• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.305-311
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• 2014

It is imperative to know the reproductive parameters of the existing swine breed for profitable farming in Bangladesh. This study was designed to determine the reproductive parameters of sows at hilly areas. A total of 245 pigs with 47 breedable sows were included. The data on age at puberty, oestrous cycle length, oestrus duration, gestation length, interval between furrowing and onset of oestrus, first service pregnancy rate, service per pregnancy and number of piglets born per sow in local and cross bred sows were determined. The present study revealed that age at puberty of local and cross breed sows was $232.5{\pm}8.4$, $221.3{\pm}6.9$ days, respectively. Oestrous duration was $41.1{\pm}3.1$ hours. The interval between furrowing and onset of oestrus was shorter in cross bred sows. There was no variation in values of oestrus cycle length and gestation length. The first service pregnancy rate was higher in both the local and cross bred sow. Number of piglets per sow per farrowing was $6.1{\pm}2.2$ and 60.9% local sows gave birth of 3 to 5 piglets per farrowing whereas 75.0% cross bred sows gave birth of 6 to 9 piglets. These results suggest that reproductive parameters of local sow need to be improved for better production, and cross bred sows should be reared for obtaining expected productivity.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.371-378
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• 2004

The poultry farmers of rural area in Bangladesh usually prefer raising cockerel to broiler due to availability, low price of chicks, requirement of less space and feed, and high price of meat and the farmers believe that the cockerels are less susceptible to diseases in comparison to broilers. This study was carried out to observe the pathology of diseased cockerel in 3 farms of rural area in Bangladesh. A total of 974 birds were examined and the diagnoses of different disease/conditions were based on the history, clinical signs, characteristic gross, tissue alterations, clinical pathology and isolation and identification of the pathogenic organisms. The diseases in this study included infectious bursal disease, yolk sac infection, vitamin E deficiency, coccidiosis, and other diseases. The proportionate mortality rate were $7.29\%,\;0.62\%,\;0.72\%,\;0.21\%\;and\;0.10\%$, respectively, which indicated that most of the fatal causes of death were due to infectious bursal disease. Age group of 2-8 week old were the most susceptible to this disease and E coli was suggested as a cause of yolk sac infection. The data also suggested that the coccidiosis in rural areas of Bangladesh has decreased due to awareness of the farmers and routine use of coccidiostates.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.77-88
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• 2019

Drought is the recurrent natural disasters which harshly affect agricultural production and society in various parts in Bangladesh. Information on the spatiotemporal variability of drought events plays a vital role to take necessary action towards drought mitigation and sustainable development. This study aims to analyze the spatial and temporal variation of meteorological drought in Bangladesh during 1981-2015 using Effective Drought Index (EDI). Monthly precipitation data for 36 years (1980-2015) were obtained from 27 meteorological stations. Drought frequency (DF) and areal extent of drought were considered to investigate the spatiotemporal structure of drought. The DF analysis showed that the northern, southwestern and central regions of the country are comparatively vulnerable to meteorological drought. The frequency of drought in all categories has considerably increased during the recent five years from 2011 to 2015. Furthermore, the most significant increasing trend of the drought-affected area was found over the central region especially for pre-monsoon (March-May) season during this period while the decreasing trend of the affected area was found within the eastern region during the study period. To prevent and mitigate the damages of drought disasters in Bangladesh, agricultural and government managers should pay more attention to those regional drought events that occur in pre-monsoon season. The outcome of the present study can be used as explanatory data in building the strategies to drought monitoring and mitigation activities in Bangladesh.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.145-159
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• 2019

A good number of drought indices have been introduced and applied in different regions for monitoring drought conditions, but some of those are region-specific and have limitations for use under other climatic conditions because of the inherently complex characteristics of drought phenomenon. Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) indices are widely used all over the world, including Bangladesh. Although newly developed, studies have demonstrated The Effective Drought Index (EDI) to perform better compared to SPIs in some areas. This research examined the performance of EDI to the SPI for detecting drought events throughout 35 years (1981 to 2015) in Bangladesh. Rainfall data from 27 meteorological stations across Bangladesh were used to calculate the EDI and SPI values. Results suggest that the EDI can detect historical records of actual events better than SPIs. Moreover, EDI is more efficient in assessing both short and long-term droughts than SPIs. Results also indicate that SPI3 and the EDI indices have a better capability of detecting drought events in Bangladesh compared to other SPIs; however, SPI1 produced erroneous estimates. Therefore, EDI is found to be more responsive to drought conditions and can capture the real essence of the drought situation in Bangladesh. Outcomes from this study bear policy implications on mitigation measures to minimize the loss of agricultural production in drought-prone areas. Information on severity level and persistence of drought conditions will be instrumental for resource managers to allocate scarce resources optimally.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.33-43
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• 2021

Along with the widespread use of pesticides in the world, concerns over human health impacts are rapidly growing. There is a large body of evidence on the relationship between the exposure to pesticides and the elevated rate of chronic diseases such as different types of cancers, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson, Alzheimer, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), birth defects, and reproductive disorders. This research assessed the health risk of pesticide residues by the dietary intake of vegetables collected from the agro-based markets of Dhaka, Bangladesh. As some of the banned pesticides were also found in vegetable samples, they may pose a higher risk because of cheaper availability and hence the government of Bangladesh should take strong measures to control these banned pesticides. Five organo phosphorus (chlorpyrifos, parathion, ethion, acephate, fenthion) and two carbamate (carbaryl and carbofuran) pesticide residues were identified in twenty four samples of two common vegetables (tomato and brinjal). The pesticide residues ranged from below a detectable limit (< 0.01) to 0.36 mg·kg^-1. Acephate, chlorpyrifos, ethion, and carbaryl were detected in only one sample, while co-occurrence occurred twice for parathion. Continuous monitoring and strict regulation should be enforced regarding the control of pesticide residues in fresh vegetables and other food commodities in Bangladesh.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.422-430
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• 2021

Objectives: Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to respiratory infections such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but insufficient research has investigated pregnancy and its outcomes in women with COVID-19. This cross-sectional study compared birth outcomes related to COVID-19 between Bangladeshi pregnant women with and without COVID-19. Methods: The study was conducted at 3 tertiary referral hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from March to August 2020. Pregnant women admitted for delivery at these hospitals with laboratory results (reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction) were analyzed. Using convenience sampling, we included 70 COVID-19-positive and 140 COVID-19-negative pregnant women. Trained and experienced midwives conducted the interviews. Data were analyzed using the t-test, the chi-square test, and univariate and multivariable linear and logistic regression. Results: Pregnant women with COVID-19 were more likely to give birth to a preterm baby (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 4.37) and undergo a cesarean section (aOR, 3.27; 95% CI, 1.51 to 7.07). There were no significant differences in birth weight, premature rupture of membranes, and the Apgar score at 1 minute or 5 minutes post-delivery between women with and without COVID-19. All the newborn babies who were born to COVID-19-positive women were COVID-19-negative. Conclusions: Our study suggests that pregnant women with COVID-19 were more likely to give birth to a preterm baby and undergo a cesarean section. For this reason, physicians should be particularly cautious to minimize adverse birth outcomes among pregnant women with COVID-19 and their newborn babies.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.4114-4121
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• 2021

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), the first nuclear power plant in Bangladesh with a capacity of 2.4 GWe, is under construction on the bank of the river Padma, at Rooppur in Bangladesh. Measurement of background radioactivity in the natural environment adjacent to RNPP finds great importance for future perspectives. Soil and sediment samples collected from upstream and downstream positions of the Padma River (adjacent to RNPP) were collected and analyzed by HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry for primordial radionuclides. The average activity concentrations (in Bqkg^-1) of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K radionuclides in soil samples were found to be 44.99 ± 3.89, 66.28 ± 6.55 and 553 ± 82.17 respectively. Respective values in sediment samples were found to be 44.59 ± 4.58, 67.64 ± 7.93, 782 ± 108. Relevant radiation hazard indices and dosimetric parameters were calculated and compared with the world average data recommended by US-EPA. Analytical results show non-negligible radiation hazards to the surrounding populace. Measured data will be useful to monitor any change of background radioactivity in the surrounding environment of RNPP following its operation for the generation of nuclear energy.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.204-217
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• 2022

Background: Increasing land demands for food production have led to biodiversity loss and land degradation in the Madhupur Sal forest. Reforestation activities such as agroforestry and woodlot plantation support the conservation of diversity, restoration of forest and prevention of soil erosion in degraded natural Sal forest. Knowing about these reforestation activities, this study is needed to compare the species composition, richness, and soil nutrients of these two plantation activities to the natural Sal forest in the degraded Madhupur Sal forest in Bangladesh. Results: The analysis showed that in between the reforestation activities, the highest Shannon-Wiener index (1.79), evenness (0.60) and Simpson's index (0.79) were found in the agroforestry site compared to the woodlot plantation site. On the contrary, the highest species richness (n = 14), tree basal area (19.56 m² ha^-1), Margalef's index (1.96) were recorded in woodlot plantation than in the agroforestry site. We observed that at 0-15 cm depth, soil organic matter (2.39%), total nitrogen (0.14%), available phosphorous (62.67 ㎍ g^-1) and exchangeable potassium (0.36 meq/100 g) in agroforestry plots were significantly higher compared to other forest sites. At topsoil (15-30 cm depth), soil organic matter (1.67%) and available phosphorous (21.09 ㎍ g^-1) were found to be higher in agroforestry site. Conclusions: Both reforestation approaches improved soil function, although woodlot plantation had the higher species richness. Therefore, plantation activities by the sustainable implementation of these two practices are the best alternative to restore the biodiversity, richness and conserve soil fertility in the Madhupur Sal forest of Bangladesh.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2014

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus that represents one of the most common and important infectious diseases of cats worldwide and it is responsible for more deaths among cats than any other infectious diseases. Prevalence data are necessary to define prophylactic, management and therapeutic measures for stray, feral and owned cats which are lacking in Bangladesh. The study was carried out to determine the prevalence of FeLV infection in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh using RapiGEN$^{(R)}$ FeLV Ag Test Kit (RapiGEN$^{(R)}$ Inc., Republic of Korea), a rapid one-step immunochromatographic assay. Blood samples from total 130 cats (23 owned cats and 107 unowned cats) were collected and tested following the manufacturer's instruction. An overall prevalence of FeLV infection was 1.54% (2/130). Prevalence was found 1.79% (2/112) on Day 0-up to one year aged cats (young) but no positive case was found in above 1 year (Adult) aged group. In male and female cats, the prevalence was 1.72% (1/58) and 1.39% (1/72), respectively. In un-owned cats the prevalence was 1.87%. Positive cases to FeLV were found only in clinically sick cats. No significant relationship was found according to age, sex, ownership status and health status. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of the prevalence of FeLV infection in Bangladesh using RapiGEN$^{(R)}$ FeLV test kits which is very much effective because it is easy to apply, less expensive and quick screening of such type of infection.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.101-118
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• 2008

This paper reviews the present situation of Triticale cultivation and examines the potentiality of contribution to livestock as well as poultry sector in Bangladesh Agriculture. Triticale is a human-made cross between rye and durum wheat that has the ability to produce quality green fodder, and then re-grow after first and second cutting to produce grain. In Bangladesh, it is a non-traditional cereal that grows well during the cool and dry Rabi season (November-March) when fodder and feed scarcity is a major limiting factor for ruminant livestock. In Bangladesh Triticale was started to grow in the late Ninety's. The scientists of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) were first introduced triticale in Bangladesh. Still now the situation of Triticale is grown as fooder and feed in Bangladesh within the scientists under trial. High quality grass fodder was obtained by cutting green triticale plants twice, at 35 and 50 days after seeding, while later the ratooning tillers produced grain to a yield of 1.1-2.4 t/ha of grain for poultry feed or human food. Triticale straw was twice as nutritious as rice or wheat straw and its grain contained more protein than other cereals. Researchers and farmers have also successfully made triticale hay and silage from a mixture of triticale green cuttings, rice straw and molasses. A feeding trial at Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute(BLRI), Savar station showed a large(46%) increase in cow live weight gain and a 36% increase in milk yield (but no change in milk quality or dry matter intake) in cows fed triticale silage compared with those fed rice straw over a period of nine weeks. In another feeding trial, it was found that triticale grain was a good replacement for wheat in the feed blend for chickens in Bangladesh. So it will be a good chance to alive our livestock as well as poultry sector if triticale enters to our existing cropping system as fodder cum grain. The challenge in Bangladesh is to identify fodder technologies that match existing small-scale farmer cropping patterns without needing major inputs or increasing risks. Preliminary field experiments revealed that triticale is a crop with good potential to produce quality fodder and grain for small scale farmers in Bangladesh.