Boro Production Research Articles

Management and Utilization Strategy of Water Resources for Rice Production

Declination of available water resources is threatening the dry season crop production in Bangladesh. Sustainable water management is crucial need to meet future food production. This study was aimed to determine futuristic water management strategy for rice cultivation. Both surface and groundwater is getting scarce in north-west region, whereas abundant of fresh surface water creating opportunities to irrigate dry season crops in south-central region. This study has outlined irrigation management for rice cultivation and groundwater utilization in water scarce area of north-west region. More than 75% of annual rainfall occurred during monsoon and crops other than monsoon often faced water shortage. Timely establishment of T. Aus rice on 01 May accounted average 183 mm supplemental irrigation for north-west and south-west region. Transplanting of T. Aman rice before 24 July found the low risk period of drought and gave about 1 t ha-1 yield advantage than late transplanting after 15 October. Supplemental irrigation in drought year gave up to 26% yield advantage than the rain-fed condition of T. Aman rice in experimental plot. Over exploitation of groundwater by famers for crop cultivation makes the groundwater status worsen. Farmers used 38% excess water than the actual requirement for Boro rice cultivation. For that annual groundwater withdrawal was higher than annual recharge causing groundwater level depletion in most of the districts. Groundwater table went below suction limit of shallow tubewell (STW) during dry season and thus it become unable to operate. Improved distribution system with plastic pipe, buried pipe could save about 25% of irrigation water. Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation method saved 20-25% water than farmer’s practice. Application of these on-farm water management technologies in Boro rice reduced water demand and made the groundwater balance positive as well as reduced the groundwater withdrawal pressure. On the contrary, irrigation with less saline surface water resources in river and canals of south central regions could expand Boro production and increased land productivity. Intervention of low lift pump with plastic pipe distribution in non-saline tidal areas could increase land productivity. Besides, trapped freshwater in to the canals inside the polders and re-excavation of these canals would make crop intensification. Thus, additional food production could help to achieve sustainable development goal and sustained food security. Bangladesh Rice J. 25 (1) : 37-50, 2021

Impact of Climatic Variables on Major Field Crops in Char Areas of Mymensingh District

An agro-climatic study was conducted at different areas (Bhatiapara, Kashiar Char and Morichar Char) of Mymensingh district with 25 years of climatic data (i.e., temperature, humidity and rainfall) to observe the climatic variability and their impact on the productivity of three types of crops such as Boro, Jute and Wheat. Production of all the three crops were found as increasing. In Boro season, the production increased by 0.057 ton per hectare per year. Jute production increased by 0.029 ton per hectare and Wheat production increased by 0.067 ton per hectare in each year, respectively. Humidity has influence on seasonal Boro production whereas temperature and rainfall didn’t influence the production. Temperature has influences on both Jute and Wheat production. From correlation analysis, it was revealed that average humidity has considerable influence on seasonal Boro production than all other crops. However, most of the time the production showed increasing trend with some exceptions. The study recommends that local adaptation practices should be scrutinized, the role of institutional support should be highlighted and national adaptation strategies and resilience should be strengthened.
 Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 12(1&2): 51-55, 2019

Economic and Social Benefits of Growing Peanut Instead of Boro Rice in a Sweet Water Scarce Area of Coastal Bangladesh

This study assessed the relative profitability and social impact of peanut cultivation over Boro rice production in a polder of coastal Bangladesh where there is a scarcity of sweet water for crop cultivation in the Rabi season. Sixty samples from a village namely Sekendarkhali of Amtali Upazila under Barguna district were randomly selected for the study. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, focus group discussion, and key informant interviews, and different quantitative and qualitative methods were used to explain the data. Cost and return analysis was performed to assess the relative profitability of the two crops. Major findings of the study show that per hectare total costs, gross return, gross margin, and net returns for peanut and Boro production were Tk. 116170 and Tk. 91632; Tk. 132648 and Tk. 52419; Tk. 28540 and Tk. -27628; and Tk. 16478 and Tk. -39203, respectively, which indicate that peanut was more profitable than Boro rice. Moreover, benefit-cost ratios (BCR) of peanut and Boro rice production were found 1.14 and 0.57, respectively indicating peanut production is profitable for farmers in the study area but not the Boro rice production. It was also found that peanut cultivation has some positive social impacts. Adoption of peanut cultivation as a Rabi crop increases the cropping intensity of the study area, creates employment opportunities for both men and women, helps to ensure better nutritional status and better health of the farmers, helps the farmers to stay in the village and to build a better social relationship, increases the income of the farmers, and ensures a better standard of living. The study also identified some problems and constraints faced by the peanut growing farmers and suggested some recommendations to improve the present production of peanuts so that adoption and per hectare yield of peanut would possibly be increased.

Profitability Analysis of BRRI Dhan 29 in Some Selected Areas of Bangladesh

This study was conducted to analyse profitability of HYV Boro during the 2016 Boro season. BR-29 variety was selected for analysis as this variety is dominated among all Boro varieties in the study area. A total of 75 farmers were randomly selected from seven villages of Islampur Upazilla under Jamalpur district that produced BR-29 boro variety. Primary data collection was done from the randomly selected farmers. Functional analysis of cost and return were performed in this study. Cobb-Douglas production function was also used to determine the individual input effects on BR-29 production. Human labor, land cultivation, seed, fertilizer, manure, irrigation and pesticides were seven variables used. It was observed from the result that majority of the variables had shown significant impact on BR-29 Boro production value. This study also identified some problems faced by the farmers in producing BR-29 Boro rice. These were low price of output, scarcity and high wage rate of human labour, high irrigation cost, lack of credit facilities etc. Therefore, more research and extension are suggested to solve the farmers’ problems to increase production of Boro rice and to ensure food security in Bangladesh.

Remotely Sensed Boro Rice Production Forecasting Using MODIS-NDVI: A Bangladesh Perspective

This research work dealt with the development of an operational methodology with appropriate technical components for monitoring and forecasting of rice crop (Boro) production in Bangladesh. Designed system explores integrated application of remote sensing (RS) sciences and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Terra MODIS 16-day Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) maximum value composite (MVC) image product MOD13A1 of 500 m spatial resolution covering Bangladesh have been utilized for a period 2011–2017. Hence the district-wise sum of NDVI on pixel-by-pixel has been calculated from Jan–April during 2011–2017. Regression analysis between district-based pixel-wise summation of MODIS-NDVI and district-wise BBS (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics) estimated Boro production revealed strong correlation (R2 = 0.57–0.85) where in March most of the regression coefficient shows significant correlation due to maximize photosynthetic activities. Therefore, the highest regression coefficient value from derived set of coefficient value (BCP-Boro Crop Production Model 2) has been utilized to obtain year-wise rice productions for all the years (2011–2017). Global Positioning System (GPS)-based field verification, accuracy assessment and validation operation have been carried out at randomly selected geographical positions over the country using various statistical tools. The results demonstrate good agreement between estimated and predicted yearly Boro rice production during 2011–2017 time period with Mean Bias Error (MBE) = −29,881 to 19,431 M.Ton; Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) = 5238 to 11,852 M.Ton; Model Efficiency (ME) = (0.86–0.94); Correlation Coefficients = 0.65 to 0.87. Therefore MODIS-NDVI based regression model seems to be effective for Boro production forecasting. The system generally appears to be relatively fast, simple, reasonably accurate and suitable for nation-wide crop statistics generation and food security issues.

Groundwater Level Declination in Bangladesh: System Dynamics Approach to Solve Irrigation Water Demand During Boro Season

Groundwater has been declining in Bangladesh since introduction of deep tube wells (DTWs) and shallow tube wells (STWs) in late 1970s. Seasonal variation of groundwater has been shifted upto 4 meters during last 33 years. During Boro seasons groundwater table dropped drastically than other seasons. This study hypothesized that groundwater extraction is much higher than the natural recharge plus percolated irrigated water. Farmer´s perception is that if they dig deeper the supply would not be a problem, which led uncontrolled use of shallow tube wells (STWs) to extract water from lowered zones. This study selected an area that is 20 km away from Dhaka city having intensive Boro production. Analyzing the interview data (to know about the practices by farmers at present and before) and Bangladesh Water Development Board groundwater table data, we tried to simulate the problematic scenario with the help of simulation software called iThink. To address the problem 3 different policies have been investigated to achieve sustainable solution of the problem. The chosen policies were - (1) Harnessing only groundwater; (2) Alternative cropping; and (3) Depending more to surface water. The simulation results show that alternative cropping and going for surface water could solve the problem as well as able to restore the groundwater to its previous condition. But moving to surface water is a passive solution independent to farmers´ decision. Alternative cropping through proper knowledge transfer mechanism is more sustainable solution considering present and future water crises.

Technical efficiency of Boro rice production in Bangladesh: A case of bio-slurry application

The main objective of this study is to estimate the impact of bioslurry to Boro rice production in Bangladesh. Translog production function through Stochastic Frontier Apoproach (SFA) was applied for estimating the efficiency of Boro production. Data were collected from biogas users in the four district of Bangladesh: Mymensingh, Pabna, Thakurgaon and Dinajpur. Biogas users have received significant impact from bio-slurry to Boro rice production while chemical fertilizers have no significant impact to same production. The production efficiency of biogas users is notably different from traditional farms. The efficiency differences are explained mostly by farm size, year of education, family size and off-farm income. Bio-slurry could be applied for reducing application of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and labour requirement that lead to more organic agriculture practices with producing more output, earn more income and save foreign currency.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 13(1): 101-108, June 2015

Assessing the regional food insecurity in Bangladesh due to irrigation water shortage in the Teesta catchment area

Bangladesh is losing huge food production from the Teesta catchment area due to a lack of availability of irrigation water in the dry and lean period because of unilateral water withdrawal in the upstream country, India. The area, which is directly dependent on the irrigation water of the Teesta river, is the study area for this paper. The study reveals that rice production in Dalia, Nilphamari, Sayedpur and Rangpur regions is badly affected by the irrigation water scarcity. It appears that production is particularly severely affected in Rangpur, making it a relatively more food insecure area in the Teesta basin. The major finding of this study is that more than 4.45 million metric tons of rice production have been missed from the Teesta catchment area since 2006–07, triggered by the massive irrigation failure of the Teesta Barrage Irrigation Project (TBIP) due to reduced water flow in the Teesta river. The total rice production missed in the north-western region since 2006–07 is more than the country's total rice import during 2008/09–2013/14 fiscal years and nearly one quarter of the total boro production in the 2012/13 fiscal year. This reduced food production renders the north-western part of the country a food insecure region from its own production.

Rice productivity in Bangladesh: What are the benefits of irrigation?

Green Revolution technologies transformed Bangladesh’s agricultural system through the introduction of high-yielding rice and wheat varieties, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and the expansion of tubewell-irrigated area, enabling crop production during the dry season. However, serious challenges continue to plague the agriculture sector, including scarcity of land due to high population density, unbalanced use of fertilizers and pesticides, and great variation in water supply across seasons – from drought to stagnant flood conditions. Further expansion of irrigated area – including through the continued development and improvement of surface water systems – is being eyed by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Agriculture to address many of the remaining challenges facing the country. However, such expansion is not without risks or consequences, and a careful analysis of who benefits from irrigation, and how, must guide development priorities.We examine plot-level data for rice production during Bangladesh’s three rice seasons – aus, boro, and aman – across a nationally-representative household survey in Bangladesh. While rainfall is the most important determinant of rice yield during aus and chemical inputs are most important during aman, access to irrigation has the greatest influence on boro rice yield during the dry season, particularly for the coastal south. The government of Bangladesh is planning massive investments in the southern region for the improved provision of surface water irrigation. The expected decline in groundwater, coupled with our econometric findings, suggests that expanding boro production in the south may not be a good strategy to promote, for the region. Whether brackish shrimp aquaculture can provide an equitable and sustainable livelihood alternative should continue to be a focus of research.

Groundwater Use for Irrigation and its Productivity: Status and Opportunities for Crop Intensification for Food Security in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a large and growing population that will demand more food and place greater pressure on resources. Dry season irrigated Boro rice production is important for national food security. Dry season irrigation mainly uses groundwater, but the extent of its use is not well known. We assessed groundwater use and water productivity of Boro in the northwest region of Bangladesh using remote sensing based energy balance modelling, crop classification and secondary statistics. The energy balance modelling shows a large spatial variation in the actual evapotranspiration (ETa) from about 325 to 470 mm, with an overall spatial average of 365 mm during dry season. The estimated values of ETa correspond well with independent values from field and regional scale soil and water balance modelling results. From spatial estimates of ETa and effective rainfall, we computed regional net groundwater use for Boro production in 2009 as 2.4 km3. Groundwater is being used unsustainably in some areas, and a spatial time series (1990 to 2010) of pre- and post-monsoon groundwater depth changes in the northwest region of Bangladesh suggests that, with the current level of groundwater use, falling groundwater levels may pose a long term threat to the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in much of the region. Boro water productivity varies from 0.95 to 1.35 kg/m3, allowing the identification of high performing “bright” and low performing “hot” spots and the development of strategies to reduce crop yield/productivity gaps and ensure future food security.

Profitability of MV <i>Boro</i> Rice Production Under Shallow Tubewell Irrigation System in Some Selected Areas of Tangail District

The present study estimates profitability of MV Boro rice production under shallow tubewell irrigation system. The study was conducted in Ghatail upazila of Tangail district. In the study, 60 water buyers from 5 villages were randomly selected. The survey covered a whole period of MV Boro production (January to May 2008). The major findings of the study were that about one third of total cost shared by irrigation charge. Though, the water buyers made a significant profit from MV Boro paddy production but the buyers were not fully satisfied with the prevailing one-fourth water charge and claimed for reduction of water charge. Education and farming experience was the important tools to increase profit in MV Boro paddy production. A considerable further scope apparently exists for expansion of STWs by reducing water charge to enhance the productivity of MV Boro paddy and to increase farm income of water buyers.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/pa.v20i1-2.16877 Progress. Agric. 20(1 & 2): 237 – 244, 2009

Impact of Environmental Factors on Efficiency of Rice Production in Bangladesh

This study uses environment variables in Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and examines the influence of environmental factors on efficiency of rice production in Bangladesh.Data was collected from Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and Bangladesh Meteorology Department Efficiency with and without environmental factors of three type of rice production (AUS, AMAN and BORO) are measured using data envelopment analysis.Efficiency of rice production which measured without environmental factors is explained by the environmental factors (Rainfall, Temperature and Humidity) using Tobit regression to weigh up the impact of these factors on rice production.Efficiency of BORO production with environmental factors is almost similar to the efficiency of production without environmental factors. Production efficiency of AUS and AMAN employing environmental factors is higher than that of without environmental factors. Humidity has a positive and significant effect on all types of rice production.Temperature has a negative impact on production efficiency, implying that global warming could be a cause for a decrease in efficiency of rice production.Rainfall has a positive impact only on BORO production.

Managing Flood Flows for Crop Production Risk Management with Hydraulic and GIS Modeling: Case study of Agricultural Areas in Shariatpur

Shariatpur District, under Dhaka division with an area of 1181.53 sq km, is mainly surrounded by the two big rivers, the Padma at north and the Meghna at eastern side. Also, the Arial Khan River is located at the south western side of the district. When the Padma and the Meghna Rivers attain peak flood levels simultaneously, this district faces devastating floods. These floods have a destructive effect on agriculture especially on Aman (June- September) variety at optimum level of flood depth but also have a positive impact on next year's Boro (December- march) production due to sedimentation by the previous year's flood. So there is a scope of managing flood flows which ensures the optimum level of flood depth that promotes the crop production risk management. The present study provides a method for flood management aiming to crop production risk management. In this study, inundation maps have been produced using hydrodynamic model HEC-RAS and HEC-GeoRAS extension of ArcGIS9.2. Then calculation of optimal flood depth for crop production risk management has been done using some sophisticated statistical analysis. Finally, volume of water above the optimal flood depth has been calculated using GIS model with ArcGIS 9.2 and based on this, proposed some ways of flood flows management which ensure the crop production risk management. The study findings show that, the optimal flood depth is 1.85m (msl) in where Boro production would be safe and Aman production would face about 200 ton/yr loss, we can called this condition as crop production as farmers get more return from Boro variety. This study also find two equations that provide estimation of Mawa discharge depending on two upstream stations (Hardings Bridge and Bahadurabad Ghat) and targeted discharge of Mawa that needs to release from Mawa to the study area for ensuring the optimum flood depth.