Morphological responses of three contrasting Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) genotypes under different levels of salinity stress in the coastal region of Bangladesh

Soil salinity, a global environmental issue, inhibits plant development and production. Soybean is an economically important legume crop whose yield and quality are highly affected by excessive levels of salt in the root zone. A factorial experiment was conducted in a net house from October 2019 to January 2020 to evaluate the performance of three distinct soybean genotypes under varying levels of salinity stress. The experiment followed a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Three soybean cultivars, namely BINA Soybean 1, BINA Soybean 2, and BINA Soybean 4 were used in this experiment. The soil salinity treatments were 0 mM NaCl, 50 mM NaCl, 100 mM NaCl, 150 mM NaCl, and 200 mM NaCl. The electrical conductivity (EC) of the soil sample was 0.91dS/m. Six seeds were sown 3 cm deep in each pot. A total of 45 pots were used in this experiment. The performance of each variety was evaluated based on its germination percentage, time of germination, no. of branches/plant, no. of leaves/plant, no. of flowers/plant, plant height (cm), no. of pods/plant, pod length (cm), seeds/pod, and root length (cm). Based on the results obtained from this research trial, it can be inferred that the BINA Soybean 2 variety along with 0 mM NaCl, 50 mM NaCl, and 100 mM NaCl treatments exhibited superior performance in all parameters compared to the other varieties. This study provides clear evidence that the soybean, particularly the BINA Soybean 2 variety, holds significant promise as a crop suitable for coastal regions. Furthermore, it suggests that the cultivation of soybeans in such areas could potentially enhance agricultural productivity, particularly in the presence of mild saline conditions. Nevertheless, it exhibits limited growth potential in environments with elevated salinity levels

Administer and collect medical questionnaires with Google documents: a simple, safe, and free system

Aim: Questionnaires are an invaluable resource for clinical trials. They serve to estimate disease burden and clinical parameters associated with a particular study. However, current researchers are tackling budget constraints, loss of funding opportunities, and rise of research associated fees. We aimed at exploring alternative avenues taking advantage of the free Google docs software for questionnaire administration. This presents an opportunity to reduce costs while simultaneously increasing efficiency and data fidelity. Material and Methods: Google documents were used as a platform to create online questionnaires that were automatically hosted via a unique URL. Password protected access to the URL link and a unique study ID gave patients around the clock access from anywhere in the world. Unique study ID ensured confidentially of all self-reported data. Patient responses were secured using a “Cloud” database where the data was automatically sorted, scaled and scored by custom Excel formulas. Researchers downloaded real-time questionnaire responses in multiple formats (e.g. excel) which was then analyzed with a statistical software of choice. Results: This simple workflow provided instant questionnaire scores that eliminated the use for paper-based responses and subsequent manual entry of data. Ease of access to online questionnaires provided convenience to patients leading to better response rates and increase in data fidelity. The system also allowed for real time monitoring of patient’s progress on completing questionnaires. Online questionnaires had 100% completion rate compared to paper-based questionnaires. Conclusions: Google docs can serve as an efficient and free platform to administer questionnaires to a clinical population without sacrificing quality, security, and fidelity of data