Locations Of Bangladesh Research Articles

Effect of Plant Extracts on Seed Borne Fungi of Jute

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of seed-borne fungal pathogens of jute and their control with plant extract. The experiment was carried out in seed pathology centre, Bangladesh Agricultural University to obtain relevant information about the health of jute seeds and find out the efficacy of extracts as seed-treater. Two varieties viz., Deshipat (Corchorus capsularis) and Tossapat (Corchorus olitorius) were selected for this study and jute seeds were collected from two different locations of Bangladesh. The major predominant identified fungi were Colletotrichum corchori, Macrophomina phaseolina, Fusarium spp., and Botryodiplodia theobromae. Least seed-borne fungi were found in the variety of Tossapat. Low germination of seeds was found related to high prevalence of seed-borne fungal infections. Highest seed-borne infection was obtained in the variety of Deshipat. In this study, we evaluated some major plant extracts such as garlic clove (Allium sativum), neem leaves (Azadirachta indica), allamanda leaves (Allamanda cathartica L.) and marigold leaves (Tagetes spp.) for observing the action of these plant extracts on seed borne fungi of Jute. The study revealed that the extract of Garlic (Allium sativum), and Biskatali (Polygonum hydropiper) increased the germination of seeds and garlic (Allium sativum) extract was also found to be most effective in controlling the seed-borne infection among all the treatments. Although the inhibiting capacity of the extracts of Allamanda (Allamanda cathartica L.) and Biskatali (Polygonum hydropiper) was found to be similar and Biskatali extract was found to have the second position among all the treated plant extracts in inhibiting the growth of isolated fungal pathogens.

Analysis of precipitation data in Bangladesh through hierarchical clustering and multidimensional scaling

The precipitation patterns of seventeen locations in Bangladesh from 1961 to 2014 were studied using a cluster analysis and metric multidimensional scaling. In doing so, the current research applies four major hierarchical clustering methods to precipitation in conjunction with different dissimilarity measures and metric multidimensional scaling. A variety of clustering algorithms were used to provide multiple clustering dendrograms for a mixture of distance measures. The dendrogram of pre-monsoon rainfall for the seventeen locations formed five clusters. The pre-monsoon precipitation data for the areas of Srimangal and Sylhet were located in two clusters across the combination of five dissimilarity measures and four hierarchical clustering algorithms. The single linkage algorithm with Euclidian and Manhattan distances, the average linkage algorithm with the Minkowski distance, and Ward’s linkage algorithm provided similar results with regard to monsoon precipitation. The results of the post-monsoon and winter precipitation data are shown in different types of dendrograms with disparate combinations of sub-clusters. The schematic geometrical representations of the precipitation data using metric multidimensional scaling showed that the post-monsoon rainfall of Cox’s Bazar was located far from those of the other locations. The results of a box-and-whisker plot, different clustering techniques, and metric multidimensional scaling indicated that the precipitation behaviour of Srimangal and Sylhet during the pre-monsoon season, Cox’s Bazar and Sylhet during the monsoon season, Maijdi Court and Cox’s Bazar during the post-monsoon season, and Cox’s Bazar and Khulna during the winter differed from those at other locations in Bangladesh.

Characterization of onion soft rot bacteria in Bangladesh

A study was undertaken for characterization and identification of the soft rot causing bacterial pathogens of onion. Bacterial pathogens were isolated from soft rotted stored onions of different varieties and locations of Bangladesh. Altogether 73 bacterial isolates were isolated from soft rotted onions. Among them, twelve soft rot-positive isolates were selected for characterization and identification on the basis of more virulence. Physiological and biochemical tests were performed following standard methods for characterization and identification of selected soft rot bacterial isolates. Seven isolates namely O-03, O-18, O-69, O-72, O-130, O-156 and O-180 were identified as Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (E. carotovora subsp. carotovora), two isolates O-101 and O-118 were identified as E. chrysanthemi and three isolates O-05, O-14 and O-15 were the members of Burkholderia cepacia.Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 52(3), 209-220, 2017

Assessment of genotype-by-environment interactions of white quality protein maize hybrids in Bangladesh

Present study assessed genotypes and their interactions with environments (GEI) for plant height, days to maturity and grain yield of 40 maize hybrids including two local checks across five different locations of Bangladesh. Thirty eight white QPM (Quality Protein Maize) hybrids were collected from CIMMYT, Mexico. The AMMI (additive main effect and multiplicative interactions) and GGE (genotype + genotype × environment) model were used to assess the additive and multiplicative effects of the interactions. Significant variations were found for genotypes (G), environments (E) and GEI for all the studied characters. The environment of Gazipur is poor while those of Ishurdi and Rangpur are rich for QPM hybrids production. Considering three parameters viz., mean, bi and S2di, it was evident that all the genotypes showed different responses of adaptability under different environmental conditions. Among the hybrids E21, E23, E30 and E22 exhibited bi~1 and S2di~0 for all the characters under study, which clearly indicated that the hybrids are stable across the environments. The hybrids E11, E25, E37 and E4 had bi value significantly different from the unity with non significant S2di value for one or more characters studied, indicating high responsiveness of the hybrid but suitable for favorable environments only. E5 was a good yielder and stable over environments. Considering the yield potentiality and stability parameters five hybrids were found promising over the locationsBangladesh J. Agril. Res. 42(2): 259-271, June 2017

Estimating yield gaps at the cropping system level

Yield gap analyses of individual crops have been used to estimate opportunities for increasing crop production at local to global scales, thus providing information crucial to food security. However, increases in crop production can also be achieved by improving cropping system yield through modification of spatial and temporal arrangement of individual crops. In this paper we define the cropping system yield potential as the output from the combination of crops that gives the highest energy yield per unit of land and time, and the cropping system yield gap as the difference between actual energy yield of an existing cropping system and the cropping system yield potential. Then, we provide a framework to identify alternative cropping systems which can be evaluated against the current ones. A proof-of-concept is provided with irrigated rice-maize systems at four locations in Bangladesh that represent a range of climatic conditions in that country. The proposed framework identified (i) realistic alternative cropping systems at each location, and (ii) two locations where expected improvements in crop production from changes in cropping intensity (number of crops per year) were 43% to 64% higher than from improving the management of individual crops within the current cropping systems. The proposed framework provides a tool to help assess food production capacity of new systems (e.g. with increased cropping intensity) arising from climate change, and assess resource requirements (water and N) and associated environmental footprint per unit of land and production of these new systems. By expanding yield gap analysis from individual crops to the cropping system level and applying it to new systems, this framework could also be helpful to bridge the gap between yield gap analysis and cropping/farming system design.

Seasonal, spatial and socioeconomic variations in the dietary pattern of two cities of Bangladesh: a food frequency questionnaire survey

Two separate surveys were conducted in two cities of Bangladesh viz. Dhaka and Mymensingh to observe the seasonal as well as socio-economic variations in the dietary pattern. A total of 118 respondents were randomly selected and interviewed with a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess the dietary intake. Based on the respondents’ household income they were categorized into low income level (LIL); medium income level (MIL) and high income level (HIL) groups. Among the two cities, carbohydrate consumption was higher in Mymensingh during both winter (407 gp-1d-1) and summer (442 gp-1d-1). On the other hand, animal protein consumption was higher in Dhaka (176 gp-1d-1in summer and 283gp-1d-1 in winter). Usually in winter, carbohydrate consumption was lower but protein consumption was higher. There was no significant seasonal and spatial variation of plant protein consumption. However, leafy vegetable consumption was higher in Mymensingh during summer season (87 gp-1d-1). Overall, non-leafy vegetables consumption increases during winter and found highest in Dhaka (655 gp-1d-1). In general, water consumption was higher during summer and found highest in Mymensingh (3.8Lp-1d-1). Concerning the income groups, in both locations and seasons, carbohydrate consumption was observed lowest among HILs, but animal protein consumption was found highest, especially, in Dhaka. Rice is consumed in greater proportion than wheat among LILs and MILs. Wheat consumption was higher among HILs. Of all the animal proteins, fish and chicken were occupies the major portion. But dry fish consumption was relatively greater among LILs. In Dhaka, plant protein consumption was higher by MILs but in Mymensingh it was found highest among HILs. Both leafy and non-leafy vegetables consumption was higher by HILs in Mymensingh but among MILs in Dhaka. In general fat consumption was higher among HIL group in both locations. The Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a strong interaction between the respondent characteristics and consumption of different food items. The respondent income and education was positively correlated with the consumption of animal and plant proteins, oils and spices but negatively correlated with carbohydrate and dry fish consumption. The present study investigated the socioeconomic and seasonal influence on dietary pattern in two locations of Bangladesh which can be an effective tool in estimating the dietary exposure of chemical contaminants.
 Asian Australas. J. Biosci. Biotechnol. 2016, 1 (3), 453-463

Purity analysis of nine pesticides collected from eight locations in Bangladesh

The study was undertaken to determine the purity of available marketed brands of nine selected pesticide groups viz., chloropyriphos, diazinon, carbofuran, pyrazosulfuranethyle, dimethoate, cypermethrin, carbendazim, mencozeb and quinalphos. These pesticides were collected from local markets of eight locationsviz., Rajshahi, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Bogra, Chittagong, Mymensing, Comilla, Norshingdi and Jessoredistricts of Bangladesh where extensive usage of pesticides was recorded. Among the 66tested pesticides, 66.66 % (44 in number) were found ?90% pure in terms of active ingredient (AI). The purity range of about 12% of the total tested brands was 80%--90%. And the remaining 21.34% were less than 80 % pure, of which three pesticide brands contained no active ingredient (AI) at all.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 41(4): 685-694, December 2016

Surveillance, epidemiological, and virological detection of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses in duck and poultry from Bangladesh

Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) continue to pose a global threat. Waterfowl are the main reservoir and are responsible for the spillover of AIVs to other hosts. This study was conducted as part of routine surveillance activities in Bangladesh and it reports on the serological and molecular detection of H5N1 AIV subtype. A total of 2169 cloacal and 2191 oropharyngeal swabs as well as 1725 sera samples were collected from live birds including duck and chicken in different locations in Bangladesh between the years of 2013 and 2014. Samples were tested using virus isolation, serological tests and molecular methods of RT-PCR. Influenza A viruses were detected using reverse transcription PCR targeting the virus matrix (M) gene in 41/4360 (0.94%) samples including both cloacal and oropharyngeal swab samples, 31 of which were subtyped as H5N1 using subtype-specific primers. Twenty-one live H5N1 virus isolates were recovered from those 31 samples. Screening of 1,868 blood samples collected from the same birds using H5-specific ELISA identified 545/1603 (34%) positive samples. Disconcertingly, an analysis of 221 serum samples collected from vaccinated layer chicken in four districts revealed that only 18 samples (8.1%) were seropositive for anti H5 antibodies, compared to unvaccinated birds (n=105), where 8 samples (7.6%) were seropositive. Our result indicates that the vaccination program as currently implemented should be reviewed and updated. In addition, surveillance programs are crucial for monitoring the efficacy of the current poultry vaccinations programs, and to monitor the circulating AIV strains and emergence of AIV subtypes in Bangladesh.

An evaluation of speed management measures in Bangladesh based upon alternative accident recording, speed measurements, and DOCTOR traffic conflict observations

With 21,000 people annually killed in road traffic (estimated figure by World Health Organization), Bangladesh has one of the highest fatality rates in the world. Vulnerable road users (VRUs) account for over 50% of road traffic casualties, and 70% of casualties occur in rural areas. As in many Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), the official road accident statistics are incomplete and biased.Safe Crossings (Netherlands) and the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh (CIPRB) (Bangladesh) received permission from the Bangladesh government in 2014 to design and implement an integrated speed management program (consisting of a combination of small-scale infrastructural measures, active community involvement and road user education) at three locations where a national highway intersects small communities. The infrastructural countermeasures to improve road safety consisted of speed humps, rumble strips, signs and road markings and were designed following the Dutch road design guidelines. In a Before–After study design, we used a combination of three research methods to monitor and evaluate the road safety interventions. We created our own traffic accident recording system with trained local record keepers, we conducted laser-gun speed measurements of motorized traffic (both at intervention and control locations), and we applied the Dutch Objective Conflict Technique for Operation and Research (DOCTOR) for observing serious traffic conflicts at the intervention locations. The latter was based upon DOCTOR scores from video recordings of the behaviour at the three experimental locations Before and After the interventions.Prior to installing the intervention program, the three locations combined had, on average, about 100 serious accidents, 10 deaths, and 200 injured people on a yearly basis. In April 2015, all infrastructural measures were completed. In the after period (till the end of January 2016), the alternative accident recording system showed a 66% reduction in the number of serious accidents, a 73% reduction in the number of injured people, and a 67% reduction in the number of people killed.The unobtrusive laser-gun speed measurements resulted in a net reduction of 13.3km/h (or 20% in relative terms) on average at the intervention locations by taking the general speed development at the control locations into account. According to Nilsson’s power law this would result in a 59% reduction of the number of people killed, well in line with the actual accident figures.The total number of serious conflicts (only DOCTOR scores 3, 4, and 5) was significantly reduced from 64 serious conflicts per location in a 4.5h period Before to 29 serious conflicts in the After period, on average (Poisson distributed variable, p<0.01), or a 55% reduction in relative terms. By including the traffic volumes, the reduction in conflict risk overall is 54%. Moreover, the severity of conflicts was reduced in the After period with only one most severe conflict (DOCTOR score 5) left. Buses represent the largest portion of road users involved in serious conflicts at all three locations, followed by cars and CNGs (Compressed Natural Gas vehicle). By far, the most frequently occurring conflict is of the type head-on conflict between an overtaking bus or car that is encountering a road user in opposite direction (for the greater part a CNG).All three evaluation measures point to a similar impact of the intervention program and unveil an improvement in road safety between 54% and 60%. The speed-reducing measures indeed considerably reduce the speed of motorized traffic, both the mean speed and 85th percentile values, both the number and severity of serious conflicts are reduced, and the actual number of accidents has decreased. It appears that Nilsson’s power law for the relation between a difference in mean speed and the change in the number of accidents also applies to LMICs.Speed management measures as common in high-income countries appear to be also effective in LMICs. For evaluation purposes of road safety impacts, a Traffic Conflicts Technique approach (also developed in high-income countries) seems valid and effective as well for application in LMICs.As there are thousands of traffic black spots with similar characteristics as the three intervention locations in Bangladesh, this integrated approach may well offer similar road safety improvements elsewhere.

Performance of some high yielding garlic varieties at two locations of Bangladesh

The experiment was conducted at Ulipur, Kurigram and Gabtoli, Bogra for two consecutive rabi seasons (2010-11 to 2011-12) to observe the performance of some high yielding garlic varieties ( BARI Roshun 1, BARI Roshun 2, BAU Roshun 1 and BAU Roshun 2) including local variety at farmer’s field. In Kurigram, the highest yield (8.11 and 8.04 t ha-1 during two successive years) was obtained from BARI Roshun 2, which differed significantly from other varieties. In Bogra, the highest yield (12.01 and 11.82 t ha-1 during two successive years) was obtained from BAU Roshun 2, which differed significantly from other varieties but in the second year it was statistically identical to BAU Roshun 1. In Kurigram, the highest gross return (Tk. 405500 and 241237 ha-1) and the highest gross margin (Tk. 308325 and 97664 ha-1) were obtained from BARI Roshun 2 where as in Bogra, the highest gross return (Tk. 960000 and 574000 ha-1) and the highest gross margin (Tk. 826217 and 433081 ha-1) were obtained from BAU Roshun 2 during two successive years. The lowest gross return and gross margin was obtained from local variety at both locations.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 12(2): 235-239, December 2014

ARSENIC REMOVAL FROM DRINKING WATER USING FLYASH AS AN ADSORBENT

Nowadays water pollution has become a major problem that is being faced by the human kind. Among various pollutants present in water, arsenic is gaining much importance because of the toxicity of its compounds. Hence it is very much necessary to find the best suitable technique for removal of arsenic from drinking water. In the present study, the removal of Arsenic from synthetic sample on coated fly ash has been carried out at room temperature 32 ± 1 o C. Initially raw fly ash was used for the experiment and it was seen that the residual arsenic concentration increased hencebatch tests were conducted for the removal of Arsenic on iron sulphate coated fly ash for optimum parameters such as dosage, pH, time, initial concentration and agitation rate. The maximum removal efficiency was obtained at an optimum dosage of 0.5gms. It was found that 100% removal can be achieved at slightly alkaline pH condition. The optimum time, initial concentration and agitation rate were found to be 15mins, 140µg/l and 150RPM respectively. Arsenic is the 20th most abundant element found in the earth's crust. It occupies nearly 0.00005% of the entire earth's surface (2). Arsenic occurs naturally and sometimes can be produced by anthropogenic sources such as mining, industrial and agricultural activities. It is found naturally in the geologic substrate and also can be produced during volcanic eruptions. Arsenic occurs in organic and in-organic forms. It is present in the organic form in food in small amount which is required for the body. In natural waters, it is present in the in-organic form namely As (III) and As (V). These two ions namely, arsenic trioxide and arsenic pentoxide are either naturally occurring or byproducts of industrial waste. The predominant species for As (III) are H3AsO3 and for As (V) are H2AsO 4- and HAsO4 2-. These chemicals can badly affect human health(10)when they are consumed in large amount. The ground water at various locations in Bangladesh, West Bengal, some parts of Bihar& Karnataka in India, has been noticed to be contaminated with Arsenic (As) in excess of its permissible limit. Recently 14 out of 20 villages at Surpur taluq of Yadgir district, Karnataka state (India) has been found to be affected by Arsenic content.Several incidents have demonstrated that Arsenic in water may be carcinogenic. Acute poisoning by Arsenic involves the central nervous system leading to coma and for doses of 70-80 mg to death. The gastro-intestinal tract, nervous system, the respiratory tract, and the skin can be severely affected (4). It is recommended that, when water is found to contain Arsenic in excess of 0.01 mg/L (W.H.O), the water is considered to be unfit for drinking. Arsenic can be removed by many conventional and non-conventional methods. Adsorption is used widely to remove Arsenic metal from water and industrial wastewater. Adsorption offers significant advantages like low cost, availability, profitability, ease of operation and efficiency, in comparison with conventional methods especially from economical and environmental points of view. Many attempts have been made to remove arsenic from water using various adsorbents. Fly ash is a by-product that is produced by coal fired thermal power plant. From literature review it can be concluded that fly ash has sorptive properties with regard to heavy metals (3).And it was also found that iron containing adsorbents were effective in arsenic removal from aqueous solution hencefly ash coated with iron sulphate was used in the present study (5).

Genetically Diverse Low Pathogenicity Avian Influenza A Virus Subtypes Co-Circulate among Poultry in Bangladesh.

Influenza virus surveillance, poultry outbreak investigations and genomic sequencing were assessed to understand the ecology and evolution of low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) A viruses in Bangladesh from 2007 to 2013. We analyzed 506 avian specimens collected from poultry in live bird markets and backyard flocks to identify influenza A viruses. Virus isolation-positive specimens (n = 50) were subtyped and their coding-complete genomes were sequenced. The most frequently identified subtypes among LPAI isolates were H9N2, H11N3, H4N6, and H1N1. Less frequently detected subtypes included H1N3, H2N4, H3N2, H3N6, H3N8, H4N2, H5N2, H6N1, H6N7, and H7N9. Gene sequences were compared to publicly available sequences using phylogenetic inference approaches. Among the 14 subtypes identified, the majority of viral gene segments were most closely related to poultry or wild bird viruses commonly found in Southeast Asia, Europe, and/or northern Africa. LPAI subtypes were distributed over several geographic locations in Bangladesh, and surface and internal protein gene segments clustered phylogenetically with a diverse number of viral subtypes suggesting extensive reassortment among these LPAI viruses. H9N2 subtype viruses differed from other LPAI subtypes because genes from these viruses consistently clustered together, indicating this subtype is enzootic in Bangladesh. The H9N2 strains identified in Bangladesh were phylogenetically and antigenically related to previous human-derived H9N2 viruses detected in Bangladesh representing a potential source for human infection. In contrast, the circulating LPAI H5N2 and H7N9 viruses were both phylogenetically and antigenically unrelated to H5 viruses identified previously in humans in Bangladesh and H7N9 strains isolated from humans in China. In Bangladesh, domestic poultry sold in live bird markets carried a wide range of LPAI virus subtypes and a high diversity of genotypes. These findings, combined with the seven year timeframe of sampling, indicate a continuous circulation of these viruses in the country.

Native Trichoderma strains isolated from Bangladesh with broad spectrum antifungal action against fungal phytopathogens

Nineteen Trichoderma isolates, collected from different locations in Bangladesh, were characterised through phenotypic, biochemical and molecular means. Besides, they were assessed for their antifungal action in vitro. The isolates were divided into three groups: T. asperellum, T. virens and T. harzianum. A dual culture assay and a culture filtrate assay against 6 phytopathogens revealed that 9 of the 19 isolates showed significant antifungal activities. The isolate T. harzianum TR05 showed the highest inhibition against Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium circinatum and Phomopsis vexans, followed by T. asperellum TR08 and T. virens TR06. TR08 had the highest inhibition against Sclerotium rolfsii and Pythium aphanidermatum, followed by TR05 and TR06. These findings were in agreement with their activities of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, including chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase, and proteinase. Our results suggest that isolates TR05, TR06 and TR08 have the potential to be effective biocontrol agents against the phytopathogenic fungi.

Identification and antibiogram study of bacterial species isolated from milk samples of different locations in Bangladesh

Cow’s milk containing pathogenic bacteria is an important threat to the consumers. The objectives of the present study were to identify the bacterial agents of public health importance in milk samples (n=35) of different locations and to determine their sensitivity to different antibiotics. The milk samples were collected and transported aseptically and subsequently allowed for culture in bacteriological media, Gram’s staining and biochemical tests for the identification of bacterial species. The bacteria identified were Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi, and their prevalence, in case of vendor milk specimens (n=28), were 96.43%, 53.57% and 35.71% respectively, and of brand milk specimens (n=7), were 42.86 %, 28.57% and 0%, respectively. This suggests that cautionary measures should be taken for quality milk production and consumption. The antibiotic sensitivity test was done by disc diffusion method and the average inhibition zones, in case of Staphylococcus aureus, were 32 mm for oxytetracycline, 26 mm for amoxicillin, 35 mm for ciprofloxacin, 27 mm for cefotaxime, 30 mm for ceftriaxone, 30 mm for azithromycin, and 26 mm for erythromycin; in case of Escherichia coli, were 5 mm for oxytetracycline, 9 mm for amoxicillin, 22 mm for ciprofloxacin, 30 mm for cefotaxime, 31 mm for ceftriaxone, 15 mm for azithromycin, and 0 mm for erythromycin; in case of Salmonella typhi., were 25 mm for oxytetracycline, 24 mm for amoxicillin, 38 mm for ciprofloxacin, 31 mm for cefotaxime, 34 mm for ceftriaxone, 24 mm for azithromycin, and 0 mm for erythromycin. Therefore, ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone may be the antibiotics of first choice, and cefotaxime and azithromycin may be the second choice among the test antibiotics for the treatment of illness caused by these bacteria.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. December 2015, 1(3): 457-462

Assessment of nutritional composition and heavy metal content in some edible mushroom varieties collected from different areas of Bangladesh

Four edible mushroom species (Pleurotus ostreatus, Agaricus bisporus, Volvariella volvacea, Ganoderma lucidum) from different locations of Bangladesh, were analysed for their protein and metal content profile (K, Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cr, Pb, As and Cd). Trace metals were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer, Na and K by flame emission spectrophotometer and protein by micro Kjeldhal method. All element concentrations were determined on a dry weight basis. The protein content of mushrooms varied from 13.8%–34.3% and the metal content of samples ranged from 0.54–2.25% for K and 12.6–81.6, 69.5–626.2, 39.2–163.4, 30.1–75.5, 52.9–104.5, 0.20–0.30, 0.13–0.59 ?g g-1 for Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cd, Pb, respectively. Arsenic and cadmium concentrations were below the detection limit of the method used. The detection limits of the method for As and Cd are 0.01 ?g g-1 for each element. In general, K and Fe content were higher than other metals in all mushroom species. The levels of Cu and Zn in some mushroom samples were found to be higher than legal limits.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. December 2015, 1(3): 495-501

Rabbit production under intensive system in rural condition

A total 20 (sixteen female and four male) growing rabbits aged 120 days have been distributed at each farmer’s level in 5 location of Bangladesh; F1 (Dhaka-Pollobi), F2 (Savar-Parbotinagor), F3 (Magura-Boralidhaho), F4 (Magura-Pannandualli), F5 (Magura-Radhanagor) to know the production response and cost effectiveness under intensive in rural condition. The rabbits were reared in their own arrangement. Age of sexual maturity, age of first kidding, percentage of does kidded, gestation period, litter size, weaning period, breeding ratio were not significantly different (P&gt;0.05) among the locations. Feed cost per month was Tk. 903, Tk. 732, Tk. 772, Tk. 1221.96 and Tk. 976 for F1, F2, F3, F4 and F5 respectively for 20 rabbits rearing. Monthly consumption of rabbit meat per family was 4.5kg, 3kg, 2.4 kg, 6.0 kg, in F1, F2, F3, and F5 respectively. Kid mortality (0-10 days) was significantly different (P&lt;0.01) among the locations and this value was recorded 8.47%, 11.11%,12.00%, 8.82% and 13.11% in F1, F2, F3, F4 and F5 respectively. Farmer earned some money by selling their rabbit which was Tk 10200, Tk7600, Tk8400, Tk12400 and Tk7200 /batch and can earn profit around the 49,564; 39,316; 38,536; 62,336 and 35,688 Tk/year in rearing (7batchs/year) 20 rabbit at in F1, F2, F3, F4 and F5, respectively. Rabbit production could be an important micro-livestock component to produce for meeting up extra demand of the country.Bangladesh J. of Livestock Res. 19(1-2): 107-111, Jan-Dec 2012

Effect of different transplanting dates on the yield and yield components of Binadhan-14 (Oryza sativaL.) under climatic conditions in Bangladesh

Binadhan-14 (Oryza sativa L.) is a late transplanting rice variety with high yield potential, developed for boro season by BINA in 2013. Effects of different transplanting dates to yield of Binadhan-14 were assessed at three locations in Bangladesh during boro season in 2014–15. BRRI dhan 28 was used as a check variety. At each location, one month old seedlings were transplanted at five different dates with 15-day intervals between February 1 and April 1, 2015. A randomized complete block design with three replications was used to lay out plots in the experiment. Transplanting dates significantly influenced grain yield and yield contributing parameters, such as plant height, panicles per hill, panicle length and filled grains per panicle, except for 1000-grain weight. The highest grain yields were obtained when the rice was transplanted on February 1 and 15, 2015. The highest yield of Binadhan-14 was obtained at Rangpur (6.75 t/ha), followed by Mymensingh (6.25 t/ha) and Magura (5.90 t/ha). Results of this study suggest that February 1 to 15 would be the best time to transplant Binadhan-14 as a late transplanting boro variety under the climatic conditions in Bangladesh.

Comparative Analysis of Wind Power Energy Potential at Two Coastal Locations in Bangladesh

In this study, wind conditions and its energy potential have been assessed by conducting a Weibull analysis of the wind speed data (over the period of 2002-2011) measured from a port city (Mongla) and an isolated island (Sandwip) in Bangladesh. The monthly mean wind speed at Mongla ranged from 1.60 m/s (December) to 2.47 m/s (April). The monthly values of Weibull shape parameter (k) were from 1.27 to 2.53. In addition, the values of the scale parameter (c) and the monthly wind power density ranged from 1.76 to 2.79 m/s and 3.95 to 17.45 W/ m, respectively. The seasonal mean wind speed data varied from 1.72 (fall) to 2.29 m/s (spring) with the wind power density from 5.33 (fall) to 14.26 W/ m (spring). In the case of Sandwip, the results were comparable to those of Mongla, but moderate reductions in all the comparable variables were observed. The wind data results of these two areas have been compared with those of eight other locations in the world with respect to wind power generation scale. According to this comparison, the wind power generation scale for Mongla and Sandwip was adequate for stand-alone small/micro-scale applications such as local household consumption, solar-wind hybrid irrigation pumps, and battery charging.

Reactive transport modeling of subsurface arsenic removal systems in rural Bangladesh

Subsurface Arsenic Removal (SAR) is a technique for in-situ removal of arsenic from groundwater. Extracted groundwater is aerated and re-injected into an anoxic aquifer, where the oxygen in the injected water reacts with ferrous iron in the aquifer to form hydrous ferric oxide (HFO). Subsequent extraction of groundwater contains temporarily lower As concentrations, because As sorbs onto the HFO. Injection, storage, and extraction together is called a cycle. A reactive transport model (RTM) was developed in PHREEQC to determine the hydrogeochemical processes responsible for As (im)mobilization during experimental SAR operation performed in Bangladesh. Oxidation of Fe(II) and As(III) were modeled using kinetic-rate expressions. Cation exchange, precipitation of HFO, and surface complexation, were modeled as equilibrium processes. A best set of surface complexation reactions and corresponding equilibrium constants was adopted from previous studies to simulate all 20cycles of a SAR experiment. The model gives a reasonable match with observed concentrations of different elements in the extracted water (e.g., the r2 value of As was 0.59 or higher). As concentrations in the extracted water are governed by four major processes. First, As concentration decreases in response to the elevated pH of injection water and likewise increases when native neutral pH groundwater flows in. Second, the sorption capacity for As increases due to the gradual buildup of HFO. Third, As sorption is enhanced by preferential removal of As(V). Fourth, competitive sorption of Si limits the capacity of freshly precipitated HFO for As sorption. Transferability of the developed reactive transport model was demonstrated through successful application of the model, without further calibration, to two additional SAR sites in Bangladesh. This gives confidence that the model could be useful to assess potential SAR performance at locations in Bangladesh based on local hydrogeochemical conditions.

Optimization and Generation of Electrical Energy using Wind Flow in Rural Area of Bangladesh

In this study, wind data of different location of Bangladesh has been analyzed collected from Local Government Engineering Department (LGED). From some analyses, Kuakata sea region has been selected as proper location for establishing wind power system. Through proper investigation it has been tried to find out the way for developing sustainable wind energy system which is to be developed in the coastal area of Bangladesh. Besides it has been analyzed different turbines and found which is better for a particular location. It has been observed that to provide a sustainable wind energy system, a minimum wind velocity of 4 m/sec is needed for specific turbine. Diesel generator has been used to supply deficiency of wind system during lower wind flow. Besides, converter and battery have been set up to store excess power. All of the theoretical endeavours have been observed through simulation. World renowned software named ‘Homer’ has been used for simulation. Using this software sensitivity analysis and optimization have been accomplished. Through all these efforts it has been tried to propose how to set up optimum wind power system.