Balochistan Province Research Articles

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: Meeting Security Challenges in Balochistan Through Trade and Development

The article explores the prospects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for developing the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan, full of natural resources; it has geostrategic importance due to its location, long coastal line, Gwadar port, and the recently launched CPEC project. It remains an economically underdeveloped and socially and politically marginalized province, facing extensive poverty and lack of economic opportunities despite the enormous economic potential, separatism movements, terrorism, and severe clashes with the federal government over its financial share in the state's divisible pool and natural resources found in the province. Economic backwardness is one of the main reasons behind the critical challenges in the province. In this regard, it is essential to analyze the prospects of CPEC projects for the province's economic, social, and political redevelopment and how CPEC can improve the security situation and resolve the separatist movements in the province. CPEC provides potential opportunities for improving the economic and security situation in the province and the region on the whole, as it brings a huge amount of Chinese foreign direct investment to the province, creates jobs, encourages infrastructure development, establishes special economic zones, and turns the province into a corridor of regional trade connecting it with other economies. The article substantiates that CPEC has prospects to cool down the Baloch uprising, bring peace, prosperity, and stability, solve the economic crises, decrease poverty and improve the country's living conditions and region.

Bio-Functional Potential and Biochemical Properties of Propolis Collected from Different Regions of Balochistan Province of Pakistan

Propolis is a well-known resinous natural substance collected by honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) from plants exudations. Variations in chemical composition of propolis are due to different sources from which it is collected and change in climate and geographical location. In this study, different propolis samples were collected from different regions of Balochistan and examined for its chemical composition, total phenolics and total flavonoid contents, and antioxidant potential by using DPPH radical scavenging assay and antimicrobial activity. Bioactive components analysis revealed the presence of steroids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, coumarins, cardiac glycosides, quinones, anthraquinones, terpenoids, tannins, and phlobatannins at different levels. The total phenolics contents were ranged from 2.9343 ± 1.247 to 6.0216 ± 2.873 mg GAE g−1, and flavonoid contents were found to be 0.1546 ± 0.087 to 0.6586 ± 0.329 mg QE g-1, respectively. The antioxidant ability of each extract was analyzed by their concentration having 50% inhibition (IC50). The propolis sample P3 possessed lower IC5027.07 ± 0.73 mg mL−1 with higher % inhibition of DPPH radical, and P8 showed lower % inhibition by having IC5084.43 ± 2.07 mg mL−1. The antibacterial activity of all samples was analyzed against a wide group of bacteria including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumonia and propolis extract (P4) was highly active against Klebsiella pneumoniae with the maximum diameter of zone of inhibition 20.33 ± 1.52 mm, and propolis extract (P3) showed maximum zone of inhibition against Escherichia coli19.06 ± 1.90, while propolis extract (P2) was found less active with minimum diameter of zone of inhibition 7.46 ± 1.50 mm. The antifungal activity of extract was considered as active against the fungal species. Propolis extract (P3) showed 82% of zone of inhibition against Aspergillus Niger, and propolis extract (P1) was highly active against Aspergillus parasiticus with 80% of zone of inhibition. By comparing the vibration frequencies in wave numbers of the sample spectrograph acquired from an FTIR spectrophotometer, the functional groups present in the extracts were identified. The presence of seven elements (Fe, Zn, Mn, Ni, Pb, Cd, and Cr) was analyzed through atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The obtained concentrations were within the permissible ranges established by the World Health Organization. The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 80 different compounds belonged to different classes. The obtained results confirmed the imperative potential of propolis which can be used in various biological applications.

Precarious Legal Status and ‘Reactive Transnationalism': The Case of Baloch in Qatar

Despite the long existence of Baloch in the Gulf region, and Qatar, in particular, scholarly works on their lives and migration experience is scarce. This study is based on long-term ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews conducted in Fall 2020 in Freej Al Baloush, the Baloch Neighborhood, a large residential area located in Abu Hamour, Doha, where a concentration of Baloch from low socioeconomic backgrounds reside since 1980s. Using data from these interviews and my own experience as a member of the community, as well as drawing on existing literature on different migrant communities in the Gulf and relevant studies on transnationalism, I address how the legal status of the Baloch in Qatar, as temporary residents, affects their transnational lives. Iran, and the province of Balochistan, have become a back-up plan for Baloch who always live with the worry of losing their residency rights and being deported from Qatar. This is a form of ‘reactive transnationalism’, cross-border engagement as a result of negative integration. One of the most visible ways that they cope with temporariness, legal vulnerability, and precarious lives is through material investment, mainly building houses and buying property and land, which many of them lack in Qatar. While Qatar’s regulated ownership policies allow residents to purchase land in specific areas, the country’s high property costs and living expenses make buying property difficult for many long-term residents with low socioeconomic status, including the Baloch. Although the concept of reactive transnationalism has not been studied extensively and is loosely defined, the case of Baloch in Qatar offers important insights into the impact of socioeconomic status, gender, family networks, and legal integration on transnationalism.

Appearances often deceive in racerunners: integrative approach reveals two new species of Eremias (Squamata: Lacertidae) from Pakistan.

Based on newly provided morphological and previously published genetic data, we describe two new distinctive sympatric lacertid lizards of the genus Eremias (subgenus Aspidorhinus) from the arid mountains of northwestern Balochistan Province, Pakistan. The new species, Eremias killasaifullahi sp. nov. and Eremias rafiqi sp. nov. are distinguished from all other species of the subgenus Aspidorhinus (E. afghanistanica, E. fahimii, E. isfahanica, E. kopetdaghica, E. lalezharica, E. montana, E. nikolskii, E. papenfussi, E. persica, E. regeli, E. roborowskii, E. strauchi, E. suphani, and E. velox) by unique morphological characters and genetic differentiation. In the molecular phylogeny of Aspidorhinus, both new taxa are well-supported lineages differentiated from other species of this subgenus by uncorrected p distances from 8.5% to 21.6%, respectively. Both new species belong to E. persica complex where E. rafiqi sp. nov. is partly similar in dorsal color pattern to E. persica but can be distinguished from this species by unique meristic and morphometric characters. Eremias rafiqi sp. nov. is found in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and eastern Iran. Eremias killasaifullahi sp. nov. can be differentiated from E. persica by its distant distribution, dorsal color and pattern, smaller size, and less number of gulars and ventral scales. Eremias killasaifullahi sp. nov. is only known from the type locality and represents the local microendemism, along with other endemic species of reptiles reported from this part of Pakistan. We, however, expect that E. killasaifullahi sp. nov. could have a broader range in northwestern Pakistan and southeastern Afghanistan, which should be an object of following investigations. Our data show that remote areas between Hindu Kush Mountains and Indus River need attention as they most probably represent possible sources of genetic and species diversity in the region.

CPEC and Balochistan: Challenges to Security

CPEC is integral to the development, prosperity and security of Pakistan, the Geo-politics and Geo-economics of the region and the vision of the Belt and Road Initiative connecting three continents. Balochistan province is the most important for the realization and perpetuation of this project. The internal security of Balochistan and the involvement of various regional actors complicate the security matrix posing the biggest challenge to the project. However, the project can ensure the security of Balochistan. If neighboring countries are involved in the development and prosperity of the project it can revolutionize the future of the project. Therole of Iran is the most important as it was the major competing country having a role in Afghanistan and close ties with India. Iran joining the project can neutralize major threats to the CPEC. This study is aimed at analyzing the security of CPEC in Balochistan through the matrix of regional actors' interests.

Terrorism and the Performance of Journalists in Balochistan

Purpose: Freedom of speech and freedom of the press is generally attributed to an independent society where the basic rights of citizens are ensured. Balochistan, the western and resources rich province of Pakistan with its huge geopolitical importance has been under a strong wave of terrorism for the last two decades. This menace of terrorism has severely affected citizens of the province including media workers.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: This research endeavor is an attempt to explore the impact of terrorism on the performance of media professionals in Balochistan. The study is based on the Hierarchy of Influence model which provides ground to explore the influence of terrorism. In this quantitative study, the researchers employing the systematic sampling technique have selected 50 media professionals out of 194 registered journalists of five press clubs; Quetta, Chaman, Noshki, Mastung, and Loralai.
 Findings: The survey findings show that terrorism has badly affected the quality of their reporting. The study also reveals that objective journalism is hard to follow in the province by journalists as they are always threatened not only by terrorists but also by the law enforcement agencies to mold the reports in their favor.
 Implications/Originality/Value The findings also indicate that terrorism has also affected journalists’ personal lives.

YEARN TO LEARN: UNDERSTANDING GIRLS’ MOTIVATIONS FOR CONTINUED ENROLLMENT IN NON-FORMAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN BALOCHISTAN, PAKISTAN

What motivates girls enrolled in Non-Formal Education (NFE) programs to continue to attend? While scholars have determined the factors resulting in dropouts from formal education programs, few have researched non-formal education programs. Our study hopes to fill the gap in the literature by asking, are there substantial pull factors that dictate continued enrollment for students? If so, what are these factors? To answer these questions, we conducted 30 semi-structured interviews in NFE centers located in five districts of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Our findings indicate that most girls enrolled in the program have limited educational backgrounds, and students are interested in joining NFE programs because of an innate desire to learn. Some significant pull factors such as their teachers’ abilities and access to free education in a nearby facility guarantee continued attendance. An interesting finding of our research is that the social values of household and community members did not pose a barrier to educational instruction for most girls

Drivers of Family Planning Services Utilization in Pakistan: A Literature Survey and Recent Trends in Contraceptive Use

Population planning is inevitable for a sustainable and secure future of a lower middle-income economy, like, Pakistan which stands fifth populous economy across the globe and has high population growth rate. Based on Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18 data and by covering a sample of 12339 ever-married females, the study intends to investigate the correlates of family planning services use in Pakistan as well as the use of contraceptives across the regions and districts of Pakistan. An exploration of 34 studies (spanning over a time from 1989 to 2021), specifically on Pakistan, with respect to family planning services utilization, have found that the use of family planning services was an outcome of a woman’s education, awareness status, wealth or economic status, religion, husband’s approval, area of residence, number of living children, prevalence of the desired family planning method, desire for more children, subsidized healthcare services and other social or individual factors. In Pakistan, the average contraceptive use rate was recorded as between 19-49 percent across the regions and between 0-71 percent across the districts. The region Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) had the highest contraceptive usage rate, i.e., 49%, followed by: Punjab (42%), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Gilgit Baltistan (39% each), Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) (34% each), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) (24%), and Balochistan (19%). Amongst the districts, top three districts with highest contraceptive usage were Jafarabad, Sheikhupura and Jhang whereas the districts of Rajanpur, Tor Ghar and Kohlu were lying at the bottom. Region-wise disaggregation found that in the province of Punjab and Sindh, the range of contraceptive use across the districts was respectively ranged between 0-70 percent and 8-60 percent. Likewise, in KPK and Balochistan provinces, the range of contraceptive use had been recorded between 0-59 percent and between 2-71 percent. While the range of contraceptive use in Gilgit-Baltistan, FATA region, and in AJK had been respectively recorded between 9-48 percent, 11-39 percent, and 17-47 percent.

Adoption and Cost-benefit Analysis of Drip Irrigation for Production of High-Value Crops in Pakistan

Drip irrigation is regarded as one of the highly efficient methods that allow limited water resources to be properly utilized. The study has been conducted to perform the economic analysis of low and high head drip irrigation systems throughout the country based on data from 100 adopters of drip irrigation through a research & development project funded by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA-Pakistan)/United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). A field survey for the study was conducted in the year 2018 in all the provinces of Pakistan. The study revealed that technology is generally adopted by the farmers having diversified income sources and medium-sized land holdings i.e. ranging from 12.5 to 25 acres. System installation cost-shared 11 percent in low-head drip system of the annual production cost of fruits. While, it shared 29, 32, and 27 percent in case of a high-head system for grapes orchards, vegetables in tunnels, and open fields, respectively. Low-head drip irrigation is profitable for dates/ lemon orchards in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.27:1.00. It results in considerable profitability for grapes orchards with BCR of 1.73:1.00 and 1.32:100 in Punjab and Balochistan provinces, respectively. The low-head system is also beneficial for mixed fruit orchards in rain-fed Punjab with a BCR of 1.24:1.00. Similarly, for high-head systems, the benefit-cost ratio was the highest for grapes produced in rain-fed Punjab (2.62:1.00), followed by squash-gourd in irrigated Sindh (2.17:1.00) bitter-gourd in rain-fed Punjab (1.50:1.00) and okra in Sindh (1.22:1.00). However, low and high-head systems could not result in considerable returns for farmers in the case of mixed fruits in Balochistan and cucumber production in tunnels in Punjab province during the study year.

Re-evaluating the merits of decentralization as a core strategy for effective delivery of drug-resistant tuberculosis care in Pakistan.

Decentralized, person-centred models of care delivery for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) continue to be under-resourced in high-burden TB countries. The implementation of such models—made increasingly urgent by the COVID-19 pandemic—are key to addressing gaps in DR-TB care. We abstracted data of rifampicin-resistant (RR)/multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients initiated on treatment at 11 facilities between 2010 and 2017 in Sindh and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. We analysed trends in treatment outcomes relating to programme expansion to peri-urban and rural areas and estimated driving distance from patient residence to treatment facility. Among the 5586 RR/MDR-TB patients in the analysis, overall treatment success decreased from 82% to 66% between 2010 and 2017, as the programme expanded. The adjusted risk ratio for unfavourable outcomes was 1.013 (95% confidence interval 1.005–1.021) for every 20 km of driving distance. Our analysis suggests that expanding DR-TB care to centralized hubs added to increased unfavourable outcomes for people accessing care in peri-urban and rural districts. We propose that as enrolments increase, expanding DR-TB services close to or within affected communities is essential.

Determinants of domestic violence among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in Quetta, Balochistan—a mixed-method protocol

BackgroundWorldwide, domestic violence (DV) is a cause of death and disability among women aged 15–49 years. In Pakistan, DV appears in different forms, and only 3.2% of women report any...

Length-weight Relationship and Fecundity of Parastromateus niger from Gwadar Port Balochistan Province, Pakistan

Background: Parastromateus niger, is one of the important fish species from economic point of view in Gwadar, Balochistan-Pakistan. This study was carried out to determine the growth and fecundity of Parastromateus niger. Methods: Growth of P. niger was determined by applying Le Cren formula while mean fecundity and relative fecundity of this fish was calculated by using equation of Yelden and Avsar. Result: Relationship between fish weight and ovary weight was found as 0.384 and 0.898 respectively in 1st and 2nd year of research. Annual mean fecundity of P. niger was calculated as 43165.4 eggs with relative fecundity of 73.7 in 2017-18 and annual mean fecundity in 2018-19 was 39759.5 eggs with 50.2 relative fecundity. Value of R2 in first year of research between fecundity and ovary weight was 0.751, for mean fecundity and relative fecundity was 0.545, in term of fecundity and total length of fish was 0.60 and for fish total weight and fecundity was 0.596. Value of R2 between fecundity and weight of ovary was 0.951, with mean fecundity and relative fecundity as 0.968, between fish fecundity and total length was 0.578 and in case of fecundity and total body weight was found 0.809 in second year of research period.

Quality of Neonatal Care: A Health Facility Assessment in Balochistan Province, Pakistan.

IntroductionBalochistan is the largest of Pakistan's four provinces, yet it is also the poorest and most impoverished, particularly in terms of neonatal healthcare. In order to build and tailor strategies to improve neonatal outcomes, it is necessary to identify barriers and facilitators for interventions. Therefore, we conducted this study to provide an overview of neonatal healthcare quality and assess the structural capacity for the improvement and further development of neonatal healthcare facilities in Balochistan.MethodsA descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in Balochistan, a province of Pakistan. The survey was designed to assess the level of staffing and facilities in the neonatal health care units. Data were gathered through trained staff either by in-person visits to the facility or via telephone.ResultsA total of 177 facilities were assessed in 25 districts of Balochistan. A majority (88.7%) of the facilities were from the public sector. Birth and neonatal care services were provided at only 63 (36%) of the assessed facilities and only three had newborn intensive care units (NICUs) with a 1:5 staff: patient ratio. Unfortunately, all NICUs lacked the basic advanced facilities. None of the hospitals had an infection control policy or staff nor any training program for doctors.ConclusionIn conclusion, healthcare facilities to manage neonatal patients requiring hospital care are extremely limited in Balochistan and the ones that are available have very limited resources. To improve the healthcare system in Balochistan, all stakeholders should be involved in the planning, decision-making, and implementation of healthcare programs at all levels to ensure sustainability and efficiency.

Satellite based impact assessment of temperature and rainfall variability on drought indices in Southern Pakistan

The impacts of temperature and rainfall on drought indices were derived from satellites by using remote sensing techniques over the southern areas of Pakistan from 2000 to 2018. Rainfall from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and temperature from Climate Prediction Center (CPC) are the best performing satellite and observational gridded datasets for studying drought in the region. These two datasets were used to calculate drought indices i.e. Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI), and Rainfall Deciles (DI) on a 6-month time scale characterized by the concept of the hydrological year starting from October to March and April to September. Five drought years (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2018) were identified based on the consensus of three drought indices namely SPI, RDI, and DI. The results of these indices are compared with MODIS products of 16 days Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), and 8 days Land Surface Temperature (LST) composites to evaluate the impact of rainfall and temperature. Results show that the Sindh province remains moderately dry from October-March, while the failure of monsoon further intensifies the situation of droughts as observed in 2004. Winter or early spring rainfalls turn out beneficial for Sindh as they reduce the severity of emerging drought. The meteorological drought of October-March may lead to agricultural drought in April-September due to the deficit of summer monsoon having a direct impact on vegetation. Similarly, Balochistan province faces moderate to severe drought conditions due to increased evapotranspiration losses from the surface. RDI based on potential evapotranspiration is more suitable for studying drought as compared to SPI. In addition, EVI is categorized as a more suitable index to monitor drought conditions in Sindh.

Some Records of Skippers (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea: Hesperiidae) from Balochistan Province, Pakistan

Skipper fauna of Balochistan province is not properly studied. To fill this gap, a study was conducted to explore the skipper's fauna from previous literature and new collection from Balochistan, Pakistan. We report 21 species of skippers from two subfamilies, Coeliadinae and Hesperiinae. Out of 21 species five species namely Hesperia comma (Linnaeus, 1758), Parnara guttatus (Bremer and Grey, 1852), Pyrgus cashmirensis Moore (1874), Pyrgus darwazicus Grum-Grshimailo (1890) and Pyrgus sidae (Esper, 1784) under subfamily Hesperiinae are recorded for the first time from Balochistan. Out of five reported species from Balochistan, two species Pyrgus darwazicus and Pyrgus sidae are new records for Pakistan.
 

Investigation of groundwater resources using electrical resistivity sounding and Dar Zarrouk parameters for Uthal Balochistan, Pakistan

Uthal is a small town in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It has an arid to semi-arid climate and groundwater is the primary source of freshwater for domestic and agricultural uses. To evaluate groundwater's nature, an electrical resistivity survey (ERS) was conducted in Uthal. Groundwater investigation for 25-point data was carried out with the PASI Electrical Resistivity Imaging System, using the Schlumberger array. The data was acquired with a maximum current electrode spacing of 300 m. The geoelectrical parameters measured were analyzed by IPI2win software by curve matching, and five geoelectrical layers were identified, and the Dar Zarrouk parameters were calculated. The top thinnest layer of unconsolidated material had a resistivity between 600 and 2600 Ωm. The second layer was of unconsolidated sand and gravel with a resistivity of 50–11,500 Ωm; the third with dry sand and clay had a resistivity of up to 200 Ωm; the fourth showed a thick freshwater zone with a resistivity between 75 and 100 Ωm followed by a thick layer of sand and clay with fresh water had resistivity between 48 Ωm and 90 Ωm. The Dar Zarrouk parameters, longitudinal unit conductance S is from 0.1 to 1.65 mho; transverse unit resistance T greater than 25,000 Ωm2; longitudinal resistance RS is from 50 to 1350 Ωm and transverse resistivity RT from 22 to 1150 Ωm. ERS data and Dar Zarrouk parameters showed that the study area has freshwater resources in the subsurface. Saline water is present in isolated locations in small pockets, resulting from dry surface conditions. The results of ERS data and Dar Zarrouk parameters show no occurrence of seawater intrusion.

Spatial inequalities in education status and its determinants in Pakistan: A district-level modelling in the context of sustainable development Goal-4

Achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-4 prerequisites quality education provisioning. In this context, we present important insights and references for educational interventions/investments to be tailored to local necessities in Pakistan. Several spatial statistical models such as the Global Moran's I-based spatial autocorrelation, multivariate clustering, and the Cluster and Outlier model are used to explore geographic heterogeneities and patterns. Additionally, significant determinants among several socio-economic, spatio-environmental, and infrastructural variables are identified for education status (EdS) using regression. As a result, a large geographic inequality regarding EdS is found in Pakistan. While a strong spatial association is evident, the districts in northern Punjab are identified as significant hotspots—higher EdS clusters (∼22% of total districts, 95% confidence). Majority of the 44% poorly performing districts belong to Balochistan province (95% confidence). Overall, the educational status in Punjab is higher as compared with other provinces. We find that four out of seven potential factors (i.e., poverty, urbanization, electricity accessibility, and school infrastructure) are statistically significant determinants of EdS. Among these, poverty is the most strongly associated (mean coefficient value −18.848) factor to control EdS. The results have important implications to decision-making for immediate or gradual actions in the context of spatially equitable provisioning of quality education through an informed prioritization (i.e., low performing districts). Based on the findings, while rigorous measures are needed for low performing regions and the identified determinants to improve education status, this study sheds light on the mechanisms to achieve SDG4, consequently promoting human well-being through educating communities.

Interactive radio instruction – a legacy of COVID-19 for marginalized adolescent girls of Baluchistan

PurposeThis paper aims to report insights from the planning and execution phase of an interactive radio instruction (IRI) intervention envisioned as a medium-term response plan to address school closures amidst the global Coronavirus pandemic. The project has been envisioned by a local development agency in the province of Balochistan for adolescent out-of-school (OOS) girls.Design/methodology/approachThis study reports respondents’ academic achievement through the one-group pretest-posttest design method across numeracy, literacy, civic education and indigenous crafts. Participating adolescent girl respondents were randomly selected from six districts of Balochistan and the results assert a positive impact of IRI intervention. Thus, showcasing IRI as a promising approach to address protracted challenges of educational accessibility in remote areas of Pakistan.FindingsThe mean score comparison of pre-test–post-test across four curriculum subjects indicates the greatest gains in numeracy and civic education. Results also highlight the significance of the pedagogical capacity of IRI developers and the quality of supplementary educational kits paired with IRI during this intervention.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study focus on design and implementation phases eliminating the analysis of learners’ behaviour, environmental factors and family support. Further research is suggested to identify gaps in related dimensions for the success of IRI in Pakistan.Originality/valueThis study contributes data-driven findings from a pioneer on-going IRI project in Balochistan, a hard-to-reach province where the ratio of OOS adolescent girls exceeds 78%. This study also proposes vital steps for the longevity of IRI to solve protracted educational crises in Pakistan.

Exogenous Application of Salicylic Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide Ameliorate Cadmium Stress in Milk Thistle by Enhancing Morpho-Physiological Attributes Grown at Two Different Altitudes.

Cadmium (Cd+2) is a potential and widespread toxic environmental pollutant, mainly derived from a rapid industrial process that has inhibitory effects on growth, physiological, and biochemical attributes of various plant species, including medicinal plants such as Silybum marianum L. Gaertn commonly known as milk thistle. Plant signaling molecules, when applied exogenously, help to enhance/activate endogenous biosynthesis of potentially important signaling molecules and antioxidants that boost tolerance against various abiotic stresses, e.g., heavy metal stress. The present study documented the protective role of salicylic acid (SA;0.25 μM) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2; 10 μM) priming, foliar spray, and combinational treatments in reducing Cd+2 toxicity (500 μM) in milk thistle grown at two diverse ecological zones of Balochistan Province of Pakistan i.e., Quetta (Qta) and Turbat (Tbt). The morpho-physiological and biochemical attributes of milk thistle were significantly affected by Cd+2 toxicity; however, priming and foliar spray of SA and H2O2 significantly improved the growth attributes (root/shoot length, leaf area, and root/shoot fresh and dry weight), photosynthetic pigments (Chl a, b, and carotenoids) and secondary metabolites (Anthocyanin, Soluble phenolics, and Tannins) at both altitudes by suppressing the negative impact of Cd+2. However, the oxidative damage parameters, i.e., MDA and H2O2, decreased astonishingly under the treatment of signaling molecules, thereby protecting membrane integrity under Cd+2 stress. The morphological variations were profound at the low altitude (Tbt) as compared to the high altitude (Qta). Interestingly, the physiological and biochemical attributes at both altitudes improved under SA and H2O2 treatments, thus hampered the toxic effect of Cd+2. These signaling compounds enhanced tolerance of plants under heavy metal stress conditions with the consideration of altitudinal, and ambient temperature variations remain to be the key concerns.

A Comparative Analysis of Adopters and Non‐adopters of Drip Irrigation under Plastic Tunnels for Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Production in Balochistan, Pakistan

AbstractThis research tries to compare the water use efficiency, electricity efficiency and economic efficiency of adopters and non‐adopters of drip irrigation under plastic tunnels (DIUPT). Data regarding the socio‐economic conditions of farmers and their views on the advantages and disadvantages of the DIUPT were collected through a questionnaire survey of 200 farmers. For expenses, income, electricity efficiency and water use efficiency, we collected data only from the sample farmers, i.e. one adopter and one non‐adopter. Results also revealed that the total horsepower (HP) hours of water per acre used for drip‐irrigated cucumber under plastic tunnels was 240 compared to 576 HP hours for the flood method of irrigation, thereby saving 58% (336 HP hours) of energy. In other words, with the same amount of water used for irrigating 1 acre of cucumber under flood irrigation, 2.4 acres of cucumber could be irrigated using drip irrigation. Realizing about 51% higher yields under drip irrigation, adopters enjoy 40% higher returns than non‐adopter farmers. The study recommends dissemination of information to farmers about DIUPT through training and seminars. Adoption of these technologies would lead to efficient and sustainable use of already depleting water resources in the drought‐prone province of Balochistan.