Effects of mulching on growth and yield components of selected varieties of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under field condition

Wheat is facing increased high temperature during its grain filling period in Bangladesh which reduces yield drastically. Mulching may help to mitigate this problem. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from November 2015 to March 2016 to find out growth and yield performance of wheat as influenced by mulching. The experiment comprised of two factors viz., variety and mulching. The variety comprised of BARI Gom-26, BARI Gom-27 and BARI Gom-28. Mulching comprised of four different levels of treatments viz.no mulch + no irrigation (control), water hyacinth mulch + no irrigation, rice straw mulch + no irrigation and two irrigations at CRI and flowering stage. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. BARI Gom-28 showed the highest values in growth parameters (plant height, number of total tillers hill-1, LAI, chlorophyll content and total dry matter) at 30, 45 and 60 DAS. On the other hand, when mulching was compared, rice straw mulch gave higher yield compared to other treatments at 30, 45 and 60 DAS. The interaction effect of variety and mulching showed significant in relation to yield and yield components except plant height, spike length, 1000- grain weight and harvest index (%). The tallest plant (93.20 cm) was obtained from the interaction of BARI Gom-28 and rice straw mulch. The highest number of total tillers hill-1 (4.80), number of effective tillers hill-1 (4.57), spike length (10.23), number of spikelets spike-1 (21.15), 1000-grain weight (48.54 g), grain yield (5.20 t ha-1), straw yield (7.27 t ha-1), and harvest index (41.71%) were obtained from the interaction of BARI Gom-28 and rice straw mulch. The lowest grain yield was obtained from BARI Gom-26 and control (no mulch + no irrigation). It may be concluded from the results of the study that, BARI Gom-28 with rice straw mulching treatment can be used for successful cultivation of wheat

Physiological parameters and yield differ in rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars with variable water management systems

Yield reduction of rice is a severe problem due to the advent of increasing water scarcity and efficiency is relatively low. Physiological attributes and yield performance of high yielding (HYV) rice cultivars need to be assessed by minimizing water loss. Therefore, a glasshouse experiment was conducted in Bangladesh to investigate the impact of cultivars and water management on growth dynamics, biomass production, and yield and water productivity. Ten HYV boro (dry season irrigated) rice cultivars along with fivewater management systems were included in the study. The study revealed that cultivars Binadhan-10 had higher value of leaf area index (LAI), root dry weight along with moderate panicle length. Accordingly, the cultivar Binadhan-10 had a higher yield than all other cultivars because of the highest total dry matter (TDM), number of effective tillers hill-1, and number of grains panicle-1. Growth, TDM, and yield were increased with water application up to 8 DAD after which these factors declined with increasing water stress at 10 DAD. The crop grown at CS condition did not increase the yield, rather caused the wastage of irrigation water. The water productivity was the highest (0.252 t ha-1cm-1) in 10 DAD treatments, obviously due to minimum water use but highest yield was observed in 8 DAD because of optimum use of water and non stress condition. Therefore, the present study was useful in the screening of the most efficient cultivars, which could be strongly recommended to rice growers to improve crop yield and reduce the use of water

Effects of bio-slurry with chemical fertilizer on the performance of some high yielding varieties of boro rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Rice yield is greatly influenced by application of manures and fertilizer. Integrated use of organic manure and chemical fertilizer would be quite promising in providing better yield. To evaluate the effect of bio-slurry along with chemical fertilizer, a field experiment was conducted in the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. The experiment was comprised of four varieties of boro (dry season irrigated) rice viz., (i) BRRI dhan28, (ii) BRRI dhan29 (iii) Binadhan-8 (iv) Binadhan-10 and four fertilizer management viz., (i) control, (ii) recommended dose of inorganic fertilizer, (iii) bio-slurry@ 5 t ha-1 + inorganic fertilizer, (iv) farmers’ practice (average 15 farmers). The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. It is evident that variety and fertilizer management had significant effect on effective tillers hill-1, number of grains panicle-1 which ultimately influenced grain yield. The highest grain yield was (6.03 t ha-1) in Binadhan-8 followed by Binadhan-10 and BRRI dhan29. The lowest grain yield was found from BRRI dhan28. In respect of fertilizer management, grain yield was highest (5.90 t ha-1) in bio-slurry @ 5 t/ha + inorganic fertilizer. The lowest grain yield was found from control. The combined effect of variety and fertilizer application showed that highest grain yield (6.10 t ha-1) was found from Binadhan-8 with bio-slurry @ 5 t ha-1 + inorganic fertilizer and the lowest grain yield (4.68 t ha-1) was found from BRRI dhan28 with farmers’ practice. Thus, the variety Binadhan-8 with application of bio-slurry @ 5 t ha-1 + inorganic fertilizer was superior for obtaining highest yield

On-farm study on intercropping of hybrid maize with short duration vegetables

The experiment was conducted at Multi Location Testing (MLT) site, Netrakona during rabi season of 2009-10 and 2010-11 to study the feasibility of intercropping of hybrid maize with different short duration vegetables and economic returns. Three intercrop combinations of hybrid maize along with sole maize were arranged in Randomized Complete Block Design replicated six times. There were four treatments viz., T1- Sole crop of maize, T2 - Three rows of red amaranth (25 cm apart) in between two (75 cm apart) rows of Maize, T3 - Three rows of bush bean (25 cm apart) in between two (75 cm apart) rows of Maize and T4 -Three rows of garden pea (25 cm apart) in between two (75 cm apart) rows of Maize. Yield contributing characters and yield of maize did not varied significantly due to intercropping with vegetables. The grain yield of maize in intercropped combination varied from 7.30-7.43 t/ha. But the highest grain yield (7.68 t/ha) was in sole maize. Maize equivalent yields in the intercrops ranged from 10.67-14.96 t/ha. The highest maize equivalent yield (14.96 t/ha), gross return (Tk. 224400/ha), gross margin (Tk.166830/ha) and benefit cost ratio (3.90) were obtained in maize + garden pea combination. The lowest maize equivalent yield (7.68 t/ha), gross return (Tk. 115200/ha), gross margin (Tk. 64128/ha) and benefit cost ratio (2.26) were obtained from sole crop of maize

Mapping inequalities in exclusive breastfeeding in low- and middle-income countries, 2000–2018

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF)—giving infants only breast-milk for the first 6 months of life—is a component of optimal breastfeeding practices effective in preventing child morbidity and mortality. EBF practices are known to vary by population and comparable subnational estimates of prevalence and progress across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are required for planning policy and interventions. Here we present a geospatial analysis of EBF prevalence estimates from 2000 to 2018 across 94 LMICs mapped to policy-relevant administrative units (for example, districts), quantify subnational inequalities and their changes over time, and estimate probabilities of meeting the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) of ≥70% EBF prevalence by 2030. While six LMICs are projected to meet the WHO GNT of ≥70% EBF prevalence at a national scale, only three are predicted to meet the target in all their district-level units by 2030