International Journal of Agriculture Innovations and Cutting-Edge Research (HEC Recognised)

Modeling Climate-Sensitive Dengue Transmission in Balochistan Using District-Level Epidemiological Data

Iqra batool, Abdul Rehman, Ali Nawaz, Hamid Ibrahim, Farhan Aman — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Dengue fever has emerged as a major public health concern in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan, where climatic variability and limited surveillance infrastructure have contributed to increasing disease burden. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between climatic factors and dengue transmission across multiple districts of Balochistan using a retrospective district-level epidemiological approach. Dengue surveillance data were collected from Public Health Laboratories, District Health Offices (DHOs), dengue surveillance units, and People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) centers, while climatic variables including temperature, rainfall, and humidity were obtained from national and global meteorological sources. The integrated datasets were analyzed using RStudio to assess seasonal trends, spatial distribution, and climate–dengue associations through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and negative binomial regression modeling. A total of 26,482 confirmed dengue cases were identified from 125,780 diagnostic tests conducted during 2024. The highest disease burden was observed in Turbat, Panjgur, Jhal Magsi, and Khuzdar districts. Dengue incidence showed a strong seasonal pattern, with cases increasing sharply during the summer and post-monsoon months and peaking in September. Regression analysis demonstrated that increasing temperature was significantly associated with higher dengue incidence, while rainfall exhibited delayed effects through enhanced vector breeding conditions. The combined influence of high temperature and high rainfall produced the greatest transmission intensity. The findings indicate that dengue transmission in Balochistan is highly climate-sensitive and increasingly shifting toward an endemic transmission pattern. Strengthening climate-informed surveillance systems, improving early warning mechanisms, enhancing vector control strategies, and promoting community awareness are essential for reducing the growing dengue burden in the region.

Soil Beetle Assemblages of Konkar Agricultural Fields, Sindh Province, Pakistan

Zubair Ahmed, Dr. Uzma Mehboob, Luqman Marani — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Beetles (Coleoptera) are among the most diverse insect groups and have important ecological roles in agricultural ecosystems, but their diversity is poorly documented in many regions of Pakistan. The diversity of crop-associated soil beetles in the Konkar area of Gadap Town, Karachi was explored in the present study during the 2025 growing season. A total of 23 species belonging to several beetle families were recorded, including predatory, phytophagous, and decomposer guilds typically associated with agricultural habitats. The collected specimens showed that the assemblage of coleopterans in the relatively small agricultural landscape of Konkar is diverse. Six species are reported for the first time from Pakistan: Chlaenius (Achlaenius) amplipennis; Diplocheila (Isorembus) transcaspia Semenov, 1891 (Carabidae); Amblyrrhinus poricollis Schoenherr, 1826 (Curculionidae); Cyaneolytta violacea Brandt & Ratzenburg, 1833 (Meloidae); Pharaphodius cf. calo Balthasar, 1971; and Rhyssemodes orientalis Mulsant & Godart, 1875 (Scarabaeidae). The discovery of these new country records suggests that the beetle fauna of Pakistan remains under-recorded and underscores the importance of faunal surveys in previously unstudied agricultural habitats. This study provides baseline data on the taxonomic composition and diversity of soil beetles in southern Pakistan and is a contribution towards future biodiversity assessments, ecological monitoring and conservation planning in agricultural ecosystems.

Influence of Grinding-Induced Particle Size Reduction on the Physicochemical, Functional, and Sensory Properties of Moringa oleifera Leaf Powder

Rana Yasir Mehmood, Dr Tahseen Fatima Miano, Majid Ali, Shanzy Gul, Yasha Abid — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Moringa oleifera is widely valued for its nutritional potential, yet the particle size of its leaf powder critically influences its physicochemical and functional properties. This study evaluated the effect of different particle sizes, obtained through varying grinding intensities, at Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam. Fresh leaves were dehydrated at 40–45°C and subjected to three treatments: T₁ (pestle), T₂ (blender), and T₃ (grinding machine). The Physicochemical analyses were conducted according to AOAC (2016) methods, while functional and sensory properties were evaluated using standard analytical procedures. Alongside functional properties including water absorption capacity (WAC), oil holding capacity (OHC), particle size distribution, pH, yield, and weight loss variation, all the treatments were conducted in three replications. Results revealed significant (P < 0.05) differences among treatments. T₃ obtained the finest particles (20, 40, 60, 80, and 120 µm), the highest values of ash (9.02%), protein (21.19%), carbohydrates (35.71%), WAC (4.6g/g), and OHC (3.1g/g). Median values were observed in T₁ and T₂, with T₂ generally exceeding T₁ in nutritional and functional properties. Yield was lower in ground samples (30.25–31.31%) due to fine particle losses, while post-drying weight decreased progressively from T₁ (22.52) to T₃ (20.61 g). Sensory evaluation confirmed the influence of grinding intensity, with T₃ recording the highest scores (7.66) for all attributes, followed by T₂ and T₁. These results highlight superior consumer preference for the finely ground powder, supported by significant differences (P< 0.05) across treatments. These findings demonstrate that reducing particle size through grinding machines significantly enhances the physicochemical, nutritional, and functional properties of Moringa oleifera leaf powder (MOLP), making it highly suitable for functional foods, dietary supplements, and therapeutic formulations. Future studies should optimize grinding parameters for industrial scalability.

Integrative Morphological and Molecular Taxonomy of 4 species of Macrofungi from High-Altitude Ecosystems of Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan

Sabeela Shaheen, Shabnam Niaz, Shagufta Parveen, Imtiaz Ahmed Khan — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Fungus (plural fungi) is a Latin word meaning “mushroom” and is defined as a member of eukaryotes group that includes unicellular microorganisms, for example, yeast and molds, and multicellular fungi which produce fruiting forms commonly called mushrooms (Moore, 1980). The District Hunza represents a floristically rich area characterized mostly by moist and dry temperate forests with rich macrofungal diversity. Macrofungi are primary decomposers in alpine and subalpine ecosystems. They break down complex organic matter such as leaf litter, woody debris, and animal remains into simpler compounds. The study was carried out from March to August in the study area. Planned field visits were arranged to the selected localities during which macrofungal species were collected and identified using macro- and micro-morphological characters as well as at the molecular level. In this connection, DNA was extracted using standard molecular methodologies such as PCR amplification. The present study is the first documented attempt to estimate the genetic diversity of some important macrofungi from Gilgit-Baltistan using DNA-based markers. During the study, fourteen fungal species were analyzed using eleven Randomly Amplified Polymorphic (RAPD) primers. Bivariate data were used to estimate the genetic diversity in the four fungal accessions using unpaired group of arithmetic mean (UPGMA) procedure. A high level of genetic diversity ranging from 40% to 80 % was observed in the fungal species. The samples of accessions were also grouped into 7 clusters using dendrogram analysis. The present research highlights the critical importance of conserving fungal biodiversity while advancing taxonomic knowledge through genetic diversity analysis, providing a robust framework for accurate species identification, evolutionary understanding, and the sustainable management of ecologically vital fungal communities.

Comparative Quality Evaluation of Commercial Essential Oil Brands Using Phytochemical Profiling, FTIR Spectroscopy, Antioxidant Capacity, and Antibacterial Assessment

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Essential oils are being widely used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, and aromatherapy industries due to their varied biological activities. However, increased commercial need for these oils has resulted in concerns related to the quality, authenticity, and variations in composition of products available in the market. The present study was conducted to compare the chemical properties and quality of two commercial brands of Rosmarinus officinalis, Lavandula angustifolia, and Rosa damascena essential oils available in Daska city, Pakistan. Six commercial essential oil samples from two brands of three plant species were collected. Oil fractions were made in methanol, ethanol, and distilled water, whereas chloroform and n-hexane failed to form oil fractions. Phytochemical analysis was conducted qualitatively for the detection of secondary metabolites; infrared spectroscopy (4000-400 cm⁻¹) was conducted to identify functional groups; total phenolic content (TPC) was measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and antibacterial potential was tested against the bacterial strains. Variations in the amounts of phytochemicals were seen in the essential oil fractions, including alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, proteins, carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, phenols, reducing sugars, saponins, and amino acids, but with Rosa damascena (NB brand) having the largest number of phytochemicals detected. FTIR analyses detected some functional groups including O–H, C–H, C=O, C–O, C=C, and C–N. The methanolic fraction of Rosmarinus officinalis (HM brand) contained the highest amount of total phenolic content (434.075 ± 0.004), while the lowest amount was found in the ethanolic fraction of Lavandula angustifolia (NB brand) (0.055 ± 0.003). No antibacterial activity was demonstrated by any of the samples used. These results reveal variations in the compositions of commercially available essential oils and indicate the need for further authentication of the products by using chromatographic methods, for example, GC-MS or GC-FID.