Screening of tomato varieties for fruit tree based Agroforestry system

An experiment was conducted with four tomato varieties under a six year old orchard was accomplished at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) research farm during October 2011 to April 2012. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Four tomato varieties (BARI Tomato 2, BARI Tomato 8, BARI Tomato 14 and BARI Tomato 15) were grown under guava, mango, olive and control. Results showed that light availability in control plot (999.75 ? mol m-2s-1) was remarkably higher over fruit tree based agroforestry systems and it was 58.8, 43.9 and 31.5% of the control for guava, mango and olive based systems, respectively. The shortest tomato plant was observed in olive based system (54.91 cm), while the tallest plant was observed in mango based system (60.09 cm). The highest SPAD value and number of primary branches per plant was recorded in control plot. Fruit length, fruit girth was found lowest in olive based system. The highest yield (34.06 t ha-1) was recorded in control plot while the lowest yield (10.26 t ha-1) was recorded in olive based system. The economic performance of fruit tree based tomato production system showed that both the net return and BCR of mango and guava based system was higher over control and olive based system. The contents of organic carbon, nitrogen, available phosphorus, potassium and sulfur of before experimentation soil were slightly higher in fruit tree based agroforestry systems than the control. After experimentation, nutrient elements in soil were found increased slightly than initial soils. Fruit tree based agroforestry systems could be ranked based on the economic performance as mango> guava> control> olive based system with BARI Tomato 15, BARI Tomato 2, BARI Tomato 14 and BARI Tomato 8, respectively. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v4i2.22652 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 4 (2): 61-69, December, 201

Improvement of potato based cropping patterns by inclusion of short duration Mungbean and T. Aman rice in Monga prone areas of Rangpur

The experiment was carried out to compare the improved cropping patterns against the farmers existing potato based cropping patterns having no mungbean/brown manure crop for higher yield, economic return and income generation in agricultural field in the off period following RCBD design with three replications at farmers field at Paikan Gangachara, Rangpur district during September- October. The treatments (cropping patterns) were T1 = T. aman rice (BINA 7) - Potato - Mungbean (BARI mungbean 6) (Improved pattern), T2 = T. aman rice (BR11) - Potato - Fallow (Farmers pattern), T3 = T. aman rice (BINA 7) - Potato + Maize intercrop - Mungbean (Improved pattern) and T4 = T. aman rice (BR11) - Potato / Maize relay (Farmers pattern). The highest yield (4.16 t ha-1) was recorded in T2 (BR11) which is statistically at par with T4 (4.15 t ha-1) but higher than the other treatments. Early planting sole potato (T1) gave highest yield (26.10 t ha-1) which was significantly higher than all other treatments. Late planting sole potato (T2), intercropped early potato (T3) and relay potato (T4) showed similar yield (23.61 24.79 t ha-1). Intercropped (T3) and Relay (T4) maize did not vary significantly in the studied parameters and yields were 8.21 and 7.92 t ha-1, respectively. Mungbean after sole potato (T1) gave higher number of pods/plant (17.25), and yield (1.47 t ha-1) which is significantly higher than those of T3 (14.89 and 1.28 t ha-1, respectively). Highest gross return (GR) (Tk. 417720) and gross margin (GM) (Tk. 220220) were calculated in improved pattern T3 and the lowest of those (Tk. 289670, Tk. 146020) in farmers pattern T2 . The other improved pattern T3 was the second highest performer considering GR and GM. But BCR (2.21) was highest in T1 and second highest in T3. The results indicated that the improved patterns (T1, T3) were better than farmers pattern (T2, T4). The improved pattern (T1) gave GR Tk. 67890 and GM Tk. 51785 higher than farmers pattern (T2). Similarly, the other improved pattern (T3) showed Tk. 51870 and Tk. 37395 higher than farmers pattern (T4). The improved pattern T1 and T3 created 45 working day job for the labour for harvesting early matured rice in the Monga/ jobless period (October) while farmers pattern gives only 3 days work. The mungbean included improved cropping patterns can be suggested for increased production, economic return and Monga mitigation (work opportunity in off period) in Rangpur. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v4i2.22645 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 4 (2): 35-40, December, 201

Screening of tomato varieties for fruit tree based Agroforestry system

An experiment was conducted with four tomato varieties under a six year old orchard was accomplished at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) research farm during October 2011 to April 2012. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Four tomato varieties (BARI Tomato 2, BARI Tomato 8, BARI Tomato 14 and BARI Tomato 15) were grown under guava, mango, olive and control. Results showed that light availability in control plot (999.75 ? mol m-2s-1) was remarkably higher over fruit tree based agroforestry systems and it was 58.8, 43.9 and 31.5% of the control for guava, mango and olive based systems, respectively. The shortest tomato plant was observed in olive based system (54.91 cm), while the tallest plant was observed in mango based system (60.09 cm). The highest SPAD value and number of primary branches per plant was recorded in control plot. Fruit length, fruit girth was found lowest in olive based system. The highest yield (34.06 t ha-1) was recorded in control plot while the lowest yield (10.26 t ha-1) was recorded in olive based system. The economic performance of fruit tree based tomato production system showed that both the net return and BCR of mango and guava based system was higher over control and olive based system. The contents of organic carbon, nitrogen, available phosphorus, potassium and sulfur of before experimentation soil were slightly higher in fruit tree based agroforestry systems than the control. After experimentation, nutrient elements in soil were found increased slightly than initial soils. Fruit tree based agroforestry systems could be ranked based on the economic performance as mango> guava> control> olive based system with BARI Tomato 15, BARI Tomato 2, BARI Tomato 14 and BARI Tomato 8, respectively. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v4i2.22652 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 4 (2): 61-69, December, 201

Improvement of potato based cropping patterns by inclusion of short duration Mungbean and T. Aman rice in Monga prone areas of Rangpur

The experiment was carried out to compare the improved cropping patterns against the farmers existing potato based cropping patterns having no mungbean/brown manure crop for higher yield, economic return and income generation in agricultural field in the off period following RCBD design with three replications at farmers field at Paikan Gangachara, Rangpur district during September- October. The treatments (cropping patterns) were T1 = T. aman rice (BINA 7) - Potato - Mungbean (BARI mungbean 6) (Improved pattern), T2 = T. aman rice (BR11) - Potato - Fallow (Farmers pattern), T3 = T. aman rice (BINA 7) - Potato + Maize intercrop - Mungbean (Improved pattern) and T4 = T. aman rice (BR11) - Potato / Maize relay (Farmers pattern). The highest yield (4.16 t ha-1) was recorded in T2 (BR11) which is statistically at par with T4 (4.15 t ha-1) but higher than the other treatments. Early planting sole potato (T1) gave highest yield (26.10 t ha-1) which was significantly higher than all other treatments. Late planting sole potato (T2), intercropped early potato (T3) and relay potato (T4) showed similar yield (23.61 24.79 t ha-1). Intercropped (T3) and Relay (T4) maize did not vary significantly in the studied parameters and yields were 8.21 and 7.92 t ha-1, respectively. Mungbean after sole potato (T1) gave higher number of pods/plant (17.25), and yield (1.47 t ha-1) which is significantly higher than those of T3 (14.89 and 1.28 t ha-1, respectively). Highest gross return (GR) (Tk. 417720) and gross margin (GM) (Tk. 220220) were calculated in improved pattern T3 and the lowest of those (Tk. 289670, Tk. 146020) in farmers pattern T2 . The other improved pattern T3 was the second highest performer considering GR and GM. But BCR (2.21) was highest in T1 and second highest in T3. The results indicated that the improved patterns (T1, T3) were better than farmers pattern (T2, T4). The improved pattern (T1) gave GR Tk. 67890 and GM Tk. 51785 higher than farmers pattern (T2). Similarly, the other improved pattern (T3) showed Tk. 51870 and Tk. 37395 higher than farmers pattern (T4). The improved pattern T1 and T3 created 45 working day job for the labour for harvesting early matured rice in the Monga/ jobless period (October) while farmers pattern gives only 3 days work. The mungbean included improved cropping patterns can be suggested for increased production, economic return and Monga mitigation (work opportunity in off period) in Rangpur. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v4i2.22645 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 4 (2): 35-40, December, 201

Population evacuation: evaluating spatial distribution of flood shelters and vulnerable residential units in Dhaka with geographic information systems

The objective of this study was to evaluate the spatial distribution of flood shelters in relation to flood hazards in a resource-poor country. Flood hazard estimates were developed from multi-temporal flood-affected frequency and floodwater depth maps. It is intended that the results could support non-structural flood management. In addition, the location of vulnerable housing units was mapped and their accessibility to shelters was computed with the aid of spatial techniques using a geographic information system. A subset of the Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan zone and Dhaka megacity, covering an area of 878 km2, was used as a case study since this area is likely to experience more frequent and intense flooding in coming years as a result of rapid urbanisation and climatic change. Using three different criteria, the study identified that a total of 5537 buildings, out of 6342 candidate structures, can be used as emergency shelters during floods, and approximately 145,000 dwellings (19.3 % of total residential units) of various types were located in places that are prone to flood. Further, many (3500 of 5537) of the identified shelters were not sufficiently close to vulnerable dwellings to protect approximately 496,000 potential flood victims during an emergency. There were 26.4 % of the total residents living in vulnerable housing units. In addition, 1098 flood shelters were distributed over five catchments in the study area, although in close proximity to vulnerable residents, do not have the capacity to house the number of people who could potentially seek refuge there. This study, the first of its kind in Dhaka, can assist urban planners and emergency managers in developing an effective evacuation plan for an imminent flood disaster as the city currently lacks any disaster management plan