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[en] Growth in agricultural production along with low variability is highly desirable. The objective of this study was to investigate growth and variability in area, production and yield of selected fruit crops including apple, peach, pear, and plum in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The study is based on secondary data from 1975-76 to 2011-12 which is further bifurcated into three periods; period-I (from 1975-76 to 1990-91), period-II (from 1991-92 to 2011-12), and period-III (from 1975-76 to 2011-12). Cuddy-Della Valle index has been used for variability analysis. The findings of the study revealed that growth in production of selected fruit remained positive with area under fruit as a major contributor during period-I. Period-II witnessed either low or negative growth in fruit production except peach. Variability in fruit production was higher in period-II as compared to period-I. Main contributor to fluctuations in fruit production during period-I was variability in area under fruit, whereas, both area and yield variability were mainly responsible for variability in fruit production during period-II. (author)

[en] Bananas and plantains are produced in 126 countries throughout the tropics and sub-tropics, on an area of 12.5 million acres (5Mha), with annual production exceeding 100 million tons. Dessert bananas exported as one of the most widely eaten of the 'five-a-day fruits' in the industrialized countries, with a value of $US 4.86 billion and underpinning the economy of many developing countries, account for 15% of this total. The remainder provide a staple food and major source of income for as many as 400 million people in developing countries. The banana export industry relies on genetically closely related clones of the Cavendish sub-group (sterile triploids, AAA). Though high-yielding, this sub-group of cultivars is extremely vulnerable to biotic and abiotic stresses and, due to high levels of sterility, is very hard to improve though classical breeding. A high quality genomic sequence of Musa has immediate application in assisting localization and identification of genes and alleles related to biotic (pest and disease) stresses, to abiotic (environmental, including drought, flooding, wind and salinity) stresses and to fruit quality (including post-harvest processes and nutrition). The latest information on activities and resources developed by the Global Musa Genomics Consortium will be presented. It will be demonstrated that by organizing the Global Musa Genomics Consortium (currently comprising 37 member institutions from 24 countries), duplication of effort can be minimized and the results of Musa genomics research are rapidly made accessible to taxonomists, breeders and the biotechnology community. (author)

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[en] Water from different sources was compared in regard to optimizing the postharvest performance of cut gladiolus flowers. Tap water from different flower markets was compared with distilled, deionized, canal, and carbonated water to find the best water type to be used by the industry in regards to postharvest longevity and water relations of cut gladiolus. Carbonated water proved to be the best water for handling cut gladiolus as it not only extended longevity, but also maintained relative fresh weight, and continued water uptake by the cut stems. Deionized water and distilled water were better than tap water from different regional flower markets. The canal water and tap water from Pattoki were the worst water types due to their higher heavy metals and salt levels; therefore, the growers and florists should avoid using these water types for handling their cut flowers. In summary, cut gladiolus should be placed in carbonated water for its effective control on bacterial proliferation and lower pH. Additionally, tap water should be analyzed before using for cut flower handling. (author)

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[en] Many thousands of pounds of high quality main-charge explosives will result as surplus from the dismantlement of returns from the US nuclear weapons stockpile. The method most often employed for dealing with this surplus explosive is destruction by open burning. However, open burning as a means of treating excess explosives is losing favor because of environmental concerns associated with such an uncontrolled thermal destruction process. Thus, alternative processes for treatment of excess explosives from weapon dismantlement is discussed. These alternatives include: reformulation, crystalline component recovery, chemical conversion of the crystalline component to higher value products which may have civilian or military applications and, when necessary, treatment as waste in an environmentally benign fashion

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[en] The combination of regulatory changes and increased waste volume has resulted in design changes in waste processing systems. Problems resulting from waste segregation as a basis for design philosophy are considered, and solutions to the problems are suggested. The importance of operator training, maintenance procedures, good housekeeping, water management, and offsite shipment of solids is discussed. Flowsheets for radioactive waste processing systems for boiling water reactors and pressurized water reactors are included