Development And Evaluation Of A Drum Seeder For Onion

To achieve optimum yield of onion by placing the seeds at a certain depth in lines, a manually operated drum seeder for onion has been designed, fabricated and tested in Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process (FMP) Engineering Division of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI). The seeder is suitable for the small farmers who have practice of direct seeding of onion under dry land cultivation. The seeder consists of a frame, a PVC drum, furrow openers, furrow closer, wheels and handle. In 2009-2010, the seeder was fabricated in FMP Engineering divisional workshop and tested in experimental plot, BARI, Gazipur. Seed rate of the seeder was 4 kg ha-1 and field capacity was 0.08 ha hr-1. Weight and price of the seeder were 5.5 kg and Tk 2500 per unit, respectively. In 2010-2011, a drug chain was added in the seeder and field performance evaluation of the seeder was repeated comparing with manual line sowing and traditional broadcasting methods in experimental plot of BARI, Gazipur. There was no significant variation between average yield of onion by using the seeder (13.26 ton ha-1) and in that of manual line sowing (12.90 ton ha-1) but there was significantly higher yield of onion by using the seeder than that in traditional (10.25 ton ha-1). But sowing time (6 h ha-1) was significantly lower for seeder use than manual line sowing (48 h ha-1) which contribute to reduce the cost of sowing for direct seeded onion. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (1): 26-28, June, 2013 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i1.1605

Performance evaluation of laser guided leveler

The study was conducted at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) farm on clay loam soil during Rabi season of 2010-2011. The treatments consisted of laser land leveling (T1) and control (non-leveled) (T2). A preliminary field survey was done using staff gage. Initially a base station was established to dispense laser ray uniformly. The laser ray erected from base station guided the sensor of the stuff gage and the leveler. Elevation data was collected from the different points of the field and made an average. The maximum gage reading were 247.0 cm and the minimum gage reading was 219.2 cm. Average gage readings of the laser leveled plot was 235.66 cm that was settled for auto adjustment. Therefore, huge amount of soils (16.46 cm high) was cut from the highest point and subsequently had to fill to the low points. Finally, an equal gage reading of 235.66 cm was observed after leveling the plot. The laser leveler (Leica MLS700) was used hitching with a TAFE tractor. The field was leveled with manual control initially and finally it was operated with auto adjustment. Two operators, 25 litter diesels and total 6 hours time were required during this leveling. Wheat was cultivated in leveled land (T1) and non-leveled land (T2). Laser leveling was insured for improvement in nutrient use efficiencies, option for precision farming, reduces weed problems, and improves uniformity of crop maturity. There was better distribution of water in leveled plot, which helped to reduce irrigation application time 1 hour. Due to uniformity of moisture content improved germination and crop establishment was found which reflected in higher plant population (239 m-2). Maximum yield (3.41 t ha-1) was obtained in T1 due to longer panicle (10.89 cm), more grain per plant (27.47) and 1000 grain weight (47.38 g) compared to yield of T2 (2.62 t ha-1). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v4i2.22655 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 4 (2): 82-86, December, 201

Medical Hydrogeology of Asian Deltas: Status of Groundwater Toxicants and Nutrients, and Implications for Human Health

Drinking water, a fluid primarily for human hydration, is also a source of mineral nutrients. Groundwater, a drinking water source for more than 70% of inhabitants living in Asian deltas, has received much attention because of its naturally occurring arsenic, but the linkage of arsenic toxicity with other water constituents has not been studied. In addition, although nutrients are generally provided by food, in under developed rural settings, where people subsist on low nutrient diets, drinking-water-nutrients may supply quantities critical to human health thereby preventing diseases. Here, we show, using augmented datasets from three Asian deltas (Bengal, Mekong, and Red River), that the chemical content of groundwater is so substantial that in some areas individuals obtain up to 50% or more of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of some nutrients (e.g., calcium, magnesium, iron) from just two litres of drinking water. We also show some indications of a spatial association of groundwater nutrients and health outcome using demographic health data from Bangladesh. We therefore suggest that an understanding of the association of non-communicable disease and poor nutrition cannot be developed, particularly in areas with high levels of dissolved solids in water sources, without considering the contribution of drinking water to nutrient and mineral supply

Impact of climate change and land use on groundwater salinization in southern Bangladesh-implications for other Asian deltas

Pervasive salinity in soil and water is affecting agricultural yield and the health of millions of delta dwellers in Asia. This is also being exacerbated by climate change through increases in sea level and tropical storm surges. One consequence of this has been a widespread introduction of salt water shrimp farming. Here, we show, using field data and modeling, how changes in climate and land use are likely to result in increased salinization of shallow groundwater in SE Asian mega-deltas. We also explore possible adaptation options. We find that possible future increase of episodic inundation events, combined with salt water shrimp farming, will cause rapid salinization of groundwater in the region making it less suitable for drinking water and irrigation. However, modified land use and water management practices can mitigate the impacts on groundwater, as well as the overlying soil, from future salinization. The study therefore provides guidance for adaptation planning to reduce future salinization in Asian deltas

Integration of aquifer geology, groundwater flow and arsenic distribution in deltaic aquifers - A unifying concept

Groundwater arsenic (As) presents a public health risk of great magnitude in densely populated Asian delta regions, most acutely in the Bengal Basin (West Bengal, India and Bangladesh). Research has focused on the sources, mobilisation, and heterogeneity of groundwater As, but a consistent explanation of As distribution from local to basin scale remains elusive. We show for the Bengal Aquifer System that the numerous, discontinuous silt‐clay layers together with surface topography impose a hierarchical pattern of groundwater flow, which constrains As penetration into the aquifer and controls its redistribution towards discharge zones, where it is re‐sequestered to solid phases. This is particularly so for the discrete periods of As release to groundwater in the shallow subsurface associated with sea level high‐stand conditions of Quaternary inter‐glacial periods. We propose a hypothesis concerning groundwater flow (Silt‐clay layers Impose Hierarchical groundwater flow patterns constraining Arsenic progression [SIHA]), which links consensus views on the As source and history of sedimentation in the basin to the variety of spatial and depth distributions of groundwater As reported in the literature. SIHA reconciles apparent inconsistencies between independent, in some cases contrasting, field observations. We infer that lithological and topographic controls on groundwater flow, inherent to SIHA, apply more generally to deltaic aquifers elsewhere. The analysis suggests that groundwater As may persist in the aquifers of Asian deltas over thousands of years, but in certain regions, particularly at deeper levels, As will not exceed low background concentrations unless groundwater flow systems are short‐circuited by excessive pumping

Design and development of a turmeric polisher

Dried turmeric rhizomes are generally polished to remove the outer dirty skins, roots and soil, and to transform them to relatively smooth, bright and yellowish rhizomes. In farm level, turmeric polishing is carried out manually following conventional methods, which are slow, tedious and labor-intensive operation. To overcome these problems, a medium-size turmeric polisher was designed and fabricated in Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process Engineering (FMPE) Division of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) during 2013–14. Length, width and height of the polisher were 1040 mm, 850 mm and 1450 mm, respectively. Weight of the turmeric polisher was 90 kg. A 0.37-kW single-phase induction-type electric motor was used as the source of power for operating the polisher. The polisher was tested in FMPE Division, Regional Spices Research Station (RSRS), Magura and Hill Agricultural Research Station (HARS), Khagrachari. The polisher took 25 minutes to polish a batch of 30 kg dried turmeric. The price of the polisher was Tk 30000. The average cost of polishing by the polisher was Tk 1.42 per kilogram turmeric against the hand beating polishing cost of Tk 5.12 per kilogram. The polisher can save 81% time and 78% cost of polishing than that of hand beating method. Payback period of the polisher is 97 hours. Therefore, the polisher can be recommended for turmeric polishing in Bangladesh as well as for other turmeric growing countries

Effects of periphyton on monoculture of Puntius gonionotus

An experiment was carried out on the effects of periphyton on monoculture of Thai sharputi, Puntius gonionotus at the Department of Fisheries Management, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during 7th August to 8th November. In treatment-1 bamboo poles were used as artificial substrate for periphyton production and in treatment-2 there was no artificial substrate (control). Each of the six ponds was stocked with 150 fingerlings of average size 6.41 cm and 3.60 g. The ponds were fertilized fortnightly with manure (cow dung) at a rate of 10 kg decimal-1, urea 60 g decimal-1 and triple super phosphate 90 g decimal-1. During the experimental period, the ranges of physico-chemical parameters viz. air temperature (31.0-35.50C), water temperature (29-320C), water depth (0.56-0.84 m), transparency (32-63 cm), dissolved oxygen (3.5-7.8 mg L-1), pH (6.8-7.9), total alkalinity (44-92 mg L-1), free CO2 (1.5-4.0 mg L-1), phosphate-phosphorus (0.31-1.07 mg L-1) and nitrate-nitrogen (1.12-2.30 mg L-1) were within the productive range and more or less similar in the ponds under treatments-1 and 2. Among the observed biological parameters, there were 35 genera of phytoplankton composed of five groups and 13 genera of zooplankton composed of four groups in the experimental ponds. Thirty three genera under the groups of Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae and Euglenophyceae formed the periphyton on bamboo poles in the experimental ponds. Net fish production of the ponds with periphyton under treatment-1 was about 1.5 times higher than those of the ponds without periphyton (treatment-2). By analysis of variance, it was found that the net fish production of Thai sharputi under treatment-1 was significantly higher than that under treatment-2 (p< 0.05). Finally, it can be concluded that periphyton is one of the preferable food item of Thai sharputi and it is also suggested that growth and production of Thai sharputi can be increased if arrangement is made for periphyton production. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 8 (2): 13-23, December, 201

Agricultural drought risk assessment of Northern New South Wales, Australia using geospatial techniques.

Droughts are recurring events in Australia and cause a severe effect on agricultural and water resources. However, the studies about agricultural drought risk mapping are very limited in Australia. Therefore, a comprehensive agricultural drought risk assessment approach that incorporates all the risk components with their influencing criteria is essential to generate detailed drought risk information for operational drought management. A comprehensive agricultural drought risk assessment approach was prepared in this work incorporating all components of risk (hazard, vulnerability, exposure, and mitigation capacity) with their relevant criteria using geospatial techniques. The prepared approach is then applied to identify the spatial pattern of agricultural drought risk for Northern New South Wales region of Australia. A total of 16 relevant criteria under each risk component were considered, and fuzzy logic aided geospatial techniques were used to prepare vulnerability, exposure, hazard, and mitigation capacity indices. These indices were then incorporated to quantify agricultural drought risk comprehensively in the study area. The outputs depicted that about 19.2% and 41.7% areas are under very-high and moderate to high risk to agricultural droughts, respectively. The efficiency of the results is successfully evaluated using a drought inventory map. The generated spatial drought risk information produced by this study can assist relevant authorities in formulating proactive agricultural drought mitigation strategies

Pharmacological investigation of selected medicinal plants of Bangladesh

Purpose: To pharmacologically investigate the methanol and petroleum ether extracts of the plant leaves of Manilkara zapota (MZME and MZPE, respectively), Abroma augusta (AAME and AAPE, respectively) and Vitex negundo (VNME and VNPE, respectively).Methods: Analgesic and anti-diarrheal activities were assessed by acetic acid-induced writhing and castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice, respectively, while CNS depressant activity was evaluated using hole-cross and open-field method by observing the decrease in exploratory behavior and spontaneous motor activity in mice, respectively.Results: All the extracts exhibited good analgesic activity at a dose of 200 mg/kg with the following rank order of activity: MZME > MZPE > VNME > VNPE > AAME > AAPE. Analgesic activity was insignificant at 100 mg/kg dose except for VNPE (67.81 % inhibition). The extracts produced significant reduction in diarrheal episodes in mice at a dose of 400 mg/kg MZPE (highest protection: 80.3 %, p < 0.05) and VNME (lowest protection: 38.6 %, p < 0.001). The extracts demonstrated CNS depressant activity in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05 compared to the standard except for AAME and AAPE which showed insignificant activity).Conclusion: The results indicate that the traditional use of the investigated plants appears to be justified; however, further studies are required to unravel the underlying mechanisms of action.Keywords: Manilkara zapota, Abroma augusta, Vitex negundo, Analgesic, Central nervous system depressant, Anti-diarrhoea