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Tuberose flowers (Calcutta Single variety) valued as ornamentals globally, have short shelf-lives of 8 days at 4 ± 1 °C and are therefore discarded post senescence. Previous investigations from our laboratory have established that a combination treatment using GRAS preservatives [(sucrose (4%) and CaCl2 (0.02%)]-cum-gamma-irradiation (0.02 kGy) could extend its shelf-life to 24 days, when stored at 4 ± 1 °C with concomitant enhancement in the content of its bioactive principle, viz. methyl eugenol. Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extract of the tuberose flower wastes post combination treatment therefore had a higher methyl eugenol content (4.11 ± 0.05 µg/g), vis-à-vis its non-treated counterpart (2.03 ± 0.03 µg/g), and thus significantly higher antioxidant and antimicrobial potencies (MIC values of 1.83 ± 0.02 mg/ml and 1.98 ± 0.03 mg/ml against S. aureus ATCC 25923 strain and MDR strain, respectively). The microencapsulated powder of the extract (MEp) obtained by spray drying was applied for healing of epidermal wounds created on New Zealand white rabbits, post skin irritancy test (wherein no clinical sign of toxicity, redness or swelling was observed). When MEp was applied, accelerated healing occurred which commenced on day 2 and was completed by day 6 vis-à-vis that of the control powder set (without extract) which showed no signs of wound healing. Therefore, the sensorially compromised-senesced tuberose flowers, a rich source of methyl eugenol, has been successfully valorized through utilization of the same in developing a novel topical antibiotic powder against potent skin pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypertension is a major public health concern in low-and middle-income countries. A nationwide Health, Population, and Nutrition Sector Development Program in Bangladesh has been shown to be effective in resource-poor settings. This article aims to investigate whether the prevalence and determinants of adult hypertension changed from 2011 to 2018. Methods: The determinants of adult hypertension were assessed in 2011 and 2018 data of Bangladesh Demographic and Health surveys. These two surveys included both men and women over the age of 34 years and measured their blood pressure, weight, height, and other covariates. For both surveys, we estimated the age-standard prevalence of hypertension and relative, attributable and mediated risk of determinants of hypertension using hierarchical mixed-effects sequential Poisson regression models. Results: The prevalence of adult hypertension increased by 10.9% from 29.5% in 2011 to 40.4% in 2018. The nationwide awareness program on the Health, Population and Nutrition Sector changed the risks associated with hypertension determinants over the years. During 2011, Socio-economic status (SES) was a major distal determinant of adult hypertension, explaining 21% of population-attributable risk (ART). However, other factors accounted for 90% of risk, mainly by excessive body weight (51%) and awareness of hypertension (39%). In contrast, SES only explained 16% of ART risk, with 97% of the risk mediated by excessive body weight (55%) and awareness of hypertension (41%). Conclusion: The study results highlight that hypertension among older adult was significantly increased over the six-year period. Specially, the socio-economic status, awareness of hypertension and excessive body weight were the significant determinants. Being awareness of hypertension and excessive body weight changed the causal pathways of socio-economic status. The results also highlight the value of studying the effect of non-communicable disease awareness programs to enhance our comprehension of factors influencing health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Increasing antibiotic usage is a leading health threat that develops antibiotic resistance. The current practice of antibiotic use among under-five children are unavailable in Bangladesh. We aim to identify the factors of antibiotic use among under-five children with infectious diseases. Methodology: A cross-sectional multiple indicators cluster survey (MICS) was conducted in 2019 across Bangladesh. This survey of 23,099 children under the age of five was randomly selected by using a two-stage stratified sampling method. The first stage involved randomly selecting 32,200 enumeration clusters. In second stage, households where 15-45-years-old women lived were randomly selected from within each cluster. The Poisson regression models were performed to estimate the prevalence ratio (PR). Results: We found 36.7% (8447/23,099) under-five children with infectious diseases. The proportion of antibiotic use was reported as 32.6%. Antibiotic use was associated with wealth (poorest vs. rich adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) = 1.07; 95% CI: 0.94-1.22) and mother's education (pre-primary vs. higher: APR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.03-1.27). Oral and injectable antibiotics were used in cases of fever (30.5%), diarrhea (4.5%), fever with cough (47.6%). Cotrimoxazole (31.0%) and amoxicillin (29.0%) were consumed for fever with cough while cotrimoxazole (14.0%) and amoxicillin (11.0%) were consumed for fever with diarrhea. They received antibiotics from drug stores (71.9%) without prescription and private healthcare (52.1%). Conclusions: Overall, one-third of the under-five children in Bangladesh consumed antibiotics to treat infectious diseases. Multiple factors contribute to the prevalence of antibiotic use. The results highlight the need to regulate antibiotic use and prioritize national intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh reported the first three laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases on March 8, 2020 in Dhaka and Narayanganj cities. As of April 8, 2020, 218 confirmed cases across the country, they have mostly detected from Dhaka (56.4%) and Narayanganj (21%) cities where the hotspots of an outbreak of COVID-19 disease. There were 6 cases in Dhaka district excluding metropolitan areas and rest of 43 (20%) cases in the 19 other regions. Local government-enforced completely shut down the hotspots areas on April 8 2020. However, peoples from hotspots travelled openly to the other districts. We aimed to understand the risk of open movement from hotspots. We studied 40 individuals who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus later at their destination. We developed a route map and density maps using Geographic Information System (GIS). Among the studied people, the average distance was 140.1 (75.1) kilometers (Km), and the range of distance was from 20.3 to 321.7 kilometers. Among them, 42.5% traveled <100 Km, 40.0% traveled between 100 and 200 Km and 17.5% traveled above 200 Km. Case numbers were increased 13.5 times more on April 20 than the cases as of April 8, 2020. Our analysis suggests that relaxed travel restriction could play an important role to spread COVID-19 transmission domestically. To reduce further spread of COVID-19, the government should closely monitor the public health intervention to stop the casual movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term effect of mungbean inclusion in lowland rice-wheat and upland maize-wheat systems on soil carbon (C) pools, particulate organic C (POC), and C-stabilization was envisaged in organic, inorganic and without nutrient management practices. In both lowland and upland systems, mungbean inclusion increased very-labile C (Cfrac1) and labile C (Cfrac2) in surface soil (0-0.2 m). Mungbean inclusion in cereal-cereal cropping systems improved POC, being higher in lowland (107.4%). Lowland rice-based system had higher passive C-pool (11.1 Mg C ha−1) over upland maize-based system (6.6 Mg C ha−1) indicating that rice ecology facilitates the stabilization of passive C-pool, which has longer persistence in soil. Organic nutrient management (farmyard manure + full crop residue + biofertilizers) increased Cfrac1 and carbon management index (CMI) over inorganic treatment. In surface soil, higher CMI values were evident in mungbean included cropping systems in both lowland and upland conditions. Mungbean inclusion increased grain yield of cereal crops, and yield improvement followed the order of maize (23.7-31.3%) > rice (16.9-27.0%) > wheat (lowland 7.0-10.7%; upland 5.4-16.6%). Thus, the inclusion of summer mungbean in cereal-cereal cropping systems could be a long-term strategy to enrich soil organic C and to ensure sustainability of cereal-cereal cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extraction of eugenol from dried tulsi leaves powder ( Ocimum sanctum Linn.) of ‘West Bengal origin’ (Eastern India), Ram tulsi variety, was carried out using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO 2 ) extraction. The optimized parameters for highest yield of eugenol [2.96 mg (g dry tulsi leaves) −1 ] were 20 g of tulsi leaves powder (d p = 0.42 mm) extracted at 50 °C, 200 bar and 90 min extraction time at a constant flow rate of 2.5 L min −1 of gaseous CO 2 . Statistical analyses revealed that only extraction pressure showed significantly effect on the yield of eugenol. The extraction kinetics of eugenol from tulsi matrix followed first order kinetics (Higuchi model). Characterization of the packed bed of tulsi leaves was also carried out during steady and unsteady states of extraction and empirical correlations were developed among dimensionless Reynolds, Sherwood and Schmidt numbers. The correlation coefficients were found to be low owing to leaf mucilage which impeded extraction of eugenol from tulsi leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dengue, a viral infection transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes, presents a substantial global public health concern, particularly in tropical regions. In Bangladesh, where dengue prevalence is noteworthy, accurately mapping the distribution of high-risk and low-risk areas and comprehending the clustering of dengue cases throughout the year is essential for the development of effective risk-based prevention and control strategies. Our objective was to identify dengue hotspots and temporal patterns over the years across Bangladesh in the years 2019–2023 excluding year 2020. Methods: A sequential spatial analysis was employed for each year to identify high-risk areas for dengue cases. Choropleth graphs were used to visualize the geographic distribution of dengue incidence rates per million population across the areas. Monthly distribution analysis was performed to identify temporal trends over the year 2022 and 2023. Additionally, the global Moran's I test was used to assess the overall geographical pattern. Subsequently, Anselin local Moran's I test was employed to identified clustering and hotspots of dengue incidences. Results: Dengue cases in Bangladesh exhibited a significant increase from 2019 to 2023 (excluding 2020 data), with a cumulative total of 513,344 reported cases. Dhaka city initially bore substantial burden, accounting for over half (51%) of the 101,354 cases in 2019. The case fatality rate also demonstrated a steadily rise, reaching 0.5% in 2023 with 321,179 cases (a five-fold increase compare to 2022). Interestingly, the proportion of cases in Dhaka decreased from 51% in 2019 to 34% in 2023. Notably, the southeast and central regions of Bangladesh showed the highest dengue rates, persisting throughout the study period. Cases were concentrated in urban regions, with Dhaka City exhibiting the highest caseload in most years, followed by Manikganj in 2023. A distinct temporal shift in dengue transmission was observed in 2023, when the peak incidence occurred three months earlier in July with complete geographic coverage (all the 64 districts) compared to the peak in October 2022 (covering 95%, 61 districts). Positive global autocorrelation analysis revealed spatial dependence, with more stable trends in 2023 compared to previous years. Several districts like, Bagerhat, Barisal, and Faridpur remained persistent hotspots or emerged as new hotspots in 2023. Conversely, districts like Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Rangpur and Sylhet consistently exhibited low caseloads, categorized as dengue coldspots throughout most of the years. Jhalokati in 2019 and Gopalganj in 2022, both initially classified as low-incidence district surrounded by high-incidence districts, emerged as hotspots in 2023. Conclusion: This study sheds light on the spatiotemporal dynamics of dengue transmission in Bangladesh, particularly by identifying hotspots and clustering patterns. These insights offer valuable information for designing and implementing targeted public health interventions and control strategies. Furthermore, the observed trends highlight the need for adaptable strategies to address the region's evolving nature of dengue transmission effectively. Author summary: Dengue poses a serious global health threat, particularly in tropical regions like Bangladesh. Effective prevention and control depend on accurately mapping high-risk (hotspots) and low-risk (coldspots) areas. Using sequential spatial analysis, this study revealed a concerning rise in dengue cases, with a total of 513,344 reported of the study periods. The case fatality rate also increased, rising from 0.16% in 2019 to 0.5% in 2023. Initially, Dhaka city bore the highest burden, accounting for over half of the cases in 2019. However, a worrying shift emerged in 2023. Cases surged nationwide, with geographical coverage peaking in July–three months earlier than the typical October peak observed in 2022. This surge achieved complete geographic coverage, unlike the previous year. Spatial analysis indicated a strong spatial dependence of the disease, with trends stabilizing in 2023 compared to previous years. The study identified persistent hotspots in Bagerhat, Barisal, and Faridpur districts, while Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Rangpur, and Sylhet districts emerged as coldspots. The southeast and central regions consistently showed high dengue rates. These findings underscore the dynamic nature of dengue transmission in Bangladesh, emphasizing the need for adaptable public health strategies and targeted interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil-test crop response (STCR) approach is aiming to precise adjustment of fertilizers under varying soil-test values for targeted-yield, presently gaining recognitions for sustainable nutrient management. The study aimed to envisage the precision scale of STCR targeted-yield models in maize-lentil rotation in alkaline Fluvisol under sole-fertilizer and integrated nutrient management (with farmyard manure). Fertility-gradient, test-crop diagnostic, and validation trials were conducted following STCR technical program. Soil fertility gradient and variable fertilizer doses had caused a large variation in grain yield of maize (0.99–4.94 t ha−1, CV = 30%) and lentil (1.11–2.02 t ha−1, CV = 13%). Lentil had increased potential to utilize soil nutrient pools; in contrast, maize was highly responsive to fertlizer nutrients. Multivariate-regression analysis revealed that fertilizers N, P, and S had a strong and direct influence on maize yield; where fertilizer-P was the primary yield-determining variable for lentil. Both sole-fertilizer and integrated STCR-based treatments attained the targeted-yields in maize. However, STCR treatments could not attain the targeted-yields in lentil (17–29% deviation), but had yield advantage over the blanket recommended fertilizer dose. Hence, in tropical-alkaline soils, integrated STCR targeted-yield approach could be the sustainable nutrient management option(s) for improving the productivity of the maize-lentil system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Bangladesh, pneumonia has a higher mortality among malnourished children aged <5 years. Evaluating pneumonia etiology among malnourished children may help improve empiric treatment guidelines. Methods: During April 2015—December 2017, we conducted a case-control study among severe acute malnourished (SAM) children aged <5 years admitted to the Dhaka hospital of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b). We enrolled hospital admitted SAM children with clinical or radiological pneumonia as cases (during April 2015 to March 2017) and hospital admitted SAM children without any respiratory symptom in the past 10 days before admission as controls (during February 2016 to December 2017). We tested nasopharyngeal wash from both case and control for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), influenza viruses, human parainfluenza viruses (HPIV), rhinovirus and adenovirus by singleplex real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. To identify the independent association of pneumonia with viral pathogens during February 2016 to March 2017, we used multivariable logistic regression for calculating adjusted odds ratios. Results: We enrolled 360 cases and 334 controls. For case and control the median age was 8 months (IQR: 5–13) and 11 months (IQR: 6–18) (p = 0.001) respectively. Weight/age Z-score was -4.3 (SD ±0.7) for cases and -4.1 (SD ±1.1) for controls (p = 0.01). Among cases 68% had both clinical and radiological pneumonia, 1% had clinical pneumonia and 31% had only radiological pneumonia. Respiratory virus detection was high in cases compared to controls [69.9% (251) vs. 44.8% (148), p = 0.0001]. The most frequently detected viruses among cases were rhinoviruses (79, 22.0%) followed by RSV (32, 8.9%), adenovirus (23, 6.4%), HPIV (22, 6.1%), influenza virus (16, 4.5%), and HMPV (16, 4.5%). Among the controls, rhinoviruses (82, 24.8%) were most commonly detected one followed by adenovirus (26,7.9%), HMPV (5, 1.5%), HPIV (4, 1.2%), RSV (3, 0.9%), and influenza virus (2, 0.6%). RSV (OR 13.1; 95% CI: 1.6, 106.1), influenza virus (OR 8.7; 95% CI: 1.0, 78.9), HPIV (3.8; 95% CI: 1.0, 14.8), and HMPV (2.7; 95% CI: 1.3, 5.5) were independently associated with pneumonia while compared between 178 cases and 174 controls. Conclusion: Viral etiology of pneumonia in SAM children were mainly attributable to RSV, influenza, HPIV and HMPV. Our study findings may help in planning further studies targeting vaccines or drugs against common respiratory viruses responsible for pneumonia among SAM children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Norovirus is a major cause of endemic acute gastroenteritis (AGE) worldwide. We described the epidemiology, risk factors, and genotypic distribution of noroviruses among hospitalized patients of all ages in Bangladesh. Methods From March 2018 to October 2021, 1250 AGE case patients and controls (age, sex, season, and site matched) were enrolled at 10 hospitals. Demographic and clinical information was collected; real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) used to test stool specimens, and positive samples were genotyped. Results Norovirus was detected in 9% of cases (111 of 1250) and 15% (182 of 1250) of controls. Eighty-two percent of norovirus-positive cases were in children <5 years old. Norovirus-positive AGE hospitalizations occurred year-round, with peaks in April and October. Risk factors for norovirus included age <5 years (adjusted odds ratio, 3.1 [95% confidence interval, 1.9–5.2]) and exposure to a patient with AGE in the 10 days before enrollment (3.8 [1.9–7.2]). GII.3[P16] and GII.4 Sydney[P16] were the predominant genotypes. Conclusions We highlight the burden of norovirus in hospital settings. Young age and recent exposure to a patient with AGE were risk factors for norovirus. A high prevalence of norovirus among controls might represent asymptomatic reinfections or prolonged shedding from a previous infection; carefully designed longitudinal studies are needed to improve our understanding of norovirus infections in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor soil quality and low fertility are major limitations to agricultural intensification and increasing crop productivity under rainfed hill ecosystems of North Eastern Region (NER) of India. Intensive tillage and adoption of mono-cropping of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) or maize ( Zea mays L.) leads to depletion of soil fertility and crop productivity. A three year field experiment (2007–2010) was conducted at mid altitude of Meghalaya, India with eight cropping sequences [maize-rapeseed ( Brassica campestris L. var. toria.), maize-pea ( Pisum sativum L.), rice ( Oryza sativa L.)- rapeseed, rice-pea, ricebean ( Vigna umbellate Thunb.)-rapeseed, ricebean-pea, soybean ( Glycine max L. Merr) – rapeseed and soybean-pea] under two tillage systems; conservation tillage (CST) and conventional tillage (CT). The objectives were to assess impact of tillage and cropping sequence(s) on soil quality and fertility after three years of the experiment. Soil moisture content and infiltration rate were significantly improved under CST relative to those under CT. The soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration was significantly higher under CST (23 g/kg) relative to that under CT (21.2 g/kg) at 0–15 cm soil depth. Available nitrogen (N), phosphorous and potassium, soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) were also significantly higher in CST than those under CT. The cropping sequences did not affect the bulk density (ρ b ) and SOC significantly. However, available N, SMBC and DHA concentration were significantly higher under soybean-pea and soybean-rapeseed sequences as compared to others. During 2009–10, where rainfall received during the winter season was negligible, 4–70% higher yields of winter crops were observed under CST than those under CT. Thus, adoption of CST and soybean based cropping sequences offers an alternative to raise crops during the winter season on residual soil moisture and improve soil quality in eastern Himalayas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present investigation, the long-term effect of pulse crop inclusion in the maize-wheat rotation was assessed for the nutrient availability and soil-plant nutrient cycling under different nutrient management practices. Including pulses in the maize-wheat rotation improved soil organic carbon (SOC) and plant available macronutrients being higher in maize-wheat-mungbean rotation. Inclusion of mungbean to maize-wheat rotation enhanced the nitrogen (33.9%), phosphorus (46.4%), potassium (36.3%), and sulphur (55.5%) uptake in maize crop; likewise, alternate-year chickpea inclusion increased the uptake of these nutrients by 18.2, 19.1, 21.7, 32.1%, respectively. Inorganic fertilization maintained the positive annual balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and zinc. By contrast, the nutrient balance under organic nutrient management was mostly negative. The magnitude of negative balance of potassium and sulphur was higher in inorganic than that of organic nutrient management. The low nutrient supply (particularly nitrogen) in organic fertilization largely inhibited the yield of cereal crops but not that of pulses. In view of this, the inclusion of pulses in the cereal-cereal systems could cause substantial improvement in soil fertility and sustainability in Indo-Gangetic plains. We infer that supply of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus in organic, and potassium and sulphur in recommended inorganic fertilization merit special attention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) can survive extreme environmental condition and is known for its fodder potential in many parts of the world. The morphological diversity of 15 introduced accessions was evaluated at Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The plants were established in 2013. Survival and nutrient status were evaluated after two years. Above-ground plant height, biomass, primary and secondary cladode numbers, primary and secondary cladode lengths and below-ground root length, weight, and surface area measurements were done six years after cladode planting. Yellow San Cono, White Roccapalumba, and Seedless Roccapalumba survived 100%. The discriminant traits according to principal component analysis were: primary cladodes plant−1 (component loading, 0.87), primary cladodes biomass (0.95), secondary cladodes plant−1 (0.83), canopy width (0.84), and plant biomass (0.92). Hierarchical cluster analysis grouped 15 accessions into two main clusters based on 17 morphological traits. Cluster I showed favorable values for many above- and below-ground morphological traits while Cluster II showed higher performance for root system width, height, and biomass, and primary and secondary cladode numbers. The results indicate that cactus pear accessions have considerable morphological variability and genetic diversity suitable for promotion as alternative fodder resources in semi-arid regions of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hedgerow or alley cropping is being advocated for sustainable land productivity and improved soil health in the developing world. The suitable food-fodder species grown on bed and furrow system with soil moisture conservation practices need to be adopted for the success of alley cropping under rainfed semi-arid region. A field experiment was conducted during 2013–2016 to assess different food-fodder based alley cropping systems with resource conservation practices (RCP) for enhancing productivity, economic returns and energetics. The perennial Pennisetum tri-specific hybrid (TSH) grass and legume shrubs were planted on a raised bed of 1.5 m wide. One row of shrub was planted in the middle of the bed along with two rows of TSH grass on both side of the shrub row. The seasonal crops were grown in furrow (2.2 m) placed between two beds (1.5 m). In RCP, one supplement irrigation treatments to crops were given i.e. one pre-sowing irrigation (rabi) + other irrigation as per theoretical calculation i.e. 30% of total rainfall—ET losses. In-situ moisture conservation practices include residue retention (stubble height 15 cm + mulching (green weed biomass + litterfall) in furrows. The result indicates that among woody perennials, Sesbania sesban as a hedgerow was superior to Desmanthus virgatus but found at par with Leucaena leucocephala in terms of DM production. Furthermore, TSH grass grown on the side of woody legumes produced about 15–20 Mg DM ha−1 across the treatment per year. The grain yield of the annual crops was in the order of barley > chickpea > pigeonpea across the years and not significantly influenced by perennial components. The highest system productivity (112.2 Mg ha−1) was found under TSH + S. sesban + (sorghum + cowpea–barley) cropping systems leading to higher net monetary returns (US$ 1430 ha−1). While alley cropping with sorghum + pigeonpea was the lowest yielder. Among resource conservation practices, one supplement irrigation and in-situ soil moisture conservation treatments were comparable and produced about 12–14% higher yield than control. The TSH + S. sesban + (sorghum + cowpea–barley) cropping system accumulated highest bio-energy (497 GJ ha−1) but maximum value of energy use efficiency was computed in TSH + Sesbania + (sorghum + pigeonpea). The soil organic carbon was enhanced substantially under 4 years of hedgerow systems over antecedent level. Findings of this study suggest that TSH + S. sesban hedgerow system grown in bed with seasonal crops (sorghum + cowpea–chickpea) in furrow could improve food and fodder production, ensure green fodder availability during dry season and sustain natural resources in rainfed semi-arid agro-ecologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whiteflies not only damage plants directly, they also transmit phytopathogenic viruses. To facilitate whitefly studies, we made microcages from a microcentrifuge tube with a ring-shaped base of muslin and sealed the base to a leaf using wheat gum. Whitefly retention in the cages was high, leaf surfaces were not damaged during the experiment, no external support was required to hold the cages in place, and the cages worked on other crop plants. Acquisition and inoculation efficiency for begomoviruses, mungbean yellow mosaic India virus and tomato leaf curl Karnataka virus was higher in microcages than in macrocages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing suitable conservation tillage and rice straw management practices are vital to conserve limited soil water in sloping terraced lands for growing a second crop like lentil (Lens esculentum L.) after rice (Oryza sativa L.). A field study was conducted to evaluate the effects of tillage, rice straw management and supplemental irrigation on soil physico-chemical properties and productivity of lentil grown in rice fallow land. The maximum soil water content in lentil was observed in plots under rice residue retention as mulch (@ 5 Mg ha−1) which was followed by 20 cm standing rice stubble and residue removal. Rice residue retention and 20 cm standing stubble also increased infiltration rate, cumulative infiltration and sorptivity. Adoption of double no-till (NT) for rice and subsequent lentil crop increased soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration by 2.8%, 3.4% and 7.4% at 0–5, 5–10 and 10–15 cm soil depth, respectively than those under conventional tillage (CT). Soil available nitrogen and phosphorus contents were higher under residue retention either as mulch or standing rice stubble as compared to residue removal. Double NT and added residues (mulch and 20 cm standing stubble) increased soil microbial biomass carbon and dehydrogenase activity than CT without rice residues. Application of one supplemental irrigation did not significantly influence the soil properties. The NT in both rice and lentil enhanced lentil yield by 10–18% than lentil grown after rice under CT. Rice residue retention as mulch @ 5 Mg ha−1 and 20 cm standing rice stubble gave 35–42% and 23–27% higher lentil yield against residue removal over the years, respectively. Therefore, NT in both rice and subsequent lentil along with rice residue retention @ 5 Mg ha−1 as mulch or 20 cm standing stubble would pay substantial dividends for improving the soil health, enhancing lentil productivity and ensuring double cropping in rice fallow areas of Himalayan foothills and in similar agro-ecologies elsewhere. • Majority area of lands in Himalayan foothills remains fallow after rice harvest. • Effect of tillage, irrigation and rice stubble management were assessed on lentil. • Double NT and RR increased SWC by 7.8% and 10.5% over CT and RM, respectively. • Double NT and RR enhanced lentil yield by 10–18 and 35–42% than CT and RM. • Double NT enhanced the SOC by 4.7% and 7.3% at 5–10 and 10–15 cm depth over CT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mungbean is one of the important food legumes in the Indian–sub-continent. Yellow mosaic disease, caused by Mungbean yellow mosaic virus and Mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV) poses a severe threat to its production. Agroinoculation has been the most preferred way to test the function of genomic components of these viruses. However, the available inoculation methods are not as efficient as whitefly transmission, thereby limiting their usage for screening and biological studies. We hereby report an efficient and reproducible agroinoculation method for achieving maximum (100%) efficiency using tandem repeat infectious agro-constructs of DNA A and DNA B of MYMIV. The present study targeted wounding of various meristematic tissues of root, shoot, parts of germinating seeds and also non-meristematic tissue of stem to test the suitable tissue types for maximum infection. Among the various tissues selected for, the inoculation on the epicotyl region showed maximum infectivity. Further, to enhance the infectivity of MYMIV, different concentrations of acetosyringone, incubation time and Agrobacterium cell density were also standardized. The incubation of wounded sprouted seeds in 1.0 OD of agroculture containing repeat construct of MYMIV for 2–4 h without acetosyringone followed by sowing in soil showed maximum infection of MYMIV within 10–12 days on the first trifoliate leaf. This standardized method is reproducible and has potential to screen germplasm lines and will be useful in mungbean biological/virological studies and breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mungbean is one of the important food legumes in the Indian–sub-continent. Yellow mosaic disease, caused by Mungbean yellow mosaic virus and Mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV) poses a severe threat to its production. Agroinoculation has been the most preferred way to test the function of genomic components of these viruses. However, the available inoculation methods are not as efficient as whitefly transmission, thereby limiting their usage for screening and biological studies. We hereby report an efficient and reproducible agroinoculation method for achieving maximum (100%) efficiency using tandem repeat infectious agro-constructs of DNA A and DNA B of MYMIV. The present study targeted wounding of various meristematic tissues of root, shoot, parts of germinating seeds and also non-meristematic tissue of stem to test the suitable tissue types for maximum infection. Among the various tissues selected for, the inoculation on the epicotyl region showed maximum infectivity. Further, to enhance the infectivity of MYMIV, different concentrations of acetosyringone, incubation time and Agrobacterium cell density were also standardized. The incubation of wounded sprouted seeds in 1.0 OD of agroculture containing repeat construct of MYMIV for 2–4 h without acetosyringone followed by sowing in soil showed maximum infection of MYMIV within 10–12 days on the first trifoliate leaf. This standardized method is reproducible and has potential to screen germplasm lines and will be useful in mungbean biological/virological studies and breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is highly sensitive to land use change and helps in maintaining soil quality. Changes in soil fertility status, SOC dynamics, and carbon indices were studied in a four-year experiment with nine sets of food-fodder cropping systems (CS) and three resource conservation techniques like rainfed (RC1), life saving irrigation (RC2) and in-situ moisture conservation practices (RC3). Results showed that the CS5 [Tri-Specific Hybrid (TSH) + Desmanthus virgatus+ (Sorghum + Cowpea – Chickpea)] recorded the highest values 12.25 g kg−1, 41.5 mg kg−1, 3.5 g kg−1, 289.5 mg kg−1, 424.8 µg g−1 soil, 54.69% and 39.31% of total carbon (TC), hot water-soluble carbon (HWSC), particulate organic carbon (POC), labile carbon (LC), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), humic acid carbon (HA-C) and fulvic acid carbon (FA-C), respectively. Among resources conservation practices, RC3 improved the SOC (56.16%) and other carbon fractions significantly as compared to RC1. Significant and positive correlations (P < 0.05) were found between carbon pools and available nutrients. The carbon management index (CMI) was also maximum (193) with CS5 and CS9 [TSH + Sesbania sesban+ (Sorghum + Cowpea – Barley)] and RC3 (232). Therefore, promoting cultivation of food-fodder system with in-situ moisture conservation practices is considered as sustainable management option for sequester more carbon, sustainability and soil quality in rainfed semi-arid ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: During the 2019 novel coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, limited data from several countries suggested reduced seasonal influenza viruses' circulation. This was due to community mitigation measures implemented to control the pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We used sentinel surveillance data to identify changes in the 2020 influenza season compared with previous seasons in Bangladesh. Methods: We used hospital-based influenza surveillance (HBIS) data of Bangladesh that are generated year-round and are population-representative severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) data for all age groups from seven public and two private tertiary care level hospitals data from 2016 to 2019. We applied the moving epidemic method (MEM) by using R language (v4.0.3), and MEM web applications (v2.14) on influenza-positive rates of SARI cases collected weekly to estimate an average seasonal influenza curve and establish epidemic thresholds. Results: The 2016–2019 average season started on epi week 18 (95% CI: 15–25) and lasted 12.5 weeks (95% CI: 12–14 weeks) until week 30.5. The 2020 influenza season started on epi week 36 and ended at epi week 41, lasting for only five weeks. Therefore, influenza epidemic started 18 weeks later, was 7.5 weeks shorter, and was less intense than the average epidemic of the four previous years. The 2020 influenza season started on the same week when COVID-19 control measures were halted, and 13 weeks after the measures were relaxed. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that seasonal influenza circulation in Bangladesh was delayed and less intense in 2020 than in previous years. Community mitigation measures may have contributed to this reduction of seasonal influenza transmission. These findings contribute to a limited but growing body of evidence that influenza seasons were altered globally in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The illness cost borne by households, known as out-of-pocket expenditure, was 74% of the total health expenditure in Bangladesh in 2017. Calculating economic burden of diarrhea of low-income urban community is important to identify potential cost savings strategies and prioritize policy decision to improve the quality of life of this population. This study aimed to estimate cost of illness and monthly percent expenditure borne by households due diarrhea in a low-income urban settlement of Dhaka, Bangladesh. We conducted this study in East Arichpur area of Tongi township in Dhaka, Bangladesh from September 17, 2015 to July 26, 2016. We used the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of three or more loose stool in 24 hours to enroll patients and enrolled 106 severe patients and 158 non-severe patients from Tongi General Hospital, local pharmacy and study community. The team enrolled patients between the first to third day of the illness (≤ 72 hours) and continued daily follow-up by phone until recovery. We considered direct and indirect costs to calculate cost-per-episode. We applied the published incidence rate to estimate the annual cost of diarrhea. The estimated average cost of illness for patient with severe diarrhea was US$ 27.39 [95% CI: 24.55, 30.23] (2,147 BDT), 17% of the average monthly income of the households. The average cost of illness for patient with non-severe diarrhea was US$ 6.36 [95% CI: 5.19, 7.55] (499 BDT), 4% of the average monthly income of households. A single diarrheal episode substantially affects financial condition of low-income urban community residents: a severe episode can cost almost equivalent to 4.35 days (17%) and a non-severe episode can cost almost equivalent to 1 day (4%) of household's income. Preventing diarrhea preserves health and supports financial livelihoods. Author summary: The illness cost borne by households, known as out-of-pocket expenditure was 74% of the total health expenditure in Bangladesh in 2017. Most of the studies in Bangladesh that estimated the cost of diarrheal illness collected data from hospital patients and mostly targeted under-five children. Information on economic burden of diarrhea borne by households of low-income urban communities who commonly had ≤ 2 US$ dollar income per capita per day still remained unknown. We conducted this study in East Arichpur area of Tongi township in Dhaka, Bangladesh from September 2015 to July 2016 to estimate cost of illness and monthly percent expenditure borne by households due diarrhea in a low-income urban settlement of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The estimated average cost of illness for patient with severe diarrhea was US$ 27.39 (2,147 BDT) and non-severe diarrhea was US$ 6.36 (499 BDT). A single diarrheal episode substantially affects financial capability of the low-income urban community: a severe episode can cost 4.35 days (17%) and a non-severe episode can cost 1 day (4%) of income of a households. Preventing diarrhea preserves health and supports financial livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Vitamin D is important for its immunomodulatory role and there is an independent association between vitamin D deficiency and pneumonia. We assessed the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the outcome in children hospitalized for severe pneumonia. Methods: This was a randomised, double blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial in children aged >2–59 months with severe pneumonia attending Dhaka Hospital, icddr,b. Children received age-specific megadose of vitamin D3 (20,000IU: <6 months, 50,000 IU: 6–12 months, 100,000 IU:13–59 months) or placebo on first day and 10,000 IU as maintenance dose for next 4 days or until discharge (if discharged earlier) along with standard therapy. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02185196. Findings: We enrolled 100 children in placebo group and 97 in vitamin D group. On admission, 50 (52%) and 49 (49%) of children in vitamin D and placebo groups, respectively were vitamin D deficient. Among children with a sufficient serum vitamin D level on admission, a lower trend for duration of resolution of severe pneumonia in hours [72(IQR:44–96)vs. 88(IQR:48–132);p = 0.07] and duration of hospital stay in days [4(IQR:3–5)vs.5(IQR:4–7);P = 0.09] was observed in vitamin D group compared to placebo. No beneficial effect was observed in vitamin D deficient group or irrespective of vitamin D status. Conclusion: Age-specific mega dose of vitamin D followed by a maintenance dose shown to have no statistical difference between the two intervention groups, however there was a trend of reduction of time to recovery from pneumonia and overall duration of hospital stay in under-five children with a sufficient serum vitamin D level on hospital admission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low productivity and energy use efficiency (EUE) of rice farming are the major concerns for agricultural sustainability in the Eastern Himalayan region of India. A field experiment on rice (Oryza sativa L.)-pea (Pisum sativum L) system was conducted for three consecutive years during 2012–15 in lowland ecosystem to assess the direct and residual impact of tillage and residue management (RM) practises on productivity and sustainability. Significantly higher grain yield of rice was achieved under no-till (NT) than minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT). Among RM practises, 50% NPK + green leaf manure, 50% NPK + weed biomass and 50% NPK + in-situ residue retention recorded significantly higher mean grain yields than application of 50% NPK and 100% NPK without residues. Residual effect of MT in preceding rice gave significantly higher green pod yield of succeeding pea than NT and CT. The system EUE was significantly higher under MT (rice)-NT (pea) compared to those of NT-NT and CT-NT systems. The sustainable yield index of rice and pea was maximum under MT-NT followed by NT-NT. Thus, NT/MT with suitable RM practises is a pertinent strategy for sustainable productivity of rice-pea system in the Eastern Himalayas and in similar adjoining regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic compounds emitted by plants (pVOCs) protect themselves from abiotic and biotic stresses. Plants are under constant threats from biotic stress especially herbivores which facilitate plants to emit herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs), an inducible defense in plants against herbivores by communicating to herbivores' natural enemies and neighboring plants. HIPVs are reported to act as feeding and/or oviposition deterrents to herbivores, belonging to four major groups including terpene/terpenoids, benzenoids and phenylpropanoids, the volatile fatty acid derivatives, and the volatile aminoacid derivatives. However, the plant volatile profiles induced by herbivores have been reported to be altered by silicon (Si)-fertilization, priming of plants with chemical elicitors and climate change which can induce plants to produce and emit novel plant volatiles that are not expressed by plants in response to damage by herbivory. Transgenic crops and/or sentinel crops with enhanced pVOCs emission profiles have been proposed to improve plant resistance, health and yields. Currently several technological advances in devices including field-portable electronic devices (e-Nose) and hand-held smartphone-based biosensors for in situ early detection of pVOCs profiles which are now available and supported by artificial intelligence (AI), to increase detection accuracy of these systems. The present review highlights the multi-dimension approaches emerging in pVOCs research for early and rapid detection of specific VOCs indicators as markers with associated plant biotic stressors. [Display omitted] • Biotic and abiotic factors induce plants to emit volatile organic compounds (pVOCs), belonging to four major groups. • Herbivore induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) rescue plants from their herbivores by attracting herbivores' natural enemies. • Allelopathy effects of pVOCs smother non-economical crops. • Exogenous application of Silicon, chemical elicitors and climate change significantly modify the HIPV profiles. • Companion/transgenic crops can be employed to enhance pVOCs emissions for IPM. • pVOCs repository can be raw material for development of plant phenotyping tools including e-Nose, biosensors etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted during the kharif (rainy) seasons of 2005-2006 to study the effect of eight composts prepared from four different types of plant biomass (rice straw (Oryza sativa), Eupatorium adhenophorum, Lantana camara and grass/weed mixtures) following two composting procedures: (i) Microbial Enriched Compost (MEC) [biomass + cow dung + compost culture (formulations of cellulose decomposers, P-solubilizing microbes and free-living N-fixers], and (ii) Microbial and Nutrient Fortified Compost (MNFC) [MEC + rock phosphate at 2.5% (w/w) + neem cake 1%] on productivity of lowland rice. Recommended NPK (80:60:40 kg ha-1) and farmyard manure (FYM) at 10t ha-1 (similar to compost dose) treatment were also kept for comparison. In general, the performance of rice under MNFC composts was superior to MEC composts. The results revealed that the grain yield of rice with rice straw MNFC compost and Eupatorium MNFC compost were 5% and 3% higher than recommended NPK, respectively. The nutrient uptake and post-harvest soil fertility status were also significantly higher under these treatments compared to recommend NPK. In the present study, although the increments in grain yield of rice with various composts were not much during two years experimentation, substantial improvement in soil fertility in terms of available NPK was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Majority areas remain fallow after rice harvest in Lower Himalayas of India. • Effect of tillage and rice residue management were assessed on lentil. • Conservation tillage improved some physical, chemical and biological soil properties. • Residue retention and 40 cm standing stubble improved soil moisture content. • Residue retention enhanced root length, surface area and root volume of lentil. Large areas in North Eastern Region (NER) of India remain fallow (approx. 2.50 million hectare) after the rainy season (June-October) rice (Oryza sativa L.) could be cultivated in succession with winter pulses like lentil (Lens esculentum L.) on residual soil moisture. Growing short-duration lentil cultivars under no-till (NT) and mulch rice may limit the pulse drought stress. A 2-year study (2011–2013) was conducted in terraced land of Meghalaya, India (950 m ASL), involving rice-lentil cropping system to evaluate on soil and legume parameters short-term impacts of three tillage management prior lentil crop i.e. no tillage (NT), minimum tillage (MT), conventional tillage (CT) and four residue management i.e. residue removal (RM), 20 cm standing rice stubble (20SS), 40 cm standing rice stubble (40SS) and mulch @ 5 Mg ha−1] and two lentil plant types [early and medium duration varieties: DPL 62 (Sheri) and DPL 15 (Priya), respectively]. Soil moisture content, water holding capacity and infiltration rate (IR) were higher in soil under mulch followed by 40 SS compared to 20SS and RM. The IR was significantly higher at lentil harvest for both in soil under NT in rice followed by NT in lentil (NT-NT) as compared to MT in rice followed by NT in lentil (MT-NT), and CT in rice followed by NT in lentil (CT-NT). The soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration, soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and dehydrogenase activities (DHA) were significantly higher in 0–15 cm soil depth under NT-NT and MT-NT as compared to CT-NT. On an average, significantly higher SOC (17.3 g kg−1), DHA (2.32 μg g−1 hr−1) and SMBC (79.5 μg g−1 dry soil) in 0–15 cm soil layer at harvest of lentil were obtained under mulch followed by 40 SS as compared to RM. Lentil leaves chlorophyll and relative water contents were significantly higher under mulch followed by that under 40SS than 20SS and RM. Total root length, surface area and root volume increased significantly under mulch compared with those under RM. Lentil grown with mulch and 40SS recorded significantly higher seeds per pod, pods per plant, 1000 seed weight and lentil seed yield than RM and 20SS. Lentil seed yield recorded under mulch was 66.6 and 36.5% higher than that under RM. We concluded that reduced tillage (MT/NT) and residue retention through mulch or 40SS could be adopted to reduce drought stress lentil constraints in rice successions while physical improving soil properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]