Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid is a destructive pathogen of cowpea that causes serious charcoal rot disease with significant yield losses. Antifungal activity of three indigenous Ascomycetes viz., Trichoderma harzianum, T. viride, and T. hamatum, and two Meliaceae members, i.e., Melia azedarach L. and Azadirachta indica L. were assessed against the pathogen. Laboratory screening trials with cell-free culture filtrate showed the maximum reduction in growth of M. phaseolina with T. harzianum, followed by T. viride. Various concentrations (1-5%) of methanolic leaf extract of A. indica showed more reduction in fungal biomass than M. azedarach. Pot experiment was performed by T. harzianum, T. viride, and dry leaf biomass of A. indica against M. phaseolina. Results revealed that potted soil amended with T. harzianum in combination with 1-3% dry leaf biomass of A. indica held a significant potential to decrease disease incidence to 20-25% and improve plant growth attributes up to fourfolds over positive control inoculated with M. phaseolina only. Physiology of the host plant was altered due to the incorporation of various soil amendments resulting in reduced activities of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase). It was concluded that fungal antagonists and allelopathic chemicals would be an effective and eco-friendly means of managing the charcoal rot disease.

The substantial economic integration coupled with the increased inflation becomes serious dilemma for developing economies. Inflation has recently emerged as the major economic issue, making it necessary to investigate the additional causes of this issue. This study revisited the age-old subject of how openness affects inflation, utilizing time-series data from 1990 to 2021 for Pakistan. Primary goal of study is to investigate Romer hypothesis and relationship between openness as well as inflation in Pakistan using Co-integration analysis. Other explanatory variables are the growth of real agriculture value added, an average annual growth rate of money, and quasi-money and openness of economy. Though openness and inflation have a positive long-run relationship, there is no evidence of a short-run relationship, refuting Romer's argument for Pakistan. Present study offered signifncant information through results and support from previous studies in reaching the conclusion about inflation and its main reasons behand. Additionally, it offers renewed perspectives on how inflation is affected by global economic integration and how it thus undesarbaly influenced the financial growth from different dimensions that further hinders sustainable development.

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