Evaluation of Growth Performance and Economic Return Analysis of Bathua (Chenopodium album) Genotypes

Bathua (Chenopodium album), a fast-growing weedy annual plant under the genus Chenopodium, is valuable for its high nutritional, medicinal and economic values as a leafy vegetable. The present study was carried out to evaluate the growth performance and economic returns of bathua genotypes in acid soil at Sylhet, Bangladesh. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Morphological and growth parameters were recorded at the final harvest. The maximum plant height, number of branches per plant, fresh weight of inflorescence and leaf length were recorded in local bathua 1(110.5 cm, 65.33, and 8.93 g, respectively). The maximum fresh weight of leaves per plant, the maximum dry weight of leaves per plant were recorded in local bathua 2 (39.92 g and 8.79 g respectively). Results revealed that the studied morphological parameters including plant height, fresh and dry weight of leaves per plant, fresh and dry weight of stem per plant, fresh and dry weight of inflorescence per plant, stem base diameter, number of leaves per plant, number of branches per plant and leaf length influences the foliage yield of bathua. The highest foliage yield (9.20 t.ha-1), total gross return (Tk.552000.ha-1), net return (Tk.367000.ha-1) and BCR (2.98) were found in local bathua 1. From the findings of the present study, local bathua 1 could achieve higher productivity and profitability in acid soils of Sylhet, Bangladesh

Catastrophic risk perceptions and the analysis of risk attitudes of Maize farming in Bangladesh

Risk perceptions and attitudes play a crucial role in agriculture. However, few researches on risk management have been conducted in developing countries. Therefore, keeping view on this knowledge gap, this research made an attempt to measure farmers' perceptions of catastrophic risks, their risk attitude and to assess the influence of farm and farm household features by using probit model, Equally Likely Certainty Equivalent approach and risk matrix. The data were collected through a stratified random sampling method where 350 maize farmers were interviewed from four different agro-ecological districts in Bangladesh. The results showed that most farmers had a risk averse attitude, and floods, heavy rains, pests, and diseases posed potential threats to maize production in the study area. Age, educational status, income, and land ownership were the key determinants for risk attitude while social and farm features play an insignificant role for the farmer's risk perceptions. The vibrant interpretations may further improve understanding of the risk management decisions and will help policymaker to better anticipate which farmer will adopt government support tool in the presence of traditional risk management tools. Also, the extension authority can improve their programs to guide the farmer in a better way to improve the risk management situation