Saif-ur-Rehman, Zia Farooq Khan, and Tahir Maqbool. 2008. Physical and spectroscopic characterization of Pakistani honey. Cien. Inv. Agr. 35(2):199-204. Honey is a naturally sweet and viscous fl uid produced by honeybees (Apis mellifera) from the nectar of r fl owers that, by defi nition, does not include any other substances. The objectives of this work were to characterize Pakistani honey, physically and chemically in relation to international standards, and to study the effects of adulteration with sugar syrup on the physical properties of honey. For this purpose, 200 honey samples obtained from 15 different locations in Pakistan, ranging from desert to hilly areas, were collected in 2005-2006. Samples were prepared by the acid digestion method. Physical properties, conductance, surface tension, and pH were determined using digital instruments. The most abundant minerals found in Pakistani honey samples were K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Ni and Co, with K accounting for almost 83% of the total mineral composition. Most Pakistani honey samples met international standards. However, some samples showed altered parameters, refl ecting possible adulteration. A considerable change in viscosity was observed only in adulterated honey samples containing more than 50% of a saturated sugar solution.

Soil-borne diseases cause serious economic losses in agriculture. Managing diseases with microbial preparations is an excellent approach to soil-borne disease prevention. However, microbial preparations often exhibit unstable effects, limiting their large-scale application. This review introduces and summarizes disease-suppressive soils, the relationship between carbon sources and the microbial community, and the application of human microbial preparation concepts to plant microbial preparations. We also propose an innovative synthetic microbial community assembly strategy with synergistic prebiotics to promote healthy plant growth and resistance to disease. In this review, a new approach is proposed to improve traditional microbial preparations; provide a better understanding of the relationships among carbon sources, beneficial microorganisms, and plants; and lay a theoretical foundation for developing new microbial preparations.