Performance of locally discovered rice cultivar (Haridhan) in Bangladesh under urea sprays technology

The research work was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from July to November 2015 to evaluate the yield performance of BRRI dhan56 and a locally discovered rice cultivar Haridhan under foliar and traditional application of urea. The experiment included six treatments of urea application technique as T1=N0 (control), T2=N65%, T3=N50%+US (15%), T4=N50%+US (20%), T5=N60%+US (15%), T6=N100% (traditional method) and two rice varieties viz. HYV rice cultivar BRRI dhan56 and locally discovered rice cultivar Haridhan. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Foliar application of urea had significant effect on yield and yield components of BRRI dhan56 and Haridhan. It has been found that the treatment N50%+US (20%) produced highest grain yield (6.14 t ha-1) which might be due to the highest number of total tillers hill-1 (15.03), effective tillers hill-1 (12.11), panicle length (26.21 cm) and grains panicle-1 (156.91) got from this treatment. From the result it can be concluded that both the varieties produced highest grain yield with 50% of the required urea applied to the soil and 20% of the required urea applied as foliar spray that can save an amount of 30% of recommended dose of urea in rice field of Banglades

Plant stem disease detection using machine learning approaches

The rapid identification of plant stem diseases is crucial for implementing timely intervention and minimizing crop loss. While previous research has primarily focused on leaf-based disease detection, this paper proposes an automated stem disease detection and classification model using digital image processing and machine learning techniques. A dataset comprising 3789 images of diseased and healthy stems, categorized into five classes (stem rot, gummy blight, blackleg, didymella, and healthy), was split into training (80%) and testing (20%) sets. Our experiments were conducted on multiple platforms, including Google Colab, Jupyter Notebook, and OpenCV, and compared the performance of four classification techniques: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), and Impact Learning. Various performance metrics, such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score, were employed to evaluate the classifiers. Our findings reveal that SVM outperformed the other classifiers, achieving an average accuracy of 87%, followed by Random Forest (79%), KNN (75%), and Impact Learning (70%). This research offers valuable insights for farmers and the agricultural industry, paving the way for future studies exploring disease detection in other plant parts using similar techniques

In vitro free radical scavenging and thrombolytic activities of Bangladeshi aquatic plant Aponogeton undulatus Roxb

This article was published in Global Journal of Pharmacology [© IDOSI Publications, 2011] and the definite version is available at: https://idosi.org/gjp/5(1)11/6.pdfInvestigation with the crude methanolic extract of Aponogeton undulatus was carried out to evaluate its possible antioxidant and thrombolysis activity. In DPPH free radical scavenging assay, the extract exhibited potent antioxidant activity with a IC50 values of 2.43±1.06 μg/ml while in ascorbic acid, the value become 50 2.14±0.11 μg/ml. In thrombolytic activity using in vitro clot lysis assay method, the crude methanolic extract was found to have significant (p<0.001) thrombolytic activity at a dose of 10 mg/ml with a miximum effect of 20.23±1.56% while the standard streptokinase showed 46.13±3.87%. The extract was also investigated for its antibacterial and toxic potentiality using agar diffusion and Brine Shrimp lethality bioassay, respectively. The highest antibacterial effect was shown against Bacillus cereus (zone of inhibition 12±0.65 mm) followed by Escherichia coli (zone of inhibition 10±0.71 mm). In this bioassay the extract showed significant toxicity to Brine Shrimp nauplii with the LC50 value of 2.24±0.98 μg/ml. The study clearly indicated that the extract 50 possesses good antioxidant and thromolytic activity along with broad spectrum antibacterial and toxic potentiality.Publishe

Antidiarrheal, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of the Musa sapientum Seed

Abstract Musa sapientum (M.sapientum) commonly known as &apos;banana&apos; is widely used in Bangladeshi folk medicine for the treatment of various ailments including diarrhea. Hence, the present study was designed to investigate antidiarrheal, antioxidant and antibacterial potential of the methanolic extract of M.sapientum seed (MMSS). The extract was studied for antidiarrheal property using castor oil and magnesium sulfate induced diarrheal model and charcoal induced gastrointestinal motility test in mice. Total phenolic and flavonoids content, total antioxidant activity, scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, as well as nitric oxide (NO) and assessment of reducing power were used to evaluate antioxidant potential of MMSS. In addition, disc diffusion methods were used for antibacterial assay using various diarrheal induced bacterial strains. At the doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight, the extract reduced the frequency and severity of diarrhea in test animals throughout the study period. At the same doses, the extracts significantly (p&lt;0.001) delayed the intestinal transit of charcoal meal in test animals as compared to the control. In DPPH and NO scavenging method, MMSS showed good antioxidant potentiality in a dose dependent manner with the IC 50 value of 12.32±0.33 μg/ml and 18.96±1.01 μg/ml, respectively with a significant (p&lt;0.001) good reducing power. The extract also displayed strong antibacterial effect against when tested against Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Altogether, these results suggest that the MMSS could be used as a potential antidiarrheal agent along with its antioxidant and antibacterial potentiality

AGRICULTURE AND BIOLOGY JOURNAL OF NORTH AMERICA Sub-acute toxicity study of a novel compound E-Octadec-7-en-5-ynoic acid from Capparis zeylanica Linn roots

ABSTRACT E-Octadec-7-en-5-ynoic acid was isolated from the chloroform extract of the roots of Capparis zeylanica Linn and its sub-acute toxicity study was carried out on Long Evan&apos;s rats. The compound was administered at a dose of 300 g/rat/day for consecutive14 days. The studies included the gross general observation such as changes of body weight, hematological profiles [total count of Red Blood Cells (RBC) and White Blood Cells (WBC), differential count of WBC, platelet count and Hemoglobin (Hb) %], biochemical parameters of blood [ Serum Glutamate Oxaloacetate Transaminase (SGOT), Serum Glutamate Pyruvate Transaminase (SGPT), Serum Alkaline Phosphatase (SALP), urea , serum bilirubin and serum creatinine] and the histopathology of the heart,liver, kidney, and lung of both control and experimental groups of rats. The body weights of the rats were slightly increased. The changes in hematological and biochemical parameters were statistically not significant. No detectable abnormalities were found in the histopathology of the heart, liver, kidney, and lung in the experimental group of rats following the same dose when compared with the control group of rats. This preliminary study suggests that the isolated compound may be used safely for clinical trial

Pesticidal and pest repellency activities of rhizomes of Drynaria quercifolia (J. Smith) against Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)

BACKGROUND: Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) is a harmful pest of stored grain and flour-based products in tropical and subtropical region. In the present study, rhizome of Drynaria quercifolia (J. Smith) was evaluated for pesticidal and pest repellency activities against T. castaneum, using surface film method and filter paper disc method, respectively. In addition, activity of the isolated compound 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid was evaluated against the pest. RESULTS: Chloroform soluble fraction of ethanol extract of rhizome of D. quercifolia showed significant pesticidal activity at doses 0.88 to 1.77 mg/cm² and significant pest repellency activity at doses 0.94 to 0.23 mg/cm². No pesticidal and pest repellency activity was found for petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanol soluble fractions of ethanol extract as well as for 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid. CONCLUSION: Considering our findings it can be concluded that chloroform soluble fraction of rhizome of D. quercifoliais useful in controlling T. castaneum of stored grain and flour-based products

Undernutrition and morbidity profile of exclusively breastfeeding children: A cross-sectional study

Background: Undernutrition is common and has been recognized as a public health problem in Bangladesh. It has devastating effects on any population as it increases morbidity children and reduces the quality of life of all affected. The study was done with the objective to assess the undernutrition and morbidity profile in children who have completed exclusive breastfeeding. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, which was carried out among children aged 6–12 completed months attending a tertiary level hospital in Bangladesh. A total of 251 children were selected through convenient sampling from January to December 2015. Nutritional assessment was done in terms of underweight, stunting, and wasting. Results: One hundred and forty-three (57.0%) were boys while 108 (43.0%) were girls. The prevalence of undernutrition (Z-score ≤−2) was observed in 11.2%, 16.3%, and 12.0% based on stunting, underweight, and wasting. Among 251 children, 16.7% were not suffering any diseases, whereas majorities (69.7%) were suffering from single disease and 13.5% were suffering from multiple diseases. Cough and fever (55.0%), pneumonia (18.3%), measles (9.9%), and diarrhea (8.3%) were the most common cause of infectious morbidity observed in children. Conclusions: The prevalence of undernutrition was high in the study population, and it continues to be a public health burden because of its major effect on morbidity and impairment of intellectual and physical development in long-term. Increasing the practice of exclusive breastfeeding, the introduction of timely complementary feeding, and standard case management of morbidities would be beneficial to combat the problem of undernutrition