We conducted pot experiments to study the influences of different combinations of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), Rhizobium (R), Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) on the growth and yield of mungbean. A suitable source and dose of P and the combined effect of AM and Rhizobium on mungbean in presence of N was also studied. Dual inoculation in presence of nitrogen @ 50 kg N /ha and phosphorus @ 25 kg P2O5 /ha revealed better performance compared to dual inoculation alone in respect of nodulation, growth, yield, nutrient uptake and protein content. Mungbean inoculation with AM fungi resulted in higher P uptake by the crop.

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An experiment of six-parent half diallel analysis on rice (Oryza sativa L.) was conducted to evaluate the combining ability and heterosis for 14 yield and yield contributing characters. The analysis of variances indicating the genotypes differed for all the traits studied. The ratio of general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) variances for most of the characters revealed the predominance of additive gene action over non-additive. The Boro variety, BRRI Dhan29, revealed GCA effects for most of the important characters and BRRI Dhan36 also revealed good GCA effect for plant height, effective tiller/plant, panicle weight, number of primary branch/panicle, 1000 grain weight, grain yield/plant and harvest index. The Aus×Boro crosses, BR21 BRRI Dhan29, BR21 BRRI Dhan36, BR24 BRRI Dhan29 and BR26 BRRI Dhan29 were observed with considerable significant SCA effects and selected for grain yield/ plant and important yield contributing characters. Out of fifteen crosses, an Aus×Aus cross, BR24 BR26 expressed desirable heterosis for panicle length, panicle weight and secondary branch/panicle. Boro×Boro crosses, BRRI Dhan29 BRRI Dhan36 and BRRI Dhan28 BRRI Dhan29, were favorably heterotic for days to maturity; BRRI Dhan28 BRRI Dhan36 for panicle length, filled grain /panicle and grain yield/plant; BRRI Dhan28 BRRI Dhan29 and BRRI Dhan28 BRRI Dhan36 for panicle weight; BRRI Dhan28 BRRI Dhan36 for grain yield /plant. The combination BR21 BRRI Dhan29 showed desirable heterosis for days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, grain yield/ plant and harvest index; BR21 BRRI Dhan36 for plant height, panicle length, and grain yield/plant; BR24 BRRI Dhan29, BR26 BRRI Dhan29 and BR21 BRRI Dhan28 for days to maturity.; BR24 BRRI Dhan36 and BR26 BRRI Dhan36 for panicle length, number of filled grain/panicle and grain yield/ plant; BR26 BRRI Dhan29 for panicle weight; BR24 BRRI Dhan36 showed for thousand grain weight. For grain yield/ plant the cross BR26 BRRI Dhan36 was the best heterosis followed by BR26 BRRI Dhan29, BR21 BRRI Dhan36, BR24 BRRI Dhan36, and BR21 BRRI Dhan29. Combinations of BRRI Dhan29 and BRRI Dhan36 with other parents were showed better heterosis for overall performance.

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High yield and good quality of mango is desired by the mango manufactures for commercial cultivation. In recent time, mango cultivating area is increasing rapidly because of high gross return. However, sometimes close plantation, lack of orchard management practices and older mango trees produced small sized mango with low yield. An experiment was conducted at Regional Horticulture Research Station, Chapai Nawabganj during 15 July, 2008 to15 July 2010. Pruning is an important practice in mango plants for quality of mango production, controlling tree size and high yield of mango. Essentially, pruning should maintain a good balance between growth and fruiting. In this experiment, five different level of pruning; T₁=Light pruning (10 cm down from the apex), T₂ = Moderate pruning (20 cm down from the apex), T₃= Severe pruning (30 cm down from the apex), T₄= Very severe pruning (40 cm down from the apex) and T₅= Control (No pruning practice) were practiced. Among the treatments, T₃ (30 cm down from apex) gave the highest fruit yield and good quality mango. In this treatment, individual fruit weight, yield per plant, fruit size and fruit color were showed good result compared with consecutive three years. Considering the experimental objectives, manufactures demand of pruning (30 cm down from the apex) gave satisfactory yield and control tree size with good tree canopy.

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A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different nitrogen levels on the yield performance of three aromatic rice varieties in the transplanted aman (monsoon) season. The rice varieties including Morichshail, Kachra and Raniselute and five nitrogen levels i.e. 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 kg N/ha were formed for the treatment variables. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with two factors and three replications. During harvest, data were collected on different yield contributing characters and yield of aromatic rice, respectively. All the yield contributing characters were differed significantly due to the variety. Morichsail produced the maximum number of grains per panicle (76.35) and gave the maximum grain yield (2.69 t/ha). Different nitrogen rates also significantly affected the yield and yield attributes of aromatic rice varieties. Plant height, total tillers/hill and biological yield were increased with the nitrogen application. Panicle length, effective tillers/hill, 1000-grains weight, grain yield and harvest index were significantly increased up to 60 kg N/ha application and thereafter decreased. The combination of varieties and nitrogen rates were significantly affected to panicle length, filled grains/panicle and grain yield of aromatic rice varieties. It was observed that interaction of the variety Morichsail with 60 kg N/ha application gave the highest panicle length, filled grain/panicle and grain yield in this experiment.

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The present study was conducted at Regional Plant Genetic Resources Center, RARS, Ishurdi, Pabna, Bangladesh during rabi season of 2011-12. Multivariate analysis was carried out to assess the genetic diversity among eleven cowpea germplasm. Mahalanobis generalized distance (D2) analysis was used to group the cowpea genotypes. A total of 88.02 % variation was observed from PCA against first five eigen values while only first two values were responsible for 50.11 % variation. Considering the mean values, the germplasm were grouped into four clusters. Maximum numbers (4) genotypes were included in cluster III and a minimum number (2) genotypeswere included in both cluster II and IV. Among the clusters, the highest inter-cluster distance was obtained between the cluster IV and II (23.952) andthe lowest one was obtained between II and I (6.753). The maximum value of intercluster distance indicated that genotypes belonging to cluster IV were far diverged from those of cluster II. The first female flower initiation was earlier in BD-8344 (97 days) than the other germplasm. BD-8348 produced maximum number of pods per plant (41.20). The highest grain yield per plant (66.65g) was recorded from entry BD-8344 and the lowest grain yield per plant (28.80g) was also obtained in BD- 1604.

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Nine hyacinth bean genotypes HB001, HB002, HB003, HB004, HB005, HB006, HB007, HB008 and HB009 collected from the southwestern region of Bangladesh were investigated at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Jessore during Rabi season in 2008-09 to find out suitable line(s) for cultivation. Leaf length (12.25 cm) and leaf breadth (11.73 cm) of the genotype HB004 were bigger than that of the other genotypes. Smaller leaf size was measured in the genotypes HB003 (7.63 cm x 7.65 cm) and HB006 (7.6 cm x 7.40 cm), respectively. Flower was produced in genotype HB003 at 48 days after planting and genotype HB004 was at 79 days after planting. The longest pod (18.56 cm) was measured from the genotypes HB008 which was statistically similar to HB009 (18.12 cm). The maximum pod breadth (3.87 cm and 3.86 cm) was recorded in the genotypes HB002 and HB003, respectively and the minimum pod breadth (2.30 cm) was observed in HB009. The highest average pod weight (25 g) was measured in the genotype HB002, while the lowest pod weight (11.33 g) was observed in genotypes HB001 which was more or less similar to HB003 and HB006 (12.33 g). The highest number of pods per plant (380) was the highest in the genotype HB004 which was statistically similar to HB005 (374) and the lowest number of pods per plant (143) was in the genotype HB002. The Genotypes HB004 and HB008 produced 6 seeds per pod which was higher than the other genotypes. The highest yield (27.80 t/ha) was obtained from the genotype HB004 followed by the genotype HB005 (26.45 t/ha) and the lowest yield (10.00 t/ha) was measured in the genotype HB006.

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The experiment was conducted on coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) with application of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and sulfur (S) at the research farm of the Department of Horticulture, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh with a view to determining the suitable combination of NPKS doses to obtain satisfactory yield of coriander seed in Salna areas of Bangladesh. All the yield attributes were significantly affected by the nutrient doses. The NPKS (80+40+40+20) kg/ha with a blanket dose of 5 tons cowdung gave the maximum number of leaves/plant, primary and secondary branches/plant, umbels/plant, seeds/umbel, 1000-seed weight, seed yield/plant and harvest index and thus gave the highest seed yield/ha (1.94 t/ha). The identical seed yield/ha was obtained from the treatment of NPKS (80+60+40+20) kg/ha (1.90 t/ha). From the regression equations, it came up to be the optimum doses of NPKS as (78.25+57.17+34.25+17.06) kg/ha, respectively. The cost-return analysis of fertilizer uses indicated that the maximum gross return and gross margin were recorded in treatment of NPKS (80+40+40+20) kg/ha (Tk. 97000 and Tk. 36940/ha, respectively). This treatment also gave the highest BCR of 1.61 and the maximum marginal rate of return (MRR) (502.67%).

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Effectiveness of integrated management practices comprising installing sticky white trap, spraying botanicals and synthetic insecticides and were tested against flower thrips and pod borers of mungbean at Pulses Research Center, Ishurdi, Pabna Bangladesh during two consecutive seasons of kharif-1 2012 and 2013, respectively. Thrips and pod borer infestation in mungbean reduced significantly by spraying of botanicals and synthetic insecticides. Spraying of Imidachloprid (Imitaf 20 SL) at the concentration of 0.5 ml/l gave the best results in reducing flower infestation and thrips population. Spraying Thiamethoxam + Chlorantraneliprol (Voliam flexi 300 SC) at the concentration of 0.5 ml/l also showed the best performance in reducing pod borers infestation in the years. The highest yield and their accordingly the highest net return was obtained from Voliam flexi 300 SC however, the highest benefit was brought from Imitaf 20 SL treated plots and this might be due to the higher cost of Voliam flexi brought down the profit margin and showed lower the marginal benefit cost ratio (MBCR) in the years compared to the case of Imitaf. Installing sticky white trap and spraying botanicals reduced flower infestation, thrips population and also pod borer infestation but not significantly different compared to the treatment of synthetic insecticides. Therefore, considering efficacy, yield and benefit spraying of Imidachloprid (Imitaf 20 SL) at the concentration of 0.5 ml/l is the most effective and economic approach for the management of flower thrips and pod borers in Bangladesh mungbean production.

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To determine the yield stability and effects of environment on wheat grain yield through AMMI model, eight spring wheat varieties were evaluated under eight different sowing dates during rabi season over three consecutive years 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09, respectively, at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Ishurdi, Pabna using a split plot design with three replications. The AMMI analysis of variance showed highly significant (P<0.01) differences for the main and interaction effect for the trait studied, indicating differential response of genotypes across testing environments. The AMMI model supplied an adequate fit to the data as first Interaction Principal Component Axis was significant (P<0.01). The first two bilinear terms accounted for 80.31% of the G × E sum of squares. The study revealed that 29-Nov. is the most optimum time for the cultivation of spring wheat in the tested region but it can be cultivated from 15-Nov. to 6-Dec. with good average yield. The biplot shows that Prodip is considered the best variety in terms of adaptation to all environments with high mean yield as it exhibited almost negligible interaction with environments and therefore could be recommended for the general cultivation in the tested region. Although Sufi was moderately sensitive to environments, it gave vary low yield among all varieties. BAW1064 was regarded as sensitive to environmental changes with the highest mean yield and might be recommended for cultivation under the favorable environments. Rest of the varieties showed sensitivity to environments with below mean yield and therefore could be recommended for late sowing.

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