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Jatropha curcas, has been established as a plant whose seeds contain a relatively high percentage of oil that is suitable for biodiesel production, among other industrial applications. Seed oil properties of J. curcas may vary depending on soils, age of plant, genotype of the plant, and agro-climatic conditions of a specific geographical region. Studies under such conditions have not yet been conducted. The present study was aimed at investigating the effects of genotype and age of the plant on the physicochemical properties of its seed oil. The seed oil was extracted using n-hexane as a solvent in the Soxhlet extraction apparatus from seed kernel collected from different genotypes and plants of different ages. Oil content in the kernel ranged from 49.78–53.75% (w/w) among the seed samples depending on genetic materials and plant age. The oil content showed very little but significant differences in density and specific gravity among the samples. The highest free fatty acid (FAA) was produced by the kernel oil of 3-year-old plants (7.78%), and 7- and 10-year-old plants gave the lowest FAA (1.26 and 1.31%, respectively). The kernel oil of 7-year-old plants produced the highest iodine value (93.60 mg/g oil) and the kernel oil of 3-year-old plants produced the lowest iodine value (61.10 mg/g oil). Kernel oil of 10-year-old plants gave the lowest (172.98 mg KOH/g) saponification value and 4-year-old Hybrid-3 gave the maximum value (209.97 mg KOH/g oil). The seed oil of Jatropha accessions showed very little difference (39.88–40.85 MJ/kg) for high heating values irrespective of their age. On the other hand, the cetane number varied from 55.32 to 59.58 in the oil samples. The age of plant and seed sources had a significant effect on seed oil content and the physio-chemical properties of Jatropha.

In this paper we used various fuzzy numbers to calculate wash time for washing machines and provided various decisions after comparison among them. Again, this paper shows the importance of fuzzy logic control-based washing machine to get an appropriate wash time for the degree of dirt and the quantity of grease present on the clothes. This method is predicated on a fuzzy inference system. A fuzzy inference system using the Mamdani controller type is illustrated in this paper. From the utilization of fuzzy logic control, the machine can respond in several conditions. The simulation was done by MATLAB programming language. J. Bangladesh Acad. Sci. 45(1); 105-116: June 2021

Rice is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population and to increase the yield potential of rice would be a key factor for mitigating global demands of about 810 million tons of rice by 2025. To exploit the economic importance of heterosis, quantitative valuation was carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replications for 16 agronomic traits of 5x5 half diallel populations during boro season of 2017-2018. Diallel populations were generated by using five selected parents (P1: BRRI dhan28, P2: BRRI dhan74, P3: BINA dhan10, P4: IR59418-7B-21-3 and P5: BRRI dhan67) where, P1 was considered as standard check to estimate the economic heterosis. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant variability among the genotypes for most of the traits except grain length and length-breadth ratio. The results showed that none of the hybrid combination performed better for all the traits over the three types of heterosis. The highest relative heterosis was recorded in P3×P4 followed by P4×P5 for grain yield plant-1, filled grains panicle-1, effective tillers plant-1. Majority of the cross combinations (>60%) revealed highly significant positive heterosis for grain yield plant-1 over mid parent. Heterobeltiosis for grain yield plant-1 was observed significant for 50% cross combinations and could be utilized in hybrid breeding. Whereas, more than 70% crosses exhibited undesirable negative standard heterosis for grain yield plant-1. Only two cross combinations (P3×P5 and P3×P4) among ten revealed significant positive economic heterosis for grain yield plant-1 and those could be exploited in rice breeding. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 9(1): 45-53

Forty four testcross progenies obtained from crossing between five CMS and forty one candidate lines were evaluated both in field and laboratory condition to identify candidate restorer line(s). Nineteen testcross progenies were recorded as fully fertile with 100% plant fertility by counting the number of fertile plants from the total number of plants per lines. On the other hand from pollen fertility test, 11 testcross progenies [206A × 001(6), 9905A × 030(2), 9905A × 027(6) (0.57), 206A × 37(1) (0.68), 9904A × 027(4) (0.83), 248A × 020(6) (1.08), 248A × 018 (1.12), 248A × 022 (1.13), 248A × 017 (1.58), 248A × 038(2) (1.96) and 248A × 001(6) (2.02)] were found with 0-2.02% pollen sterility that could be mentioned as fertile or restorer lines for making hybrids. Agronomic performances were also satisfactory for these selected test cross progenies. The genotype 248A × 017 took the shortest time (30.00) for first flowering as well as ripening followed by 248A × 007(1). The highest number of pods per plant was observed in the testcross progeny 248A × 022 (649.59) and the highest number of seeds per pod (30.33) in 248A × 020(6). For seed weight per plant, 206A × 001(6) was recorded with maximum value (0.08g) while the lowest (23.33) number of seeds per plant was found in this progeny. In case of seed yield per plant, 248A × 022 gave the highest yield (30.30). The seed yield of the progenies 248A × 017 (23.49), 9905A × 027(6) (20.39), 248A × 001(6) (17.26), 9904A × 027(4) (17.02) and 248A × 038(2) (16.53) were also in the highest level.

Background: The primary aim of the medical therapy for BPH is to improve quality of life by relieving the lower urinary tract symptoms and prevent complications. Objectives: To compare efficacy and safety of double dose of tamsulosin monotherapy with combination of conventional dose of tamsulosin and finasteride in symptomatic BPH. Methods: This was a prospective study carried out in the Department of Urology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period of July 2005 to June 2006. Total 60 patients of 45-80 years of age were consequently selected according to inclusion criteria. After completion of baseline clinical evaluation and investigations, participants were divided into two groups, group A and group B. Group A were given tamsulosin 0.4 mg for 1 week. Then double dose of tamsulosin (0.8 mg) were given from 2nd week for 12 months. Group B were given tamsulosin 0.4 mg and finasteride 5 mg for the same duration. Efficacy was evaluated at 6 month and 12 month follow up visit and a comparison was made between them. During follow up each was observed for any adverse effect. The parameters monitored were International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Maximum urine flow rate (Qmax), Post Voidal Residual Volume (PVR) and Prostate volume. Results : Both double dose of tamsulosin 0.8 mg and combination of conventional dose of tamsulosin 0.4 mg and finasteride 5 mg are effective in relieving symptoms of BPH but combination dose is superior to double dose monotherapy. Outcome parameters at end point follow up after 12 months showed significant improvement of IPSS (p

Common fig (Ficus carica L.), an economically-important fruit species widely cultivated in the Mediterranean Basin, is gaining increasing interest in the tropical and subtropical regions. A vast genetic diversity of common fig is available; however, systematic studies of cultivar performance in a particular new environment are scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of 17 common fig cultivars grown under the Malaysian tropical climate. Evaluation was based on 15 parameters relevant to fruit yield, fruit quality and pest susceptibility. The results showed variable performance among the cultivars tested; 10 cultivars performed well for orchard establishment. Cultivar ‘A134’ produced the highest fruit yield per plant (3410 g) compared to the average yield of the cultivars studied (2500 g). Cultivars ‘Fen Chan Huang’ and ‘Wuhan’ produced the highest number of fruits per plant, 119 and 82 fruits, respectively. Mealybug infestation and ostiole-end splitting are major limitations to fig cultivation in Malaysia. Cultivar ‘Longue d’Aout’ was the most susceptible to mealybug infestation; whereas cultivar ‘B110’ was the most resistant. Above 60% of the fruits of cvs. ‘Brunswick’ and ‘Qing Pi’ had split ostiole; however, this was less than 20% in cvs. ‘Longue d’Aout’ and ‘Alma’. This study facilitates successful farming of figs in Malaysia and provides insights for future development programs.

It is crucial to analyze the population structure and genetic diversity of the samples to be studied before a breeding program can be launched. Thirty-one genotypes of papaya germplasm from Spain, Brazil, Ecuador, China, Taiwan, India, and several locations in Bangladesh were genotyped using ten polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers to investigate their molecular diversity as well as their genetic relatedness. The highest numbers of alleles, gene diversity and polymorphic information content were seen in the P3K1024CC and P6K900CC markers. This result confirms the suitability of these markers in the assay of the genetic diversity of papaya genotypes. The model-based population structure and the distance-based assessment categorized the genotypes into six different subcategories. The analysis of molecular variance revealed that 11% of the entire genetic diversity was due to differences among the populations, while 89% was a result of differences within the population. The FST value of 0.136 showed a high level of genetic diversity among the groups alongside a negative FIS (− 0.232) and FIT (− 0.065). The diverse material revealed by our research expands the current papaya genetic resources, which can be used effectively in genomic studies in papaya improvement programs as well as in germplasm conservation studies.

Osmotic stress is one of the major global constraints for the rice cultivation, especially in the rainfed cropping system practiced in Assam, India. Hence, exploration of the discrepancy in functional along with germplasm structure among the traditional rice cultivars is needed. Morpho-physiological traits induced by osmotic and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were considered to survey genetic array in growth chamber trials. Twenty one traditional rice cultivars from different agro-climatic regions of Assam, previously used in our laboratory were used in this study along with Sahbhagi and IR64 as control that revealed a high differentiation in phenotypic performance under osmotic stress. On the basis of standardized osmotic tolerant related morpho-physiological parameters, all the rice cultivars could be assembled into five clusters. The cultivars included in a single group revealed almost identical osmotic tolerance levels. The rice cultivars from different agroclimatic zone viz., upper Brahmaputra valley, lower Brahmaputra valley and hill Zones revealed highest genetic diversity as judged by Jaccard coefficient matrix with polymorphism information content (PIC) 0.30. Furthermore, rice cultivars were observed to be constituted into five major clusters depending on ISSR markers that were relatively congruous to the agro climatic regions and specific traditional cultivation practices. The mantel test of the rice varieties between morpho-physiological and ISSR markers exhibited low correlation. The variation observed in morpho-physiological traits associated with genetic diversity has paved a potentiality to design osmotic stress resistant varieties in future breeding programme.

During the 2018-2019 Boro season (dry season), 70 rice genotypes were examined with alpha lattice experimental design with the goal of measuring grain yield stability analysis. Results indicated that AMMI analysis explained 100% of the G×E variance, while captured 81.74% variance. Based on the GGE and AMMI analysis, the most stable and high yielding genotype was identified G41 followed by G22, G26, G58, G24 and G61. The AMMI 1 biplot analysis revealed that the first primary component of interaction (IPC1) factor was responsible for 64.2 % variation due to G × E interaction. On other hand, the second primary component (PC2) factor accounted for 35.8% variation of the G × E interaction. These two-primary component (PC1 and PC2), all together accounted for 100% variation of the G × E interaction. The contribution of G68 was highest to the interaction followed by G70, G58, G42, G61, G45, G38, G14, G33, G60, G53, and G9. Best environment analysis indicated that the ranking was Rajshahi < Gazipur < Cumilla. GGE biplot analysis accounted for 81.74% variation comprising two principal components PC1 and PC2 with 45.62% and 36.12% variations respectively. Rajshahi was more stable than Gazipur. Based on environment analysis genotypes, G22, G26, G58, and G44 can be recommended as best stable genotypes that breeding zone. However, the genotype G61 was identified adapted to Cumilla breeding zone.

Background: Mirizzi syndrome is a condition, difficult to diagnose pre-operatively and treat, represent a particular challenge for hepatobiliary surgeons. Furthermore, it increases the risk of intra-operative biliary injury, particularly during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The aims of this study were to point out some particular aspect of diagnosis and treatment of this condition that will be helpful for the surgeons. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all records of the patients, surgically treated for Mirizzi syndrome from January 2013 to January 2018 in Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Shaheed Sohrawardy Medical College Hospital and BIRDEM General Hospital. Patients’ presentation, diagnostic methods, treatment and complications were recorded. Results: During the study period, a total of 1320 cholecystectomy were performed, out of which 50 patients were diagnosed with Mirizzi syndrome, representing an incidence rate of 3.78%. Male to female ratio was 0.72:1 and mean age was 54.14 years. When we analyzed the main symptoms in the clinical debut, we found that common features were jaundice (31, 62%), cholangitis (20, 40%) and abdominal pain (22, 44%). Roux en Y hepaticojejunostomy was the treatment of choice and subtotal cholecystectomy were done for 7 cases and laparoscopic cholecystectomy for 2 cases. Mean hospital stay was 4.8±2.9 days. There was no post-operative mortality. Two cases of biliary fistula resolved with conservative management and another case required percutaneous treatment for resolution of an intraperitoneal postoperative collection. Conclusion: Mirizzi syndrome continues to be a disease of difficult diagnosis and treatment. General surgeons without long experience in hepatobiliary surgery should refer the patient to a specialized hepatobiliary surgical center. In most of the cases biliary reconstruction is inevitable. It is important for the surgeons to know the disease and possible intra-operative challenging situations. Birdem Med J 2020; 10(1): 7-11

Jatropha curcas L. is a potential biofuel crop grown in the tropics and subtropics. The present study was conducted to enumerate the genetic diversity of 17 morpho-agronomic traits of 45 Jatropha g...

Introduction:An experiment was conducted to study combining ability and heterosis for yield and related traits in chili during November 2015 to September 2017.Materials and Methods:The experimental material consisted of six parents and their fifteen F1’s developed by half diallel mating design. Analysis of variance for combining ability exhibited significant General and Specific Combining Ability (GCA and SCA) effects for all the characters studied.Results:The SCA variance was higher than GCA variance for all the traits except ten fresh fruit weight, fruit length and fruit width indicating the predominance of non-additive type of gene action. The parents P1and P6were identified as the best general combiners and the hybrids P1×P6, P1×P4and P2×P5were identified as the best specific combinations for fresh fruit yield per plant and related traits. The hybrids P1×P6, P1×P4and P3×P6showed significant average heterosis and heterobeltiosis for fresh fruit yield per plant and its related traits. (H1/D)0.5ratio indicated partial dominance effect of genes for all the traits.Conclusion:Therefore, it may be possible to take advantages of better heterotic effects to be fixed in the later generations to facilitate further selection and best specific combinations for development of the hybrid variety of chili which can help to increase the total production in Bangladesh.

Objective: The purpose of this research was to observe the age-related growth and histomorphological changes in Japanese quail testes from post-hatching to sexual maturity as well as spermatogenesis.Materials and Methods: After collection, the testes weight, length, width, and index analysis were performed, and histomorphological, histological and immunohistochemical observations were conducted using hematoxylin-eosin, PAS-hematoxylin, and anti-Hsc70t staining, respectively at different ages.Results: The weight of the testes increased gradually with age and reached a peak at 70 days. The length and width of the testes were maximal at 70 days. The testis index was positively correlated with age and body weight (BW) toward sexual maturity. Histologically, at 15 days of age, the seminiferous tubules (STs) remained in immature state with undifferentiated spermatogenic cells of only one to two layers of epithelial cells. At 28 days, the spermatogenic cells were differentiated from spermatogonia to spermatocytes. At 42 days, remarkable enlargement of STs with a series of spermatogenic cell development up to the round spermatids and Leydig cells in the interstitial region. Finally, at 70 days, extremely enlarged STs containing all stages of spermatogenic cells. The diameter and height of STs were maximal at 70 days than that of 42 days of age. A strong Hsc 70t immunoreaction was found in the round to elongated spermatids/spermatozoa near to the lumen of STs, clearly indicating well-characterized spermatogenesis in quail testis at 70 days of age.Conclusion: The findings may contribute to our understanding of quail’s spermatology and provide basic knowledge for reproductive toxicology, physiology and pathology studies.

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.) is an important vegetable crop bearing health benefits and medicinal properties. Continuous increase in bottle gourd consumption, especially in the tropics and subtropics, is attributed to its purported health benefits. Successful cultivation of bottle gourd in these regions requires proper breeding strategies to develop superior genotypes with desired traits aimed at market-driven quality and high yield. For effective bottle gourd breeding, genetic diversity of this crop needs to be studied and documented. The monoecious and open-pollinated nature of bottle gourd supports conventional breeding by pure line selection, pedigree selection, recurrent selection and heterosis breeding. Besides traditional breeding, transgenic breeding, gene editing and marker-assisted selection are also needed to fully exploit the genetic resources of this crop to achieve desirable yield and quality. The main objective of this chapter is to provide an overall assessment of the importance of bottle gourd and its breeding strategies to develop high-yielding and nutritionally-rich varieties using conventional and advanced breeding tools.

Sweet gourd (Cucurbita moschata Duch. ex Poir) is an annual crop with an open-pollinated sexual reproductive system via cross-pollination and can easily be grown year-round. The reproductive system, mode of pollination and large monoecious flowers are extensively used for conventional breeding in sweet gourd and involves pedigree selection and hybrid breeding. Distant crossing between domesticated and wild species gives some success to overcome hybrid sterility and transfer of resistance genes by using different breeding tools. The advanced lines from distant hybridization may be useful in diverse cucurbit breeding programs. Backcrossing using non elite and wild germplasm donors is an effective strategy for a single trait transfer such as specific disease resistance or bush growth habit into a cultivar. It can also be bred into commercial lines via transgenesis. Application of biotechnological tools and molecular breeding may help sweet gourd breeders to improve yield, disease and pest resistance as well as nutritional quality. This chapter provides an overview of the importance of sweet gourd and its breeding strategies for the development of high yielding and nutritionally rich varieties using conventional and frontier breeding tools.

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) belongs to the family Malvaceae and is suitable for cultivation in tropical warm and humid regions. The calyces are plentiful of phytochemical and antioxidants, thus can be used in healthy and nutritious food formulations. There has been increased awareness of nutritional and health benefits while considering various kinds of fruit juice and beverages globally. In this essence, roselle could offer a wide range of nutritional and health benefits in the formulation of food products. Roselle is a seasonal crop, so it needs care to process and lengthen its shelf life by adopting various processing technologies including drying, storing, and new types of food product development. Roselle also offers a number of processed food products blended with various types of fruits. This chapter describes the usages of roselle in the domestic and industrial scale, drying of calyces and their preservation, physicochemical properties of calyces, and various food products developed from roselle.

Hibiscus sabdariffa L. is a plant of the Malvaceae family, commonly known as roselle. Roselle is mainly used as a vegetable, but it is also traditionally used for medicinal purposes, especially as alternative medicine. Roselle has been scientifically proven to contain cholesterol-lowering, anti-obesity, high antioxidant activity, insulin resistance reduction, antihypertensive, antiaging, antinociceptive activity, antidiarrheal, antiinflammatory activity, antiproliferative, anticarcinogenic, and skin cancer chemopreventive properties. The objectives of this chapter are to discuss the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical significance of roselle for industrial uses.

Microalgae are a viable alternative for biofuel production to replace the world dependency on fossil fuel. It has a wide range of application for the sustainable production of biomaterials. Microalgae can convert solar energy into important natural components by utilizing marginal nutrients, wastewater and exhaust CO2 without sharing expensive crop field. Microalgae also have the potentiality to generate several promising components such as Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs), organic pigments and pharmaceutically important hydrocarbons. Cultivation and production of microalgae biomass have multifaceted challenges due to the requirement of large volume of water for the algae growth, high processing cost and contamination by pathogens. Genetic improvement and modifications are essential to construct superior microalgae for manufacturing industries using various methods such as selection of novel strain, stress tolerance, resistance to pathogens, product development and metabolic pathways and cellular contents. In addition, technologies related to cultivation, harvesting, extraction and processing are essential to develop for the growth of novel microalgae strains.

The present investigation was undertaken to analyze the antioxidant potential of sixteen different potato genotypes. Eleven yellow fleshed potato genotypes namely Forza, Courage, Laura, Rosa Gold, Lady Rosetta, Cumbica, Asterix, Coronada, Granola, Cardinal and Diamant and five purple fleshed potato genotypes namely Jam Alu, KAC 10063, KAC 10064, KAC 10069, KAC 10097 were used as experimental materials. Total carotenoids, anthocyanin, phenolics, flavonoids, ascorbic acid and antioxidant activity in the above mentioned genotypes were determined to compare the antioxidant potentials of the genotypes. Analysis of above mentioned parameters resulted significant variation in their contents in both yellow and purple fleshed genotypes. The results indicate the purple fleshed genotypes showed significantly higher carotenoids, anthocyanin, flavonoids and total antioxidant activity than those of yellow fleshed genotypes. The findings also suggested the antioxidant activity of the genotypes positively correlates to the total content of carotenoids, anthocyanin and flavonoids. Since, purple fleshed genotypes showed higher antioxidant properties, the results of this study claim that the purple fleshed genotypes would be suitable for direct consumption as vegetables which might increase the health and food security of human beings.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 43(3): 369-381, June 2018

Twenty one hybrids along with two check varieties of maize were assessed for genotype environment interaction (GEI) and stability for selection of the best hybrid maize in three different Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZ) of Bangladesh during rabi season 2014/2015. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with 3 replications. The additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model was used to analyze the genotype-environment interaction over three locations to select the hybrids having higher yield (yld) and other potential attributes. The mean sum of square for genotypes was highly significant for the studied characters. Similarly, environmental variances were also highly significant for all characters. Variances due to genotype × environment interaction were highly significant for cob length and thousand seed weight (TSW). AMMI Component 1 showed variation for TSW. But AMMI Component 2 and G×E (Linear) revealed insignificant variation for all the characters. The highly significant effects of environment indicated high differential genotypic response across the different environments. The environments of Gazipur (Ij=-1.42**) and Barisal (Ij=-0.068) were poor but Rangpur (Ij=1.49)) was a favourable environments due to positive environmental index for tested maize hybrids. Considering the mean, bi and S2di for all the parameters, it was evident that all the genotypes showed different response of adaptability under different environmental conditions. Among the hybrids , WL4×WL5, WL1×WL3, WL2×WL3, WL1×WL4 and the check NK 40 exhibited the higher grain yield; bi~1 and S2di~0 indicated that these hybrids were stable across the environment. All the hybrids showed insignificant values for regression co-efficient and also deviation from regression except WL1×WL5. The AMMI biplot showed four grouping of genotypes having none of them, low yielding and unstable; one hybrid was low yielding but moderately stable; eight were high yielding and stable hybrids, and fourteen were high yielder but highly unstable. Key words: Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model, hybrid maize, stability analysis.

Seed oil was extracted using n-hexane as solvent in the Soxhlet extraction method where oil content varied from minimum (37.44%) in Hybrid-6 (first filial generation between parents P2 and P3) to maximum (47.82%) in Hybrid-12 (first filial generation between parents P3 and P6) among seed kernel of different hybrids. Density, specific gravity, and refractive index of oil showed very little but significant differences among the seed samples. Seed oil of parental genotype P5 had the highest free fatty acid (FFA) content (5.50%) and the lowest (1.25%) was found in parent P4. Seed oil of Hybrid-11 had the highest FFA content (6.51%) and the lowest was in Hybrid-6 (1.11%). Seed oil of parent P2 had the highest iodine value (111.50 mg/g oil) and the lowest was (99.10 mg/g oil) in P5. The lowest saponification value was obtained from seed oil of parent P4 (184.19 mg KOH/g) and the Hybrid-11 (174.97 mg KOH/g oil). Maximum higher heating value (41.00 MJ/kg) was obtained from the seed oil of Hybrid-3 and Hyb...

Background : Systemic JIA (sJIA) is the most severe sub type of JIA with limited treatment option and responsible for most of the disability and morbidity in JIA. Objective: To assess the efficacy of Tocilizumab (TCZ) in refractory sJIA patients according to disease activity score in 28 joint criteria. Methodology: This interventional study was carried in the department of Paediatrics, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU). A total number of 22 sJIA patients who were refractory to traditional DMARDs were offered TCZ. Among them 15 patients agreed to take TCZ (cases) and 7 patients did not (controls). All the cases and controls were assessed according to DAS 28 criteria at enrollment, 12 weeks and 24 weeks of TCZ therapy. DAS 28 scores during assessment were compared. Results: After TCZ therapy systemic features subsided and laboratory features improved in 100% cases. Among cases 93.3% and 92.3% had moderate response at 12 and 24 weeks respectively according to DAS 28 criteria. Among controls 71.5% and 85.7% had moderate response at 12 and 24 weeks respectively (p0.001). Among cases 40% and 60% patients achieved remission at 12 and 24 weeks, where as among controls none achieved remission. Dose of steroid was significantly reduced among cases but was increased significantly among controls. Few side effects like pharyngitis, Varicella, septicemia, anaphylactoid reaction and raised ALT were observed. Conclusion: Tocilizumab therapy was effective according to DAS 28 criteria refractory sJIA. Bangladesh J Child Health 2015; VOL 39 (3) :129-134

Selected eight inbreed line were used in crossing as half diallel fashion to find out different genetic parameter as well as targeting superior combination for hybrid vigour. Sunflower first introduce in Bangladesh 1980 by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and Mennonite Central Committee. BARI Sunflower-1(Kironi) and BARI Sunflower-2 is only two released variety. But major obstacles for sunflower cultivation are both varieties are more than 1.50m height and require > 100 days for maturity. As this country is facing climate change unfavorable weather, sunflower cannot withstand in stormy weather. Specially at the time of prematurity stormy weather causes lodging due to over height, it is essential to develop dwarf stature plant. Due to strong crop competition in winter it cannot fit in major cropping pattern T-Aman-Mustard-Boro due to it long duration. Bangladesh has accessible land of 0.85 million hectares in saline areas (Banik et al., 2011). These lands can be used for sunflower cultivation as it is moderately saline tolerant (Rahman et. al. 2018). On the other hand in different part of Bangladesh (e.g. Cumilla, Manikgonj, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Netrokina, Tangail, Dinajpur, etc.), a huge amount of lands are kept fellow after T. Aman harvest. These current fellow lands can be easily used by sunflower cultivation if short duration varieties are available. Both plant height and days to maturity were considered as favorable for negative heterosis to obtain dwarf plant stature and short duration plant to fit in existing cropping pattern in Bangladesh. Positive heterosis is considered desirable for other yield contributing traits. The hybrid HE15, HE17 and HE16 showed significant negative heterosis both for mid parent and better parent. Negative heterosis for plant height is desirable to adopt hybrid in unfavorable weather condition. The Hybrid HE15 showed both for significant negative mid parent and better parent heterosis. High heritability along with significant mid parent and better parent heterosis indicate scope of utilization of hybrid as commercial and further use in breeding programmes. Several outstanding cross combinations, HE17, HE16, HE14, HE15, and HE18 showed significant and desirable heterosis for seed yield per plant over mid parent and better parent. The hybrid combinations HE17, HE16 and HE14 could be utilized to exploit the heterosis as well as commercial multiplication of seed to get direct benefit by the farmers.

The present investigation was carried out to estimate the genetic variability and character association. Significant differences were observed among the genotypes for all the 15 traits for 20 chili genotypes. The highest genotypic coefficient of variation and phenotypic coefficient of variation were found for ten edible fruit weight, number of fruits per plant, fruit yield per plant, ten dry fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width, and weight of seeds per fruit. High heritability coupled with very high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for ten edible fruit weight, ten dry fruit weight, fruit length, number of fruits per plant, and fruit yield per plant. Phenotypic correlation coefficient among different traits indicated that fruit yield per plant at green stage had significant and positive association with ten edible green fruit weight, number of primary branches, harvest duration, and first fruit maturity and significant negative correlation with days to first picking. The path coefficient analysis revealed that days to first picking had the maximum positive direct effect on fruit yield per plant followed by harvest duration, ten edible fruit weight, ten dry fruit weight, hundred-seed weight, number of fruits per plant, first fruit maturity, and number of primary branches. Days to first picking had the maximum positive direct effect but significant negative effect with fruit yield per plant which indicated that the trait should be selected to expunge the undesirable indirect effect in order to make use of the direct effect. Therefore, selection should be practiced for ten edible fruit weight, ten dry fruit weight, number of fruits per plant, harvest duration, and hundred-seed weight for direct improvement of fruit yield per plant.

Background : Blood transfusion is a life saving intervention in some obstetric and gynecological cases but is associated with risk of transfusion reaction and transmission of infection . Appropriate use of blood and blood products is of utmost importance for the safety of the patients. During the evaluation of an ongoing study on PPH,it appears that rate of blood transfusion is unexpectedly high in this centre, which raised the inquisitiveness in evaluating the rate and rationality of blood transfusion in present practice. Objective : To determine the incidence of blood transfusion in admitted and operated cases and is also to evaluate the indication of transfusion among the study patients. Subject and Method: It was an observational descriptive study, conducted from 1 st April 2012 to 30 th June 2012 in department of obstetrics and gynecology of Ad-din Women Medical College Hospital , Dhaka . Total 256 cases were included for the study, who received blood and /or blood products during the study period. Results : Transfusion rate in total admitted patients was 9.23% . Most common indication for blood transfusion in obstetric patients was mild preoperative anaemia with or without excessive bleeding during cesarean section (63.92%) and second common cause was antenatal anaemia (24.05%). In gynecological cases abortion (45.91%) was the commonest indication for blood transfusion and next common conditions were total abdominal hysterectomy (20.40%),vaginal hysterectomy (7.14%), ectopic pregnancy and post coital tear (6.12%) and( 6.12%). Conclusion : In this study it was observed that, blood transfusion was not appropriate in all cases, specially in cases where single unit blood was transfused . So creation of awareness among the junior doctors, obstetricians, nurses – midwives is essential by developing regular education and training programme. J Bangladesh Coll Phys Surg 2016; 34(1): 9-14

Background Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important fiber crop in Bangladesh. Genetic diversity among the genotypes of a germplasm has a great importance for cotton breeding. An experiment was carried out at the experimental field of Cotton Research, Training and Seed Multiplication Farm, Sreepur, Gazipur during the cropping season of 2015–2016 with 100 genotypes to evaluate genetic diversity of cotton genotypes for short duration using field performance. Results The genotypes under study were grouped into ten clusters through multivariate analysis using GENSTAT-5. Cluster III contained maximum number of genotypes (16) while cluster X contained the least number of genotypes (7). The inter cluster distances were larger than intra cluster distances in all cases suggesting wider genetic diversity among the genotypes of different clusters. The maximum and minimum inter cluster distances were observed between clusters II and V (10.78) and clusters VIII and IX (3.30), respectively. The results indicated diverse and close relationship among the genotypes of those clusters. Earliness index, single boll weight and days to boll opening showed the higher contribution to the genetic divergence among 19 characters. Conclusion Based on the results of genetic diversity and earliness index, the genotypes from cluster II could be used as parent in hybridization program for the development of short duration cotton variety.

In this paper, we report the estimates of outcrossing rates using open-pollinated progeny arrays of 40 BC1 individuals of Jatropha developed as a result of interspecific hybridization between J. curcas and J. integerrima. For analysis PCR-based dominant AFLP and codominant SSR markers were used. The multilocus outcrossing rate (tm) estimated from AFLP markers (0.892 ± 0.112) are almost in the same range with SSR (0.884 ± 0.293) markers which indicate a high level of heterozygosity. A low value of inbreeding coefficient (F) also points out to the fact that outcrossing was the prevalent mode of reproduction in Jatropha and suggests maintenance of adequate genetic variability within families.

Twenty five advanced lines among them twelve lines obtained from the cross between Edible Podded Pea and IPSA Motorsuty-1, nine obtained from the cross between Local White and IPSA Motorsuty-3 and five parental lines were included to measure genetic diversity. The field experiment was conducted at the research farm, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh. Analysis of variance showed significant differences among the genotypes for all characters. Multivariate analysis based 14 agronomic characters indicated that the 26 genotypes fell into five distant clusters. Fifty percent germination was found to be contributed maximum towards the total divergence. The inter cluster (D2 values) distance was maximum between cluster I and cluster II and intra-cluster distance was in cluster III. Cluster V comprising five genotypes, namely, G11, G14, G21, G22, G25 and scored first position for 50% germination, pod per plant, 100 green seed weight and seed yield per plant (6.02). Genotypes belonging to the cluster I, II and V having greater inter cluster distance and higher cluster means for various characters could be recommended for inclusion in future breeding program as they are expected to produce good segregates.

Six parents (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and P6) half diallel population of Jatropha curcas were evaluated to determine the combining ability, genetic components of variance and heterosis for yield contributing traits. Diallel analysis showed that both additive and dominance gene action was responsible for the genetic regulation of all the traits under study. The cross combination P1 × P3 showed the highest positive specific combining ability for seed yield per plant. Combining ability results were also in close agreement with the findings of estimate of genetic components of variance. The seeds per fruit (89%) and 100-seed weight (93%) showed maximum narrow sense heritability. Seed yield per plant showed high mid parent (254.13%) and better parent (202.36%) heterosis in the cross combinations of P2 × P5 and P1 × P3, respectively. The parents of P1, P2, P3 and P5 were found to be superior for seed yield components when used in cross. Considering seed production for each plant, the hybrids P1 × P2, P1 × P3, P2 × P5 and P4 × P6 could be selected for the development of hybrid varieties.

Oil content and fatty acid composition were studied in developing seeds of Pongamia, at intervals of 30 days starting from 45 days after anthesis up to 255 days after anthesis. The oil content increased from 15.96 to 36.93 % as the seed matured. A significant variation in fatty acid composition of the oil was detected during seed development. Proportion of all fatty acids except oleic acid decreased during seed development. Palmitic acid (16:0) content decreased from 22.4 to 10.37 %, while stearic acid (18:0) content decreased from 9.43 to 4.26 %. Linolenic acid (18:3) content decreased from 11.95 to 2.24 %. A sharp increase in linoleic acid content from 28.8 to 41.49 % was observed at stage 2 which decreased afterwards to 17.72 % at maturity. A steady increase in oleic acid (18:1) content from 27.69 to 61.34 % was observed. The saponification number and iodine value decreased, while cetane number increased during seed development.

We report on identification of core collection from 192 accessions collected from 12 Indian states and five other countries based on 109 polymorphic amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Pairwise Jaccard's similarity coefficient for accessions varied from 0.25 to 1 with a maximum genetic distance of 0.75 obtained between accessions Jc428 (from Mexico) and J204 (from Madurai, Tamil Nadu). Both UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method of Arithmetic Averages) clustering and principal coordinate analyses showed similar grouping of accessions in three major clusters in which Mexican accessions clustered separately from Indian, Chinese and African accessions. Results obtained from analysis of molecular variance indicated that 59% of the genetic variation was distributed among the populations, while 41% of variation was within the populations. A total of 16 (8.3% of the entire collection) core accessions were identified, which contained the entire allelic diversity of 192 accessions with respect to the sampled AFLP loci. The core accessions would be highly useful for future genetic improvement ofJatropha. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on identification of core accessions inJatropha.

Genetic and fatty acid variability in four datasets of accessions and prebreeding lines of Jatropha curcas was analyzed. The datasets were comprised of J. curcas accessions (13), BC1 (28), BC1F2 (12) and single seeds (12). The BC1, BC1F2 and single seed dataset were derived from an interspecific cross between J. curcas and J. integerrima. The average within-group (within dataset) polymorphism revealed by AFLP markers was 28.5 %. The average genetic similarity within the four datasets, namely, J. curcas accessions, BC1, BC1F2 and single seeds was 0.92, 0.82, 0.90 and 0.92 respectively with an overall average genetic similarity of 0.80. The values of percent polymorphism, Shannon’s information index and expected heterozygosity were highest for BC1 dataset. The total unsaturated fatty acids in the oil varied from 63.64 to 89.10 %. Levene’s test showed that within-group variance was significantly different for three fatty acids, namely, palmitic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid. BC1F2 dataset had the highest variance for palmitic and oleic acid, whereas BC1 dataset had the highest variance for linoleic acid. The results revealed that both genetic as well as fatty acid variability was significantly higher in the newly created prebreeding lines and the level of fatty acid variability in these datasets was different and highly correlated to the level of their genetic variability as revealed by AFLP markers. This new prebreeding material, especially, the BC1 and BC1F2 lines, will be useful for development of Jatropha varieties with specific fatty acid composition for specific industrial applications.

a b s t r a c t Level of variation in capsaicinoid content was evaluated in Capsicum accessions belonging to chilli land races from north-eastern India. Accessions from NE India showed enormous variation in morphological characters such as fruit shape, size, colour, and fruit position. Capsaicinoid content in 139 accessions var- ied from 0.02 to 72.05 mg/g. The ratio between two major capsaicinoids, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, varied from 0.34 to 4.92. The capsaicinoid content among 92 accessions of Bhut Jolokia varied from 11.95 to 72.05 mg/g with corresponding pungency levels of 191,135-1,152,832 SHU. A strong positive correlation (r = 0.90) was obtained between capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin content. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thirty five roselle genotypes were evaluated at the experimental field of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University during August 2015 to February 2016. Based on agronomic performance 15 genotypes were selected for the analysis of phytochemical composition and the nutritional quality of calyx extract. The objective of the research was to estimate phytochemical constituents such as carotenoid, flavonoid, phenol, anthocyanin, vitamin C content and antioxidant activity of calyx extract of roselle. The genotype BUM-003 (873.61 μg/g) contained high amount of phenol among the 15 genotypes followed by BUM-007 (867.84 μg/g) and the lowest (481.57 μg/g) in genotype 4561. The high amount of carotenoid was estimated in the genotypes BUM-003, BUM-004, BUM-007 (30.18, 30.95, 29.69 μg/g, respectively). The genotypes 1740 (7.07 μg/g) and 4561 (7.73 μg/g) contained less amount of carotenoid. All the genotypes contained high amount of anthocyanin (>80 μg/g) except 1740, 4561, BUM-002. High amount of flavonoid was estimated in the calyx extract of the genotypes BUM-003 (399.15 μg/g) and BUM-004 (407.34 μg/g). The highest amount of antioxidant was estimated in the genotype BUM-002 (492.87 μg/g) followed by 4385 (488.09 μg/g) and 4920 (487.99 μg/g). Antioxidant activity was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) radical scavenging assay and maximum was found in the genotype 4920 (95.09%) followed by 4385 (94.12%), BUM-002 (93.55%) and minimum (72.83%) in the genotype 4537. The highest amount of vitamin C was estimated in the genotypes BUM-003 (312.97 μg/g) and the lowest in the genotype 4561 (26.20 μg/g). From the overall phytochemical composition it might be concluded that the calyces of the genotypes 4385, 4920, BUM-002, BUM-003, BUM-004, BUM-007 are the excellent source of natural antioxidants. The calyx extract of the genotype BUM-004 contain the highest amount of carotenoids (31μg/g), ascorbic acid (424.19μg/g), antioxidant (485.85 μg/g BHT eqv) and antioxidant activity (94.50 %). The genotype 4537 contain the highest amount anthocyanins (87.7 μg/g and) and flavonoid (404.40μg/g). The genotype BUM-003 (869.45 μg/g) contained the highest amount of phenol in the calyx extract.Keywords: Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.), nutrition, chemical composition, calyx extract

Seed development in Jatropha curcas L. was studied with respect to morphology, oil content and lipid profiles. Seeds were collected at 8 different stages of development starting from 6 days after pollination till maturity. Seed oil content increased from 6.15% to 35.86%. Palmitic acid (16:0) decreased from 34.27-15.62, whereas linolenic acid (18:3) reduced from 26.32 to 0.65%. A sharp increase in oleic acid (18:1) content from 8.05 to 29.56% was observed at stage 5 which increased further to 44.38% at maturity. Linoleic acid (18:2) increased steadily from 33.38 to 47.19 % till stage 7 but reduced to 33.02% at maturity with a simultaneous increase in oleic acid. Remarkable changes in fatty acid composition were observed after stage 4 (27 DAP). The biodiesel quality of oil at stage 8 was better than at stage 7 as indicated by lower iodine number and higher cetane number.

Genetic divergence among 46 ash gourd genotypes from different origins was investigated to select the parents for hybridization using Mahalanobis D2 statistics. Though the genotypes grouped into seven clusters, the pattern of distribution of the genotypes into different clusters were random indicating that the geographical isolation was not always related to genetic diversity. Characters like fruit weight, fruits per plant, days to first male flower and nodes for first male flower contributed considerably to the total divergence. Maximum inter-cluster distance between cluster III and IV indicating wide genetic divergence between the genotypes of these two clusters (cluster III and IV followed by cluster IV and VII). However, the intra-cluster distances were smaller than inter-cluster distances. Thus, crossing between the genotypes of these two groups (cluster III and IV) would produce high heterotic progeny and may produce new recombinants with desired traits.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjpbg.v20i1.17014

The experiment was conducted to study variability, correlation coefficient and path analysis for yield and quality related traits of 30 pumpkin genotypes. Significant variations were found among the genotypes for most of the characters studied. High genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and high heritability coupled with high genetic advance in percent of mean were observed for beta-carotene followed by non-reducing sugar, number of seeds per fruit, yield per plant, dry weight, flesh thickness, number of male flowers per plant and number of female flowers per plant which indicated that these characters were under additive gene control and selection for genetic improvement for these traits might be effective. Correlation co-efficient between yield per plant with number of primary branches, number of fruits per plant and single fruit weight were positive and highly significant. On the other hand, days to first female flower, number of male flowers per plant, s- carotene and total sugar showed positive and insignificant correlation with yield per plant. But correlation between brix content and yield per plant were significantly negative. Path coefficient analysis revealed that the maximum direct contribution towards yield was obtained through number of fruits per plant followed by days to first female flower and single fruit weight indicated that these traits should be considered as primary components of yield. Negative direct effect on yield was exerted by total sugar followed by number of female flowers per plant, reducing sugar and brix content. Considering all the qualitative and quantitative traits ten genotypes as G 7, G 13, G 14, G 17 , G 18 , G 19, G 20, G 22, G 27 , G 29 among thirty were selected and suggested to be selfed for the development of inbred line for use in future breeding programme. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjpbg.v26i1.19981

Thirty genotypes collected from India, Burma, and Bangladesh were studied for thier genetic divergence using Mahalanobi´s D 2 and Rao´s canonical analysis. Altogether five clusters were formed. The pattern of distribution of genotypes into five clusters was random demonstrating that the geographical isolation might not be the only factor causing genetic diversity. Leaf length and sulfur content contributed predominantly towards genetic divergence. Cluster III recorded the highest means for number of leaves per plant, leaf length, bulb length, plant height, and bulb yield. The results obtained from D 2 analysis were confirmed by canonical analysis. The genotype G 12 showed highest mean performance for moisture content (88.49%), G 13 for leaf length (39.06 cm), G 15 for neck diameter at vegetative stage (11.21 mm), bulb length (49.09 mm), plant height (64.82 cm) and as well as bulb yield (13.17 t/ha), G 19 for percent sulfur content (0.84) and G 26 for number of leaves per plant (12), respectively. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v37i4.14375 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 37(4): 573-582, December 2012

Genetic diversity of Pongamia pinnata, a plant species emerging as biodiesel source, was assessed using three endonuclease (TE)-amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. A total of 275 accessions from different Indian geographical regions were collected. High level of polymorphism (62.6%) was observed in 334 loci amplified using six primer combinations. The Jaccard’s dissimilarity coefficient ranged from 0.17 to 0.80. Based on the neighbour joining method of clustering, accessions were grouped into six major clusters congruent with their respective geographical locations. The mean values of effective multiplex ratio, polymorphic information content, marker index and resolving power were 34.83, 0.286, 9.700 and 14.29 respectively. In addition, a core collection consisting of 20 accessions was identified. Population STRUCTURE analysis produced the highest log likelihood score when the number of populations (K) was set at 2, which was not consistent with clustering analysis based on genetic diversity. Two TE-AFLP markers, E_ac x P_a04 and E_ac x P_a39, were significantly associated with oil content (at P = 0.005). The extent of genetic diversity detected and core germplasm of CPT identified in this study could be selected and used for tree breeding, germplasm conservation and suitable feed stock for biofuel.

The physicochemical properties of Jatropha seed oil from 9 geographical origins and 24 candidate plus plants (CPPs) were evaluated. The yield of seed oil obtained by Soxhlet extraction using n-hexane as solvent varied from 40.0% (Malaysia) to 48.4% (Vietnam) among seeds from different origins and 32.1% (CPP-17) to 48.8% (CPP-01) (w/w) among CPPs. Density, specific gravity, and refractive index of oil showed very little differences among all the seed sources. Oil from Borneo had the highest free fatty acid (FFA) content (2.3%) and a South African sample had the lowest FFA (0.4%), as oleic acids. Seed oil of CPP-13 had the highest FFA content (1.2%) and seed oil of CPP-17 the lowest (0.3%). Most of the CPPs in this study had an FFA content of less than 1%. Jatropha seed oil of Philippine origin had the highest iodine value (187.3 mg/g oil) and seed oil from Borneo the lowest (83.5 mg/g oil). The lowest saponification values were obtained from seed oil of Philippine origin (189.5 mg KOH/g) and CPP-22 (183.3 mg KOH/g oil) from Malaysia. The maximum higher heating value (40.3 MJ/kg) was obtained from seed oil from Borneo. The cetane numbers range from 25.4 (Indonesia) to 56.0 (Borneo) among the oils of base material and 46.4 (CPP-15) to 53.7 (CPP-06) among CPPs. This study gives basic information of relevance for biodiesel production using Jatropha seeds from various origins.

Preliminary Studies on Heterosis in Snakegourd (Triconsanthes cucumerina) The analysis of variance showed significant difference among the parents and hybrids of snakegourd for most of the characters except days to first female flower, days to first fruit setting and node number of first fruit setting. The hybrid SG-18 x SG-01 produced the highest number of fruits per plant and fruit yield per plant followed by SG-04 x SG-26. The hybrid SG-04 x SG-26 took minimum 81-83 days to produce female flower. Both positive and negative mid parent and better parent heterosis was obtained for different characters of hybrids of which few hybrids showed desirable and significant values. The highest mid parent heterosis in negative direction (-9.66%) was found for days to first male flower in hybrid SG-06 x SG-18 and for days to first female flower opening in hybrid SG-04 x SG-26 (-9.30%). The hybrids SG-01 x SG-18, SG-04 x SG-26, SG-06 x SG-18, SG-06 x SG-25, SG-18 x SG-01 and SG-18 x SG-25 showed significant desirable mid parent heterosis for number of fruits per plant, and SG-04 x SG-26, SG-06 x SG-18, SG-06 x SG-25, and SG-18 x SG-25 showed better parent heterosis. Four hybrids (SG-04 x SG-26, SG-06 x SG-18, SG-06 x SG-25 and SG-18 x SG-25) exhibited significant and desirable level of both mid and better parent heterosis for number of fruits per plant. The hybrids SG-04 x SG-26, SG-06 x SG-18, SG-06 x SG-25 and SG-18 x SG-25 could be identified as promising combination for commercial cultivation. Further investigation should be carried out to confirm the heterosis exhibited by the hybrids.

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of the time of apical pinching and genotype on plant growth, flowering time, and yield of Jatropha curcas L. at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia during 2008–2009. Three pinching treatments were used: no pinching or control (P0), pinching during transplanting (P1), and pinching at 30 days after transplanting (P2). Highly significant effect of time of pinching and genotype on plant growth and seed yield was observed. The plant height was significantly reduced by pinching the plant at 30 days after transplanting (72.4 cm) compared to pinching during transplanting (80.0 cm) and no pinching (95.5 cm). The maximum number of primary branches per plant (3.1) with more leaves per plant (113.2) and less plant height (72.2 cm) at first flowering was recorded with pinching at 30 days after transplanting. Among the treatments, unpinched plants produced flowers earlier than the pinched one. The highest number of fruits and seeds per plant along with higher seed yie...

The objective of the study was to explore the effects of pre-sowing seed treatments on germination behaviour and to assess the possibilities of increasing the germination rate of Jatropha curcas. Seeds of twenty jatropha accessions obtained from seven different sources were subjected to three pre-sowing treatments viz., control (T0): unsoaked seeds directly sown in the polybag and apply water up to saturation; T1: seed placed on filter paper in the petridis and moistened once with the water; and T2: seeds kept under stone sand and moistened once with the water. Seeds in T1 and T2 were kept for 72 h before sown in the polybag. The study was conducted in the Glass House of Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Study revealed that pre-sowing treatments significantly (p

An experiment was conducted with a view to find out the suitable plant growth regulator(s) with appropriate anthesis applying on ovary before anthesis, at anthesis and a day after anthesis for inducing parthenocarpic fruit in kakrol (Momordica dioicia Roxb). Four plant growth regulators, viz. auxin (NAA: Nepthalene Acetic Acid and 2, 4-D: 2, 4-Dichlorophenoxy acetic acid), Cytokinin (Fulmet), Gibberellin (GA3: Gibberellic acid) sprayed at three stages (a day before anthesis, at anthesis, a day after anthesis) were arranged in split plot design. Out of four growth regulators (2, 4-D and fulmet) responded to parthenocarpic fruit development in kakrol. Fruit set percent, final fruit weight, fruit length and fruit diameters were varied significantly with different treatment combination. 2, 4-D at 50 ppm when applied at anthesis showed better performance over other in parthenocarpic fruit development in kakrol.

Genotypic and phenotypic variability, heritability, genetic advance, correlation coefficients and path coefficients analysis were done for yield and its contributing characters in 28 genotypes of potato. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percent of mean and high genotypic coefficients of variation were observed for number of tubers per plant, yield per plant and average weight of a tuber suggesting selection for these traits would give good response. Genotypic and phenotypic correlation of the number of tubers per plant and weight of tubers per plant were highly significant. Plant vigour, number of compound leaves per plant and number of tubers per plant, average weight of a tuber and dry matter content of tuber had high degree of positive association with tuber yield per plant. As per path analysis, average weight of tuber and total number of tubers per plant contributed maximum direct effect to tuber yield indicating their importance as selection index for yield improvement.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjpbg.v20i1.17023

Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.) is a member of Euphorbeaceae family with multiple attributes and enormous prospective. Jatropha is now being credited as the most promising biofuel crop. It has been documented as the most suitable oil-producing plant due to its variety of potential attribute among lots of oil seed-bearing species. The oil can be extracted from the seeds of Jatropha plant and used as feedstock for bio-diesel production and other use of jatropha oil is for making soap, adhesive, foam, composite, surface coating, coloring agents, etc. Jatropha roots, shoot latex, leaf, and kernel oil have curative characteristics. Fruit shell and seed cake can be used as organic fertilizer as well as animal feed upon detoxification because they are rich in N, P, and K. Jatropha can save cost of fuel import, create employment opportunity, reduce environmental pollution, and improve the financial condition of rural peoples. Research is required to know the actual potentiality of jatropha products. Much more research on variety development and cultivation technology is needed to be done to increase seed yield of Jatropha which will enhance its economic sustainability.

Agricultural residues are widely used as fuel for cooking and other industrial purposes. World population increases day by day; as a result there is an increased demand of food supply to mitigate poverty and nutrition. A huge amount of biomass is obtained as residues of agricultural crops and the production of residues increases as well. Agro-residues are a renewable source of energy as the combustion products (carbon dioxide) and the energy from residue renews within a very short period of time by consuming next growing season. Entire amount of field residues cannot be used and harvested as energy because a large share of residues should be left in the field for maintaining the health of soil. However, entire amount of crop-processed residues can be utilized as source of energy. There are several technologies for converting the residues to energy. The type of residues available at specific region is an influence to the use of technology in energy conversion. The research on technologies for energy conversion is under progress at satisfactory level. The processes of harvesting and conversion of agro-residues also generate green job in different sector in the society. The success of sustainability of renewable energy from agricultural residues depends on the development of efficient conversion technology.

Genetic diversity among 64 CIMMYT and BARI developed maize inbred lines was conducted at the research farm of Plant Breeding Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Joydebpur, Gazipur, Bangladesh during Rabi season 2012-13. The genotypes were grouped into six clusters. Cluster III comprised the maximum genotypes (18) which indicated the genetic similarity among them. The minimum genotype (4) was contained in the cluster V. The highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster VI and III (9.37) followed by cluster VI and V(8.22) and cluster V and I (7.75) suggesting wider diversity between them and the genotypes in these cluster could be used as donor parents for new maize hybrid development. The highest intra-cluster distance was observed in cluster V (0.846) and the cluster II was had the least intra cluster distance (0.472). The mean values of cluster VI recorded the highest for thousand seed weight (360.80 gm) and yield per hectare (4.72 ton/ha). It appeared that the early maturing genotypes were included in the cluster V (147.75). The positive absolute values of the two vectors revealed that ear height, ear diameter and yield (t/ha) had the greatest contribution to genetic divergence. The negative values for the two vectors for days to 50% tasseling, ear length and thousand seed weight (TSW) indicated the least responsibility of both the primary and secondary differentiations.