University of Agriculture, Faisalabad

UAF Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan visits the Stalls of "Holy Qura'an" after inaugurating the 4-Day Qura'an Exhibition as a Chief Guest

2010-05-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

4-Day Qura’an Exhibition organized by Office of the Senior Tutor, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad in collaboration with Qura’an Foundation Pakistan and Faisalabad Arts Council inaugurated by UAF Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan outside Iqbal Auditorium on Wednesday morning.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that this exhibition is source of spiritual inspiration not only for students but it is an enthusiastic experience for people from all walks of life. He added that due to collection of ancient hand-written Holy Book this exhibition has a touch of historic fragrance.

It is worth mentioning that a 1250 years old Qura’an written in Ibrani language as well as various manuscripts of Qura’n-E-Majeed written during 150 to 300 years old era. The old manuscripts of Holy Qura’an in French, Albanian, Spanish, German, Turkish, Bosnian, Russian, English, African, Uzbek, Tamil, Hindi and other languages are exhibited here.

World’s smallest Holy Qura’an as well as “Tafseer” written by various Islamic Scholars has also been showcased. Some of antiques manuscripts blended with Gold, Silver and Precious Stones are being exhibited. The calligraphy and Cd’s, as well as Soft wares are also being showcased.
This exhibition will remain open from 14th to 15th April, from 09:00 a.m. to 09:00 p.m. and subsequently on 16th to 17th April at Faisalabad Arts Council.

Miss Farah Riaz Co-ordinator 2-Day Speech Therapy Workshop presents bouquet to the Chief Guest Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor UAF

2010-05-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

University of Agriculture, Faisalabad has been providing community building services to the Campus Community in this regard a counseling centre is being established for the students to provide them counseling regarding stress management and carrier development. This was stated by Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor UAF while addressing the certificates distribution ceremony of 2-Day workshop on Speech Therapy” jointly organized by Day-Care Centre UAF and Punjab Medical College at STC Hall here on Wednesday.

Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan added that the Day-Care Centre of the University has become a sign of integrity for working women as their Infants, Kids, and Special Children are being taken care of by highly qualified staff. He maintained that Day Care Centre has been performing as a laboratory for human development and family studies for Post-Graduate students of Department of Rural Home-Economics.

Dr. Imtiaz Dogar, The Psychiatric from Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad urged the need for collaborative efforts at institutional levels to cope with such psychological problems. He lauded the efforts of UAF Administration regarding establishment of Day-Care Centre and school for special children.

Ms. Asma Bajwa, highlighted the hurdles of communication and briefed about stuttering, stammering and articulation to the participants and pointed out the psychological solutions through speech therapy. She also spoke on the stammering and clattering problems.

Miss Farah Riaz, Incharge Day-Care Centre UAF and workshop coordinator while highlighting the role of DCC said that UAF is planning to establish Montessori services for kids of Campus Community. She added that 34 students are participated the speech therapy course which has been successfully managed. in befitting manner.

Mr. Khalid Bhatti from GC UF, Moazzam Bin Zahoor, EDO Special Education and other dignitaries attended the closing ceremony. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan distributed certificates to the participants.

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan while inaugurating the wheat harvesting campaign

2010-05-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

University of Agriculture Faisalabad will provide indigenous wheat production to its employees in soft monthly installments thereby to facilitate such employees who are not in position to pay the whole cost in one time. This assertion was given by Vice Chancellor Prof Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan while inaugurating the wheat harvesting campaign here at campus on Saturday evening.

Dr. Iqrar A Khan said that by virtue of massive wheat sowing campaign of provincial government, this year the country will witness enormous wheat production. He emphasized the need for efficient storage facilities in government and private sector to keep it away from adulteration and other mites’ attacks. Dr. Khan said though wheat harvesting with combine harvester geared up the whole process but we have to provide such technologies to the farmers to arrest the growing trend of burning its residues into ashes and keep the environment clean and eco-friendly. He asked the director farms Dr. Sher Muhammad to submit such doable work plan to facilitate the low grade employees by providing them opportunity of wheat procurement on soft monthly installments.

Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Company (PHDEC) had inked an MOU with UAF, faisalabad

2010-05-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Company (PHDEC) had inked an MOU with University of Agriculture Faisalabad, its sub campuses at TT Singh, Depalpur and College for Agriculture DG. Khan to build their capacity for introducing agribusiness related curricula and certificate courses for managers, supervisors, technicians and entrepreneurs. The ceremony was held at UAF VC Chamber along with signatories of the partner institutions and representative for Chief Executive PHDEC, Lahore.

The other objectives of MOU were to enhance the capacity of the partner institutions to introduce courses covering the fruit and vegetable handling techniques and fruit and vegetable processing and preservations. It is imperative to mention here that the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL), Government of Pakistan is executing Agribusiness Development and Diversification Project (ADDP) with the financial and technical assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB) with the overall goal to support economic growth and employment generation through agribusiness development in the country and Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Company (PHDEC) meant for undertaking the capacity building programs through the partner training institutions.

Flag Smut

2010-05-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Urocystis agropyri

Symptoms: Masses of black teliospores are produced in narrow strips just beneath the epidermis of leaves, leaf sheaths and occasionally the culms. Diseased plants often are stunted, tiller profusely and the spikes may not emerge. A severe infection usually induces the leaves to roll, producing an onion-type leaf appearance. The epidermis of older diseased plants tends to shred, releasing the teliospores (14).

Development: Germinating kernels or very young seedlings are infected by germinating spores on the seed or in the soil. The disease continues to develop systemically, and the black subepidermal strips of teliospores become visible near heading. Infection is favored by low soil moisture and cool soil temperatures.

Hosts/Distribution: Bread wheats are the primary hosts of flag smut fungi, and the isolates attacking bread wheat tend to be so exclusively. There are few reports of flag smut on durum wheats and triticales. The disease is found in most winter wheat areas and in cool, fall-sown spring wheat areas.

Importance: Flag smut generally is not an economically important disease, but where present, yield losses can range from trace amounts to moderate levels (when susceptible cultivars are grown).

Loose Smut

2010-05-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Ustilago tritici

Symptoms: The entire inflorescence, except the rachis, is replaced by masses of smut spores (12). These black teliospores often are blown away by the wind, leaving only the bare rachis and remnants of other floral structures

Development: Wind blown teliospores that land on the flowers of wheat plants can germinate and infect the developing embryo of the kernel. The mycelium of the loose smut fungus remains dormant in the embryonic tissues of the kernel until the kernel begins to germinate. The mycelium then develops along with the growing point of the plant, and at flowering time replaces the floral parts of the spike with masses of black spores. Infection and disease development are favored by cool, humid conditions, which prolong the flowering period of the host plant.

Hosts/Distribution: The disease can occur wherever wheat is grown.

Importance: Yield losses depend on the number of spikes affected by the disease; incidence is usually less than one percent and rarely exceeds thirty percent of the spikes in any given location.

Karnal Bunt (Partial Bunt)

2010-05-01T11:45:00.001-07:00

Tilletia indica (syn. Neovossia indica)

Symptoms: Karnal bunt is not easily detected prior to harvest, since it is usual for only a few kernels per spike to be affected by the disease. Following harvest, diseased kernels can be easily detected by visual inspection: a mass of black teliospores replaces a portion of the endosperm, and the pericarp may be intact or ruptured kernels give off a fetid or fishy odor when crushed.

Development: Karnal bunt is a seed- or soil-borne, floral infecting disease. inoculum (teliospores) on or near the soil surface germinates, producing sporidia, which are carried by wind to the floral structures. These sporidia in turn germinate and penetrate the glumes, rachis, or the ovary itself. The fungus enters the newly formed kernel and develops in the intercellular space between the endosperm and seed coat. The degree of disease establishment and development depends on environmental conditions from spike emergence through grain filling.

Hosts/Distribution: Karnal bunt can affect wheat, triticale, rye, and several other related grasses, but not barley. The disease is endemic in the Asian Subcontinent and now in Mexico.

Importance: Karnal bunt is a relatively minor disease. Actual losses in yield are minimal, but the disease is on the quarantine lists of many countries and therefore of importance in world grain trade.

Common and Dwarf Bunt (Stinking Smut)

2010-05-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

Tilletia caries, T. foetida, T. controversa

Symptoms: The main symptoms caused by these three species are fungal structures called "bunt balls," which resemble kernels but are completely filled with black teliospores. The bunt balls of common bunt, caused by T. caries and T. foetida, are about the same size and shape as the kernels they replace ; those of dwarf bunt, caused by T. controversa, are more nearly spherical When bunt balls are crushed, they give off a fetid or fishy odor. Infected spikes tend to be bluish green in color (or darker), and the glumes tend to spread apart slightly; the bunt balls often become visible after the soft dough stage . A slight reduction in plant height is typical of common bunt, while a pronounced reduction in height is typical of dwarf bunt.

Development: Spores lying dormant in the soil or on seed germinate and infect emerging seedings. Infection is favored by cool temperatures during germination. The disease develops systemically, with visible symptoms appearing after heading.

Hosts/Distribution: Wheat and (less commonly) triticale are affected by these diseases, as are several other related grasses. Common and dwarf bunts can occur worldwide. Both are limited to temperate climates; dwarf bunt occurs in areas having prolonged snow cover.

Importance: Considerable yield losses can occur when susceptible cultivars are grown or chemical seed treatments are not used.

Stripe Rust (Yellow Rust)

2010-05-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

Puccinia striiformis

Symptoms: The pustules of stripe rust, which, contain yellow to orange-yellow urediospores, usually form narrow stripes on the leaves. Pustules also can be found on leaf sheaths, necks, and glumes

Development: Primary infections are caused by wind-borne urediospores that may have travelled long distances. The disease may develop rapidly when free moisture (rain or dew) occurs and temperatures range between 10-20C. At temperatures above 25C, the production of urediospores is reduced or ceases and black teliospores are often produced.

Host/Distribution: Stripe rust can attack wheat, barley, triticale, and many other related grasses. The disease is found in all highland and/or temperate areas where cereals are grown. No alternate host is known.

Importance: Severe infections can cause yield losses, mainly by reducing the number of kernels per spike, test weights, and kernel quality.

Leaf Rust (Brown Rust)

2010-05-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

Puccinia recondita

Symptoms: The postules are circular or slightly elliptical, smaller than those of stem rust, usually do not coalesce, and contain masses of orange to orange-brown urediospores. Infection sites primarily are found on the upper surfaces of leaves and leaf sheaths (1), and occasionally on the neck and awns.

Development: Primary infections usually are light and develop from wind-borne urediospores that may have travelled long distances. The disease can develop rapidly when free moisture is available and temperatures are near 20C. Successive generations of urediospores can be produced every 10-14 days if conditions are favorable. As plants mature or when environmental conditions are not favorable, masses of black teliospores may become evident (2).

Hosts/Distribution: Leaf rust can affect wheat, triticale and many other related grasses. The disease is found wherever temperate cereals are grown. The alternate hosts are Thalictrum, Isopryum, Anemonella, and Anchusa spp.

Importance: Severe early infections can cause significant yield losses, mainly by reducing the number of kernels per spike, test weights, and kernel quality.

Wheat Diseases and Pests

2010-05-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Leaf Rust (Brown Rust); Stem Rust (Black Rust); Stripe Rust (Yellow Rust); Common and Dwarf Bunt (Stinking Smut); Karnal Bunt (Partial Bunt); Loose Smut; Flag Smut; Powdery Mildew; Septoria Tritici Blotch; Septoria Nodorum Blotch; Septoria Avenae Blotch; Spot Blotch (Helminthosporium Leaf Blotch); Tan Spot (Yellow Leaf Spot or Blotch); Alternaria Leaf Blight; Fusarium Leaf Blotch (Snow Mold); Scab (Head Blight); Ergot; Black Point; Downy Mildew; Take-All; Eyespot (Strawbreaker); Sharp Eyespot and Rhizoctonia Root Rot; Common Root Rot, Foot Rot, and Crown Rot; Sclerotium Wilt (Southern Blight); Black Molds (Sooty Molds)
: Bacterial Black Chaff and Bacterial Stripe; Basal Glume Rot and Bacterial Leaf Blight; Bacterial Spike Blight (Yellow Ear Rot)
: Barley Yellow Dwarf
: Aphids; Stink Bugs; Armyworms, Cutworms, and Stalk Borers; Cereal Leaf Beetle; Thrips; Hessian Fly; Wheat Stem Maggot; Sawfly; White Grubs; Wireworms; Slugs, Snails, Grasshoppers, and Crickets; Mites
: Seed Gall Nematode (Wheat Nematode or Ear Cockle); Cereal Cyst Nematode; Root Knot Nematode
: Physiological Leaf Spot; Melanism and Brown Necrosis (False Black Chaff); Genetic Flecking; Hybrid Necrosis (Dwarf Clumping)
: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Deficiencies; Minor Element Deficiencies; Aluminum Toxicity; Salt Stress; Moisture Stress; Heat Stress; Herbicide Damage; Frost Damage

Stem Rust (Black Rust)

2010-05-01T11:35:00.002-07:00

Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici

Symptoms: Pustules (containing masses of urediospores) are dark reddish brown, and may occur on both sides of the leaves, on the stems, and on the spikes (3). With light infections the pustules are usually separate and scattered, but with heavy infections they may coalesce. Prior to pustule formation, "flecks" may appear. Before the spore masses break through the epidermis, the infection sites feel rough to the touch; as the spore masses break through, the surface tissues take on a ragged and torn appearance.

Development: Primary infections are usually light and develop from wind-borne urediospores that may have travelled long distances. The disease can develop rapidly when free moisture (rain or dew) and moderate temperatures prevail. If temperatures average about 20C or more, the first generation of urediospores will be produced in 10-15 days. As plants mature, masses of black teliospores may be produced.

Hosts/Distribution: Stem rust can affect wheat, barley, triticale, and many other related grasses; it is found wherever temperate cereals are grown. The alternate hosts are Berberis and Mahonia spp.

Importance: If infection occurs during the early crop stages, the effects can be severe: reductions in tillering and losses in grain weight and quality. Under favorable conditions, complete crop loss can occur.

Stem Rust (Black Rust)

2010-05-01T11:35:00.001-07:00

Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici

Managing Powdery Mildew

2010-05-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Cultural practices

Cropping practices can have a significant effect on development and severity of powdery mildew. High seeding rate, high nitrogen fertility and semidwarf growth habit can increase severity of powdery mildew (Last, 1954; Tompkins et al., 1992). High nitrogen increases plant height and tillering, which reduces culm strength. This leads to increased lodging and prolonged leaf wetness favourable for infection (Shaner and Finney, 1977). Residual nitrogen from a previous crop to which high rates of nitrogen were applied and legume crops, which produce nitrogen, resulted in higher severity of powdery mildew in a following wheat crop (Parmentier and Rixhon, 1973). Variation in row spacing has been reported both to increase and decrease disease. Prolonged survival of debris-borne inoculum in reduced tillage systems has little effect on powdery mildew because most inoculum is windborne. However, volunteer wheat in reduced tillage systems can serve as an inoculum source.

Powdery mildew can develop at any growth stage. In areas where winter wheat is grown, early planting and above-average autumn temperatures favour infection although symptoms may not be readily visible. These autumn infections can contribute to yield reduction (Frank et al., 1988). Planting toward the latter part of the recommended planting period for the region can reduce early infection.

The use of cultivar mixtures to slow an epidemic of powdery mildew has been studied most intensely in winter barley (Wolfe, 1984). The anticipated benefits are to slow the rate of the epidemic to reduce or eliminate the need for foliar fungicide and thereby reduce the development of fungicide resistance in the pathogen. Deployment of a larger number of resistance genes also aims to diversify the population of B. Graminis f. sp. tritici. Mixtures of cultivars that carry several different resistance genes slowed the progress of a powdery mildew epidemic in both spring and winter wheat and improved yield by about 5 percent (Stuke and Fehrmann, 1988). Although shown to be beneficial in several wheat-pathogen systems, cultivar mixtures have been used only on a limited scale. Cultivar maturities in the mixture must be similar and the end use must be considered, especially if the crop is to be sold through typical grain marketing channels.

Disease resistance

Genetic resistance has been the primary means to manage powdery mildew. Only a brief summary of mechanisms of resistance and the genes that are used will be presented here. Bennett (1984) and Ecker and Lein (1994) have reviewed the use of several important resistance genes and their deployment in Western Europe and North America. Genes for resistance have been identified in at least 30 loci in wheat (Järve et al., 2000; Liu et al., 2001; McIntosh et al., 1998, 2000, 2001; Peusha et al., 2000; Shi et al., 1998; Rong et al., 2000). These genes often act only against specific races of the pathogen causing a hypersensitive resistance reaction in the wheat plant. A major concern is that only a few genes have been used widely in cultivar development. Resistance may be lost when new strains of the fungus develop. For example, Persaud et al. (1994) found increased virulence toward Pm17, a widely used gene from Amigo wheat (Heun et al., 1990; Lowry et al., 1984). However, the genetics of B. Graminis f. sp. tritici is complex. Higher frequencies of virulence were also found in the powdery mildew population due to Pm genes not known to be widely deployed (Niewoehner and Leath, 1998).

Resistance to powdery mildew is also accomplished by a combination of factors that slow the rate of disease progress so that plants mature before significant damage occurs. This is known as slow-mildewing or partial resistance and is race-nonspecific. Plants are susceptible as seedlings but are less susceptible in the adult stage so that this is a form of adult plant resistance. Several genes usually control partial resistance. Griffey and Das (1994) found that as few as two or three genes provided long-lasting adult plant resistance in two wheat cultivars. The factors that contribute to partial resistance include an increase in the time from infection until new spores are produced (latent period), reduced size of pustules and reduced production of spores. The infection frequency, the number of spores that successfully infect the plant, may also be reduced (Shaner, 1973). The slow rate of disease development can be quantified by calculating the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) based on three or more disease severity ratings during the season. AUDPC is useful to compare cultivars for differences in powdery mildew resistance (Shaner and Finney, 1977; Hautea et al., 1987). Recently, it has become possible to use molecular techniques to find quantitative trait loci (QTL) for powdery mildew resistance on gene maps to identify quantitative disease resistance (Chantret et al., 2000; Keller et al., 1999). The ability to use molecular markers associated with QTL holds promise for more rapid development of cultivars with partial resistance to powdery mildew.

Genes for avirulence in the fungus may be expressed differently depending on the host genotype. An isolate of B. Graminis f. sp. tritici may grow rapidly on one genotype but much more slowly on another genotype, so that the response of the host-parasite interaction is a partial resistance (Martin and Ellingboe, 1976).

Wild relatives of wheat have been exploited as sources of new resistance genes (Bennett, 1984). Wild emmer, Triticum turgidum var. dicoccoides, is a source of genes, some of which are expressed in both seedling and adult plants and some of which are expressed only in adult plants. Some wild emmers also possess genes for partial resistance (Silfhout and Gerechter-Amitai, 1988; Moseman et al., 1984). Triticum timopheevii var. araraticum collected in the Middle East has a gene for resistance that differs from Pm6 from cultivated T. timopheevii (Brown-Guedira et al., 1996). Genes from rye (Secale cereale), including Pm8 and Pm17, have been used widely in wheat cultivars. New genes from rye can be transferred to wheat the by use of wheat-rye translocation lines (Heun and Friebe, 1990; Merker and Forsstrom, 2000).

Regional surveys are needed to determine which virulences are present so that breeding strategies can be planned to use the most effective genes. The cultivar Chancellor and its isogenic lines containing individual Pm genes are useful to determine virulence in B. Graminis f. sp. tritici (Briggle, 1969). Recent surveys for virulence genes and identification of resistance genes in soft red wheat in the United States include procedures for inoculation and evaluation of disease reactions (Niewoehner and Leath, 1998; Persaud et al., 1994; Persaud and Lipps, 1995).

Fungicides

Application of foliar fungicides has traditionally been the only means of chemical control for powdery mildew. Seed-applied systemic fungicides are now available that control early season development of the disease. These are especially effective for winter wheat. Triadimenol seed treatment prevented excess tillering caused by mildew infection early in the season and contributed to a higher grain yield, especially when high temperatures during grainfilling reduced the amount of disease later in the season (Everts and Leath, 1992; Frank and Ayers, 1986; Leath and Bowen, 1989). Difenoconazole also has systemic activity against powdery mildew. These fungicides have a wide spectrum of activity and may be economical seed treatments when they also contribute to reduction of smuts and other foliar pathogens.

Foliar fungicides are effective but should only be applied if the cultivar is susceptible and an economic return is likely (Leath and Bowen, 1989). Pustules may develop on lower leaves early in the season on resistant cultivars but not on upper leaves later in the season. Avoid applying fungicides too early to be effective during the grainfilling period. When powdery mildew was moderate prior to flowering, early season applications of the systemic fungicide triadimefon at Feekes 6 to 8, maintained yield at 8 to 17 percent above the control (Lipps and Madden, 1989b). Comparisons must be made over several years to determine whether or not the cost of fungicide application is economical.

Fungicide insensitivity is a concern where fungicides are used intensively, such as in Western Europe. Reduced effectiveness of the triazole fungicides triadimefon and propiconazole was found in the Netherlands following intensive use (De Waard et al., 1986). More than 570 isolates of B. graminis f. sp. tritici collected throughout the eastern and southern United States, where fungicide use is much less, were sensitive to triadimenol (Niewoehner and Leath, 1998). Fungicides in the strobilurin group, such as azoxystrobin, with modes of action different from the triazoles, are currently being deployed for use against powdery mildew.

An integrated disease management system should be used with genetic resistance as the cornerstone of the programme. Cultural management, including proper management of nitrogen fertilization, is essential to minimize risk of crop damage from powdery mildew. Fungicides should be used in conjunction with a disease monitoring system employed from planting through the flowering stage of growth to estimate economic return.

Powdery mildew

2010-05-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

Powdery mildew, caused by the fungus Blumeria graminis (DC) E.O. Speer f. sp. tritici Em. Marchal (syn. Erysiphe graminis DC f. sp. tritici Marchal), is one of the most important foliar diseases of wheat worldwide. It is an obligate parasite, growing only on living tissue. Spores of the fungus germinate on the leaf surface and invade the plant. The fungus then colonizes the epidermis of the leaf by obtaining nutrients from the plant cells without killing them. A vast literature exists on powdery mildew of wheat and other cereals. This chapter presents an overview of the disease and its management, with emphasis on recent literature.

THE DISEASE

Symptoms and signs

Powdery mildew produces white to grey, cottony fungal growth mostly on the upper leaf surface, although some pustules may develop on the underside of the leaf (Daamen, 1989; Wiese, 1987). Pustules begin as small white circular patches of fungal mycelium often surrounded by chlorosis, most visible on the underside of the leaf. 'Green islands' appear near infected areas as the plant transports nutrients to non-diseased cells (Schafer, 1987). Pustules often join together to form large masses of fungal growth on the upper surface of leaves when conditions are favourable (Plate 46, Plate 47). As the diseased area expands, tissue around older pustules dies and turns brown. Severely diseased leaves collapse and die. Powdery mildew is most prevalent on lower leaves but can cause blighting of the upper leaves, heads and awns of susceptible cultivars. Within a few days after they appear, the white powdery pustules produce large quantities of small asexually produced conidia (also called oidia) in long chains, which are easily dislodged by wind or rain. These spores are single-celled, oval (8 to 35 µm) and colourless. As lesions age, the mycelium becomes more dense and turns grey (Wiese, 1987). Dark round cleistothecia (135 to 280 µm in diameter) develop in the fungal mass as the pustules get older. Ascospores develop in the cleistothecia and serve as the long-term survival structures. Cleistothecia may be empty if examined when wheat is harvested because ascospores often do not mature for several months.

Geographic distribution

Powdery mildew occurs almost everywhere wheat is grown. It is important economically under humid rainfed conditions and in dryland areas when irrigation is used for production of improved cultivars with high yield potential. Powdery mildew has increased in importance in some regions because of increased application of nitrogen fertilizer, which favours the disease. The disease is important in regions where rain occurs early in the season and where temperatures are relatively cool, such as regions with maritime climates, and in cooler regions with a humid continental climate (Bennett, 1984). Powdery mildew is important in the cooler regions of China, Japan and other areas in Asia, in North and East Africa, in northern Europe and eastern North America (Roelfs, 1977; Saari and Wilcoxson, 1974). It is also important in warmer, humid regions with mild winters where wheat is planted in the autumn, such as parts of the Southern Cone of South America and the southeastern United States. In regions or seasons in which rain is frequent and heavy, the occurrence of powdery mildew may be very low because spores are washed from the leaves or they burst in water (Merchan and Kranz, 1986).

Epidemiology

Powdery mildew typically begins rapid growth on the lower leaves and sheaths when plants begin to joint. It is usually the first leaf disease of the season because it is favoured by temperatures between 10 and 22°C. Infection and disease development decline after flowering when temperatures increase above 25°C. Conidia are the primary inoculum source for dissemination of the fungus. They are easily dislodged from lesions by wind and rain. Production of conidia is optimal at 20°C and declines rapidly above and below that temperature (Ward and Manners, 1974). Although conidia only survive for several days, they are capable of disseminating the fungus long distances. New pustules with conidia are produced every seven to ten days at optimal conditions and provide repeating cycles of spores. Conidia germinate most rapidly at 97 to 100 percent relative humidity, but their high water content allows them to germinate when humidity declines below 50 percent. However, germ tube growth and appressorium production are greatly reduced below 92 percent relative humidity (Friedrich and Boyle, 1993). Frequent light rain removes conidia from leaves and thus reduces the number of new colonies that form. Periods of heavy rain slow the development of established pustules (Merchan and Kranz, 1986). Conidia do not germinate in free moisture, which can cause them to burst. After crop maturity, ascospores in cleistothecia serve as survival structures, but their role in initiating disease is much less important than that of the conidia in most environments. Conidia produced on grasses and volunteer wheat also maintain inoculum until wheat is planted. In autumn-sown wheat, infections that do not result in visible symptoms can maintain the fungus in leaves through the winter (Frank and Ayers, 1986).

Wheat Powdery Mildew

2010-05-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Powdery mildew on wheat is recognized by small, effuse patches (colonies) of cottony mycelia (masses of fungal threads of hyphae that make up the body of the fungus). These occur on the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves. As these patches sporulate and age, they become a dull tan color. Chlorotic (yellow) patches may later surround the mildew colonies. As the wheat and the mildew colonies mature, the sexual stage of the fungus or cleistothecia are produced. The mildew fungus survives the summer in the absence of wheat in infested wheat debris in the cleistothecia. When the new crop develops as seedlings and fall rains occur, the cleistothecia within the infested wheat debris rupture to release spores. This process is favored by moderate fall temperatures and lush wheat growth. The mildew fungus, survives the winter on the infected wheat seedlings. In the spring, with the return of moderate temperatures, the typical cottony mildew colonies develop and sporulate (asexual reproduction) to infect and colonize the newly developing wheat leaves. This stage of the disease cycle is favored by moderate (59 degree to 72 degree F) temperatures and high relative humidity. The canopy within a lush stand of wheat is an ideal environment for powdery mildew to develop.

As the wheat crop matures and the temperatures rise, the mildew fungus produces the oversummering cleistothecia. Typically, the cottony colonies turn tan and are dotted with the cleistothecia. When the crop is harvested, the cleistothecia remain attached to the infested straw.

Agri Products

2010-05-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

Bakery & Confectionery Products
Bakery, Biscuits, Chocolate Chip, Chocolates, Cocoa, Confectionaries, Confectionery, Cookies, Deoiled Cake, Drinking Chocolates, Bread, Cakes, Malted Foods, Sweets, Pastry, Toffees

Cattle Feed Supplements
Cattle Feed, Animal Feed, Animal Feeding Stuffs, Fodder

Child Care & Nursery Products
Baby Care Products , Baby Feeding Products

Dry Fruits & Nuts
Dry fruits, Cashew Kernels , Cashew Nut, Cashews, Almonds, Roasted Dry Fruits, Peanuts, Groundnut, Walnut Kernels, Walnuts, Indian Peanuts, HPS Groundnuts

Dyes & Color Additives
AZO Dyes, Bleaching Machinery, Colours, Color Additives, Colour Additives, Cottex Dyeing, Dye intermediates, Dye Makers, Dyes, Dyestuffs, Cationic Dyestufs, Acid Dyes, Reactive Dyes, Pigments, Fabric Dyeing, Textile Dyeing, Vet Dye

Edible Oil & Allied Products
Coconut Oil, Cooking Fats, Cooking Oil, Cumin Seed Oil, Edible Oil , Castor Oil , Celery Seed Oil , Ajowan Oil , Margarine Oil , Refined Oil , Refined Vegetable Oil , Rice Bran Oil , Sesame Oil , Sunflower Oil , Mustard Oil , Groundnut Oil , Herb Oil, Vanaspathi Ghee, Vegetable Oil , Vegetable Oil , Oil Products, Table Margarine

Fertilizers
Bio Fertilizers, Chemical Fertilizers, Agriculture Fertilzers, Natural Fertilizers, Non-hazardous Bio Fertilizers, Non-toxic Fertilizers, Organic Fertilizers, Organic Manure, Fertiliser Mixtures, Fertilisers, Fertilizer Mixtures, Fertilizers, Urea Fertilizers
Flowers, Floriculture & Dried Flowers
Dried Floral Items , Dried Flowers , Dry Flower , Bouquets, Cane Flowers , Lotus Pods , shola Flowers , Palm Leaf , Floriculture, Flowers, Foliage, Handmade Flowers

Agri Products - More

2010-05-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Food Processing Plants, Machinery & Equipment
Bakery Equipment, Dairy Equipments, Dairy Farms Equipment, Food Grain Machine, Food Processing Equipment, Frying System, Spray Dryers

Fresh, Dried, Preserved & Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables
Bananas Dried , Bananas Fresh , Beans, Cherry, Cucumbers, Dried Fruits , Dried Truffles , Dried Vegetables , Carrots, Lemon, Mandarins, Mangosteens, Meslin, Shallots, Spinach, Mixed Vegetables , Mushroom, Mushroom Spawn , Oranges Fresh , Papaya, Pineapple, Potatoes Fresh , Preserved Fruits , Preserved Vegetables , Radiata Dried, Fresh Apples , Fresh Asparagus , Fresh Fruits , Fresh Grapes , Fresh Oranges , Fresh Vegetables , Gherkins, Grapes, Fresh Turnips

Liquors, Mineral Water & Beverages
Beverages, Bewerages, Brandy, Aerated Water , Aerated Waters , Alcoholic Beverage , Liquors, Rum, Sandpiper, Schweppes, Soft Drinks , Spring Water , Mineral Water , Fat Liquors , Gin, Vodka, Whisky, Wine, Indian Liquor, Indian Wine

Marine Food Supplies
Dried Beche-de-mer, Dry Fish, Aqua Foods, Marine Food, Marine Products, Sea Cucumber, Sea Food, Shrimps, Prawns, Frozen Marine Products, IQF

Meat & Poultry Food
Bacon, Egg, Livestock, Lyoners, Meat, Mortadella, Peppero, Poultry Feed , Poultry Food , Frozen Meats , Ham

Milk & Dairy Products
Cheese Spread , Condensed Milk , Curd , Dairy Products , Dairy Whitener , Dry Yeast, Butter, Cheese, Ice Cream , Ice Cream Corns , Shrikhand, Milk, Milk Cans , Milk Powder , Milk Products , Paneer, Extract Powder , Flavoured Milk , Yeast

Natural Dried, Live and Grafted Plants
Live Plants , Natural Dried Plants , Natural Plants grafted Plants

Other Miscellaneous Agro Products
Bajra, Barley, Dried Marine Products , Cane, Jaggery, Agro Commodities , Agro Product , Jaggery Powder , Sorbitol, Soya Meals , Starch, Sugar, Namkeens, Natural Honey , Onions, Papad, Flour, Foodstuffs, Glucose, Gluten, Groundnuts, Honey

Pet-Use Products, Feeds, Pet Furniture & Allied Products
Dog Biscuits , Raw Hide Bones , Pet Feeds , Pet Products , Pet-Use Products , Equestarian Goods , Equestarian Harness

Pickles, Chutneys, Ketchups & Sauces
Chilly sauce , Chutney, Chutnies, Ketchups, Lemon Pickles , Mango Pickles , Sauces, Soya Sauce , Synth Vinegar , Mustard Sauce , Pepper Sauce , Pickles, Garlic Sauce , Tomato Ketchups , Tomato Sauce

Processed Food & Snacks
Canned Fish , Canned Food , Malt Extract , Snacks, Soup, Soup Concentrate , Soup Powder , Porridge, Potato Wafers , Processed Chicken , Processed Foods , Processed Seafoods , Processed Snacks , Fish & Sea Food , Frozen Fish , Frozen Meat , Frozen Shrimps

Rice, Wheat, Pulses & Other Food Grains
Cereals, Maida, Maize, Rice, Rice Bran Extractions , Rice Mill Machinery , Sorghum, Soymeal, Suji, Parmal, Pulses, Wheat Flour, Wheat Machinery

Seeds, Buds, Plantation & Related Products
Basil Seed , Cumin seeds , Dill Seed , Buds, Cellery Seed , Hybrid Seeds , Seeds, Sesame Seeds , Sesbania Seed , Sunflower Seeds , Mustard Seeds , Oil Seeds , Plant Products , Plantation, Plants, Psyllium Seed , Fennel Seed , Fenugreek Seed , Herb Seeds , Tamarind Seed , Vegetable Seeds

Spices & Derivatives
Black Pepper , Chilli Powder , Chillies, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander Powder , Cumin, Curry Powders , Dry Ginger , Dry Red Chilly , Elaichi, Cardamom, Chat Masala , Chatni, Anise, Indian Spices , , Salt, Spices, Spices From India, Onion Powder , Pepper Fenugreek , Seeds, Garam Masala , Ginger, Hot Spices , Turmeric, Turmeric Powder

Tea & Coffee
Black Tea , Coffee, Coffee Beans , Darjeeling Teas , Assam Teas , Indian Tea , Instant Coffee , Leaf Coffee , Leaf Tea, Packaged Tea , Green Tea , Tea , Tea Bags, CTC Teas

Tobacco & Tobacco Products
Beedi, Betalnut Leaves , Betalnut Supari , Bidi, Bidi Leaves , Chewing Tobacco , Cigarettes, Arecanut, Jarda, Scented Tobacco , Smoking Items , Smokking Tobbacco , Snuff, Supari, Opium, Pan, Chatni, Pan Masala , Pan Parag , Tobbacco, Tobbacco Products , Tulsi Mix , Gutkazarda, Tulsi Zarda , Tobacco, Zafrani Zarda

Harvest Calendar of major Crops

2010-05-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

Harvest Calendar - Text Version

Fruit or Vegetable	Months
Apples	End of July through end of October
Asparagus	May through beginning of June
Beans	End of June through beginning of October
Beets	Mid-July through end of November
Blueberries	End of July through 3rd week in September
Broccoli	End of June through end of November
Cabbage	End of June through end of November
Carrots	End of July through end of November
Cauliflower	July & August, October & November
Cucumbers	Mid-July through Mid-September
Cherries	2nd week in June through end of July
(Sweet) Corn	Mid-July through Mid-October
Eggplant	Mid-July through Mid-October
Grapes	Mid-August through end of October
Lettuce	Mid-June through 3rd week in October
Melons	August through 3rd week in September
Onions	Mid-July through Mid-October
Peaches	Mid-July through 3rd week in September
Pears	2nd week in August through 3rd week in October
Peas	2nd week in June through end of July
Peppers	Mid-July through Mid-October
Plums	Mid-August through end of September
Potatoes	Mid-July through end of October
Pumpkins	September & October
Raspberries	July & September through 3rd week in October
Radishes	May through 1st week in November
Strawberries	June through 1st week in July
Spinach	May through 1st week in July & 3rd week in August through end of October
Squash	July through 1st week in November
Tomatoes	2nd week in July through 3rd week in October

What is Agribusiness?

2010-05-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

Agribusiness is synonymous with corporate farming. It combines the words agriculture and business and it involves a range of activities and methods used involving modern food production. This involves farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution of products, processing, marketing, and retail sales. They do not necessarily take into consideration environmental and social best practices when doing business. Their ultimate result for their bottom line is profit.

How does agribusiness impact the global climate? The boom in industrial scaled agriculture is responsible for much of the deforestation that is occurring in the rainforests in the Amazon and Southeast Asia. Large U.S. multinational corporations are responsible for clear cutting much of old growth forests the size of countries like Wales and the Netherlands, to create soybean and oil palm monocultures. Soybean farms are “eating up” the Amazon rainforest while Indonesia’s rainforest, the second largest behind Brazil, and Malaysia’s rainforest, are being swallowed up by oil palm plantations. 75% of greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil are due to clearing and buring the rainforest. Brazil is the fourth largest pollution contributer to the environment. In Indonesia’s wet forest, fires are rare, but in 1997 and 1998 fires raged through rural parts of the country and occurred on land dedicated to oil palm plantations. The “slash and burn” method, used by companies to clear land for monoculture farms is a contributer to climate change.

The destruction of the world's rainforest is one of the most prominent environmental issues in decades. The Amazon rainforest is the world's largest tropical rainforest and scientists describe it as the earth's air conditioner; vital to climate regulation and cooling patterns. Just as the rainforest helps us keep at bay global climate change, deforestation exacerbates the problem. As trees burn and vegetation decays, a substantial amount of CO2 is released into the atmosphere. A link between large scale monocultures and the increased vulnerability to pest outbreaks and crop disease epidemics have been well established. Monocultures impoverish soil and lead to soil erosion. Another concern is the massive requirements of fertilizer and pesticides needed for huge harvests in poor soil while protecting them from pests. Loose safety standards in these countries enable companies to use many banned pesticides. Hundreds of thousands of people are affected by direct or indirect contact. Much of the rivers are contaminated, killing aquatic life and poisoning the water for drinking.

Agricultural Marketing

2010-05-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

Marketing can be defined as the commercial functions involved in transferring goods from producer to consumer. Marketing is not just the final transaction of receiving a check. The acts of buying supplies, renting equipment, paying labor, advertising, processing and selling are all part of a marketing plan. Marketing should begin as the first ideas for an enterprise start to bubble. Some say marketing is everything a business does, that it is the most important aspect of any business, and the only action that results in revenue.

Agricultural marketing is where the producer, the processor, the distributor and the consumer meet.

PMAS-ARID RAWALPINDI

2010-05-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

Pursuant to the recommendations of the Barani Commission, the Government of Punjab established Barani Agricultural College, Rawalpindi which was later upgraded to the level of the University in 1994. The mandate of the University is to produce high-quality agricultural scientists and to form an organized scientific infrastructure for teaching and research for the development of dryland regions of the country, thus minimizing the income gap between the rich and poor and irrigated & arid areas.

PUNJAB AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH BOARD

2010-05-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

Punjab Agricultural Research Board (PARB) is established as an autonomous body under PARB Act, 1997 to foster an integrated approach for research planning and efficient allocation of research resource so that the agriculture innovation system of the province can generate appropriate solutions of the issues faced to various stakeholders in the food and fiber chain. The vision of the PARB is to support scientific innovations for the prosperity of Agricultural Stakeholders in Punjab.

Karela - Bitter Gourd , Mint

2010-05-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

Also called morgose, Karela or bitter melon is an annual vine that grows in tropical regions and produces a fruit recalling cucumber (color varies from light green to yellow).

Mint:
Mentha (mint) is a genus of about 25 species (and many hundreds of varieties[1]) of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae (Mint Family). Species within Mentha have a subcosmopolitan distribution across Europe, Africa, Asia,[2] Australia, and North America. Several mint hybrids commonly occur.

Mints are aromatic, almost exclusively perennial, rarely annual, herbs. They have wide-spreading underground rhizomes and erect, branched stems. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, from simple oblong to lanceolate, often downy, and with a serrated margin. Leaf colors range from dark green and gray-green to purple, blue and sometimes pale yellow.[2] The flowers are produced in clusters ('verticils') on an erect spike, white to purple, the corolla two-lipped with four subequal lobes, the upper lobe usually the largest. The fruit is a small dry capsule containing one to four seeds.

Ginger - Agriculture

2010-05-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Ginger is a spice which is used for cooking and is also consumed whole as a delicacy or medicine. It is the underground stem of the ginger plant, Zingiber officinale.

University of Agriculture, Faisalabad

UAF Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan visits the Stalls of "Holy Qura'an" after inaugurating the 4-Day Qura'an Exhibition as a Chief Guest

Miss Farah Riaz Co-ordinator 2-Day Speech Therapy Workshop presents bouquet to the Chief Guest Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor UAF

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan while inaugurating the wheat harvesting campaign

Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Company (PHDEC) had inked an MOU with UAF, faisalabad

Flag Smut

Loose Smut

Ustilago tritici

Karnal Bunt (Partial Bunt)

Tilletia indica (syn. Neovossia indica)

Common and Dwarf Bunt (Stinking Smut)

Stripe Rust (Yellow Rust)

Leaf Rust (Brown Rust)

Puccinia recondita

Wheat Diseases and Pests

Fungal Diseases

Bacterial Diseases

Viral Diseases

Insect Pests

Nematodes

Physiologic and Genetic Disorders

Mineral and Environmental Stresses

Stem Rust (Black Rust)

Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici

Stem Rust (Black Rust)

Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici

Managing Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew

Wheat Powdery Mildew

Agri Products

Agri Products - More

Harvest Calendar of major Crops

What is Agribusiness?

Agricultural Marketing

PMAS-ARID RAWALPINDI

PUNJAB AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH BOARD

Karela - Bitter Gourd , Mint

Ginger - Agriculture