Organic Amendments Boost Soil Fertility and Rice Productivity and Reduce Methane Emissions from Paddy Fields under Sub-Tropical Conditions

Deteriorating soil fertility and gradually decreasing rice productivity along with higher greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields have emerged as serious threats to the sustainability of rice production and food security. Rice production in the subtropical environment in Bangladesh is mostly dependent on synthetic inorganic fertilizer to maintain productivity; however, the inorganic fertilizer has negative effects on global warming. Climate-smart and resilient agricultural production systems are major concerns nowadays to meet sustainable development goals. The study was conducted to evaluate the optimum rate and source of organic amendments on rice productivity and soil fertility along with CH4 emission. A total of nine nutrient combinations were used in the study. The CH4 emission, soil redox potential (Eh), soil pH, soil nitrogen and organic carbon, available phosphorus, rice grain and straw were greatly affected by the application of different rates and sources of the nutrient. However, the soil exchangeable K content, plant height, and harvest index were not affected. Among the treatments, the application of 75% recommended fertilizer (RF) + biosolid 2 t ha−1 (T3) was the most effective and showed the superior performance in terms of available P (12.90 ppm), the number of grains panicle−1 (121), and 1000-grain weight (24.6g), rice grain, and straw yield along with the moderate CH4 emission (18.25 mg m−2h−1). On the other hand, the lowest soil Eh (−158 mV) and soil pH (6.65) were measured from the treatment T3. The finding of this study revealed that the application of 75% of RF + biosolid 2 t ha−1 can be recommended as the preferable soil amendment for boosting rice yield, reduce CH4 emissions, and sustainably maintain soil fertility. Furthermore, this finding may help to introduce preferable soil amendment doses, which will contribute to boosting rice productivity and economic turnouts of the farmers.</jats:p

Organic Amendments Boost Soil Fertility and Rice Productivity and Reduce Methane Emissions from Paddy Fields under Sub-Tropical Conditions

Deteriorating soil fertility and gradually decreasing rice productivity along with higher greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields have emerged as serious threats to the sustainability of rice production and food security. Rice production in the subtropical environment in Bangladesh is mostly dependent on synthetic inorganic fertilizer to maintain productivity; however, the inorganic fertilizer has negative effects on global warming. Climate-smart and resilient agricultural production systems are major concerns nowadays to meet sustainable development goals. The study was conducted to evaluate the optimum rate and source of organic amendments on rice productivity and soil fertility along with CH4 emission. A total of nine nutrient combinations were used in the study. The CH4 emission, soil redox potential (Eh), soil pH, soil nitrogen and organic carbon, available phosphorus, rice grain and straw were greatly affected by the application of different rates and sources of the nutrient. However, the soil exchangeable K content, plant height, and harvest index were not affected. Among the treatments, the application of 75% recommended fertilizer (RF) + biosolid 2 t ha−1 (T3) was the most effective and showed the superior performance in terms of available P (12.90 ppm), the number of grains panicle−1 (121), and 1000-grain weight (24.6g), rice grain, and straw yield along with the moderate CH4 emission (18.25 mg m−2h−1). On the other hand, the lowest soil Eh (−158 mV) and soil pH (6.65) were measured from the treatment T3. The finding of this study revealed that the application of 75% of RF + biosolid 2 t ha−1 can be recommended as the preferable soil amendment for boosting rice yield, reduce CH4 emissions, and sustainably maintain soil fertility. Furthermore, this finding may help to introduce preferable soil amendment doses, which will contribute to boosting rice productivity and economic turnouts of the farmers

Physiological and Yield Contributing Characters Depicting A High Yield Potential Triticale Line (x Triticosecale Wittm.)

&lt;p&gt;Triticale is used as a dual-purposes. In Bangladesh, dairy and poultry farms are being extended faster day by day. Therefore, the demand of fodder and feed increases swiftly. Moreover, triticale tolerates biotic and abiotic stressors better than wheat and durum. The trials were conducted in two consecutive years to search out a high yielding triticale line whereas two varieties were used as check viz. BARI Triticale 1 (E1) and BARI Triticale 2 (E2) and four lines (expressed as E3, E4, E5, and E6). In the research areas, temperature, rainfall and relative humidity were higher in 2018-19 than in 2019-20, but rainfall was lower. As a result, days to heading (DH), days to maturity (DM), fertile spikes per meter square (FSPMS), and grain yield (GY) were more in 2019-20 than in 2018-19. In 2018-19, thousand grain weight (TGW) correlated negatively with DH, DM, and FSPMS. In 2019-20, a positive association was established between FSPMS and GY. Furthermore, E5 and E6 lines had lower plant height (PH), but higher FSPMS and TGW than the control in both seasons. In addition, E5 and E6 yielded more GY than check and other lines. These findings suggested that E5 and E6 lines may be released as high yielding triticale variety (ies) to boost triticale production in Bangladesh.&lt;/p&gt

Cohort profile: the BangladEsh Longitudinal Investigation of Emerging Vascular and nonvascular Events (BELIEVE) cohort study

Purpose Bangladesh has experienced a rapid epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in recent decades. There is, however, limited evidence about multidimensional determinants of NCDs in this population. The BangladEsh Longitudinal Investigation of Emerging Vascular and nonvascular Events (BELIEVE) study is a household-based prospective cohort study established to investigate biological, behavioural, environmental and broader determinants of NCDs.Participants Between January 2016 and March 2020, 73 883 participants (aged 11 years or older) were recruited from 30 817 households across urban, urban-poor (‘slum’) and rural settings in Bangladesh. A structured questionnaire was administered by trained personnel recording participants’ demographic, socioeconomic, behavioural, medical, environmental and other factors. Anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were recorded for each participant. Biological specimens were collected and aliquoted for long-term storage and analysis.Findings to date Of the 73 883 study participants (mean [SD] baseline age: 39 [15] years), 43 470 (59%) were females, and 38 848 (52%) had no or only primary-level education. Focusing only on the 65 822 adult participants aged 20–79 years at baseline, 15 411 (23%) reported being diagnosed with hypertension; 10 578 (16%) with type 2 diabetes and 7624 (12%) with hypercholesterolaemia. Age and sex-standardised prevalences of these conditions were much higher in urban than slum and rural settings. Overall, the mean (SD) body mass index (BMI) was 25 (5) kg/m2, with 10 442 (16%) participants aged 20–79, classified as obese (ie, BMI≥30 kg/m2). Mean BMI was also higher in urban than slum and rural areas.Future plans The collection of information during the baseline visit was completed in 2020. Regular longitudinal follow-up is ongoing for ascertainment and adjudication of a range of fatal and non-fatal health outcomes among participants. This cohort will provide a powerful resource to investigate multidimensional determinants of incident NCDs across diverse settings in Bangladesh, helping to advance scientific discovery and public health action in an archetypal low-middle-income country with pressing public health needs