Cow Dung Treatment Research Articles

Heavy metals and potential health risk assessment of Lactuca sativa and Daucus carrota from soil treated with organic manures and chemical fertilizer

The large-scale production of food crops with heavy application of chemical fertilizers in the effort to meet the astronomical increase in food demands may be counterproductive to the goal of food security. This study investigated the effect of different soil treatments on the levels of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in two types of vegetables Lactuca sativa (lettuce) and Daucus carrota (carrot). The potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks from their consumption were also evaluated. Planting experiment was set up in a randomized block design, with different soil treatments of soil + cow dung (CD), soil + sewage sludge (SS), soil + chemical fertilizer (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK)), and untreated soil (UNTRD). The vegetables were harvested at maturity, washed with distilled water, and subjected to an acid digestion process before the levels of heavy metals were measured by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS). The mean concentrations of the metals in the vegetables across all treatments were below the maximum permissible limits. The pattern of heavy metal accumulation by the vegetables suggested that the lettuce from SS treatment accumulated higher concentrations of heavy metals like Cr (0.20 mg/kg), Cu (3.91 mg/kg), Ni (0.33 mg/kg), and Zn (20.44 mg/kg) than carrot, with highest concentrations of Fe (90.89 mg/kg) and Pb (0.16 mg/kg) recorded in lettuce from NPK treatment. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) showed that lettuce, a leafy vegetable, has bioaccumulated more heavy metals than carrot, a root vegetable. The BAF was generally below the threshold value of 1 in both vegetables, except in lettuce from NPK and CD treatments and carrot from NPK treatments, with BAF values of 1.6, 1.69, and 1.39, respectively. The cancer risk assessment factors were well below the unacceptable maximum range of 10−4 suggesting that consuming these vegetables might not expose an individual to potential risk of cancer development. The hazard quotient estimations were below the threshold values of 1 for all heavy metals; however, the hazard index (HI) values of 1.27 and 1.58 for lettuce from NPK and SS treatments indicate a potential non-carcinogenic health risk to consumers from intake of all the heavy metals.

Enhancing Bioremediation of Crude Oil Contaminated Soil from Kokori, Delta State, Nigeria Using Cow Dung as Biostimulant

This study was aimed at assessing the bioremediation of crude oil contaminated soil from kokori, Delta state, Nigeria by indigenous bacteria flora using cow dung as biostimulants. The activities of commercial agricultural investors, small-scale farmers, and the indigenous people of the Nigerian Niger Delta, whose livelihood has been heavily dependent on agriculture, have all been severely impeded and even destroyed by the crude oil spill. Therefore, a solution to the issue of oil spills in these places is required. Hydrocarbon contaminated soil was collected from a crude oil polluted sites and a non-contaminated soil was collected from Agricultural cultivable farmland in kokori, Delta state and its physicochemical properties were determined before the bioremediation period. The nutrients composition of cow dung used for the study was determined. After adding different amounts of cow dung to 200g of soil, the mixture was left to incubate at room temperature for six (6) weeks. Throughout the course of the experiment, measurements of the total petroleum hydrocarbon eliminated and the hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria count (HUB) were made at one-week intervals. Increased in the HUB counts with corresponding decrease in the amount of hydrocarbons were observed. While highest HUB count was observed for the various amendment at week six, 5g/kg cow dung treatments had the highest count (3.35 x103cfu/g) with residual hydrocarbon (519.56mg/kg) while treatments 2.5g/kg cow dung had 2.91x103cfu/g with residual hydrocarbon of 541.06mg/kg. The result further revealed the degree of degradation likewise the bioremediation efficiency with C having the highest degree of degradation of (49.04%) at week six and bioremediation efficiency of (75.26%) at the first week of study. The introduction of cow dung into soil that has been contaminated with hydrocarbons promotes the growth of naturally occurring bacteria that break down hydrocarbons, leading to a greater amount of hydrocarbon degradation.

Divergent consequences of bio-resources on morphological plasticity and biochemical responses in early-stage leguminous species: Sustainable productivity approaches

Inorganic resources can be detrimental to the environment when exploited. In comparison, organic resources help balance the soil's carbon and nitrogen (C/N) ratio, enhance soil fertility and benefit ecological protection. Current climate crises, rapid urbanization, and fast population growth are causing many natural forests to be converted to agricultural and industrial lands to fulfill ever-increasing food and developmental requirements. Application of different bio-resources becomes necessary for sustainable productivity of available lands. This study explores the effects of various organic amendments on the growth, morpho-physiological and biochemical attributes of three leguminous tree species: Dalbergia sissoo, Vachellia nilotica, and Acacia ampliceps, concerning sustainable productivity. One-year-old healthy, disease-free, and homogenous seedlings were used as study material in a greenhouse pot experiment. Four organic amendments, i.e., compost (CMP), cow dung (CD), poultry manure (PM), and biochar (BC), along with a control (CK) treatment, were applied. Results showed that all the organic amendments performed significantly better (P < 0.05) than CK. CD produced the most significant results, followed by BC application, while PM influence was the least. Among all treatments and species, the maximum values of root length, root biomass, chlorophyll content, carotenoids, catalase, and total phenolic content were recorded under the CD treatment. Whereas for plant height and collar diameter, no big differences were observed between CD and BC (P = 0.054). While comparing species, V. nilotica growth was significantly enhanced under organic amendments, followed by A. ampliceps. Combined and comparative results of studied parameters conclude that CD and BC were the most effective organic amendments, which greatly improved the growth of experimental leguminous tree species; this makes these two biofertilizers a powerful tool for sustainable agricultural productivity. Our study contributes toward an enhanced understanding of plant's morpho-physiological responses, biochemical growth patterns, controls, and activities under different bio-fertilizers.

Study of seed germination of Cordia dichotoma G. Forst. under laboratory condition

The seeds of Cordia dichotoma were collected from trees with the ideal phenotypical characters of good height, large crown and medium aged with abundant seed production. The fresh seeds were collected manually and the extracted seeds were cleaned and thoroughly hand mixed to improve the homogeneity during the sampling. The seeds based on their diameter were graded into three classes i.e. small (L1) (1.4 cm). The graded seeds were subjected to five different pre-sowing treatments for germination viz., Control (T1) (untreated seeds), Cold water treatment for 72 hours (T2), Cow dung treatment for 7 days (T3), Concentrated H2SO4 for 20 minutes followed by rinsing under running tap water (T4) and Hot water treatment (80 °C) followed by 24 hours soaking (T5). The graded and treated seeds were kept in seed germinator for four week. Watering and spray of fungicide was carried out manually when necessary. The effects of seed size and pre-sowing treatments on germination of seeds were explored periodically through counting the germinated seeds. The study revealed that seed parameters of the Cordia dichotoma were significantly influenced by seed size categories. The weight of 100 seeds was recorded maximum (209.22 g) in large size (L3) seed category which is significantly differed from L2 (medium) and L1 (small). However no significant difference has been observed among seed viability. The highest germination per cent (68.54%), germination capacity (74.08) and germination energy (41.47%) was recorded in concentrated H2SO4 for 20 minutes followed by rinsing under running tap water (T4) pre-sowing treatment while the lowest germination per cent (56.67%), germination capacity (64.08%) and germination energy minimum (30.75%) in T1(control). All treatments were significantly different from each other. On the other hand, among three seed category, large seed category (L3) was recorded maximum per cent germination (76.23%), germination capacity (83.56%) and germination energy (47.11%) while the minimum germination per cent (46.24%) germination capacity (54.46%) and germination energy (25.34%) was found in small seed category (L1). But all three seed size categories differed significantly from each other. Among the treatment combinations, germinability parameters were recorded maximum in T4L3 (concentrated H2SO4 for 20 minutes followed by rinsing under running tap water+ large seed category). The seed size and pre sowing treatments often controls the germination and initial seedling growth in many tree species. Pre-sowing treatment methods are employed for overcoming seed dormancy and are used not only to ensure the rapid germination but it also decreases labour, cost and time for nursery production.

Effect of rice cultivars, organic manures, and water management on methane emissions and grain yield

AbstractTo assess the effect of different organic manures and rice cultivars on methane emissions, a pot experiment was conducted at the Yezin Agricultural University, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar during the wet season of 2016. Organic manures (control, compost, and cow dung) and two rice cultivars (Manawthukha and IR 50) were tested. For both rice cultivars, high grain yield was observed in the control, and the minimum grain yield was observed in the cow dung treatment. The rate and cumulative CH4 emissions in Manawthukha were higher than those in IR 50, in accordance with the yield, because of the longer growth duration. Although not significant, the lowest methane emissions were observed in the cow dung manure treatment (0.808 g CH4 kg−1 soil) against the control (0.893 g CH4 kg−1 soil) and compost (0.951 g CH4 kg−1 soil) treatments. Based on these results, a field experiment was conducted at Madaya Township, Mandalay region, Myanmar during the dry and wet seasons of 2017 to determine the effects of water management and different rates of cow dung manure on methane emission and yield of IR 50. Higher methane emissions were recorded for continuous flooding (CF) than for alternative wetting and drying (AWD). In both seasons, higher grain yields (1.8% in dry and 7.6% in wet) were recorded for AWD than for CF. Higher methane emissions were recorded from OM3 and lower emissions from OM0 in both water management practices. In AWD, methane emissions were restricted under aerated soil conditions, although a higher amount of manure was added.

Morphophysiology, growth indices, and fruiting of pumpkin in response to organic amendments

A field study was carried out to examine the effects of organic amendment on the morpho-physiology, growth indices, and fruiting of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) plants. The pumpkin seedlings were raised in polybags and treated without fertilizer (control), cow dung, goat dung, poultry dung, vermicompost, compost, and inorganic fertilizer (NPK). The results showed that poultry dung and cow dung treatments significantly increased the length of vine, leaf number, leaf area, and leaf dry weight of pumpkin plants. Poultry dung treatment increased the absolute growth rate (AGR), relative growth rate (RGR), leaf area index (LAI), leaf area ratio (LAR), leaf area duration (LAD), and fresh plant biomass by 345%, 287%, 770%, 384%, 415%, and 1139%, respectively over the control plants. Poultry dung treatment also increased the internode length and initiated flowers earlier than the control. Petiole length, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll content were 5.59, 1.49, and 1.41 times higher with NPK treatment compared to the control group. In addition, poultry dung treatment increased the female flower number, male-female flower ratio, number of fruits, fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit circumference, fruit length, and flesh thickness by 350%, 30%, 300%, 100%, 80%, 80%, 67%, and 105%, respectively, over the control plants. From this study, it can be concluded that poultry dung treatment enhanced the vegetative and reproductive growth, plant physiology, fruiting, and quality of pumpkin.

Effect of Pristine Soil Addition and Cow Dung Treatment on the Community Structure Post Bioremediation

The pollution of crude oil on agricultural soil has become a menace in the world today. The ecologically friendly approach of restoring this polluted soil back to its original state is pertinent. In this study, 1000 g of crude oil polluted soil was amended with 12.5g of cow dung and 500 g of unpolluted soil, 1000 g of polluted soil with crude oil without cow dung amendment, and 1000 g of unpolluted soil without crude oil and cow dung amendment was the control. The setup was monitored for their physicochemical parameters such as total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (Ec), and total nitrogen. The microbiological characterization for viable and culturable was done for total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) and hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria (HUB) while non-culturable but viable characterization was done using metagenomics-shotgun analysis to compare the changes in community structure before, during, and after remediation. The THB observed in the samples were 1.9 x 107, 1.3 x 103, 4.0 x 106, 3.58 x 108, 2.15 x 109 while HUB was 1.6 x 103, 1.0 x 101, 1.67 x 103, 2.5 x 104, and 3.55 x 104 respectively for A (unpolluted soil), B (polluted soil without 1.67 x 103, 2.5 x 104, and 3.55 x 104 respectively for A (unpolluted soil), B (polluted soil without treatment), J1 (month 1), J2 (month 2), and J3(month 3). Over 90 % removal of the TPH was achieved by the treatment. The molecular characterization showed that Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum identified in the pristine soil, but Actinobacteria were the most dominant in the soil with treatment. Nitrogen-fixing Bradirhizobium elkanii was found to be 0.66%, 5.11%, 10.43% before pollution, during natural attenuation, and with unpolluted soil addition with cow dung amendment. Denitrifying Nocardiodes daejeonensis and Nocardiodes terra were identified at 0.1 and 2.0% respectively only three (3) months after the end of the bioremediation treatment.

Investigating the effects of vermicomposting process using Eisenia Fetida earthworms on the reduction of parasites population.

The existence of parasite agents in natural organic fertilizers can lead to health problems and infection transmission. The aim of the present study was to survey the parasites' population reduction during the vermicomposting of the mixtures of municipal sewage sludge (SS) and cow dung (CD) using E. fetida earthworms. The vermicomposting process was performed by using earthworms of E. fetida species. The composting process was conducted in 27 pilots for 3months. The identification and counting of the parasites' population were carried out by Mac Master Slide, according to Bailenger method. The results indicated that the type and number of parasite elements decreased with increasing vermicomposting time. The cumulative removal percent of parasites for sewage sludge (96.10%) was more than the SS + CD (93.65%) and CD (92.93%) treatments. The results showed that after 90days of vermicomposting, the highest cumulative reduction in the number of parasites was obtained for the treatments with 40 earthworms (98.48%), while the corresponding value for the treatments without earthworms was (88.66%). The statistical analysis indicated that in terms of the parasite's population, a significant difference was observed for the three kinds of compostable materials (P< 0.05), however, this difference was not significant for the three levels of the earthworms (P> 0.05). The results showed that the mixture of sewage sludge and cow dung in combination with sawdust could lead to greater and faster reduction in the parasite's population. In addition, the bio-transformed product can be used as useful manure.

The use of Azolla caroliniana compost as organic input to irrigated and rainfed rice ecosystems: Comparison of its effects in relation to CH4 emission pattern, soil carbon storage, and grain C interactions

The factors governing the interactive relationship between organic inputs and release of methane from rice fields are still relatively poorly understood. In this context, the significance of Azolla caroliniana-compost (AC) has been assessed as a component of integrated nutrient management in reference to a few other organic inputs (green manure (GM), rice husk dust (RHD), and cow dung (CD) in two rice ecosystems (irrigated and rainfed). Overall, emissions of methane in irrigated and rainfed conditions ranged between ~0.75–1.2 and ~0.71–1.0 g m−2, respectively. Its emission was strongly correlated with microbial biomass C (r = 0.659–0.720: P < 0.05) and respiration (r = 0.590–0.828: P < 0.05) in soil. Results of regression analysis suggest that crop yield and grain carbon stock should play a significant role in reducing methane emissions from rice soils in both types of ecosystems. Interestingly, AC application led to about 1.1–1.4 folds greater soil carbon sequestration and 1.2–1.4 folds lower global warming potential when compared to CD and GM treatments; AC in turn recorded 2.8% and 5.1% growth in grain yield relative to CD and GM, respectively. It is also observed that friable organic inputs (e.g., AC and RHD) could efficiently suppress methane approximately by 30–36% through the enhancement of porosity, C-storage, and recalcitrant C fractions in soil. Thus, AC and RHD are potential candidates for sustainable rice cultivation in the subtropics with low methane emission and high productivity.

Structural Stability Under Different Organic Fertilizers Management in Paddy Soil

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of organic carbon on soil structural stability and establish a correlation between soil aggregates with carbon (C) sequestration and different ratios of basic cations. Five treatments viz. control, cowdung, vermicompost, rice straw and poultry manure were laid out in a randomized complete block design in Boro rice cultivation where organic materials were applied considering 2 t C ha-1 except the control. The data revealed that different organic amendments insignificantly influenced soil carbon sequestration and water stable soil aggregates. However, a positive effect was found on C enhancement of soil with vermicompost and poultry manure treatments. Nonetheless, a positive relationship between total stable soil aggregates and C sequestration at crop harvest was also noticed. Improvement in soil aggregates followed the order of rice straw&gt;poultry manure&gt;vermicompost&gt;cowdung treatments. Monovalent cationic ratios and cationic ratios on structural stability of soil significantly increased the stable soil aggregates of 0.25 mm sized particles at crop harvest.&#x0D; Ann. Bangladesh Agric. (2019) 23(1) : 15-24

PENGARUH PENCAMPURAN KOTORAN TERNAK SEBAGAI MEDIA KULTUR TERHADAP PERTAMBAHAN POPULASI CACING TANAH (Lumbricus rubellus)

This research aims to determine the effect of mixing cattle dung as a culture medium to the growing population of earthworms. The research was conducted for 42 days starting from 18 October to 28 November 2017 at the fish farming school hall of Agriculture Faculty of Islamic University Riau Pekanbaru. The worm tree used in this study was as many as 960 tail or 80 tail for each container. Worms are maintained for 42 days with different mixtures of medium, i,e, 100% P1 dung treatment, P2 cow-dung treatment 50% + 50% buffalo dung, 50% cow dung + 50% goat dung, 50% cow dung + 50% chicken droppings. The research design was Completely Randomized Design with 4 treatments and 3 replications. The result of this research showed that the increase of population of earthworm with the mixing of cattle dung as culture media which conducted for 42 days is the best treatment of P2 as much as 4266 head/container, then the second one used was in treatment 3 as much as 1855 head/container, and the lowest increase of the population was at treatment P1 as much as 403 head/container, and followed by treatment P4 as much as 575 head/ container.

INFLUENCE OF ORGANIC MANURE AND WOOD ASH ON THE ABUNDANCE OF SOIL MICROORGANISMS, ORGANIC CARBON AND GRAIN YIELD OF SOYBEAN (GLYCINE MAX L. MERRILL) IN ACID SOIL

Organic production methods which include the exclusion of chemical approach of soil amendment have been observed to improve plant growth and preserve the soil health and biodiversity of production environment. A study was conducted at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, to examine the influence of organic manure and wood ash on the abundance of soil microorganisms, organic carbon and yield of soybean in acid soil. The study consisted of three rates of wood ash (0, 2.5 and 5.0 t ha-1) and three rates of cow dung (0, 5.0 and 10.0 t ha-1) arranged in completely randomized design, replicated three times. Soybean variety TGX 1485 – ID was sown into 5 kg. The results showed that wood ash application at 5.0 t ha-1 significantly increased the soil pH (6.6), organic carbon (7.48) and soil microbial population (110 × 104 cfu g-1) compared to lower rate of 2.5 t ha-1 and control, which resulted in highest number of pods (7.7) and grain yield (14.2 g per plant) at harvest. Cow dung treatment of 10 t ha-1 significantly had highest soil organic carbon (7.39%) at 8 WAP and soil microbial population (21.1 and 91.4 × 104 cfu g-1) at 4 and 8 WAP respectively. These findings indicate that application of wood ash may be an acceptable alternative liming agent to the inorganic soil amendment and higher soybean productivity.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Potential of cow dung as insect herbivore repellent on Cowpea (&lt;i&gt;Vigna unguiculata&lt;/i&gt;)

This study examined the potential of using cow dung as a repellent of herbivore pest on cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and the work was carried out in the botanical and zoological garden of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Nigeria. Four accessions of cowpea were grown in the soil samples collected from the Botanical and Zoological garden of the University of Lagos. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with three replicates to monitor the potential of using cow dung as a repellent of herbivore pest on cowpea for a period of six weeks. The data collected was analyzed using ANOVA. The results showed that cow dung treatments did not have significant effect at (P> 0.05) in repelling the insect of cowpeas. However, the plants treated with high concentrations of cow dung attracted significantly (P<0.05) higher number of insect pests and as the days of the application of the treatments increases, the number of leaves damaged by the insects increases. This study therefore recommends that a further study should be carried out using some other different plants species at different locations and under different environmental conditions. Keywords: Cow dung, cowpea, insect repellent

Composting-vermicomposting of green waste processing spiked with cow dung.

To accelerate the resource utilization of green waste, this study considered the combination of composting disposed green waste mixed with cow dung by employing Eisenia fetida. After pre-composting green waste for 60 d, seven treatments were prepared for vermicomposting by mixing green waste (pre-composted materials) with cow dung at ratios (dry weight) of 0(T0, without earthworms as a control), 0(T1), 2%(T2), 4%(T3), 6%(T4), 8%(T5), and 10%(T6). Growth and reproductive performance of E. fetida in different treatments were measured after 60 d of vermicomposting with a plant cultivation experiment (Calathea veitchiana) being conducted to estimate the quality and maturity of the final vermicompost. A complete random design with treatments of T0, T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6 and 30 replications. At the end of cultivation, five plants were randomly selected from each treatment and were analyzed for the plant growth parameters. Results showed that final products of all treatments with earthworms (T1-T6) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in nutritional element content and plant growth parameters than T0. Moreover, in comparison with pure green waste treatment (T1), treatments with the addition of cow dung significantly (P < 0.05) increased the rate of growth and reproduction of earthworms, significantly (P < 0.05) accelerated the degradation rate of cellulose and lignin, and significantly (P < 0.05) increased nutrient contents of the final vermicompost product. Moreover, with the addition of cow dung, significantly (P < 0.05) increaseed in microbial population (bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes) in vermicomposts were recorded. Among treatments T2-T6, T5 and T6 had significantly (P < 0.05) higher fertilizer value for the final product as well as significantly (P < 0.05) higher growth and fecundity of E. fetida. Thus, the combination of both processes (composting + vermicomposting) could be suitable for disposing cow dung and green waste with the green waste mixed with cow dung treatments at rates of 8% (T5) and 10% (T6) improving the efficiency and quality of the vermicompost.

The effects of cleaning/disinfecting agents on biogas production in the anaerobic digestion of cow dung slurry

ABSTRACTCleaning/disinfecting agents (CDA) are compounds known to affect the growth of microbes and could have impacts on biogas production in a digester. In this study, three commonly used CDAs (harpic, hypo and izal) in livestock pens and slaughter houses were applied at different digestion stages and concentrations to cow dung (CD) slurry, with the aim of determining their effects on biogas production. Three application stages (early addition, late addition and graduated addition) were carried out for each CDA, and a CD treatment with no CDA applied was set up as the control. The results showed that application stage had different effects on the parameters of CD monitored during the digestion. Significant (p ≤ .05) effect was recorded on: temperature of izal + CD treatment, pH of harpic + CD and hypo + CD treatments, total bacterial count of hypo + CD and izal + CD treatments and biogas of harpic + CD, hypo + CD and izal + CD treatments. Early addition and increased concentration of hypo appeared toxic to anaerobic bacteria, whereas early addition of izal seemed not to affect their development. While early addition and increased concentration of harpic and hypo inhibited biogas production, the contrary was observed with izal. At the end of digestion, biogas yield (% of control) in the CDA + CD treatments ranged between 8% and 69.4% (harpic + CD), 5.4–23.5% (hypo + CD) and 16.1–52.5% (izal + CD). Among the CDAs used, hypo had the highest inhibitory effect on biogas production from CD slurry. The introduction of harpic at fourth week of digestion showed the least inhibitory effect.

Observations on the laboratory culture of the harpacticoid copepod Euterpina acutifrons (Dana, 1847) using different diets

Hatching success, nauplii production, maturation and survival of the harpacticoid copepod Euterpina acutifrons (Dana, 1847) fed on mono/mixed culture of Isochrysis galbana, Tetraselmis gracilis, Chaetoceros calcitrans and Chlorella marina were studied. The time taken for E. acutifrons to mature was the lowest with a diet of I. galbana followed by C. calcitrans. Percentage of survival was highest with a mixed diet of 75% I. galbana and 25% C. calcitrans (84%) followed by T. gracilis (68%). The study also revealed that both feed type and concentration played significant role in production and survival of E. acutifrons. Mixed diet of I.galbana and C. calcitrans showed maximum adult production followed by a diet of T.gracilis. The mean values of all the three stages of the copepod viz., adults, ovigerous females and copepodite-nauplii were found much greater in the treatment with replacement of the culture medium and feed. Mass culture using different organic feeds was also carried out and it was found that mean growth in terms of adult stage production was found to be higher when fed with rice bran followed by groundnut oil cake (GOC) and the least in cow dung treatment. In rice bran treatment, copepodites showed higher production rate when compared to the other two feeds. Mean growth in terms of nauplii production was also higher in rice bran fed group followed by GOC fed group and the least in cow dung treatment.

Response of N, P and K on the growth and flowering of hippeastrum (Hippeastrum hybridum Hort.)

An experiment was conducted at the Horticultural Research Field of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Salna, Gazipur during September 2008 to May 2009 to determine the response of hippeastrum (cu. ‘Apple Blassom) to different combinations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels. There were 14 treatment combinations comprising four levels of nitrogen viz. 0, 100, 200, and 300 kgha-1; five levels of phosphorus viz. 0, 200,300, 400 and 500 kgha-1 and five levels of potassium viz. 0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 kgha-1 with an exclusively Cowdung treatment at the rate of 10 tha-1 . The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The growth and flowering parameter of hippeastrum were significantly influenced by combined application of N, P &amp; K.The highest values in respect of leaves per plant (8.6), leaf breadth (5.4 cm), number of plants per bulb (3.07), flower scape per plant (2.07), flowers per scape (4.2), length and diameter of flower (14 cm x 13.83 cm), flower scape (43.33 cm x 29.37 cm) and flowering duration (10.7 days) were observed with N200P400K300. The same treatment showed earliness in days to flower scape emergence (172.3 days), days to flower bud appearance (185.3 days) and days to first flower open (189.3 days). The biggest flower (14.00 cm x 13.83 cm), longest flower scape (43.33 cm), maximum number of flowers per scape (4.20), and maximum flowering duration (11.5 days) were also exhibited by the treatment N200P400K300 .The control treatment (N0P0K0) recorded the lowest values except days to first leaf emergence, days to flower scape emergence, days to flower bud appearance and days to first flower open.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 41(1): 91-101, March 2016

Adaptability comparison of E. fetida in vermicomposting against sludge from livestock wastewater treatment plant based on their several growth stages.

Vermicomposting is a low-cost, eco-efficient process to deal with organic wastes. Mixtures of swine manure (SM), cow dung (CD), and animal wastewater treatment plant sludge (S) were applied as feeds, and Eisenia fetida was employed in this study to investigate the vermicomposting efficiency based on their several growth stages. The hatching test resulted in a 100% hatching rate in S60SM40 (60% S + 40% SM) mixture, while 4.40 hatchlings per cocoon were observed. The growth of infancy performed best in 0-20% CD mixtures (0.05 ± 0.002g), followed by in SM + CD (0.04 ± 0.003g). The highest growth rate of young and adult E. fetida was noticed in CD + S mixtures (11.14 ± 0.01 and 6.00 ± 0.02mg/d/worm, respectively), while the higher cocoon production of adults was noticed in S + SM mixtures especially in S40SM60 (537 ± 5 worms). Moreover, the conversion of solids; the modified pH value; the reduction in total organic carbon (TOC); total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), NH4-N, NO3-N, and C:N ratio; and the rich in total available phosphorus (TAP) and total potassium (TK) content by young and adult E. fetida were related to the growth of worms. Such work would benefit understanding and to increase the efficiency of vermicompost processing of different wastes.

Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Low Land Rice as Affected by Organic and Chemical Sources

Given the increasing dairy and poultry industries, cowdung (CD) and poultry manure (PM) might become alternative sources of nitrogen (N) for rice production in South Asia. A field experiment was conducted during dry season (November-April) in Gazipur, Bangladesh. The experiment aimed to evaluate N use efficiency (NUE) in rice under varying sources of N application. Six treatments—1) N-control; 2) optimum dose of nitrogen (164 kg N ha﹣1) from urea; 3) 50% N from urea and 50% N from CD; 4) 50% N from urea and 50% N from PM; 5) 100% N from CD; and 6) 100% N from PM— were compared. Two mega varieties—BRRI dhan28 and BRRI dhan29—were used as test crops. In BRRI dhan28, the urea treatment had the highest agronomic use efficiency (AUE), utilization efficiency (UE) and partial factor productivity (PFP) followed by urea PM treatment and absolute PM treatment. In BRRI dhan29, the urea PM treatment had the highest AUE followed by absolute urea treatment while the urea PM treatment gave the highest UE and PFP followed by urea treatment and urea CD treatment. The absolute PM treatment gave the highest physiological efficiency (PE) followed by absolute urea treatment in BRRI dhan28. In BRRI dhan29, the absolute PM treatment had the highest PE followed by urea treatment and urea PM treatment. The absolute PM treatment had the highest agro physiological efficiency (APE) both in BRRI dhan28 and BRRI dhan29. Based on this finding, it is concluded that the practice of integrated use of organic and chemical fertilizer has the scope to reduce chemical fertilizer and also contribute to increasing nitrogen use efficiency.

English

This study was carried out on spent oil degraded soil using bio and inorganic fertilizers to attempt its restoration using Manihot esculenta Crantz., as test crop under Screen House conditions. Nine (9) kg of spent oil contaminated and uncontaminated soils were each crushed and weighed into 10 L plastic pots with Camry Premium Scale (Model J100/2839). All pots were perforated at the base to drain excess water. The pots were arranged in completely randomized block design and replicated three times. Cow dung, Human effluent and NPK fertilizer were applied to the soil at the rates of 50, 100 and 150 g two weeks after planting cassava stems. The following morphological parameters were used to assess plant growth: plant height, leaf length, leaf width, stem diameter, number of nodes, leaf fall were taken for 20 weeks and fresh and dry weights of tubers immediately after harvest and drying, respectively. The highest growth was recorded in uncontaminated soil (control) which had the highest mean plant height (52.77&plusmn;17.22 cm); followed by soil treated with 150 g NPK with a mean plant height of 42.47&plusmn;24.70 cm. Soils treated with human effluent at 50 g had the least plant height of 17.08&plusmn;5.05cm. The best performance of the cassava test species was recorded in the spent oil contaminated soil amended with NPK and closely followed by contaminated soil remediated with cow dung treatment. The findings of this study revealed that addition of bio and inorganic fertilizer was useful in remediating spent oil polluted soil. Key words: Soil amendment, degraded soil, bio- and inorganic fertilizers, Manihot esculenta.