Women Dealing with Health Problems in Desert: A Case Study of Cholistan

Being a desert, Cholistan has nomadic and semi-nomadic culture with life threatening climatic and geographic conditions. In fact, life in Cholistan revolves around search for water, food and fodder. Health problems are also acute among these desert dwellers. The area is deprived of healthcare services. The existing literature on Cholistan desert contains no scholarship on the ways of dealing with health problems particularly of women. This article is the first of its kind to explore this aspect. Using ethno-methodology, primary data were collected from 50 elderly women through protracted qualitative interviews and participants observation. Thematic analysis technique was used for analyzing the data. The findings of the study reveal that several intertwined factors such as lack of road and transportation facilities, lack of healthcare infrastructure and qualified medical staff, adverse weather conditions, mass illiteracy, ignorance and existence of massive poverty are main factors responsible for poor health of women in the Cholistan. Also, women’s health problems are given little importance because of male dominance and male support and approval is sought by women before getting medical treatment. In addition to this, lack of access and poor awareness about modern healthcare services, make women in Cholistan rely mainly on self-medication and local remedies such as ethnomedication and spiritual healing.

Genetics of Water Deficit Tolerance in Gossypium Hirsutum L.

Increasing water shortage for irrigation is a major constrain to sustainable cotton production. Cotton plant observes reduction in seed cotton yield as well as fibre quality when subjected to water deficit conditions. Present investigation were conducted to study the genetic basis of agro-physiological and fiber quality traits in cotton under normal irrigation and water deficit stress. For this purpose, 45 genotypes of Gossypium hirsutum L. were studied under two moisture levels i.e. normal irrigation and water-deficit stress conditions for two years (2013 and 2014). The experiment was conducted using split plot arrangement under randomized complete block design. All the genotypes behaved differently under both control and water - deficit stress. Genotype × Environment Interaction (GEI) of cotton genotypes with two water levels (Environments) were studied for some selected agro-physiological traits i.e. seed cotton yield, bolls per plant, boll weight, water potential, osmotic potential, pressure potential, chlorophyll fluorescence, canopy temperature, relative water contents, protein contents and proline contents using AMMI biplot analysis. Results showed that the genotypes VH-291, FH- 329, FH-153, IR-6, FH-159, VH-289, FH-322, MNH-886, S-15 and FH-207 proved stable for most of the traits studied whereas; NS-131, AA-703 and KZ 191 interacted undesirably with water-deficit stress. Results of screening revealed that working variability among germplasm was present and controlled by significant genetic component, which may be exploit through hybridization. Therefore, F1 crosses were developed in the greenhouse keeping stress tolerant genotypes as lines and sensitive as a testers using line × tester technique. 30F1 crosses along with 13 parents were planted under two stress levels i.e normal and water-deficit in field condition to examine the genetic basis of agro-physiological and fiber quality traits. Under normal condition lines showed more contribution for bolls per plant, seed cotton yield and canopy temperature whilst, line × tester interaction showed maximum contribution for boll weight, water potential, osmotic potential, pressure potential, staple length, fibre fineness and fiber strength. Under water-deficit condition, the expression of bolls per plant, seed cotton yield, osmotic potential, pressure potential, relative water contents, protein contents, staple length, fiber fineness and fiber strength were largely determined by interaction of line × tester. Contribution by lines were more for boll weight, water potential and canopy temperature. The analysis of F1 and parents data revealed the presence of non-additive genes controlling variation under both normal and water-deficit condition. FH-159 and FH-207 were best general combiners under normal irrigation and water deficit condition. Under normal condition, cross FH-322 × NS-131 showed best specific combining ability while FH-207 × KZ-191 was best combination under water deficit condition for most of the traits. Higher heterosis over better parent were observed in FH-159 × KZ-191 and VH-289 × AA-703 under normal and water deficit condition respectively. For seed cotton yield the crosses FH-207 × NS-131, S-15 × AA- 703 and FH-329 × NS-131 showed higher and significant heterosis over better parent under water deficit condition that may be used in development of hybrid for water shortage areas in Pakistan.