Cannabis Grow

By tank mixing additional modes of action with dicamba, growers will be able to effectively manage glyphosate and ALS-resistant Palmer amaranth and other troublesome broadleaf weeds while helping to minimize the selection of dicamba resistant weed biotypes. The ability to use either dicamba, glyphosate, or a tank-mix of both herbicides before planting or at selected periods during soybean development will allow growers greater flexibility in managing troublesome weeds in their crop management practices . A proactive approach to weed control is critical; this will slow down or prevent the selection of resistant weed biotypes. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of selected dicamba herbicide programs for the control of Palmer amaranth and pitted morningglory in dicamba tolerant soybean. Pitted morningglory control varied significantly within treatments in 2012 and 2013 when evaluated at 2 WAP1 and 2 WAP2 compared to Palmer amaranth in study 1. This led to a treatment by year interaction being observed for 2 WAP1 and 2 WAP2 rating periods. Some experimental or environmental factors could have contributed to the treatment by year interaction observed, mainly the difference in rainfall observed between the two trial years .

Unlike in Palmer amaranth, a dicamba PRE only, controlled pitted morningglory better than a flumioxazin PRE only when rated 3 WAP . In 2012, 2 WAP1, dicamba PRE only provided marginal pitted morning glory control  and in 2013, at the same rating period, control increased to 36%.Niekamp also observed that flumioxazin, while being a good broad spectrum PRE herbicide for broadleaf weed control, provided inconsistent morning glory spp. control. Treatments containing two or three herbicide applications offered good to excellent pitted morning glory control; however, the PRE followed by POST1 were slightly less effective in 2012 than 2013. In 2013,cannabis drying racks all dicamba based treatments provided excellent  pitted morning glory control at 2 WAP2.Dicamba PRE alone was not as effective on broad leaf weed control in soybean compared to flumioxazin PRE only. This can be attributed to the high water solubility of dicamba and its rapid loss in the soil profile, especially in coarse textured soils . Overall, a PRE  followed by a dicamba + glyphosate POST tank mix provided excellent control of Palmer amaranth and pitted morningglory in these studies. In the treatments evaluated, those containing 2 applications  were similar in effectiveness as those containing 3 applications .

In terms of cost, fewer herbicide applications are more efficient and will be able to benefit growers who use these programs by reducing overall input costs. Dicamba PRE alone with no additional POST treatments provided the lowest level of weed control in these studies. Non-dicamba containing POST treatments did provide good to excellent control of Palmer amaranth and pitted morning glory. Although the treatments in these research studies showed good to excellent control of broadleaf weeds in diamba tolerant soybean, more research is needed on additional broadleaf weeds across different environments not present in the selected study locations to validate their effectiveness across a larger geographic area. Wheat  is an important cereal grain crop all over the world. It is the staple food crop of Pakistan. It contributes 13.1 percent to the value added in agriculture and 2.8 percent to GDP. During 2008-2009, it was grown on an area of 9.062 million ha–1 with an annual production of 19.5 million tons of grains giving average yield of 23.421 tons ha–1  which is far below the yield level obtained in other wheat growing countries of the world. Every effort is being made to meet the wheat requirements of the country. There are many reasons for low yield of wheat crop but weed infestation is the basic and major component of low yield in crop production system. With the advent of new short stature varieties, weeds competition has become even more severe. The estimated annual losses caused by weeds may be more than 10 billions rupees in Pakistan . Because of high competitive ability and high reproductive potential of weeds, it is imperative to check their infestation. Only due to high weed infestation, average yield losses in wheat crop are about 25% – 30% in Pakistan . Weeds compete with crops mainly for light, nutrients, water and CO2 for canopy development and other growth requirements . Weeds utilize three to four times more nitrogen, potassium and magnesium than a weed free crop .  reported that yield losses due to weed are in proximity of 17 – 25 percent which in terms of wheat grain comes to about 2.43 to 3.57 million tons annually.

Limitations with X-Ray CT include the complicated equipment required for the survey and the extensive job of distinguishing roots against soils. Consequently, the images obtained were not exceptionally clear but did give a broad depiction of the area covered. For example, small roots were not distinguishable from the soil matrix . Similarly, shovelomics will generate a general structure of the root area, but the results lack detailed information on individual root parts . Mathematical models employing fractural geometry create a reasonable estimate of root architecture measurements and aid in viewing root systems . Measurements from 2-dimensional, planar models or images obtained from soil cores may serve as a base for 3D model construction. Although mathematical models can provide insight into root formation patterns, a failure results in accounting for natural recourses that significantly affect a plant’s root structure .

Field observations of root systems are time-consuming and tedious but do garner useful general information . There is a vital need for an accurate visual root architecture method. Three-dimensional imaging software combined with MRI scanning techniques advances the prospect of using rice as an experimental subject for studying root structure . The complete unique development of RSA can be obtained through 3D imaging techniques; additionally,vertical grow system this digital phenotypic data can be analyzed repeatedly for various traits The limitations with these methods include the equipment needed, finding compatible soil media for these methods, and image processing time and software ability to distinguish soil from the root Efforts to create bioassays for herbicide dose responses or observe root growth patterns gave way to germination pouches. This method is rapid, cost-efficient, reproducible, accurate, non-invasive, and easily controlled . Germination pouches allow visualization of seedling growth patterns and have been utilized for various crops and purposes . These transparent bags make it possible to promptly and practically observe and image roots at any growth stage. Screening in a lab setting allows for a uniform and controlled environment as well as sterile conditions.

Images obtained can be analyzed and screened through publicly available user-friendly software programs. Adeleke et al. made germination pouches at an even lower cost than those purchased for this study and were able to successfully germinate seedlings and obtain photographs at the end of the study in less than five minutes per plant, producing fast and effective results . This phenotyping strategy can increase non-invasive screenings by saving time and space in the seedling stage of development, leading to exploring traits in the accessions screened . This study aimed to characterize root morphological traits of allelopathic and non-allelopathic weedy rice and identify root traits related to allelopathyFrom Shrestha et al. , seeds of the five most barnyard grass-suppressive  and four least barnyard grass-suppressive  weedy rice accession were selected. Cultivated rice lines Rex, Rondo, PI312777, CL163, and PI388046 were also included in this study for comparison. All seeds were surface-sterilized by soaking in 70% ethanol for 30 seconds and 5% bleach for 20 minutes and rinsed six times with distilled water. Sterilized seeds were germinated in plastic 9-cm Petri dishes lined with What man No. 1 filter paper and soaked with 5 ml distilled water.After germination, four seedlings of equal height were selected for each accession and placed using forceps into germination pouches .

Pouches holding the seedlings were placed in the growth chamber in the Weed Physiology Laboratory at Mississippi State University, set at 30˚C/21˚C day/night for 28 days after germination . Plants were watered with 20 ml half-strength Hoagland’s No. 2 basal salts  every two days to keep the roots damp until 28 DAG. At 28 DAG, the bags were cut open, and the roots were removed and placed directly onto an Epson Perfection V370 Photo scanner . Black paper was placed over the root to contrast the image. Four images were obtained for each accession serving as individual replications. Root images were measured using Image J® software . Each image was cropped to encompass the area each root covered and converted into an 8-bit grayscale format. The length of each root was recorded in cm, and to obtain the total area covered by each root, the images were first converted to a binary format to remove the background and create a contrast. Weedy rice was characterized as allelopathic or non-allelopathic based on data from a screening performed in a prior study .

Hecky and Bugenyi  obtained higher concentrations of phosphorus  near the mud surface  than the upper photosynthetic zone. Hence the high coverage of S. molesta near the shoreline areas may be linked to the rich organic material usually found at the lake bottoms along the shorelines. This is reflected by the high phosphate  levels in Acholi inn landing site  though Masindi port, Waitumba and Kayei landing sites had phosphate values contrary to the average S. molesta coverage at those sites . There was accumulation of phosphates  at Kayei landing site  resulting from less uptake by S. molesta at low coverage. On the other hand, the high coverage of the weed at Waitumba and Masindi port landing sites might have led to the depletion of phosphates  in the water at those sites due to increased uptake by the weed. According to Divakaran et al. , the rapid proliferation of S. molesta causes depletion of nutrients. However, S. molesta carriage through attachment on boats increased the weed coverage at Acholi inn landing site  which also recorded high phosphates  at the same time. The enriched phosphates in Acholi inn could have resulted from the decay of organic matter in the habitat of the weed .

According to Lavelle and Spain , organic matter decomposition is a good source of phosphorus. The high coverage of S. molesta at waste sites and gardens  is associated with increased nutrient  availability  as the pH  and temperature  ranges at all the study sites were relatively constant and suitable for growth of the weed. According to Cary and Weerts , S. molesta grows optimally in nutrient-rich  conditions at pH 6 – 7.5 and water temperatures ranging from 20˚C to 30˚C. However, nutrient availability is more influential to the growth of the weed than pH . The high coverage of S. molesta weed close to the waste sites and gardens is expected as growth of aquatic weeds  increases with increase in agricultural productivity . This is due to the fact that agricultural and wastewater runoffs into freshwater ecosystems enrich the nutrient levels in the water bodies . For the case of Lake Kyoga, about 85% of the population in the lake basin is currently engaged in agriculture  hence increased cultivation and livestock rearing around the lake. On the other hand, cannabis grow supplies more wastes have also been discharged into the lake from increased human activities and livestock in the lake basin thus elevating phosphate levels in the lake The high coverage of S. molesta at boat docks despite the relatively lower nutrient  levels is attributable to the weed getting stuck on boats and then washed off in the boat docks.

Global Invasive Species Database  showed that S. molesta can be spread within and between water-bodies by contaminated boats.According to Parsons and Cuthbertson  and Gewertz , S. molesta spread between aquatic systems as a hitchhiker on boats, or in shipments of fish is common. For example, the spread of S. molesta into inland waterways of Zimbabwe was associated with the boat movements to and from Lake Kariba . As Lake Kyoga is very much used for fishing  and inland water transport , the number of boats on the lake is high hence increased coverage of S. molesta at the boat docks. The coverage of the S. molesta at the different landing sites and anthropogenic activities decreased the concentrations of dissolved oxygen at those sites in line with previous studies which indicated that solid mats of S. molesta reduce the dissolved oxygen concentrations in the water column For instance, dissolved oxygen concentration underneath S. molesta mats in Lake Naivasha only attained 10% saturation as opposed to 64% – 85% in the open water . The relatively high dissolved oxygen  concentrations recorded at the boat docks  despite the high weed coverage  is probably due to the constant breaking of the thick S. molesta mats and mixing of the water at the boat docks as a result of boat movements.

According to Wanda et al. , the brittle stolons of S. molesta are easily broken by the movement of boats. Ongom et al.  also reported that mixing of Lake Kyoga water increases the oxygen circulation in the lake. S. molesta weed coverage was the least in the fishing areas  associated with low nutrient  concentrations  and the low weed coverage also resulted into increased dissolved oxygen concentrations at the fishing areas. Water stress or drought is one of the most important abiotic constraints in rice, reducing yield on 23 million  ha of area in South and Southeast Asia . In Asia alone, the average loss in rice production in years of drought can exceed one billon US dollars. In water-limited regions, drought risk reduces yield because growers avoid investing money in inputs when they fear crop loss . In irrigated areas, too, water shortage is becoming an increasing problem because of the rising demand for water in urban areas. Water shortage has been historically associated with food shortage, especially in Asia and Africa . By 2025, 13 Mha of irrigated wetland rice in Asia may experience physical water scarcity and 22 Mha of irrigated dry-season rice may suffer from economic water scarcity .

Their study demonstrates the importance of proper controls to limit the use of unique IDs to one person; implementing such controls is relatively easy in a web-based survey environment.Though unaddressed by Wejnert and Heckathorn due to the nature of their study, web RDS poses an additional complicating feature with hidden populations, particularly those who are security conscientious—that of pro-viding anonymous financial incentives . Bauermeister et al. confront this by issuing “Visa e-gift” cards via email to respondents upon completion of their initial survey and reloading them after their chain referred recruits complete the survey . This appears to be one of the more secure options available to researchers, but it does not fully protect participants in the case of compelled disclosure , as the original “loading” of the cards is linked to researchers and recipients are required to provide a name and address before using the cards. Such a disclosure may seem like a minor consideration when studying use prevalence of multiple drugs in a large sample, but the issue is much more salient as sensitivity and security concerns become more of an issue—as is the case with drug producers or sellers.

Limiting or completely eliminating monetary incentives to participants is one method of maintaining anonymity; however, no one has attempted a RDS study of this nature. This study, in addition to investigating marijuana users in Oregon, attempts the first non-monetary primary incentive RDS implementation. To answer the research questions posed in this study, I developed a web RDS protocol and web-based survey to examine a sample of marijuana users in Oregon. To investigate the role of different secondary incentive types in the success of RDS studies and to protect respondents’ anonymity, I chose to forego all monetary payments. Instead, mobile vertical rack multiple non-monetary secondary incentives were implemented: 1) prospective respondents were ap-pealed to based on the potential political and economic importance of examining their population; 2) live updates and total network referral counts for each respondent were posted on a web site to encourage competition among participants to recruit others; and 3) respondents were granted access to near-live aggregate data and summary statistics as the project developed. Respondents were eligible to participate if they were Oregon residents, over the age of 18, used marijuana in the last year, and received a unique study ID from a previous participant in the study. The web-based survey instrument included a question that tracked study IDs; any previously used IDs were barred from reuse. After completing the survey, respondents were redirected to another web page with instructions about the referral process, as well as links to five additional recruitment letters that could be downloaded and shared with prospective recruits by email, Facebook, or instant message.I identified a single “super seed” with a very large number of friends who are users, producers, and sellers of marijuana in several counties identified in my parallel research study as “areas of interest” within Oregon .

The super seed was fully briefed on the project, the referral process, and the importance of collecting chain referrals by following up with prospective respondents.However, the lack of monetary incentives and the format of the recruitment letters appear to have quickly affected recruitment rates com-pared to previous RDS studies , as the referral process died out with only 72 respondents . The implications of this finding are discussed later. The survey instrument collected self-reported information on: 1) individual characteristics, such as gender, age, height, weight, frequency of exercise, county of residence, ethnicity, political party membership, education level, employment status, relationship status, occupational category, health insurance coverage, number of close friends, and income; 2) marijuana-related questions, including frequency of use, reasons for use, medical license status and roles, number of close friends who use, reasons for growing, number of plants growing, method of growing, source and reimbursement rate for obtained marijuana, amount consumed, and the perceived acceptance of marijuana use by immediate social circle and local community; and 3) a detailed political orientation index .Variables of interest for hypothesis testing in this analysis include frequency of marijuana use, amount of marijuana used per month, number of close friends who use marijuana, perceived peer-group acceptance of marijuana use, use status , level of education, relationship status, number of children, and reasons for using marijuana.The number of close friends who use marijuana is a ratio measure, with a minimum of zero and maximum of 20.

It is also possible that the higher proportion of patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder in this study is associated with lower rates of substance use due to a limited access to substances. Although schizophrenia was found to be a protective factor of substance use in this study as well as in other studies , having psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety is generally considered to increase vulnerability to substance use. Specifically, anxiety patients may seek drugs such as marijuana to relieve their anxious or depressive symptoms as a coping mechanism.These self-medicating behaviors may be more common among untreated patients with underlying psychiatric disorders,and in turn, co-occurring substance use can aggravate the severity of their psychiatric symptoms . In this study, however, the relationship between anxiety and more alcohol, stimulant, and marijuana use was unable to support this explanation due to the very low rate of anxiety disorder among Asian Americans.

It is obvious that co-occurring substance use leads to difficult psychiatric treatment, higher treatment costs, and longer hospital stays.Studies have shown that substance users receiving care for their substance use showed decreased depressive symptoms and integrated treatment programs improved patients’ psychiatric symptoms.Although co-occurring substance users are considered a highly vulnerable population, treatment services such as psychiatric outpatient visits and substance abuse treatment programs are still inadequately used . Especially for Asian Americans, there may be other potential issues regarding the underutilization of mental health services such as lower English proficiencies,grow lights for cannabis stigma around having or being diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, cultural beliefs about receiving psychiatric care, limited access to health care services, and discrimination within health care systems . Therefore, these barriers should be addressed in health care systems and efforts should be made to increase access to psychiatric mental health services for Asian Americans at individual, community, and policy levels. This study used a cross-sectional design to examine predictors of co-occurring alcohol, stimulant, and marijuana use of Asian Americans with psychiatric disorders receiving residential treatment services; therefore, a causal relationship cannot be assumed.

The sample of this study came from residential treatment programs only in the San Francisco Bay area where Asian Americans and the homeless are over represented, resulting in a limited representation of the US population. In addition, this study did not examine Asian subgroup differences in the prevalence of and risk factors of substance use; therefore, it may overlook important factors such as levels of acculturation, length of residence in the US ,and immigration generation. Variables reflecting socioeconomic status such as income level and current or past job which are possible risk factors of psychiatric disorders and substance use were not included in this study because most participants were homeless due to their lower level of functioning related to their psychiatric disorder prognosis. This study’s sample was mostly diagnosed with severe psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, which may have led to biased findings. Lastly, findings from this study indicated that there may be patterns of poly substance use among Asian Americans with psychiatric disorders; however, this study did not look at the prevalence of and risk factors of poly substance use, indicating the need for future research study.Aside from using marijuana, are there any substantial differences between regular marijuana users and the general population?

What do these friendship networks suggest about relations with non-users? Are there any differences between illegal marijuana users and licensed medical marijuana users? Finally, can individual-level factors explain the varying rates of medical marijuana patient participation between geographic areas? This study addresses these questions using a survey of marijuana users in Oregon—a location ripe for investigation along these lines. Oregon has one of the highest rates of marijuana use in the US, with the most recent estimate indicating that 14.09% of individuals over 12 years old have used marijuana in the last year. Oregon is also home to one of the oldest medical marijuana pro-grams in the US, established in 1998, just two years after the first was created in California, and publishes county- level counts of medical users dating back to 2005.

The use of natural plant fibers as a reinforcement in FRP to replace synthetic fibers such as glass and carbon fibers is presently receiving attention because of advantages such as renewable resources, low density and high specific strength.Furthermore, in recent years, development of biodegradable composites using natural plant fibers such as flax, bamboo, pineapple , silk ,jute , kenaf and ramie as a reinforcement and biodegradable resin as a matrix is conducted actively. And researches on molding condition, mechanical properties and interfacial bonding have been carried out.In former paper , the research about development of high strength unidirectional Manila hemp fiber reinforced biodegradable composites was reported.The unidirectional biodegradable composites were made from Manila hemp fiber bundles and a starch-based emulsion-type biodegradable resin. The tensile and flexural strengths of the composites increased with increasing fiber content up to 70%. The aim of this study is to develop cross ply biodegradable composites to expand the range of applications of the biodegradable composites.

Manila hemp textile was used as the reinforcement for cross ply biodegradable composites and investigated about their mechanical properties. and marijuana use is a public health challenge all over the world and especially in Sub Saharan Africa. The problem of substance abuse in the region has compounded an already existing burden of infectious and non-infectious diseases. The combination of low socioeconomic status and substance use can be described as a social and economic disaster for many poor families of Africa. Whereas some substances such as alcohol and tobacco have always been traditionally accepted especially among adults,cannabis drying racks their use has reached epidemic proportions in young Nigerians. The uses of other substances such as marijuana, cocaine and amphetamines have also grown disproportionately over the years .Tobacco is risk factor for many acute and chronic diseases nevertheless, about1.1 billion people use tobacco worldwide and about 7 million die yearly of tobacco related illnesses. The burden tobacco use and morbidity is rising in developing countries especially in sub-Saharan Africa. A recent systematic review on the index problem has reported a steady increase in the sub-continent .

It is estimated that the in the continent from 12.8% to 18.9%by the year 2025 .The World Health Statistics report of 2017 showed that the highest prevalence of smoking in SSA was 55%and the lowest 0.2%. Similar to many other countries of the world, tobacco smoking in sub-continent is a predominantly a male dominated problem across all socio-economic strata. In a review of 26 papers from 13 countries spanning a total 8 years, Brathwaite et al. , the prevalence of smoking ranged from 1.8% in Zambia to 25.8% in Sierra Leone and was consistently higher in men compared to women in all studies. The problem of smoking is increasing among adolescents in SSA. In a cross sectional school based survey in Khartoum State the prevalence of current cigarette smoking was 13.6% .Studies in Nigeria have also reported high prevalence of smoking among adolescents . Urban rural differences in smoking habits exist and vary between countries and regions in SSA .The prevalence and pattern of tobacco use reported in several studies in Nigeria have shown a consistent trend: significant higher rate of smoking among males, urban-rural differences, high exposure at an early age, easy accessibility and poor understanding of the risk associated with the substance. In Nigeria, the overall prevalence of cigarette smoking was estimated to be 17.4% in males and 1.1% in females . Obvious regional differences exist in the prevalence of smoking and use of other forms of tobacco in Nigeria. In a national survey of substance abuse in Nigeria the lifetime, 1-year and 30-day prevalence of smoking were 12.2%, 6.4% and 5.3% respectively with the highest prevalence in south eastern part of the country.

The prevalence of smoking among undergraduate students in various universities in Nigeria were similar to population-based studies possibly because of the age distribution of smokers which is favor of the young. In university of Ilorin, the prevalence rate of current cigarette smoking was 5.7% and lifetime smoking was 17.1% . It has been estimated that the majority of smokers start smoking as early as in their teens most of whom were influenced into smoking by peer pressure and commercial advertisements. The mean age of first exposure to cigarette among university students suggest that most start people start smoking in secondary schools .WHO statistics suggest that 68.9% of youth in the African Region bought cigarettes in a store and were not refused purchase because of their age.There is some evidence that this may be also be related to religious, social and psychological reasons .

Although selection and/or identification of allelopathic plants from medicinals plants are much easier than other group of plants, isolation and identification of strong allelopathic substance is laborious, time consuming and need very sophisticated equipment’s. Hence, to date very few works have been conducted to isolate and characterize the allelopathic substances from allelopathic medicinal plants. A list of allelopathic substances isolated from different medicinal plants is given in Table 2. These substances showed strong phytotoxic potential against different target plant species under laboratory condition. However, their phytotoxic potential under field condition not yet reported. It is well known that even a substance showing strong phytotoxic activity on target plants in laboratory experiments, may not perform satisfactorily in the field conditions due to the influence of several soil factors like soil pH, organic carbon, organic matter and available nitrogen. Therefore, more emphasis should be given on evaluating the bio-activity of allelopathic substances or the allelopathic plant extracts in both laboratory and field condition.

If the extracts or the isolated compound shows strong activity in both conditions only then it could be recommend for new natural herbicide development. is a recently registered sulfonylurea herbicide for broad leaved weed control in white bean in Ontario . Therefore,cannabis grow equipment halosulfuron needs to be used along with a graminicide to provide broad spectrum control of problematic weeds in white bean.S-metolachloris a chloroacetanilide herbicide that is registered in white bean to control of key weeds in Ontario including Echinochloa spp., Setaria spp., Panicum spp., Digitaria spp., Solanum spp.and Amaranthus spp. .S-metolachlor tank mixed with halosulfuron cancontrol troublesome grass and broad leaved weeds in white bean.The S-metolachlor label has a dose range of 1050 to 1600 g∙ai∙ha−1 and the halosulfuron label has a dose range of 25 to 50 g∙ai∙ha−1. Earlier research has primarily focused on halosulfuron at 35 g∙ai∙ha−1 for weed control in white bean. Limited information exists on the effect of Smetolachlor plus lower doses of halosulfuron particularly at the lowest labelled dose of 25 g∙ai∙ha−1 for weed control in white bean.

Studies are needed to determine the appropriate application dose of halosulfuron alone or in tank mix with S-metolachlor for broad and comprehensive weed control in white bean. This information will allow producers to reduce their input costs and minimize crop losses from weed interference in white bean.The purpose of this research was to evaluate how doses of S-metolachlor and halosulfuron should be adjusted to control specific problematic weeds in white bean production.Agricultural practices have caused major changes in the composition and species richness of weed communities in the field.Arable weed species play an important role in supporting biological diversity in agro- ecosystems . Weed species that thrive in the field edges and may colonize cropped plots include Avena sterilis and Galium aparine , Conyza canadensisand Senecio vulgaris . In other studies, plant populations in field edges have not resulted in weed infestations in the adjacent crop in many studies.There is evidence that herbicide efficacy, increased crop competition and changes in cropping patterns have resulted in a gradual decline in weed abundance and diversity over recent decades.Herbicide use is a widespread practice detrimental to weeds and continued use of a single herbicide often results in weed composition shifts from highly susceptible species to those having greater tolerance to the herbicide . The most used herbicide in arable crops in Argentina is glyphosate which provides application flexibility, lacks of rotational restrictions and controls a broad spectrum of weeds.However, as a result of repeated use, species difficult to control with glyphosate have become more common in many countries and in Argentina as well.

Weed diversity may be concentrated in the crop edges, especially in the weed communities of conventional cereal fields . In Argentina, crop edges are narrow areas that are taken out from agriculture. In crop edges, insecticides, fungicides are not used and occasionaly, herbicides are applied. In the field plot, the most used herbicide is glyphosate-alone or in combination with residual herbicides . The objective of this study was to analyze weed abundance and diversity as well as the frequency of weeds tolerant or resistant to glyphosate in field plots and edges in the soybean central region of Argentina. Overall, MRPP indicated variations in species composition between edges and field crops. Two weed communities were identified according to season: Spring-summer and winter.Variations in weed species composition between seasons were also observed in another study .

World’s rice demand is projected to increase by 50% from 1997 to 2050 to keep pace with population growth .Compared to other field crops, rice is most widely grown under irrigated condition which accounts for about 50% of the total amount of water diverted for irrigation, which in itself accounts for 80% of the amount of fresh water diverted. This is due to the high unproductive water losses by evaporation, surface run-off, and percolation. Producing one kilogram of unprocessed rice grain under irrigation is estimated to use between 1500 and 5000 L of water, depending on the local climate, soil type and rice variety . This amount is about twice or even more than wheat or maize. However, declining water availability threatens the sustainability of traditional flood-irrigated rice ecosystems . In Asia, it is predicted that 17 million hectares of irrigated rice areas may have “physical water scarcity” and 22 million hectares areas may be subject to “economic water scarcity” by 2025 .

In Asia, where about 60% of the world’s population lives, food security is challenged by increasing food demand and threatened by declining water availability.It is, therefore, no longer feasible to flood rice fields for better crop establishment and weed control . Among different water-saving approaches, aerobic rice cultivation has come up with a huge success in different parts of the world.Growing rice in non-saturated and non-puddled aerobic soil is a promising water-wise technique of rice cultivation under the context of ever-mounting water scarcity. Growing rice under aerobic conditions requires 36% 41%less water than under the conventional method . In response to the labour and water shortage problem, cannabis drying racks some alternative rice production methods were suggested by researchers worldwide including alternate wetting and drying , system of rice intensification, and raised bed for saturated soil culture. Compared with flooded rice, aerobic rice had lower production cost, higher water productivity, and a comparable outcome.Weeds are a major yield limiting factor in rice production,and the literature reporting yield losses is numerous. Globally, actual rice yield losses due to pests have been estimated at 40%, of which weeds have the highest loss potential.

The worldwide estimated rice yield loss due to weeds is around 10%of the total production . Yield reduction due to weeds is more critical in direct seeded rice than in transplanted rice. In dry seeded aerobic rice,relative yield loss caused by weeds is 50% 91% , while in transplanted rice,yield loss has been estimated to be only 13% . Among the rice ecosystems,yield losses are the highest in aerobic rice . In extreme cases, weed infestation may cause complete failure of aerobic rice . Weeds persist by adapting to cultural practices, and every cultural practice influences the competitive ability of both the crop and weed resulting complex interactions.Cultural approaches play significant role to determine the competitiveness of a crop with weeds for above ground and below ground resources and hence might influence weed management . Integrated weed management strategies offer several options, but risks of developing resistant weed biotypes ,and environmental hazard resulting from herbicides from chemical control , and labor-intensive manual weeding methods demand aneco-friendly and less labor-dependent weed management system for sustainable aerobic rice production.As observed by many researchers, the performance of herbicides can be enhanced if crop varieties with higher weed competitiveness are used especially in herbicide-dominant systems.

Weed competitiveness comprises two components:weed suppressive ability—the ability to lessen weed growth through competition, and weed tolerance—the capability of maintaining potential yields in the presence of weeds . The potentiality of using weed competitive variety in integrated weed management has been documented in many crops including rice. The deployment of weed competitive variety is not only eco-friendly but also a very cost effective tool for integrated weed management. Considering the high vulnerability of aerobic rice to weeds, development of weed competitive aerobic rice variety has been suggested by many researchers .No work has so far been done to assess the ability of the huge pool of Bangladeshi rice germplasms to wrestle weeds under aerobic soil conditions. In this backdrop, the present study was undertaken to study the variation in weed competitiveness among selected high yielding rice varieties and to recognize agronomic traits conferring weed competitiveness of rice grown under aerobicsoil conditions.

Owing to their ability to self-renew and differentiate, CSCs are capable of regenerating the heterogeneous tumor population  after hormone ablation, which accounts for tumor relapse. Therefore, elimination of the bulk of frequently replicating tumor cells as well as the rare subset of slow, dividing stem-like cells that are responsible for tumor regeneration may represent a better therapeutic strategy in the treatment of prostate cancer. The therapeutic properties of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, have been known for many years, but the recreational use of its psychoactive effects has restricted its possible pharmaceutical application. In recent years cannabinoids and their derivatives have drawn renewed attention because of their diverse pharmacologic activities such as cell growth inhibition, anti-inflammatory effects, and tumor regression.

Cannabinoids have been shown to induce apoptosis in gliomas , PC-12 pheochromocytoma , CHP100 neuroblastoma , and hippocampal neurons  in vitro, and most interestingly, regression of C6-cell gliomas in vivo . Plant-derived cannabinoids, especially cannabidiol, are shown to be potent inhibitors of prostate carcinoma both in vitro and in vivo.Our case studies confirmed cannabinoid  efficacy in reducing muscle spasticity in multiple sclerosis , pain levels over a 12-month period  and Cannabis responsive head injury induced multiple disabilities . To date, cannabinoids have been successfully used in the treatment of nausea and vomiting , two common side effects that accompany chemotherapy in cancer patients. Nevertheless, the use of cannabinoids in oncology might be somehow underestimated since increasing evidence exist that plant, synthetic, and endogenous cannabinoids  are able to exert a growth inhibitory action on various cancer cell types. However, mobile vertical rack the precise pathways through which these molecules produce an antitumor effect has not been yet fully characterized, also because their mechanism of action appears to be dependent on the type of tumor cell under study.

It has been reported that cannabinoids can act through different cellular mechanisms, e.g., by inducing apoptosis, cell-cycle arrest, or cell growth inhibition, but also by targeting angiogenesis and cell migration  . Furthermore, the antitumor effects of plant, synthetic and endo-cannabinoids can be mediated by activation of either CB1  or CB2 receptors or both  . After the discovery of the two specific molecular targets for THC, CB1, and CB2 , it became clear that most of the effects of marijuana in the brain and peripheral tissues were due to activation of these two G-protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors. However, evidence is also accumulating that some pharmacological effects of marijuana are due to Cannabis components different from Tetrahydro-cannabinol. Indeed, C. sativa contains at least 400 chemical components, of which 66 have been identified to belong to the class of the cannabinoids . The main limitation of the possible future use of THC in oncology might be represented by adverse effects principally at the level of the central nervous system, consisting mostly of perceptual abnormalities, occasionally hallucinations . However, most non-THC plant cannabinoids seem to be devoid of direct psychotropic properties. In particular, it has been ascertained that cannabidiol is nonpsychotropic   and may even mitigate THC psychoactivity by blocking its conversion to the more psychoactive 11-hydroxy-THC .

Moreover, it has been recently found that systematic variations in its constituents  do not affect the behavioral or neurophysiological responses to marijuana . Finally, it has been also shown that, unlike THC, systemic administration to rats of cannabigerol does not provoke poly-spike discharges in the cortical electroencephalogram during wakefulness and behavioral depression . These and other observations reinforce the concept that at least cannabidiol, cannabigerol, and cannabichromene lack psychotropic activity and indicate that for a promising medical profile in cancer therapy, research should focus on these compounds, which so far have been poorly studied with regard to their potential antitumor effects. By keeping this goal in mind, we decided to investigate the antitumor properties of plant cannabis. We screened two distinct chemically characterized Cannabis extracts , where the presence of nonpsychotropic cannabinoids along with THC has been reported to mitigate the potential side effects of the latter compound in clinical trials . Despite research efforts, little is known about the prostatic cancer stem cells which were suggested to play an important role in tumor initiation, progression, and chemoresistance . Because CSCs are believed to contribute to chemoresistance, we reasoned that the chemosensitizing effect of cannabis may be mediated through targeting of prostate CSCs.

Various sentinel studies in the country reported that the prevalence of alcohol and other substance use among students’ population was high. Nevadomsky, in a study of drug use among secondary students in southern Nigeria, reported a prevalence of alcohol use to be 65%, tobacco 24% . The author reported that use of benzodiazepines, cannabis and amphetamines among the subjects were less common. Vázquel, in a study of prevalence of psychoactive substance use and dependence among Spanish university students, reported that 86.5% had consumed psychoactive substances, and 10.5% satisfied DSM IV criteria for dependence on nicotine, alcohol, caffeine or cannabis . Mason et al., in a study of substance use, social networks, and the geography of urban adolescents in Washington, USA, reported a prevalence of psychoactive substance use among the respondents as 65% .

The au thors reported that most popular psychoactive substances used were alcohol, cannabis and cocaine. Tobacco was not measured in the study as a primary psychoactive substance as some participants  can legally use it. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention , cannabis grow system reported a high prevalence of cannabis use  among teenagers aged 16 to 19 years . Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration , reported a high prevalence of cannabis use  among young adults aged 18 to 25 years . In Tanzania, Kalula, in a qualitative study of cannabis use among young people, reported an increasing trend of cannabis use among youths aged 15 to 25 years with a prevalence rate of 5% . Adebiyi et al., in a study of tobacco use among out of school adolescents aged 10 to 19 years in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria, reported a prevalence of tobacco use as 20.5% . However, the study was limited to tobacco use. Information on the use of psychoactive substances among motorcyclists in Nigeria and more specifically in Northern Nigeria is limited. The current study aims to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of psychoactive substance users among commercial motorcycle operators in a selected local council Area in Kano, Nigeria.

We hypothesized that the socio-demographic characteristics of psychoactive substance users among commercial operators in Kano will be similar to what is found in other parts of Nigeria and the world. In this study, the younger age groups were found to be more likely to use psychoactive substances compared to those who were older than 35 years. This is in agreement with other studies done among commercial motorcyclists in Zaria, north western Nigeria and Nnewi, south eastern Nigeria. However, it differs from a study in southwestern Nigeria among refugees from Liberia, where respondents in the age group used psychoactive substances more than the younger age group of 18 to 30 years . The socio-cultural differences between Nigeria and Liberia may explain the observed difference. All the participants in this study were males because only males operate commercial motorcycles in Kano state. Studies have shown that males are more likely to abuse drugs compared to females. All the respondents were Moslems, which is the predominant religion in Kano state. Majority of the respondents participated regularly in their religious activities, which may partly account for the low prevalence of psychoactive substance use in them. This is consistent with the findings of similar studies in Ilorin and Abeokuta where significant association was found between substance use and religiosity, with those who were very religious being less likely to use psychoactive substances.

More than 88% of the respondents were married, and more than 60% had between one and 5 children, in keeping with the study in Ilorin among long distance drivers with more than 95% of the subjects married with children . It would seem that marriage had a moderating effect on substance use by the respondents, as use of cannabis, stimulants, inhalants and opiates was more among the respondents who were single. This is line with a study among 62 patients who use/abuse psychoactive substances, at the drug abuse unit of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, where it was observed that the patients were mostly single . This finding also corroborates a study by Ansari-Moghaddam et al. in Iran which found that singles were twice more likely to use substances compared to those who were married . Most of the participants in this study had some form of education, up to secondary school, which is consistent with the study in Ilorin and Zaria where more than 68% had some form of education ranging from primary to tertiary education.