The Islamic financial industry is expanding rapidly into non-Muslim countries including Western Europe. The author analyses what the prospects of success for an Islamic mode of banking and finance in Germany are at the retail level. The quantitative study revealed that two-thirds of respondents were willing to switch to Islamic banking, and that Giro and savings bank accounts and mortgage financing products and services were most desired by the respondents. The qualitative study showed that the success of Islamic Banking and Finance in the United Kingdom is mainly due to the proactive role taken by regulators and London's role as an international financial center. Germany's regulatory model is different than that of the United Kingdom in that there are no market entry barriers, and the success of Islamic banking in Germany will largely depend on the operating model of Islamic financial institutions.

Central Bank Digital Currencies and Global Financial System: Theory and Practice is the perfect book for anyone interested in the impact of digital currencies on the global financial system, providing valuable insights and analysis on the topic. The topic of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) is particularly relevant in 2023 because the use of digital currencies is rapidly growing around the world, and many central banks are exploring the idea of developing their own CBDCs. This book offers readers an opportunity to gain a better understanding of CBDCs, including their history, differences with cryptocurrencies, and the potential impact of CBDCs on the future of the financial system. The book’s didactic approach breaks down complex topics into easily digestible chapters, allowing readers to easily understand and follow the progression of digital currencies. For those interested in the future of digital currencies, the book offers a chapter on future research directions and concluding remarks. Central Bank Digital Currencies and Global Financial System: Theory and Practice is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of finance and technology. By exploring the evolution of digital currencies and their impact on the global financial system, this book provides valuable insights for policymakers, financial professionals, and anyone looking to understand the future of money.

These studies presence of sufficient exploitable genetic variability for various yield related traits among the rice genotypes. A good number of rice genotypes were screened and identified on the basis of various morphological, physiological and molecular studies, that would be used in the development of F1 hybrid seed. The genotypes CB-17, CB-32 and Basmati-198 were good general combiners for productive tillers per plant, primary branches per panicle and yield per plant, especially under water stress condition and also gave specific cross combinations for good yield and yield related traits. The crosses productive tillers per plant (Basmati-198 x CB-17), seeds per panicle (Basmati-2000 x CB-42, Basmati-198 x CB-14), 1000 seed weight (Basmati-2000 x CB-32, CB-42 x CB-32) and yield per plant (CB-32 x CB-14) sowed promising results for yield and yield related traits. Thus these hybrids could be used as such or further selection could made to develop high yielding rice genotypes suitable for cultivation under water stress condition. Over all this book will provide the information the breeders, geneticist, researchers and students related to genetic study of the rice crop.

Chrysoperla carnea, known as the common green lacewing, is an insect in the Chrysopidae family. It is found in many parts of North America, Europe and Asia. The adults feed on nectar, pollen and aphid honeydew but the larvae are active predators and feed on aphids and other small insects. It has been used in the biological control of insectpests on crops. Chrysoperla carnea was originally considered to be a single species with a holarctic distribution but it has now been shown to be a complex of many cryptic, sibling species. These are indistinguishable from each other morphologicallybut can be recognised by variations in the vibrational songs the insects use to communicate with each other, which they especially do during courtship. The green lacewing eggs are oval and secured to the plant by long slender stalks. They are pale green when first laid but become gray later. The larvae are about one millimetre long when they first hatch. They are brown and resemble small alligators, crawling actively around in search of prey. They have a pair of pincer-like mandibles on their head with which they grasp their prey, sometimes lifting the victim off the leaf surface to prevent its escape.

The undertaken project consists of the field and lab experiments which were carried out to investigate the biophysical and biochemical basis of resistance in the fruits of bitter-gourd plant. The field experiments included screening of 13 genotypes of bitter-gourd and tolerance studies. The laboratory experiments included the determination of biophysical and biochemical fruit traits which induce antixenosis and antibiosis in bitter-gourd against melon fruit fly. The fruit-length, fruit diameter, number of ridges/cm2, depth of ribs, pericarp thickness and fruit toughness were found to be most important biophysical fruit traits, which contributed antixenosis in bitter-gourd against melon fruit-fly. Similarly, quantity of ascorbic-acid, chlorophyll (chlorophyll 'a', 'b' and total chlorophyll), reducing sugars, total sugars, non-reducing sugars, nitrogen, protein, phosphorus, potassium, tannin, flavonol, phenols, ash and silica played paramount role in inducing biochemical based antixenosis and antibiosis. The findings of endeavour persuade for the utilization of identified sources of resistance in crop breeding program of bitter-gourd against melon fruit fly.

Cotton has been placed amongst one of the most important cash crops, in Pakistan. Armyworm, Spodoptera litura, is one of the most notorious chewing pests, attacking this crop and hence depriving the farmers from getting good yields. The project under study, was, therefore, planned to develop some control strategies which are not only effective in their implementation, but also safer to the non-target organisms. A bio-control agent, Bracon hebetor (Say.) was used to control the pest, along with integration of some new chemistry insecticides and pheromones throughout cotton growing season. The experiments were carried out under the laboratory conditions in the Dept. of Agri. Entomology, Univ. of Agriculture, Faisalabad, for the improvement of mass rearing of the parasitoid, its potential at various temperatures and searching ability. The experiments for the screening of insecticides for their selection in Pest Management program of were performed in the laboratory as well as semi-field and field conditions. Resultantly, the study recommends that bio-control agents should be integrated with other tactics in order to avoid the chemical load in the environment.