Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus Research Articles

Ecology of Avifauna in Green Spaces of a Sub-Tropical Urban Landscape: Community Structure and Habitat Preference

To scrutinize the present status of birds in a sub-tropical urban green space, a research work was conducted in Mymenshing City Corporation from November 2018 to October 2019 by direct field observations. Three green spaces were selected in the study area where in total 180 species of birds with 7,079 individuals were documented. Passeriformes had the highest species richness (76 species, 42.22%) and abundance (n = 4174, 58.96%). Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus Area (Site A) showed the highest diversity index value with the highest species richness (170 species, 94.44%) and abundance (n = 3261, 46.06%). Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) test showed a significant difference in bird communities among three study sites. Cluster analysis showed that fallow land and agricultural land formed a large cluster which further formed another cluster with grassland, water-body, tree and urban settlements. Species richness and abundance across the seasons and study sites varied significantly. The highest avian diversity and abundance were observed in winter, particularly in January. Species richness and abundance for nine microhabitats showed significant variations where tree was mostly used microhabitat. The avian community of urban settlements and agricultural lands were highly correlated. These urban green spaces support 48 (26.67%) migratory birds in the study area. Pycnonotus cafér had the highest relative abundance (4.28%), Maximum observed bird species as the least concern and five species were threatened according to the national conservation status. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2022, 8(2): 37-50

Assessment of Traffic Induced Noise Pollution Indices and its Impact on Students’ Health at Bangladesh Agricultural University

The Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) is a prime campus of agricultural study on 488 hectares of scenic land on the western array of the old Brahmaputra River. This study aimed to measure the prevailing levels of traffic induced noise pollution at the core academic points and to assess the impacts of noise pollution on students’ health at BAU. The recorded Lave ranges from 55–85 dB. The Lave ranges from 79–85 dB throughout the whole day at FoA and FoAH. The Lave at these two core academic points are almost the double than the permissible limit of 45 dB. The Lmax pressure (96 dB) at Jobber moor during the noon is the maximum inside the whole BAU campus. The movement of traffic vehicles is responsible as the main sources of these noise. The noise level indices and their degree of fluctuation as given by Leq, Lnp, and NC are higher in roadside locations namely at FoA, FoAH, FoAERS. In terms of noise pollution, three of the sampled areas namely FoA, FoAH, and KR market show ‘moderate risk’ (Lave: 81 dB) during the morning whilst, the FoAH possessed the ‘high risk’ with the Lave of 85 dB. The results show that the FoA, FoAH, KR market, Jobber moor, and administration building can be labelled as the highest zone of noise level intensity. Due to excessive noise, university students are facing disorders like irritation, headache, nervousness, insomnia, anxiety, hearing problem, and hypertension. Controlling noise pollution is an absolute necessity for BAU to ensure noise-less academic culture whilst the dwellers of BAU is in the risk of serious noise-related health hazards. The results would be very useful for BAU authority to monitor and formulate a structural noise management policy, and to control excessive noise at our beloved BAU.

Isolation, identification and antibiogram of bacterial flora from rectum of horses

In the present study, we isolated, identified and characterized bacteria in rectal swabs from apparently healthy horses around the campus of the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU). The study also focused on the determining the prevalence and investigation of drug sensitivity and resistant pattern of the isolates. For this purpose, 20 rectal swab samples were collected from Veterinary Teaching Hospital, BAU; D. C. park (Joinul Abedin Park), Mymensingh and Torar mor, Mymensingh. Most of these samples were found positive for E. coli, Staphylococcus spp. and Salmonella spp. Based on the origin of the samples, the highest prevalence of E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. was found in BAU campus and Torar mor (100%), BAU campus and Torar mor (100%) and Joinul Abedin Park (80%) respectively. The overall prevalence of E. coli, S. Aureus and Salmonella spp. was 93%, 86.67% and 24.44% respectively. For the confirmation of identification and characterization of these bacteria staining, cultural, biochemical studies and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) were accomplished. The antibiogram profiles exhibited that E. coli, S. Aureus and Salmonella spp. were highly sensitive to Erythromycin, Gentamycin and Ciprofloxacin respectively

Reproductive Biology of the Silver Hatchet Chela cachius (Hamilton 1822) in a Perennial Water Body in Bangladesh.

The reproductive biology of the silver hatchet chela, Chela cachius, was addressed in the present study. A total of 1200 specimens were caught by fine-meshed seine nets from a large perennial water body in Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus, Mymensingh. The gonadosomatic index and the histological examination suggested that the spawning seasons of C. cachius were from February to May and from July to September. Based on histological examination, nine stages of oocyte development were determined; namely, early perinucleolus, late perinucleolus, yolk vesicle, primary yolk, secondary yolk, tertiary yolk, migratory nucleus, premature and mature stage. The absence of postovulatory follicles and hydrated eggs and the presence of two modes of eggs in the mature ovaries indicated that C. cachius was a single spawner, and its spawning frequency or strategy was a synchronous type. The average fecundity was 1708±838.86 having a standard length of 49±2.89 mm in the first season (February to May) and 1997.33±889.92, whereas the standard length was 46.66±1.53 mm in the second season (from July to September). The findings of the present study might be helpful for induced breeding of the species for commercial purposes as well as for management of the natural population (banning/restriction of fishing during spawning season) of C. cachius.

Evaluation of toxicity of cryoprotectant to the sperm of mohashol fish, Tor tor (Hamilton) at various concentrations of the salt solution

Cryogenic gene banking is a prime necessity for conserving the genetic constitutes of vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered native and exotic fish species. Cryogenic freezing of fish gametes is the first step to develop such a gene bank. In the study, attempts have been taken to develop a cryogenic freezing protocol of spermatozoa of Mohashol, Tor tor as it is considered as a critically endangered fish species by IUCN. Juvenile and brood fish of Tor tor were collected from the Someshwari River of Netrokona district and domesticated in captive condition at Bangladesh Agricultural University campus. During breeding season, sperms were collected from hormone induced males by stripping. The milt was very sticky. The concentration of sperm was 4.47x1010 cells per ml and pH was 8.6±0.5. To evaluate the toxicity of cryoprotectant, sperm was incubated with DMSO and methanol at 5, 10 and 15% concentrations for a period of 5 to 55 min. The motility of sperm decreased with the increase of cryoprotectant concentration (5, 10 and 15%) and 10% DMSO with Alsever’s solution could be the best combination for cryopreservation of T. tor. sperm at 10 min (83.0±2.74).

Hymenolepiasis in Rats (Rattus Norvegicus) With Its Zoonotic Potential in Mymensingh District of Bangladesh

Hymenolepis nana and Hymenolepis diminuta are globally widespread zoonotic cestodes and rats act as main reservoir host of these cestodes. Wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) are the most common rats usually live in human’s dwellings, especially in areas of low socioeconomic status and low levels of hygiene practices. Since there is scarcity of information of the hymenolepiasis in rats in Bangladesh, therefore the aim of this study was to determine the incidence of H. nana and H. diminuta in wild and laboratory rats. A total of 60 rats were collected from the residential areas of rural villages of Mymensingh sadar and the Bangladesh Agricultural University campus and 10 were from the laboratory of the Department of Parasitology, BAU, Mymensingh. The rats were killed by cardiac puncture and tapeworms were collected and subsequently were subjected for morphological study under the stereomicroscope. Two species of cestodes, namely H. nana and H. diminuta were detected showing the overall prevalence of 23.3 % and 35 % respectively. The high prevalence of H. nana (30%) was determined in rats captured from the rural village areas whereas H. diminuta was found more prevalent (60%) in the laboratory rats. The result of the current study suggests that H. nana infection in rural village areas may act as a risk factor for the zoonotic transmission of hymenolepiasis to human in Bangladesh.
 Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.7(2): 255-259, August 2020

PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF SUB-CLINICAL MASTITIS IN LACTATING BLACK BENGAL GOATS DETECTED BY USING INDIRECT AND DIRECT METHODS OF SOMATIC CELL COUNT IN BANGLADESH

Background: Sub-clinical mastitis (SCM) has been reported to be more widely prevalent than clinical mastitis (CM) in lactating dairy animals and associated with heavy economic losses with changes in quality and quantities of milk worldwide. Several indirect and direct methods of Somatic cell count (SCC) are used to detect SCM in dairy animals but reports on their comparative evaluation are very limited in inland literature especially in goats. Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate the comparative efficacy of different indirect tests with direct microscopic milk SCC (DMMSCC) to detect the prevalence of SCM in lactating goats of smallholder and organized goat farms with their associated risk factors in Bangladesh Materials and Methods: Milk samples were collected aseptically from both halves (n = 140) of each of 70 apparently healthy lactating Black Bengal goats (BBG) at different stages of lactation from Rajshahi Goat Development Farm (RGDF; n = 20) and smallholder farms (n = 50) of adjacent villages of the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) campus, Mymensingh during the period from July 2010 to June 2011. The White side test (WST), Surf field mastitis test (SFMT), California mastitis test (CMT) and DMMSCC were used to diagnose the SCM in milk samples as per instructions of the diagnostic methods. The potential risk factors associated with the prevalence of SCM were analyzed using multiple regression and uni-variable logistic regression analysis. Results: The overall an average of 30.0% prevalence of SCM was recorded in this study irrespective of the method used. The comparative evaluation of four milk screening tests for SCM showed higher efficacy with the WST (32.0%) and CMT (31.43%) in comparison to SFMT (28.0%) and DMMSCC (26.0%). The significantly higher prevalence of SCM was recorded in late lactation (37.90%), long teat (44.40%) and shortest teat end to floor distance (33.30%) in lactating goats. Uni-variable logistic regression analysis depicted that SCM was more prevalent in does with increased age, parity and during winter season. Conclusions: This study recorded comparatively higher efficacy with WST and CMT in comparison to SFMT and DMMSCC to detect SCM in lactating goats. It may be concluded that either WST or CMT along with bacterial culture of milk samples are required for accurate diagnosis of SCM in goats. Moreover, it may also be suggested to test the milk samples simultaneously of both the haves of lactating goats by using a single test to compare their results between the half for the detection of SCM. Some risk factors are found associated with the prevalence of SCM in goats and therefore, effective measures need to be required to improve these risk factors in both goat development farm and smallholder farm levels to control caprine mastitis in Bangladesh. Keywords: Black Bengal goats, Sub-clinical mastitis, Prevalence, Indirect tests, Direct somatic cell count, Goat farm, Smallholder farmers, Risk factors

Survey on Asteraceae weeds at Bangladesh Agricultural University campus and reviewed their ethno-botanical uses

Survey on Asteraceae weeds at Bangladesh Agricultural University campus and reviewed their ethno-botanical uses

Taxonomic diversity of broad-leaf weeds at Bangladesh Agricultural University campus and their ethno-botanical uses

An intensive survey and literature review was furnished to study taxonomic diversity and ethno-botanical uses of broad-leaf weeds available in BAU campus. Availability of 107 broad-leaf weed species has been identified and those belong to 78 genera and 38 families. Among the families, Fabaceae is best-represented with 13 weed species followed by Euphorbiaceae and Amaranthaceae (seven species in each), Solanaceae (six species), Convolvulaceae and Polygonaceae (five species); 17 families are represented by two to four species while 15 families by single species in each. The genera viz. Desmodium, Ludwigia and Solanum, are represented by four species in each followed by Amaranthus, Ipomoea, Lindernia, Persicaria and Senna three species in each; however, most of the genera are represented by one or two species in each. Three distinct phenology (flowering periods) viz. October-March (52), April-September (40) and all the year-round (15), were observed among identified weed species and the knowledge on phonological development would be helpful to know soil seedbank potential for their effective management. These weed species possess many ethno-botanical uses e.g., medicinal value, consumed as vegetable, feed, fodder, etc. This study provides information on ethno-botanic uses, taxonomic diversities and phenology of the broad-leaf weeds for their effective management.
 
 J Bangladesh Agril Univ 17(4): 526–538, 2019

Toxoplasmosis in Cats and Its Zoonotic Potential in and Around Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease, occurs in almost all warm blooded animals including human beings and is caused by a global protozoan intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. It is estimated that one third of the world human population have been infected by this parasite. This protozoan causes a significant public health problem in humans and imposes considerable economic losses and damages to livestock. The final host is cat, Feliscatus, accounts for all of these significant burdens. Hence the present study was designed to determine the prevalence rate of T. gondii infection in cats and also to analyze the associated factors that were potential for human beings and livestock as well in the period from September 2014 to August 2016. Altogether 254 faecal samples from cat and 390 water samples were collected from Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) campus, farm and residential areas of BAU and were examined for presence of T. gondii oocysts at Department of Parasitology, BAU Mymensingh. The overall prevalence of T. gondii was 4.03% (26/644). Presence of T. gondii oocysts in faecal and water samples were 5.5% (14/254) and 3.08% (12/390), respectively. Adult cats had higher (6.7%) prevalence than young cats (3.8%). Summer season was found high prevalence (6.7%) of oocysts in cat faeces. Similarly drain water found higher positivity (6.67%) of oocysts. Therefore, this study concluded that the cats are contaminating the environment by shedding oocysts and then other animals can get the infection from grazing of contaminated grasses and drinking water. So eating undercooked goat, sheep and cattle meat; eating contaminated vegetables and drinking contaminated water are major sources for getting toxoplasmosis to human beings. Hence this disease has great zoonotic importance around BAU campus and therefore it is essential to create public awareness.

Microbial risk assessment of ready-to-eat mixed vegetable salads from different restaurants of Bangladesh Agricultural University campus.

Objective:The study was aimed to analyze the microbiological quality of mixed vegetable salads and to understand the risk related with its consumption from different restaurants around Bangladesh Agricultural University campus in Mymensingh.Materials and Methods:Sixty (60) samples of mixed vegetable salads were taken from twelve (12) different restaurants in five different time points from each restaurant. In parallel, restaurant workers were asked for handling practices while the consumers were interviewed about their salad consumption pattern and whether they had experienced any health-related problems. Microbial risk assessment of Staphylococcus spp., Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli was estimated by Monte Carlo simulation (10,000 iterations), an exponential model.Results:Aerobic plate count was ranged from 7.73 ± 0.61 to 9.04 ± 0.26 log cfu/gm, Staphylococcus spp. from 4.64 ± 0.61 to 6.42 ± 0.53 log cfu/gm, Salmonella spp. from 4.75 ± 0.08 to 5.27 ± 0.53 log cfu/gm, and E. coli from 4.98 ± 0.20 to 6.66 ± 0.80 log cfu/gm. From the survey, it was found that total consumers had 18% chances where the male had 13% and the female had 30% chances of being infected with salads. Again frequent, average, and occasional consumers had 31%, 13%, and 0% chances, respectively, of being infected with those salads. From the Monte Carlo simulation, the calculated mean annual risks of Staphylococcus spp., Salmonella spp., and E. coli infection for the three exposure scenarios were found to be about 100%.Conclusion:The study actually revealed the potential microbial contamination in mixed vegetable salads which may impact on food safety and human health. So, the findings suggest that following hygienic measures during processing and handling the microbiological quality of mixed vegetables salads can be improved.

Weed diversity of the family Poaceae in Bangladesh Agricultural University campus and their ethnobotanical uses

A taxonomic study on the weeds of the family Poaceae growing throughout the Bangladesh Agricultural University campus was carried out to determine species diversity of grasses in the campus. A total of 81 species under 46 genera and 2 subfamilies of the family Poaceae were collected and identified; their uses in various ailments were also recorded. Out of the three subfamilies, no weed from the subfamily Bambusoideae was found. Among the genera, Digitaria, Eragrostis, Brachiaria, Panicum, Echinochloa and Sporobolus were most dominant in context to number of species with a total of 29 species. While 28 genera were represented by single species each in BAU campus; of these 15 genera were in Bangladesh as well. Some of them are major and obnoxious weeds in different crop fields including staples rice and wheat. The flowering period will be helpful for the management of respective weed population. Many of these weed species have high economical, ethnomedicinal and other uses. The phenological study of these weed taxa will be helpful in managing weeds of the family Poaceae of this campus as well as the whole country without affecting the agro-ecosystem by keeping the weed population below a threshold level.
 J.Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 16(3): 372–379, December 2018

Effect of replacing maize and starch with Shoti meal (Curcuma zedoaria) in broiler

The effects of raw and autoclaved Shoti (Curcuma zedoaria) meal on the growth and N utilization of growing broilers were determined. Shoti from Bangladesh Agricultural University campus was collected and sorted on the basis of white color of the rhizome. Then they were chopped into pieces, sun dried and pulverized in a flour mill. Aliquot samples were autoclaved at 1200C under 15 lb of pressure per square inch for 30 min. Autoclaved samples were stored in tightly lid contained for future use. 3 One hundred -day-old Cobb 500 broiler chicks were reared on the floor and a total of 24 growing broilers, 4 birds in each group were weighed on d 15 Two broilers were placed in each cage. There were a total of four experimental and two control (positive and negative Non-protein control) diets. Diets were fed ad libitum from day 15 to 33days. Body weight, feed intake, feed refusal and fecal weights were recorded every day. Cumulative feed efficiency per bird was calculated as the ratio of weight gained to feed consumed. Dry matter of excreta was determined from the last 10 d of feeding trial by drying aliquots of every day’s droppings by drying for 6 h at 1050C. On d 19, birds were bled to death. Immediately after slaughter, the carcasses were examined systematically. The chemical composition of Shoti meal showed that it is low in protein, fat and trace minerals and therefore mainly a source of energy. The bulk of the tuber (75 percent) consists of carbohydrates, made up of 10.6% fiber, and 64.9% nitrogen free extracts (NFE). A peculiarity of Curcuma rhizome meal contains high level of ash (9.9%) on DM basis. The results showed that at day 33, the weight of the broiler chicken fed shoti 100g, 200g, 300 g and 200g (autoclaved shoti meal)/ Kg diet was significantly different from the weight of the chicken fed on a maize-soybean diet. The birds given shoti meal consumed less feed than those provided with a maize diet. Feed efficiency or weight gain to feed ration over 19-d period was the poorest when fed 300 g Shoti/ Kg diet. Intake picked up when the shoti meal was incorporated after having been autoclaved and there was slight improvement in body weight gain as compared to that of other Shoti fed group. However, feed efficiency and body weight gain as % of initial weight remained significantly lower than the maize-soybean control. The inclusion of Shoti meal generally had an adverse effect on the apparent dry matter digestibility compared with the control diets. The group fed autoclaved shoti meal had a similar effect and the true N digestibility was the lowest when compared to those of control fed on maize-soybean meal. Thus, physical treatment like using autoclave, caused further reduction of digestibility of its N. Lipid digestibility was reduced by ingestion of shoti meal. Since the diets were isocaloric, after correction for the apparent endogenous lipid losses, which were obtained from the results of non-protein control feeding, the net faecal losses was around 66.2% of the ingested lipid against control diet fed birds.
 Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2018. 47 (1): 40-46

Reassessment of cyperaceous weed biodiversity at Bangladesh Agricultural University campus

A 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.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 16(2): 221-226, August 2018

Effects of population density on growth and production of Tilapia in monoculture

The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of population density on growth and production of Tilapia (monosex GIFT tilapia) in monoculture system for a period of 110 days. The experiment was carried out in six earthen ponds, which were situated in the Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus, Mymensingh. The experiment was carried out under three treatments each with two replications. Fish population density was 200 fish per decimal under treatment-I, 400 fish per decimal under treatment-II and 600 fish per decimal under treatment-III. In the ponds supplementary feed of wheat bran and rice bran mixture were used daily at the rate of 46 g, 92 g and 136 g per decimal under treatment-I, II, and III, respectively. The average initial length and weight of tilapia were 4.63 cm and 2.82 g respectively. The ponds were fertilized fortnightly with urea and TSP at the rates of 60 g and 90 g, respectively. During experimental period, the ranges of water temperature (25.82 to 29.80 ºC), transparency (28.00 to 38.00 cm), dissolved oxygen (5.50 to 8.30 mg/L), pH (7.00 to 7.90), total alkalinity (130.00 to 200.00 mg/L), free CO2 (2.00 to 6.00 mg/L), phosphate-phosphorus (1.20 to 2.30 mg/L), and nitrate-nitrogen (3.20 to 4.00 mg/L) were within the productive range and more or less similar in all the ponds under three treatments. There were 25 genera of phytoplankton under five major groups and 10 genera of zooplankton under three major groups in the experimental ponds. Mean survival rate of fish under treatment-I, treatment-II, and treatment-III were 82.75%, 77.12% and 74.33% respectively. The calculated net fish production under treatment-I was 6.75 ton/ha/yr and that of the ponds under treatment-II was 10.26 ton/ha/yr and that of the ponds under treatment-III was 12.15 ton/ha/yr. The net fish production under treatment-II and treatment-III were 152% and 180% higher than that of treatment-I, taking net fish production under treatment-I for 100%. According to profit-cost analysis, the ratios of net profit under treatments I, II, and III were 1:0.44, 1:0.27, and 1:0.09. According to specific growth rate and survival, treatment-I is the best, and according to profit-cost analysis treatment-I (ratio 1:0.44) also the best. So, the population density of 200 fish per decimal (under treatment-I) might be considered the best among the three treatments.Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 7 (2): 49-56, December, 2017

Molecular Characterization Reveals the Presence of Plant Pathogenic Pythium spp. Around Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Molecular Characterization Reveals the Presence of Plant Pathogenic Pythium spp. Around Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Aquatic weeds diversity of Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

A study was conducted to find out the biodiversity of aquatic weeds of Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus Mymensingh from January to May, 2016. A total of 39 weed species were identified from the area. Among four common groups of weeds, five species of floating weeds: Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes, Azolla pinnata, Lemna minor, Spirodela polyrrhiza, 22 species of emergent weeds: Alternanthera philoxerodies, Ipomea aquatica, Polygonum glabrum, Sagittaria spp., Oxalis corniculata, Marsilea quadrifolia, Commerlina bengalensis, Commelina appendiculata, Ipomea carnea, Nymphaea rubra, Nymphaea nauchali, Leersia hexandra, Scirpus mucronatus, Ludwigia adscendens, Enhydra fluctuans, Trapa natans, Colocasia esculenta, Hygrorayza aristata, Ipomoea spp., Nymphoides aquatica, Typha latifolia, Aponogeton spp., five species of submerged weeds: Hydrilla verticilata, Cartophyllum demersum, Vallisneria spiralis, Najas minor, Vallisnaria spp. and seven species of algae: Microcystis spp., Chara spp., Anabaena spp., Nitella spp., Spirogyra spp., Chlorella spp., Euglena spp. were identified. Various useful and harmful aspects of these weeds were also discussed.
 Asian Australas. J. Biosci. Biotechnol. 2017, 2 (2), 181-192

Aquatic weeds diversity of Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Aquatic weeds diversity of Bangladesh Agricultural University Campus, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Monthly and diurnal variations of limnological conditions of two ponds

A study on monthly and diurnal changes of limnological conditions of two ponds was conducted in the Bangladesh Agricultural University campus, Mymensingh. The research work was performed by studying the limnological parameters such as transparency, temperature, dissolved oxygen, free carbon dioxide, pH, total alkalinity, nitrate-nitrogen, phosphate-phosphorus and plankton. Diurnal variations of physico-chemical factors were studied fortnightly at 6 hrs intervals at 6 a.m., 12 noon, 6 p.m. and 12 midnight. The amounts of transparency, dissolved oxygen and pH were higher during winter months than in summer months in both the ponds. Transparency, water temperature, total alkalinity, NO3-N and PO4-P were higher during summer months than in winter months in both the ponds. But the amount of free carbon dioxide was higher during winter months than in summer months in pond 1 while in pond 2 the amount of free carbon dioxide was higher during summer months than in winter months. Qualitative and quantitative monthly variations of phytoplankton and zooplankton were observed in both the ponds during the study period. The highest amount of dissolved oxygen, pH and total alkalinity were recorded at 6 p.m. and the lowest amounts of those at 6 a.m. in both the ponds. The highest temperature was recorded at 12 noon and the lowest at 12 midnight. But the highest amount of free carbon dioxide was recorded at 6 a.m. and the lowest at 6 p.m. in both the ponds. All the factors showed appreciable diel variations throughout the study period, which indicate that the ponds are productive.Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 7 (1): 14-20, June, 2017

Bacterial assessment of street-vended hog plum (Spondias mombin) and its public health importance

To determine the microbial load of hog plum (Spondias mombin) (Local name Amra) sold by street vendors at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) campus and Mymensingh city, samples of raw hog plum wash (n = 5), hand wash of vendors (n = 5), knife wash (n = 5) and stick wash (n = 5) were collected from five different hog plum vendors. Microbial quality of hog plums was assessed by total viable count (TVC), total coliform count (TCC) and total staphylococcal count (TSC). Samples were inoculated into Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar, MacConkey agar and Mannitol Salt (MS) agar. Identification of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were confirmed by sugar fermentation and biochemical tests. TVC ranged from log 6.9 to 6.8 cfu/mL in raw hog plum wash, log 6.9 to 5.8 cfu/mL in vendors' hand wash, log 5.9 to 4.9 cfu/mL in stick wash and log 5.3 to 5.2 cfu/mL in knife wash samples. TCC of raw hog plum wash sample was log 3.4 to 2.3 cfu/mL and in vendors’ hand wash samples log 3.4 to 1.3 cfu/mL. TCC were not detected in stick and knife wash samples. TSC ranged from log 4.6 to 4.6 cfu/mL in raw hog plum wash, log 5.7 to 4.6 cfu/mL in vendors' hand wash, log 4.6 to 3.6 cfu/mL in stick wash and log 4.5 to 4.5 cfu/mL in knife wash samples. Staphylococcus aureus were sensitive to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and vancomycin and resistant to ampicillin and cephalexin. E. coli were sensitive to ciprofloxacin and gentamicin and resistant to ampicillin, penicillin G and cephalexin. It is indicated that hog plum sold at BAU campus and Mymensingh city street harbour multidrug-resistant food-borne bacteria causing possible public health hazards.Bangl. vet. 2015. Vol. 32, No. 1, 19-26