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A study to assess the socio-economic status of tea workers in selected tea estates of Sylhet district
Get PDFThe study was carried out to examine the socio-economic characteristics of tea plantation workers. A total of 50 farmers from Sylhet district were selected randomly for data collection. The study showed that on an average the size of family of the tea workers was 4.69 which is lower than agricultural labourer inBangladesh. The dependency ratio was found to be 1.80.The literacy of the teaworkers was 56 percent out of which 43 percent were primary level and 13 percent were secondary level. The average annual income per surveyed household was Tk. 75,615 out of which 83% of the total income came from service as a tea labourer while rest 17% derived from agriculture and non-agricultural sources. On an average, the annual expenditure per family was Tk 64,053.The study observed that 88 % percent of the surveyed family received loan from different NGO,s and while only 12 percent obtained from the bank. The analysis credit utilization showed that 41% of the total loan was utilized in meeting repairing houses followed by purchasing of cows (25%) and business (13%) respectively. The study showed that hundred percent roofs of tea workers houses were made of tin. But 58% of the wall was made of brick while 42% was made of mud. On an average 47% of the families reared poultry while 63 percent had livestock. Fifty four percent of households grew vegetables in the study area. The major types of vegetables cultivate by tea workers in the study area were bean, lalsak, chalkumra, gourd etc. Majority household had fruit trees in their homestead. The study showed that most of the household consumed their home products. But only twenty one percent of the households sold their fruits in the local market for cash flow
Effect of nitrogen fertilizer and weed management on the yield of transplant aman rice
Get PDFThe research work was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during aman season from July to December 2015 to study the effect of nitrogen fertilizer and weed management on the growth and yield of transplant aman rice cv. BRRI dhan46. The experiment consisted of four fertilizer treatments viz. 0 kg N ha−1 (N0), 40 kg N ha−1(N1), 80 kg N ha−1(N2) and 120 kg N ha−1(N3) and four weeding treatments viz. one hand weeding at 20 DAT (W1), two hand weedings at 20 and 35 DAT (W2), three hand weedings at 20, 35 and 50 DAT (W3), weeding by Japanese rice weeder twice at 20 and 35 DAT (W4) and unweeded control (W5). The experiment was laid out in the randomized complete block design with three replications. The highest plant height (113.00 cm), number of total tillers hill−1 (8.74), number of effective tillers hill−1 (6.18), panicle length (21.98 cm), number of grains panicle−1 (114.20), grain yield (4.00 t ha−1), straw yield (5.25 t ha−1) and biological yield (9.25 t ha−1) were recorded in N2 (80 kg N ha−1) treatment. The lowest plant height (106.00 cm), number of total tillers hill-1 (7.20), number of effective tillers hill−1 (5.00), panicle length (20.70 cm), number of grains panicle−1 (97.60), grain yield (3.52 t ha−1), straw yield (4.46 t ha−1) and biological yield (7.97 t ha−1) were recorded from N0 (No nitrogen fertilizer control) treatment. On the other hand, the highest grain yield 4.23 t ha−1 was observed in three weedings condition because of the highest number of effective tillers hill−1 (6.81), number of grains panicle−1(111.10). The highest straw yield (5.51 t ha−1) was also found in three weeding condition. The lowest grain yield (3.40 t ha−1) was recorded in W5 (unweeded control) treatment. The lowest straw yield (4.31 t ha−1) was also observed in W5 (unweeded control) treatment because of the smallest plant (106.97 cm) and lower number of total tillers hill−1 (7.20). Therefore, 80 kg N ha−1along with three hand weedings at 20, 35 and 50 DAT may be used for obtaining the highest grain and straw yields of BRRI dhan4
Management practice adoption and productivity of commercial aquaculture farms in selected areas of Bangladesh
No full textAdoption of scientific management practice is the pre-condition for increasing productivity in any farm business. This study estimates the level of scientific aquaculture management practice (SAMP) adoption, factor affecting adoption and its relation with productivity. Sixty aquaculture farms were selected from 3 upazilas of Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. Adoption level was measured by following Sengupta (1967) while Tobit regression was used to assess the determinants of adoption level. Polynomial regression was employed to show the relationship among farm size, adoption level and productivity. Result revealed that average SAMP adoption level was 54% where 53% farmers were medium adopter. Training, experience, education and extension service had significant positive effect on level of adoption. Productivity was significantly higher for those farmers who adopted more SAMP. Adoption level, productivity and profitability of small farmers were higher than that of large farmers. The study suggests farmers for adopting scientific management practices in order to increase the aquaculture productivity and profitability
Molecular and pathological identification of maize genotypes having Wsm gene governing resistance against MDMV and MCDV
Get PDFMaize is seriously affected by different viruses like Maize Dwarf Mosaic Virus (MDMV) and Maize Chlorotic Dwarf Virus (MCDV) throughout the world. In Bangladesh, no genotype has been identified yet as a source of resistant gene against MDMV and MCDV. The study was carried out with the objective to screen nine maize genotypes carrying Wsm gene using three sets of Single Sequence Repeat (SSR) marker. Maize plants were inoculated with viruses. Symptoms were scored at 7, 10 and 14 dpi (days post inoculation) to calculate infection percentage and Area Under Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC). The molecular result indicated that BHM-7, BHM-5, V-92, Uttaran and Duranta carried Wsm gene, but according to pathological test, functional resistance was observed for only BHM-7, V-92 and Uttaran on the basis of infection percentage and AUDPC score. BHM-7 (BARI Hybrid Maize 7) was noticed as the best one for showing resistance against MDMV and carrying Wsm gene. No genotype was found to govern resistance against MCDV
Reassessment of cyperaceous weed biodiversity at Bangladesh Agricultural University campus
Get PDFA floristic survey has been carried out from January 2015 to January 2016 to investigate the species diversity of Cyperaceous weeds present at Bangladesh Agricultural University campus. A total of 48 species belonging to 11 genera has been collected and identified. Among these, the prominent genus was Fimbristylis (13 species) followed by Cyperus (12 species) and three genera viz. Actinoscirpus, Bolboshoenus and Fuirena were represented by single species. Result of the present study revealed that some of these species are major and common obnoxious weeds in different crop fields. A good number of these species have great medicinal uses, fodder, raw materials for small industries and other economic values. The detailed taxonomic studies of these weeds will be helpful for the management practices of Cyperaceous weeds at this campus as well as in the whole country. It might be concluded that development of improved cultivation procedures will be helpful for getting high economic benefits from Cyperaceous weeds without affecting our crop yield and agro-ecosystem. There is no direct evidence of climate change threatening or eliminating Cyperaceae taxa from this locality
Floristic diversity of the soil weed seedbank in boro rice fields: in situ and ex situ evaluation
Get PDFThis study was conducted at the research fields of Agronomy Field Laboratory and in the net house of Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. The objective of this study was to compare the in situ and ex situ floristic diversity of soil weed seedbank in boro rice. The soil weed seedbank status was observed through weed survey at research fields and seed germination method in the net house. Five fields were selected randomly with four replications. Soil samples were collected to a depth up to 15 cm and placed in plastic pots in the net house. Weed seedlings that emerged were identified, counted and removed at 30 day intervals throughout the four months emergence period. At the same time, weed survey was done using a 0.25 m–2 quadrate. Diversity was computed by the Shannon index (H’). Under in situ condition, 31 weed species belonging to 15 families germinated and 33 weed species belonging to 17 families germinated under ex situ condition. The family Cyperaceae had the highest species richness under both in situ and ex situ conditions. The five most dominant weed species under in situ condition based on importance value were Eleocharis atroperpurea > Cyperus difformis > Echinochloa crusgalli > Monochoria vaginalis > Lindernia antipoda whereas, under ex situ condition, two new weed species, Fimbristylis miliacea and Echinochloa colonum were observed in the dominant list instead of Monochoria vaginalis and Lindernia antipoda having slightly different rank and order. The ex situ density was 2721 plants m–2, approximately four times higher than the 700 plants m–2 observed under in situ situation and similarly ex situ condition had higher Shannon Index (H’) value (H’=2.412) indicating greater diversity than in situ (H’=2.211) condition. The information obtained from the study would help determine the infestation potential of identified species, which could lead to improved management strategies
Effects of non-chemical treatments on postharvest diseases, shelf life and quality of papaya under two different maturity stages
Get PDFPapaya is a climacteric fruit and highly perishable in nature, which trigger ethylene production and hence, its consumption period is very short after harvesting. The experiment was conducted at the Laboratories of the Departments of Horticulture and Agricultural Chemistry, Bangladesh Agricultural University; and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), Mymensingh during the period from March to June 2018 to study the effect of non-chemical treatments on postharvest diseases, shelf life and quality of papaya under two different maturity stages. The two-factor experiment consisted of two maturity stages viz. (i) Maturity stage 1 (M1: mature green colour) and (ii) Maturity stage 2 (M2: 0-10% yellowing); and six non-chemical treatments viz. (i) Control (T0), (ii) Hot water treatment @ 50°C for 10 minutes (T1), (iii) Gamma irradiation @ 0.08 kGy for 10 minutes (T2), (iv) Chitosan coating @ 2% (T3), (iv) Hot water + gamma irradiation (T4), and (vi) Hot water + chitosan coating (T5). The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 3 replications. The combined effect of maturity stages and non-chemical treatments were significant on all the parameters studied viz. external colour, weight loss, pulp to peel ratio, pulp pH, total soluble solids (TSS), disease incidence and severity, and shelf life of papaya. The papaya fruits under combined treatment of hot water plus gamma irradiation showed better appearance and external colour than the others at both maturity stages. The maximum weight loss was recorded in M1T0 (17.96%) followed by M2T0 (16.58%) while the minimum was found in M1T5 (3.69) followed by M2T5 (3.91). The highest pulp to peel ratio was observed in M1T4 (3.82) followed by M1T5 (3.78), while the lowest (3.00) was recorded in control under both maturity stages. The highest pulp pH was observed in M2T4 (6.15) followed by M2T5 (6.07) while the lowest was found in M2T0 (4.83) followed by M1T0 (5.05). The maximum disease incidence and severity were recorded (100%) in M1T0 and M2T0, whereas the minimum disease incidence (81%) and severity (12.36%) was found in M1T4. The longest shelf life (16.50 days) was obtained in M1T4 followed by M2T4 (15.25 days) and the shortest shelf life (8.65 days) was observed in M2T0 followed by M1T0 (9.25 days). Thus, hot water plus gamma irradiation followed by hot water plus chitosan coating under both maturity stages could be used to significantly reduce postharvest fungal infection, extend shelf life and improve quality of papaya
Effect of sulphur on the seed yield and oil content of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)
Get PDFSulphur is a component of plant amino acids, proteins, vitamins, and enzyme structures which influence the productivity of oil seed and total oil content. The experiment was conducted to find out the effect of sulphur on the seed yield and oil content of sesame in Bangladesh. The experiment comprised three varieties of sesame viz. Binatil-2, Binatil-3 and BARI Til-4 and six levels of sulphur (S) viz. 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 kg S ha–1. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Dry matter production, crop characters, yield components, seed yield and oil content were significantly influenced by variety, level of sulphur and their interaction. The highest dry matter production plant–1 at 50 DAS (17.56 g), plant height (101.3 cm), number of branches plant–1 (3.66), number of pods plant-1 (41.56), number of seeds pod-1 (58.83), seed yield (747.2 kg ha-1), stover yield (2243.0 kg ha–1) and oil content (40.03%) were obtained in BARI Til-4 while the corresponding lowest values of all parameters were recorded in Binatil-2. In case of sulphur application, the highest dry matter production plant–1 at 50 DAS (20.81 g), plant height (109.7 cm), number of branches plant–1 (3.87), number of pods plant–1 (46.13), number of seeds pod-1 (56.67), seed yield (800.0 kg ha–1), stover yield (2787 kg ha–1 ) and oil content (43.97%) were obtained when crop was fertilized with 30 kg S ha–1 while the lowest seed yield (502.2 kg ha–1), stover yield (1550.0 kg ha–1) and oil content (32.80%) were obtained in control (0 kg S ha–1). BARI Til-4 fertilized with 30 kg S ha–1 produced the highest dry matter plant–1 at 50 DAS (24.80 g), number of pods plant–1 (51.13), seeds pod–1 (62.0) and seed yield (1011.0 kg ha–1). The highest oil content (43.97%) was also recorded in BARI Til-4 fertilized with 30 kg S ha–1, which was as good as that of BARI Til-4 fertilized with 40 kg S ha–1. Therefore, BARI Til-4 fertilized with 30 kg S ha–1 can be considered as a promising practice in respect of seed yield and oil content of sesame in Bangladesh
Waste management practices and profitability analysis of poultry farming in Mymensingh district: A socioeconomic study
Get PDFPoultry manure is a hazard to the environment and health due to the release of toxic substances as well as pathogenic microorganisms. The present study was undertaken to assess the current scenario of poultry waste management considering its social as well as environmental and health hazards. A questionnaire based survey was conducted in 36 commercial poultry farms (which included 15 broiler, 14 layer, 3 cockerel and 4 mixed farms) in Mymensingh district from February to June 2016. Most of the broiler and layer farms had between 500 to 2000 birds, while most of the cockerel farms had between 3000 to 4000 birds. The study showed that 69 percent of the poultry farmers were unaware of the health and environmental problems of the poultry waste. Majority of the small scale farmers disposed their droppings to fish ponds (31 percent) and agricultural farms (16 percent) directly, while only 6 percent farmers used those droppings in biogas plant. However, 53 percent farmers had knowledge about hygienic handling of poultry dropping, although only 19 percent of them used protective gloves during dropping handling. The profitability analysis revealed that average variable cost and fixed cost per farm per year were TK. 2,17,355 and TK. 3,93,106, respectively. The benefit cost ratio per farm per year poultry farming was 1.55. Considering the findings, it is suggested that proper poultry waste management could be highly beneficial for the farmers. On the other hand, improper dispose of poultry litter could be a cause for social, environmental and public health hazard
Effects of seed tuber size on the yield and quality of seven accessions of potato
Get PDFA field experiment was carried out at the Horticulture Farm, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from November 2011 to February 2012 to study the effect of seed tuber size on the yield and quality of seven accessions of potato. The experiment was laid out in the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. This piece of research consisted of two factors namely, size of seed tubers i.e. three different size of seed tuber i.e. small (10-20 g), medium (21-30 g) and large (31-40 g) and seven accessions of potato i.e. AC10064, AC10076, AC10097, AC10109, AC10123, AC10190 and one check variety Cardinal. The size of individual plot was 1.8 m × 1.2 m. Two adjacent unit plots and blocks were separated by 0.5 m and 0.5 m. A spacing of 60 cm × 30 cm was also used in terms of planting. Data on different yield contributing characters and yield were recorded. The tallest plants were produced by the large size of seed tuber accession AC10109 (120.25 cm) which also took minimum time (6.10 days) to germinate and possessed maximum stem diameter (0.95 cm) while small seed tuber of Cardinal required maximum days (10.23 days) along with shortest height (60.22 cm) as well as stem diameter (0.65 cm). The large size seed tuber of accession AC10109 gave maximum number of main stems/hill (6.4) and small size of seed tuber variety Cardinal gave minimum number of main stems/hill (2.96). The large size of seed tuber accession AC10109 produced maximum number of compound leaves/hill (64.80) and the small size of seed tuber Cardinal produced minimum number of compound leaves/hill (35.74). In terms of yield character large size of seed tuber of AC10109 accession exhibited highest results in tuber number 9.60 with the average diameter of tubers (5.86 cm) and yield was 10.42 t/ha. The accessions differed significantly with respect to all the plant characters studied