Threats faced by brown rot of potato in Bangladesh

Potato is the most important root crop in Bangladesh. The field production is very much lower compared to other developed countries. Pests and diseases hampered the production due to the prevailing climatic condition, which favors the development in Bangladesh of specific diseases. Among them Brown rot (Ralstonia solanacearum) is the most alarming disease at present and previous time. The major areas of Bangladesh have faced many hampers on this disease. The potato growers and businessmen of Bangladesh are facing much problems on this disease especially in case of export to other countries as Russia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Maldives, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia and Nigeria. But during last year Russian Government banned import potatoes from Bangladesh. So, from these perspectives, this concept paper was studied to evaluate the most appropriate status of this disease caused by organisms and its best control strategies to impart better production thinking for Bangladeshi potato growers, exporters and other related personnels

Organoleptic and grain quality traits of aromatic rice varieties as influenced by supplementation of Zn and 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline

Aromatic rice fetches premium prices in world markets due to its pleasant smell and enchanting flavor. In Bangladesh, the quality of aromatic rice is much inferior than those of other rice growing countries because of lack of improved variety and judicious agronomic management. Selection of appropriate variety and supplementation zinc (Zn) and 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) can improve the aroma. The present study exhibited the effects of 2-AP and Zn supplementation on yield and quality of aromatic rice. Two well-known aromatic cultivars, BRRI dhan80 and BRRI dhan34, were cultured separately in pot supplemented with 2-AP and Zn. The results showed that supplementation of 2-AP and /or Zn along with conventional practices had significant effects on organoleptic and some quality parameters studied in this study. The concentration of 2AP and Zn in rice grain increased with increasing their application rate. Additionally, grain 2-AP concentrations were significantly and positively correlated with organoleptic characters. Interactions of both these elements with the complex process of 2-AP formation remain to be explored

Growth, Yield and Proximate Composition of Aromatic Rice as Influenced by Inorganic and Organic Fertilizer Management

Integrated use of organic and inorganic fertilizers can improve crop productivity and sustain soil health and fertility. To gain insights into the response of green manure and chemical fertilizer, the present study was conducted to evaluate the growth, yield and proximate composition of aromatic rice varieties in Aman season at the research farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period from July to December 2014. The experiment was set up in split-plot design with three aromatic rice varieties in main plots and six fertilizer levels in subplots. ‘Raniselute’ variety produced the highest plant height, dry matter weight hill-1, straw yield (7.81 t ha-1), biological yield (9.05 t ha-1), ash (1.59%), and fat content (2.81%). ‘BRRI dhan34’ gave the maximum number of effective tillers hill-1 (12.74), panicle length (27.93 cm), number of filled grains panicle-1 (192.5), 1,000-grain weight (17.22 g), grain yield (2.26 t ha-1), harvest index (29.99%), and carbohydrate content (77.63%). Application of 80% recommended doses of NPKSZn + green manure 3.5 t ha-1 showed better performance for getting the maximum growth, yield components and yield compared to other treatments. Recommended doses of NPKSZn showed the highest carbohydrate content (77.63%) and lowest moisture (8.75%) and ash content (1.29%). The maximum fat content (3.07%) and minimum carbohydrate content (76.53%) was obtained from 60% recommended doses of NPKSZn + green manure 7 t ha-1. Application of 20 and 40% recommended doses of NPKSZn + green manure 14 and 10.5 t ha-1 produced the highest moisture content (10.43%) and lowest protein content (8.26%) in rice grain. Green manure 17.5 t ha-1 produced the highest ash (1.79%), protein content (9.06%) and lowest fat content (2.51%)

Effect of Plant Growth Regulators and Their Time of Application on Yield Attributes and Quality of Soybean

Plant growth regulators play important roles in plant growth and development, but little is known about the roles of plant growth regulators in yield components and seed qualities of soybean. In this study, salicylic acid, gibberellic acid (GA3), kinetin and distilled water (control) were sprayed to soybean (BARI Soybean-6) at the vegetative stage, flower initiation stage, pod initiation stage, flower + pod initiation stage in the pot experiment under field condition during November, 2013 to March, 2014. Treatments were arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five replications. The different plant growth regulators and their time of application showed significant effect on number of pods plant-1, pod length, number of seeds pod-1, 100-seed weight, stover yield, biological yield, harvest index, seed grading (% by weight), protein and moisture content in seed of soybean. Salicylic acid gave the highest number of seeds pod-1, harvest index, small size seed, protein and moisture content in seed (1.60, 39.06%, 19.47%, 44.56% and 12.91%, respectively). Kinetin spray produced the maximum 100-seed weight (11.58 g). Application of growth regulators at vegetative stage produced the highest stover yield (6.46 g plant-1), flower initiation stage gave the larger size seed (59.09%), pod initiation stage showed the maximum pod length (2.43 cm), highest moisture content in seed (13.50%) and spray at flower + pod initiation stage produced the maximum 100-seed weight (12.00 g), harvest index (43.42%), medium size seed (32.53%), protein content in seed (44.31%). Among the treatment combinations the application of salicylic acid at flower and pod initiation stage showed the highest yield attributes and maximum protein content compared to those of other growth regulators. &nbsp

Yield reduction and arsenic accumulation in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) in an arsenic contaminated soil

The different levels of arsenic (As) had a significant effect on the yield, yield reduction and As accumulation of different potato varieties. The yield was negatively affected by the As contamination and decreased with the increasing As levels in the soil, but remained statistically similar up to 25 mg kg-1 soil of As and thereafter drastically decreased with the increasing As levels. The yield reduction (%) and accumulation of As in the tuber peels and flesh increased with the increasing As levels. Among the fourteen potato varieties, 'Felsina' had the maximum yield and showed the lowest percentage of yield reduction; 'Jam alu' and 'Cardinal' accumulated the least amount of As in their peels and flesh, respectively. Among the treatment combinations, 'Felsina' cultivated in an As-free soil had the highest yield/plant (454.8 g fresh weight). 'Laura' grown in 25 mg kg-1 soil of As showed the lowest yield reduction (%). Although 'Jam alu' and 'Cardinal' produced a slightly lower yield compared to some other varieties, these two varieties accumulated the least amount of As, both in the peels and flesh, when grown in 25 mg kg-1 soil of As

BIO-CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF DIFFERENT POTATO VARIETIES FOR PROCESSING INDUSTRY IN BANGLADESH

A total of forty potato varieties grown in Bangladesh were evaluated for bio-chemical differences in their composition. The dry matter, starch, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar and total sugar contents of different potato varieties studied in this experiment were  ranged from 13.56 to 24.60%,  6.80 to 18.93%, 0.02 to 0.61%, 0.09 to 0.53% and 0.27 to 0.78%, respectively. The highest protein content was found in ‘Ailsa’ (3.87%) followed by ‘Caruso’ (3.77%) with no significant difference whereas minimum value was observed in varieties ‘Espirit’ (0.79%) which was statistically at par with ‘Saikat’ (0.81%), ‘Sagitta’ (0.85%), ‘Biella’ (0.85%) and ‘Jam Alu’ (0.87%). ‘Tomensa’ and ‘Sagitta’ recorded the highest ash content (1.53%) and ‘Connect’ showed the least ash content (0.76%) followed by ‘Saikat’ (0.82%). Among the varieties, ‘Lady Rosetta’, ‘Ailsa’, ‘Caruso’, ‘Forza’, ‘Amanda’, ‘Ludmila’, and ‘Tomensa’, had dry matter and starch content more than 20% and 17%, respectively and reducing sugar content less than 0.20%. Seven potato varieties out of forty performed best in respect of their different bio-chemical properties and hence recommended for processing industry in Bangladesh

Effect of Vermicompost and Tuber Size on Processing Quality of Potato during Ambient Storage Condition

Aims: The experiment was conducted to assess the effect of vermicompost and tuber size on processing quality of potato during ambient storage condition. Study Design: Experiment was conducted in a split-plot design, where vermicompost levels were assigned to main plots and tuber size to subplots. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted at the agronomy research field of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, during the period from November 1, 2014 to April 30, 2015 and November 1, 2015 to April 30, 2016 in Rabi season. Methodology: The experiment was consisted of two factors, i.e., factor A:- Vermicompost level (Vm-4): Vm1: 0 t ha-1 (Control), Vm2: 3 t ha-1, Vm3: 6 t ha-1 and Vm4: 9 t ha-1; factor B:- Tuber size (T-5): T1: 5-10 g, T2: 10-20 g, T3: 20-30 g, T4: 30-40 g and T5: >40 g. After harvesting, the potato was collected and stored at ambient condition for laboratory analysis. Results: The research showed that vermicompost had a significant effect on most of the storage parameters. Results also showed that storage quality parameters increased with increasing vermicompost level irrespective of tuber size. Among the twenty (20) treatment combinations, vermicompost at the rate of 9 t ha-1 with tuber size >40 g showed the highest firmness (44.349 N), specific gravity (1.084 g cm-3), dry matter (22.77%), flesh color (L*- 75.60; a*- 11.76; b*- 24.96). In respect of ambient storage condition; weight loss increased with increasing storage time, while firmness, specific gravity, dry matter, flesh color decreased with increasing storage time. Quality parameters slowly decreased with increasing storage time up to 40 days after storage (DAS) and thereafter sharply decreased and finally became non-suitable both for table and processing purpose. Conclusion: Therefore, the experiment showed that potato growers may use a higher dose of vermicompost for improving processing quality of potato and can store potato up to 40 DAS at ambient condition