Low temperature at stand establishment and high temperature at reproductive stage are involved in reduction of grain yield of spring maize. A field study was therefore conducted to evaluate different physiological strategies for improving performance of spring maize under temperature extremes. Seed priming and foliar spray with 3% moringa leaf extract (MLE) and 100 mg L-1 kinetin solution alone or in all possible combinations with each other at three growth stages (knee height, tasseling and grain filling stage) and hydropriming was compared with control. Seed priming plus foliar spray of MLE and kinetin significantly improved stand establishment especially under early sown crop as indicated by reduced mean emergence time (MET), improved emergence index (EI) and final emergence percentage (FEP). Similarly increased chlorophyll contents, crop growth rate, leaf area index, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, relative water content and decreased membrane permeability were recorded in both early and optimum sowing conditions in MLE priming plus foliar spray treatment. All these improvements were harvested in the form of increased yield and harvest index compared with control treatment. Overall crop sown at optimum time performed best but exogenous application of MLE through seed priming and foliar spray maximally improved the performance of early sown maize crop which is attributed more likely due to improved stand establishment, chlorophyll and phenolic contents, increased leaf area duration and grain filling period. It can be concluded that seed priming with MLE along with its foliar spray could increase production of maize under temperature extremes.

The worldwide outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has challenged the priorities of healthcare system in terms of different clinical management and infection transmission, particularly those related to hepatic-disease comorbidities. Epidemiological data evidenced that COVID-19 patients with altered liver function because of hepatitis infection and cholestasis have an adverse prognosis and experience worse health outcomes. COVID-19-associated liver injury is correlated with various liver diseases following a severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection that can progress during the treatment of COVID-19 patients with or without pre-existing liver disease. SARS-CoV-2 can induce liver injury in a number of ways including direct cytopathic effect of the virus on cholangiocytes/hepatocytes, immune-mediated damage, hypoxia, and sepsis. Indeed, immediate cytopathogenic effects of SARS-CoV-2 via its potential target, the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 receptor, which is highly expressed in hepatocytes and cholangiocytes, renders the liver as an extra-respiratory organ with increased susceptibility to pathological outcomes. But, underlying COVID-19-linked liver disease pathogenesis with abnormal liver function tests (LFTs) is incompletely understood. Hence, we collated COVID-19-associated liver injuries with increased LFTs at the nexus of pre-existing liver diseases and COVID-19, and defining a plausible pathophysiological triad of COVID-19, hepatocellular damage, and liver disease. This review summarizes recent findings of the exacerbating role of COVID-19 in pre-existing liver disease and vice versa as well as international guidelines of clinical care, management, and treatment recommendations for COVID-19 patients with liver disease.

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Livestock industry of Pakistan is expanding day by day. To meet its growing demand high fodder yielding and nutritious varieties of fodder crops are needed. Pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum L.) is an excellent choice for this purpose. In order to explore the possibility of the better yield potential varieties of pearl millet performed in a good manner under agro ecological conditions of Faisalabad during the year 2012. A field experiment was conducted at Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Randomized complete block design was used with three replications; the net plot size was 1.8 m × 6 m. The experiment was comprised of nine millet varieties named Cholistani Bajra, Barani Bajra, MB-87, Sargodha Bajra 2011, 18-BY, Super Bajra-1, PARC-MS-2, 86-M-52 and FB-822. All other agronomic practices were kept normal and constant. Data on yield and yield components were recorded by standard procedure. Significant results were recorded among the varieties for forage growth and yield. The variety 86-M-52 produced maximum forage and dry matter yield because of more number of leaves (14), leaf area (3540.1 cm 2 ) followed by Sargodha Bajra-2011. All cultivars have statistically significant differences in respect of quality characteristics. However, non-significant differences were observed among cultivars regarding ash contents. The cultivar Sargodha Bajra-2011 has the highest crude protein (10.347%) and the cultivar FB-822 has the minimum crude protein percentage (6.733%). While PARC-MS-2 has the highest crude fiber percentage (34.667%) but variety MB-87 has the minimum crude fiber (24.333%). Variety 86-M-52 proved better for getting higher forage yield followed by Sargodha Bajra-2011 than all other varieties. Sargodha Bajra-2011 is the best cultivar that performed well in respect of quality parameters under irrigated conditions of Faisalabad. * Corresponding author. M. Hassan et al. 2216

Weeds cause huge losses due to their competition with crops. Intercropping of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with canola (Brassica napus L.) under different spatial arrangements was evaluated for their effects on weeds and interaction between the crops at the Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, during 2009-2010. The treatments included wheat (line sowing), canola (line sowing), wheat (broadcast method), one row of wheat + one row of canola (30 cm apart), two rows of wheat + two rows of canola (45 cm apart), four rows of wheat + four rows of canola (75 cm apart) and mixed cropping of wheat + canola (broadcast method). The results revealed that all intercropping treatments significantly affected weed density and dry weight over component sole crop of wheat. Mixed cropping of wheat + canola suppressed dry weight of Phalaris minor Retz., Chenopodium album L., Rumex dentatus L., and Coronopus didymus L. by 94, 77.2, 77.4, and 92%, respectively, over sole crop of wheat. The other intercropping treatments like one row of wheat + one row of canola, two rows of wheat + two rows of canola, and four rows of wheat + four rows of canola generally suppressed total dry weight of weeds by 81, 74, and 76%, respectively. Four rows of wheat + four rows of canola gave the highest land-equivalent ratios 1.37 and net benefit Rs 93 543 followed by two rows of wheat + two rows of canola. It is suggested that wheat-canola intercropping system in agro ecological conditions of Faisalabad could enhance landequivalent ratio > 1 (over-yielding) by suppressing weeds.