotton, while seed surface area is of prime importance in lint production. Two Pak-upland cotton crosses, plus their parental, F 2 and back cross generations were evaluated over two years to determine the inheritance pattern of their seed physical traits under heat stress and non-stress field regimes. The heat stress regime suppressed the average expression of seed traits in all generations. The results showed there to be low genetic variability with respect to physical seed traits, particularly seed volume, seed density and seed surface area, among several generations of the two cotton crosses. The inheritance of seed physical traits was complex in both crosses due to the presence of substantial non-allelic interactions (digenic epistatic effects) and the influence of generation × temperature regime interaction. The two crosses expressed different patterns of inheritance for seed physical traits. Those governing seed volume and seed surface area were highly sensitive to the temperature regime in both crosses and were controlled by additive genetic effects under heat stress conditions, and by dominant genetic effects under non-stress regime. The non-stress regime favoured the expression of dominant genetic effects. From a breeding point of view, the heat stress regime could be a more favourable environment for enhancing selection efficiency.Additional key words: genetic effects, Gossypium, heat stress, seed vigour. ResumenLa herencia de caracteres físicos de la semilla de algodón de tierras altas bajo diferentes regímenes de temperaturaCaracteres físicos tales como peso, volumen y densidad son determinantes en el vigor de la semilla y, en el caso del algodón, el área superficial de la misma es fundamental en la producción de las hilas. Con el fin de comprender el patrón de la herencia de los caracteres físicos de semillas de algodón sometidas a estrés por altas temperaturas y sin estrés, se evaluaron durante dos años dos cruces de algodón de tierras altas de Pakistán y sus parentales, así como generaciones F 2 y de retrocruzamiento de ambos parentales. El régimen de estrés por altas temperaturas suprimió la expresión media de los caracteres de las semillas en todas las generaciones. Los resultados revelaron una menor variabilidad genética en varias generaciones de los dos cruces para caracteres físicos de la semilla analizados, particularmente aquéllos asociados con el volumen, la densidad y el área superficial de la semilla. La herencia de los caracteres físicos de la semilla fue compleja en ambos cruces debido a la presencia de interacciones no alélicas (efectos epistáticos digénicos) y a la interacción generación × régimen de temperatura. Los dos cruces expresaron patrones diferentes de herencia para caracteres físicos de semilla. El patrón de herencia del volumen y área superficial de la semilla en ambos cruces mostró una alta sensibilidad a la temperatura, y estuvo controlado por componentes aditivos bajo...

Tapeworms of zoonotic importance have been described as a leading public health problem. Current research was aim to assess the prevalence of tapeworms among 5-12years school children residing in district Lower Dir, Pakistan from January 2019-December 2019. The wet mount preparation in saline/iodine/methods were used for stool examination. Data was analyzed using appropriate descriptive, static methods. Of the 400 children studied 71.7% were infected with one or more species of intestinal parasites. Single infection of cestode species was found in 69 individuals with 17.2% prevalence and multiple parasitic infections were identified in 19.7% (n=79/400) individuals. The multiple infection were comprised as 10% (n=40) double, 6.75% (n=27) triple and 3% (n=12) quadruple. A total of 9 species of helminths and one species of protozoan infection. Among the helminths Ascaris lumbricoides was the most prevalent 33.1% (n=95), Taenia saginata 22.6% (n=65), hookworm 19.8% (n=57), Hymenolepis nana 18.8% (n=54), Enterobius vermicularis and Hymenolepis diminuta 1.39% (n=4each), Trichuris trichura 1.04% (n=3), Toxocara spp 0.69% (n=2) and Schistosoma japonicum 0.34% (n=1) were reported. One protozoan species was Cryptosporidium spp 0.69% (n=2) in current study. In case of A.lumbricoides, hookworm, E.vermicularis, T.trichura, T.saginata, H.nana and H.diminuta the male children of below 8 years of age were highly infected. Other infections are reported in the same prevalence with slight difference if any. We conclude that there is a need for mass scale campaigns to create awareness regarding health and hygiene in children and the need for development of effective poverty control programs because deworming alone is not adequate to control parasitic infections.