Different Agro-ecological Zones Of Bangladesh Research Articles

Determination of critical limit of soil phosphorous for mustard (<i>Brassica napus</i> L.) and maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) in different agroecological zones of Bangladesh

The idea of a critical limit (CL) of nutritional elements distinguishes deficiency from adequacy, which could suggest fertilizer administration. The critical limit can be used to distinguish between responsive (deficiency) and non-responsive (sufficiency) sites. The study aims to estimate the critical limit of phosphorus (P) for mustard and maize in different Agro-ecological Zones (AEZs) of Bangladesh. In this context, the study was conducted in 20 types of soil and two crops (maize and mustard) both in pot and field experiments. Twenty soils from different places were used as experimental materials, among them 12 soil samples had inadequate soil fertility, 4 had low fertility, and the remaining 4 had medium levels of fertility. The treatments were two crops: BARI Hybrid Maize 7 (Maize) and BINA Sharisha 9 (Mustard) and two levels of phosphorus (P): 0 and 15 ppm. Dry matter (DM) yield was calculated and the nutritional content of plant samples was determined. Depending on the chemical properties of the soil, the results ranged from extremely low to very high levels. Reading the mustard crop, the estimated critical levels of P were found to be 14.8 ppm (graphical) and 18.9 ppm (statistical). Regarding the maize crop, the estimated critical P levels were found to be 14.5 ppm (graphical) and 12.3 ppm (statistical). When soil P is less than the CL, plants respond to P-based fertilizer effectively. The results of the trials will assist in managing P fertilizer for the sustainability of maize and mustard production in diverse soil types in different agroecological zones of Bangladesh.

Variations in Morpho-Cultural Characteristics and Pathogenicity of Fusarium moniliforme of Bakanae Disease of Rice and Evaluation of In Vitro Growth Suppression Potential of Some Bioagents

Bakanae is one of the important diseases of rice in Bangladesh that causes substantial yield loss every year. We collected thirty isolates of Fusarium spp. from bakanae-infected rice plants from different agroecological zones of Bangladesh and investigated the variations in cultural and morphological characteristics and pathogenicity. Diversity was found in cultural characteristics, viz., colony features, phialide, chlamydospore formation, shape, and size of macro- and microconidia. Three variants of Fusarium species such as F. moniliforme, F. fujikuroi, and F. proliferatum were identified on PDA media based on their cultural and morphological characteristics. Isolate FM10 (F. moniliforme) exhibited the highest disease aggressiveness in developing elongated plants (26.50 cm), the highest number of chlorotic leaves (5.75), and a lower germination percentage. We evaluated different bioagents against the virulent isolate of F. moniliforme to develop a rice bakanae disease management approach. Four bioagents, viz., Trichoderma spp., Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Achromobacter spp., were evaluated for growth suppression of F. moniliforme. Among the bioagents, Achromobacter spp. and B. subtilis (BS21) showed 73.54% and 71.61% growth suppression, respectively. The investigation revealed that the application of Achromobacter spp. and B. subtilis (BS21) would be a potential candidate for effective and eco-friendly management of the bakanae disease of rice.

Effect of Sowing Date and Phosphorus on Growth, Seed Yield and Quality of Fenugreek

The effect of sowing date (three sowing dates viz., S1= 01 November, S2= 15 November and S3= 30 November) and phosphorus levels (four phosphorus fertilizer levels viz., P0= Control, P1= 35 kg P ha-1, P2= 45 kg P ha-1 and P3= 55 kg P ha-1) on growth, seed yield and quality of fenugreek was investigated at Horticulture Farm, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, during 10 October 2020 to April 2021. Growth-related data was maximum on S1 (01 November) treatment but S2 (15 November) treatment showed the best result in case of seed yield. In case of growth characters, P3 (55 kg ha-1) revealed the best result but in case of seed yield, P2 (45 kg ha-1) treatment showed the best effect. Under this investigation, it was revealed that the maximum growth was obtained by S1P3 (01 November with 55 kg P ha-1) and the minimum growth was obtained by S3P0 (30 November with control) treatment combination. The maximum pods per plant (52.61), seeds per pod (12.87), weight of individual pod (147.11 mg), the weight of seeds per plant (7.67 g) and weight of 1000-seed (13.86 g), seed yield per plot (306.72 g), seed yield per hectare (2.13 t) and vigor index (570.27) was observed from the treatment combination S2P2 (15 November with 45 kg P ha-1). It was concluded that the combination of sowing date S2 (15 November) along with phosphorus application P2 (45 kg P ha-1) were given the better performance of all the yield contributing parameters and seed yield of fenugreek. So, S2P2 (15 November with 45 kg P ha-1) treatment combination can be repeated in different agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh.

Potassium Fractions and Rice Yield in Different Agro-ecological Zones of Bangladesh

Response of Potassium (K) is boosted due to the introduction of high-yielding varieties and cropping intensity. So, a pot experiment was done to see the allocation of native and added K in soils and the response of this on rice. Seven soil samples from seven AEZs. An amount of 1-kilogram soil was taken in each of 28 earthen pots of which 14 pots for cultivation rice and 14 pots for without cultivation as a control. Potassium and other fertilizers applied as follows Fertilizer Recommendation Guide-1012. Two replicate plots were used per treatment. Then the soils were saturated with water so that the soils could be soaked well. The pots were kept in this condition for one day to allow the soils to settle in the pots properly. The rice variety used for the experiment was BRRI dhan28. All forms of K were found to remarkable decrease due to cultivation. The depleted non-exchangeable K sum was the largest, this was followed by exchangeable and then, in control plots, water-soluble K. The depleted amount of exchangeable and non-exchangeable K was almost similar but higher than water-soluble K in treated pots. A significant variation was found among the yields ranging from 3.77 to 5.48 g pot-1. The average dry matter yield of treated pots 4.75 g pot-1 was significantly higher than non-treated pots 3.10 g pot-1.

Case Study on the Impact of Pandemic COVID-19 in Aquaculture with its Recommendations

In Bangladesh, the lockdown has been started officially from 26th March 2020 which is actually the most important time for harvesting and summer stocking in the pond. The whole aquaculture production system is now hampering due to pandemic COVID-19 and the value chain in this sector is quite vulnerable. I conducted a wireless survey through cell phone collected information from different stakeholders of different agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh to assess the impact of the pandemic situations in the aquaculture sector. Survey results revealed that pandemic COVID-19 has been affected in different areas of the aquaculture sector including reduction of consumption, export order cancellation, reduction in price, delay in summer stocking, lack of technical support, and transport crisis.

Performance of Boro rice cv. BRRI dhan28 as influenced by different plant establishment methods and weeding regimes

At present time food safety is a precedence issues in Bangladesh and it is essential to increase the production level of rice to address this mission. The study was undertaken to evaluate the yield performance of boro rice cv. BRRI dhan28 under different plant establishment methods and weeding regimes. The experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during December 2017 to June 2018.It was a two factor experiment that comprehended three plant establishment methods viz. sprouted seeds in line, sprouted seeds in broadcasting and transplanting of seedlings in line; five weeding regimes viz. no weeding, one hand weeding at 20 day after planting (DAP), two hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAP, three hand weeding at 20, 40 and 60 DAP, and application of herbicide (Sathi 10WP @ 185 g ha-1). The experiment was set up following randomized complete block design with three replications. Yield contributing characters and yield of Boro rice were exerted significantly by plant establishment methods and the highest results were recorded in transplanting of seedlings in line method in which the number of total tiller hill-1 (6.39), number of effective tiller hill-1 (5.93), grains panicle-1 (99.28), 1000 grain weight (24.16 g) and grain yield (4.19 t ha-1). And the lowest results were found in sprouted seeds in broadcasting method. Considering weeding regimes, the highest number of total tillers hill-1 (6.03), effective tillers hill-1 (5.28), grains panicle-1 (101.4), grain yield (4.12 t ha-1) and straw yield (5.74 t ha-1) were recorded with application of herbicide method. Contrariwise, no weeding showed the lowest values. In interaction effect, maximum grain yield (4.48 t ha-1) was obtained in transplanting of seedlings in line method with application of herbicide and Sprouted seeds in broadcasting method with no weeding was performed the lowest grain yield (2.86 t ha-1). From the overall results, the growers can be recommended to cultivate boro rice cv. BRRI dhan28 in transplanting of seedlings in line method with application of herbicide at different Agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh.

Factors influencing adoption of crossbred cattle in different agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh

Crossbred cattle farming by small farm holders are one of the promising agricultural activities to enhance financial and nutritional status of the rural people of Bangladesh. Several factors influence the rural farmers to raise the crossbred cattle farming. Thus, the research investigates the demographic, socioeconomic and agro-ecological factors and farming assets and facilities of the small farm holders that influence the adoption of crossbreds. Multistage random sampling technique was used to random selection of 300 cattle households in four agro-ecological zones. Chi-square tests were carried out to assess the association between cattle breeds and levels of variables. Also, the binary logistic regression model was used to determine the effects of the factors. Age group, level of education, occupation, household income, farming experience and reception of extension services were significantly (p<0.01) associated with the adoption of crossbred cattle. Extension services (OR=128.82, 95%CI=27.74-598.2) and higher income group (OR=6.138, 95%CI=1.352-27.87) were significant and more likely to adopt crossbred cattle compared to no extension services and low-income group respectively. Secondary educated farmers were 3.64 times more likely (OR=3.642, 95%CI=1.24-10.67) and higher than secondary educated farmers were 7.58 times more likely (OR=7.579, 95%CI=2.45-23.40) to adopt crossbred cattle compared to illiterate or primary educated farmers. Industrial zone was more likely and other two zones were less likely to adoption of crossbred cattle compare to river basin zone. Youths should be trained and educated and also extension services should be provided to the farmers to raise crossbred cattle for increased milk production and household poverty alleviation.

9-24 Characterization of Floodplain Soils from Different Agroecological Zones of Bangladesh

9-24 Characterization of Floodplain Soils from Different Agroecological Zones of Bangladesh

Study on Profitability Using Modern Inputs against Traditional for Potato Production at Different Agro-Ecological Zones of Bangladesh

The study on Economics Faculty in using modern inputs against traditional inputs and practices for potato production were conducted in the different agro-ecological zones and agro-climatic locations of Bangladesh during 2011-2012. The aim of the study was how to enrich the knowledge of farmers and traders by the use of modern inputs (fertilizers, green pesticides and micronutrients) for potato production and management technologies. A total number of 150 farmers were randomly selected from Rangpur, Thakurgaon, and Comilla regions under agro-ecological zones of Tista Meander Floodplain, Old Himalayan Piedmont Plain and Middle Meghna River Floodplain respectively. Cobb-Douglas production function was used to measure the effect of various factors on potato production. The factors of production considered in this study were land preparation, labor cost, seed, fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation and land use cost. The cost was comparatively low in modern practices than higher in traditional practices as it was mainly due to adoption of recommended technology, appropriate dose and time in case of modern inputs and practices whereas non-recommended technology, higher dose of inputs adopted in traditional practices. The out-put in-terms of per unit yield was found 26 t ha-1 in modern practices but 24 t ha-1 in traditional practices. The net profit was significantly higher in modern practices than traditional practices; the net profit in modern practices was found at Rangpur Tk 98,079, Thakurgaon Tk 72, 741 and Comilla Tk 46, 950. It transpires from the study that the farmers would be economically benefitted if they use modern inputs; adopt technologies and practices in terms of using quality seed of improved varieties at recommended dose and time of use of fertilizers and pesticides, timely application of irrigation and appropriate crop management including weeding and other practices.J. Environ. Sci. &amp; Natural Resources, 8(2): 83-87 2015

Genetic diversity of fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) based on random amplified polymorphic DNA- polymerase chain reaction

The genetic variability of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) at different agroecological zones of Bangladesh in comparison with Indian population was conducted in India during September 2008 to February 2009. A total of 12 H. armigera populations of which 10 populations collected from different agroecological zones of Bangladesh and two populations from India were tested for their genetic variability. Eight out of the ten primers produced scorable PCR products by amplifying the template DNA with taq polymerase and were subjected for analysis. Those eight primers got amplified to a total of 138 markers which produced polymorphic markers. The similarity coefficient based on 138 RAPD markers ranged from 0.000 to 0.777 of the pair-wise combination among twelve samples of H. armigera. An UPGMA dendrogram based on Jaccard’s similarity coefficient was constructed for the 12 samples of H. armigera. The dendrogram showed that H. armigera population from Bangladesh had 25 to 45 percent similarity, and in its Indian population the similarity remained within this range. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v39i2.20428 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 39(2): 263-271, June 2014

Management of Chickpea Seedling Diseases Through Soil Amendment with Tricho-Compost

Performance of different Tricho-inocula (Trichoderma harzianum inocula), Tricho-compost (T. harzianum compost) and Provax 200 WP (Carboxin + Thiram group fungicide) for controlling seedling mortality of chickpea was investigated under Sclerotium rolfsii and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri inoculated soil in two different agro-ecological zones viz. Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur and Pulses Research Station, Madaripur of Bangladesh. Tricho-compost was prepared with a mixed substrate of cow dung, rice husk and poultry refuse colonized by T. harzianum. The seedling mortality of chickpea was significantly reduced by the Tricho-inocula, Tricho-compost and Provax 200 WP where Tricho-compost was found superior with respect to reduction of seedling mortality and accelerating plant growth with increasing grain yield of chickpea under pot culture as well as field conditions in two different agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh

Performance of twelve mango cultivars grown in different agroecological zones of Bangladesh

Twelve commercial and promising mango cultivars were evaluated at three agroecological zones of Bangladesh viz., Akbarpur (AEZ 29), Chapai Nawabgonj (AEZ 11), and Gazipur (AEZ 28) during 2006-07 to investigate their regional adaptability. Cultivars included in the experiment were Ashwina, BARI Aam-1, Bombai, Deori, Fazli, Gopalbhog, Kalia, Khirsapat, Langra, Lata Bombai, Rani Passand, and Surjapuri. The plants were transplanted in the field during July 1993. Tree volume was the maximum (79.78 m3) in Khirsapat and the minimum in Lata Bombai (21.92 m3). Langra had the highest percentage of perfect flower (27%), while the lowest was in Deori and Kalia (5%). The earliest and latest fruit was harvested from BARI Aam-1 and Ashwina, respectively, at all locations. All the cultivars were harvested 3-5 and 8-10 days earlier at Akbarpur and Gazipur, respectively, compared to that at Chapai Nawabgonj. The highest individual fruit weight was obtained from Fazli at all locations, while Gopalbhog (130 g) had the lowest fruit weight at Akbarpur and Surjapuri at Chapai Nawabgonj (172 g) and Gazipur (140 g). Total soluble solids content was reasonably high in all the cultivars at each location (around 20%) except Ashwina, Lata Bombai, and Surjapuri which contained around 16% TSS. Lata Bombai was highly susceptible to anthracnose, floral malformation, and stem-end-rot at almost all the locations. Other cultivars showed low to medium susceptibility to all these diseases. The highest and lowest fruit producing cultivars were Khirsapat (206) and Lata Bombai (106) at Gazipur, while Rani Passand (196) and Bombai, Lata Bombai (92) at Akbarpur but at Chapai Nawabgonj, these were Langra (325) and Deori (117), respectively. Cultivar Fazli (83.61 kg) was the highest yielder by weight, while Lata Bombai (18.35 kg) was the lowest. Among the locations, Chapai Nawabgonj was the most favourable for plant growth, perfect flower production, and yield, and least favourable for pests and diseases. The overall result of the experiment indicated that good quality mango could also be grown successfully under Akbarpur and Gazipur conditions adopting appropriate variety like Khirsapat. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v37i4.14394 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 37(4): 691-710, December 2012

Association of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi with leguminous crops grown in different agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh

The association of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi with different leguminous crops in five agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Bangladesh was assessed through a survey. A total of 10 leguminous crops were examined at five AEZs in Bangladesh. Among the selected crops grasspea, lentil, chickpea, mungbean, cowpea, blackgram, gardenpea, and soybean were highly mycotrophic. Poor mycorrhizal association was found in bushbean and groundnut. Variations in AM colonization and spore population were observed in different leguminous crops in different AEZs in Bangladesh. Root colonization ranged from 20–75.6, 20–80, 14.4–68.9, 20–75.6 and 20–60% and that of number of spores ranged from 89.4–495, 40–390, 89–390, 99.6–298 and 100–295 100 g−1 soil at AEZs 3,11,12,18 and 28, respectively. The AM fungal structures (hyphae, arbuscules and vesicles) in the root system of the above mentioned leguminous crops varied. Glomus was the most common genus of AM while Sclerocystis was the least prevalent genus in the rhizosphere soil.

Integrated Nutrient Management for Sustainable Sugarcane Production in Different Agro-ecological Zones of Bangladesh

A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of integrated plant nutrition system (IPNS) on sugarcane yield and economic return at Ishurdi (High Ganges River Floodplain), Thakurgaon (Old Himalayan Piedmont Plain), Sreepur (Madhupur Tract) and Jaipurhat (Tista Meander Floodplain). The combined use of organic and inorganic fertiliser gave significantly higher sugarcane yield and economic benefit in all locations under study. Results revealed that average yield increase was 13.0 per cent higher for combined application of press mud/ cowdung at 12.5 tonnes per hectare along with inorganic fertilisers over use of only inorganic fertilisers in case of both MYG and HYG. In situ incorporation of dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata) as green manure increased sugarcane yield and contributed about 42-46 kg N per hectare in soil. Keywords: Integrated nutrient, management, sugarcane, sustainable, production.

Fertilizer Management of Late Jute Seed Production in Different Agro-Ecological Zones of Bangladesh

Fertilizer Management of Late Jute Seed Production in Different Agro-Ecological Zones of Bangladesh

Morphological and pathogenic variations in the isolates of &lt;i&gt;Rhizoctonia solani&lt;/i&gt; in Bangladesh

Rhizoctonia solani isolates were collected from soil of different agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh and also from infected plant parts of different crops and grasses. Collected isolates were classified into five different cluster groups on the basis of morphological and cultural characters. Five isolates taking one from each of the five different cluster groups were selected to study their pathogenicity and host range on 35 different crops. Pathogenicity and host range of the isolates were determined by planting the seeds in water agar plate infested with R. solani isolates and incubated at 25°C temperatures. After analyzing the morphological and cultural characters of the isolates, it was found that there was no relations between the isolates with respect to their origin from where they were collected. It indicated that the diversity among the isolates was not correlated with their origin. In case of host range and pathogenicity among the five selected isolates of different cluster groups, the isolate JES-16 was an avirulent isolate. The isolate SYL-30 had narrow host range and a low virulent isolate. The isolates DIN-8 and GAZ-18 possessed wide host range and might be considered as virulent isolates. The isolate GAZ-9 was a highly virulent isolate with a wide host range. Keywords: Rhizoctonia solani; morphological and pathogenic variations; isolates. DOI: 10.3329/bjar.v35i3.6443Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 35(3) : 375-380

Crop production growth in different agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the progress and regional variations of crop production in Bangladesh. The secondary data were used and collected for the years 1980-81 to 2002-03 from the ‘Statistical Yearbooks of Bangladesh', ‘Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics' and population census of different years. The study was conducted during the period from September 2006 to February 2008. An analysis was done for twelve mutually exclusive agro-ecological zones by assigning various indicators of crop sector development. The remarkable progress of rural literacy rate, ratio of agricultural workers to population, number of farmer's co-operative societies and per capita regional domestic agricultural products in two decades was observed in different regions. Wide disparities in the level of crop sector development had been observed across the regions. The overall results reveal that some of the regions are in better positions in respect of socioeconomic progress, land use pattern, input use, growth performance of HYV rice and food-grains production. The developed regions were 'Old Himalayan Piedmont Plain and Tista Floodplain', 'Karatoya Floodplain and Atrai Basin', 'Brahmaputra-Jamuna Floodplain' and 'Middle Meghna River Floodplain' on the basis of land utilization pattern, input use and food-grains production. Analysis of regional disparities reveals that 'Sylhet Basin and Surma-Kusiyara Floodplain', 'Greater Dhaka', 'Middle Meghna River Floodplain' and 'Lower Meghna River and Estuarine Floodplain' regions has developed remarkably in the last twenty years. Keywords: Crop production; Development indicator; Growth performance; Regional variation DOI: 10.3329/jbau.v7i2.4746 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 7(2): 351-360, 2009