Asian Journal of Agricultural and Horticultural Research

Growth and Yield Performance of Basmati Rice Varieties under Integrated Nutrient Management in T. aman Season

2026-09-18T12:12:29+00:00

Basmati rice is valued for its distinctive aroma and quality, but its performance under different nutrient management practices needs to be evaluated under Bangladesh conditions. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the varietal performance of basmati rice varieties in T. aman season, to evaluate the yield performance of two basmati rice varieties under an integrated nutrient management system in T. aman season and to assess the combined effect of variety and integrated nutrient management on the yield performance of basmati rice varieties in T. aman rice. A field experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, from July to December 2024 to assess growth and yield performance of basmati rice varieties under integrated nutrient management in T. aman season. The experiment included Basmati rice (Pakistani, long-grain) (V₁) and Kasturi basmati rice (Indian) (V₂), combined with eight nutrient management practices, and was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Variety and nutrient management significantly affected most growth and yield-related traits. Kasturi basmati rice produced greater plant height (147.60 cm), total and effective tillers hill^-1 (10.69 and 9.33), panicle length (23.30 cm), grains panicle^-1 (91.82), 1000-grain weight (16.95 g), straw yield (5.34 t ha^-1), and biological yield (8.80 t ha^-1) than V₁, while grain yield was statistically similar between varieties. The recommended NPKS dose (N₂) produced the highest grain yield (4.08 t ha^-1), straw yield (5.76 t ha^-1), and biological yield (9.85 t ha^-1). Tricho-compost at 5 t ha^-1 (N₅) also performed well, producing 3.89 t ha^-1 grain yield. The V₂N₂ combination achieved the highest grain, straw, and biological yields of 4.23, 6.18, and 10.41 t ha^-1, respectively. Overall, Kasturi basmati rice with the recommended NPKS dose showed the best yield performance and appears suitable for T. aman cultivation in Bangladesh.

Effects of Mulching Types and Nitrogen Rates on the Performance of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) in Igboora

2026-09-18T12:21:29+00:00

Garlic is an important vegetable and medicinal crop, but its yield in Nigeria is low due to poor soil moisture, high weed pressure, and improper nutrient management. In Igboora, Oyo State, farmers often cultivate garlic without appropriate cultural practices such as nitrogen fertiliser application and mulching, which reduces nutrient-use efficiency, bulb yield and quality. This study therefore assessed the influence of mulching materials and nitrogen rates on the growth and bulb yield of garlic under field and screenhouse pot conditions. The experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora. The treatments involved four mulching materials: black polythene, dry grass, sawdust, and no mulch, and five nitrogen fertiliser rates: 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 kg N ha⁻¹. A 4 × 5 factorial experiment was laid out in a completely randomised design for the screenhouse pot experiment and a randomised complete block design for the field trial; each was replicated three times. Data were collected on plant height, number of leaves, bulb yield, bulb diameter, and bulb length. Data were analysed using analysis of variance, and means were separated at the 5% probability level using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test. Results showed that mulching and nitrogen fertiliser rates significantly influenced garlic performance. Black polythene and dry grass mulches outperformed sawdust and no mulch in terms of higher growth parameters, bulb yield and nutritional quality. Bulb yield increased as the nitrogen rate increased from 0 to 150 kg N ha⁻¹, but declined at 200 kg N ha⁻¹. Black polythene and dry grass produced optimal bulb yield with N application at 150 kg N ha⁻¹. In conclusion, mulching and nitrogen application rates significantly influenced plant height, number of leaves and bulb yield. Black polythene and dry grass mulches combined with 100–150 kg N ha⁻¹ gave the highest garlic performance and can therefore be recommended for garlic production in this agro-ecological zone.

Nanoemulsion of Calotropis gigantea L. Extract: A Prospective Nanopesticide against Spodoptera frugiperda (Fall Armyworm)

2026-09-24T13:29:27+00:00

Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm, FAW) is an invasive pest associated with substantial losses in maize production in Indonesia, while effective and environmentally compatible control options remain limited. This study formulated a nanoemulsion of Calotropis gigantea leaf extract (NEC) and evaluated its lethal, sublethal, and antifeedant effects against third-instar FAW larvae. NEC was prepared by homogenisation, ultrasonication, and centrifugation. Six concentrations (0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6, 3.2, and 6.4%) were evaluated using leaf-dip and no-choice methods. Larval mortality, feeding inhibition, pupation, adult emergence, and particle size were assessed. Larval mortality was recorded 96 h after application, while feeding inhibition was assessed at 24 and 48 h. NEC showed concentration-dependent insecticidal activity, with an LC₅₀ of 1.79% and an LC₉₀ of 5.92%. At 6.4%, NEC caused 90% larval mortality, while pupation and adult emergence were reduced to 10% and 3.75%, respectively. Feeding inhibition also increased with concentration and observation time, reaching 50.02% at 48 h at the highest concentration. Particle-size analysis showed an average particle size of 266.1 nm and a polydispersity index of 1.22, indicating a relatively broad size distribution. These findings show that NEC has insecticidal and antifeedant activity against FAW under laboratory conditions. Further formulation optimisation, stability assessment, non-target testing, and field validation are required before practical application.

Adoption of Salt-Tolerant Rice Varieties among Coastal Farmers in Bagerhat, Bangladesh: Determinants, Constraints, and Decision-Making Factors

2026-10-23T04:59:35+00:00

Soil and water salinity increasingly shape rice-production decisions in coastal Bangladesh, yet the availability of salt-tolerant (ST) rice does not automatically translate into farm-level adoption. This study examines the extent and spatial pattern of ST-rice adoption, varietal choice, decision-making factors, and production constraints among 250 rice farmers surveyed across the nine upazilas of Bagerhat District from December 2025 to February 2026. Farmers were selected through a population-proportionate random-sampling procedure, and responses were recorded digitally using KoboToolbox. Adoption was defined as cultivation of at least one recognised ST rice variety during the reference production period. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Welch's t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and binary logistic regression were used to compare adopters and non-adopters and identify factors associated with adoption. Overall, 39.6% of respondents were adopters. Adoption was highest in Mongla (53.3%) and Rampal (51.4%) and lowest in Chitalmari (20.0%). Among adopters, BRRI dhan97 (28.3%), BRRI dhan99 (23.2%), and Binadhan-10 (21.2%) accounted for 72.7% of primary ST varietal choices; 83.8% of adopters used ST rice in the Boro season. Mean adoption intensity was 65.0% of rice land. Adopters reported greater education, extension contact, ST-rice knowledge, quality-seed access, perceived yield advantage, profitability, farm compatibility, and trust, while non-adopters reported a substantially larger knowledge gap. In the adjusted logit model, perceived salinity severity (OR = 1.73, p < 0.001) and ST-rice knowledge (OR = 1.63, p < 0.001) were the strongest independent correlates of adoption; quality-seed access was positive at the 10% level. Labour requirement, saline intrusion, market-price uncertainty, and input cost ranked as the most severe overall constraints. The findings indicate that ST-rice adoption in Bagerhat is jointly shaped by salinity pressure and farmers' capacity to recognise, access, and manage suitable varieties, supporting integrated interventions that combine seed access, extension, demonstration-based learning, water management, and market-risk reduction.

The Foliage Business in Ornamental Horticulture: Markets, Value Chains, Sustainability and Future Opportunities

2026-10-22T13:41:50+00:00

The foliage business occupies a distinctive but incompletely measured position within ornamental horticulture. It spans living indoor foliage plants, cut foliage and florist greens, propagation material, and the specialised services that connect breeding, production, logistics, wholesale, retail and final use. This critical narrative review integrates evidence from horticultural economics, consumer research, supply-chain management, postharvest science, environmental assessment, labour studies and plant-health scholarship to evaluate how foliage value is created, lost and redistributed. The literature indicates that foliage markets are shaped by high product differentiation, aesthetic and functional attributes, price sensitivity, rapid shifts in consumer preferences and strong dependence on channel configuration. Yet the evidence base is geographically concentrated and often extrapolated from the wider ornamental sector. Value-chain studies identify perishability, demand uncertainty, long biological lead times, fragmented information and variable quality as recurrent constraints, while postharvest research shows that storage, packaging and physiological management can materially extend marketable life for cut foliage. Sustainability is similarly multidimensional: peat and growing media, energy, water, pesticides, packaging, transport, labour conditions, invasive-species pathways and pathogen movement create trade-offs that cannot be reduced to a single “green” attribute. Consumer studies suggest that some buyers value local origin, reduced pesticide use and environmental labels, but willingness to pay is heterogeneous and depends on trust, product type and how claims are communicated. The most credible future opportunities therefore lie not in undifferentiated market expansion but in coordinated value-chain upgrading: functional and traceable growing media, integrated pest management, biosecurity-by-design, quality-sensing logistics, data-supported planning, diversified native and climate-resilient foliage portfolios, credible eco-labelling and direct-to-consumer models that preserve quality while improving information flow. Research priorities include foliage-specific trade statistics, longitudinal consumer studies, product-level life-cycle assessment, social-sustainability measurement and interoperable traceability systems.