Economic analysis of mushroom enterprise in Chitwan district, Nepal

The majority of the population (66%) in-country “Nepal” are engaged in agriculture. However, domestic production finds it difficult to meet the annual demand of the people. Hence, people are moving from subsistence agriculture to embrace mushroom farming. This study focuses on economic analysis and analysis of the present status of mushroom farming and enterprise in this country. The study was conducted in the land area of Kalika Municipality and Bharatpur Metropolitan City. 30 mushroom farmers with two huts and at least three years of experience were selected from the study area. The primary data were collected through face-to-face interviews with the farmers, focus group discussion (FGD) and key informant interviews (KII). The secondary data was collected through various published articles and documents. The data analysis was done using basic statistics and a regression function. The benefit-cost ratio is 2.54 and a high gross margin is NRs.490,876.65 per kattha per year. The return to scale (RTS) is 0.80. Five marketing channels are present among which wholesalers and local collectors contributed the highest percentage of the share. However, the dominance of the intermediaries, timely unavailability of inputs, price fluctuation, disease and pest infestation were the major constraints. Disease and pest control, formation of the producer organization, improvised cultivation practices, timely and affordable availability of quality can be the major solution measures. Whereas, suitable climatic conditions, high productivity and growing market demand are the strengths of mushroom production in this study area. Mushroom farming is found to be a profitable business concerning competitive and comparative markets.

Effect of foliar spray of micronutrients and hormones on cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.)

In order to achieve optimal plant growth and production, essential nutrients must be readily available in adequate quantities and in a balanced proportion to give a good yield, especially cauliflower which has health benefits that may not be found in many other plants. For this purpose, this experiment was carried out during the seasons 2020-2021 in the on station of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Khulna under Smallholder Agricultural competitiveness project. Although the treatments showed a positive effect on yield, quality and economics but, T1 revealed most significant influence on all parameters under study as compared to T0 (control). For micronutrients and hormone, T1 treatment produced the highest curd yield (29.99 t ha-1) and the lowest (17.04 t ha-1) was control from the varietal effect the highest curd yield was (35.14 t ha-1) from V4 (It Amazuku 33) and the lowest was (16.21 t ha-1) from V5 (BARI Fulcopi-1). In case of combined effect, the highest curd yield (45.16 t ha-1) was obtained from T1V4 and the lowest curd yield (10.27 t ha-1) from T0V1. Therefore, it can be suggested that the highest curd yield and good shape cauliflower curd can be obtained application of Zn 8.83 kg/ha, B 3.5 kg/ha, Ma 8.43 kg/ha and Flora (Hormone) 2 ml/1 L of water. Therefore, foliar application of micronutrients and hormone is suitable way to feed the cauliflower crop to enhance the marketable yield and quality.

Studies on plant-parasitic nematodes associated with sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L., Lam.) in Gombe State, Nigeria

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L., Lam.) is one of the most frequently eaten food crops. Its production is affected by plant-parasitic nematodes as well as biotic factors. This study was conducted to document the different plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN) that limit the gainful production of sweet potato in Gombe State. Thirty soil core samples per hectare were collected at random from sweet potato farms in the three local government areas (Nafada, Kaltungo, and Yamaltu Deba) of Gombe state. The Whitehead and Hemming method and identification keys were used for the soil extraction and genera identification of the plant-parasitic nematodes respectively. A total of 15 plant-parasitic nematodes were recovered throughout the surveyed areas among which 7 are considered major nematode pests of global importance. Irrespective of the surveyed locations, Meloidogyne spp., was found to record the highest population density and prevalence value. The frequency of occurrence in Y/Deba and Nafada LGAs shows that Meloidogyne spp., wasthe most occurring (32 %) genera. In Kaltungo LGA however, Scutellonema spp., and Rotylenchusspp., were the most occurring (17 %) genera. There was a high similarity percentage (≥ 68 %) of PPN genera where 8 genera (Scutellonema spp., Nacobbus spp., Pratylenchus spp., Meloidogyne spp., Heterodera spp., Xiphinema spp., Trichodorus spp., and Rotylenchus spp.) were found to be common amongst the surveyed locations. This is the first report of plant-parasitic nematodes associated with sweet potato in Gombe state, Nigeria. Hence, it is critical to educate farmers in the regions about their effects on the crop and how to successfully manage them.

Profitability, marketing, and resource use efficiency of ginger production in Rukum west, Nepal

The study was designed to investigate the profitability, marketing, and resource use efficiency of ginger production in Rukum west. The sample size of 62 ginger-growing farmers out of 187 farmers was determined using slovin’s formula. In addition, 20 traders from two major market hubs Simrutu and Jhulneta were interviewed. The pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule was administered to interview a randomly selected sample size. Data were analyzed using descriptive and statistical tools, including the Cobb-Douglas production function. Result showed that the average area under ginger cultivation was 0.14 ha. A major portion (46.56%) of the cost was found to be incurred by the seed alone in ginger cultivation. The benefit-cost ratio (2.02) indicates that ginger production enterprise was profitable. The productivity of ginger in the study area was estimated to be 11.39 Mt/ha, while per kg cost of production was found to be (NRs 35.67 = USD 0.30). Most of the gross income (78.85%) was found to be contributed by fresh ginger. Similarly, gross margin, market margin, and producer’s share were found to be 21.16, 33.33, and 62.97%, respectively, for 1 kg of ginger. The indexing technique identified high-cost with low-quality seed and price instability as the major problems associated with the production and marketing of ginger, respectively. Cobb-Douglas production function estimated the value of return to scale at 0.889, implying that ginger production exhibited decreasing returns to scale. A study on resource allocative efficiency revealed that farm yard manure and total labor were underutilized resources while seed rhizome was overutilized resource. Thus, for optimal allocation of resources, expenditure on farm yard manure and total labor need to be increased by 87.374% and 39.908%, respectively. The study concluded that an effort should be made to bridge the gap between optimal resource utilization and current practices. For this, it is prime important to interconnect the combined efforts of ginger growers, provincial government, or any developing partners.

Livelihood pattern and food security of tribal people in a selected area of Bangladesh

Asset’s possession and food consumption level of tribal people in Bangladesh express their socioeconomic status. The study was conducted to analyze the socioeconomic characteristics, measure the livelihood assets, and determine the calorie intake level of the sample households. Primary data were collected through field survey using an interview schedule from 60 tribal households. Tabular analysis and capital asset pentagon from DFID livelihood framework were used for data analysis. Household consumption data were converted to per person per day calorie intake level. The major findings of the study were that about 41.67% of the respondents were being 15-29 years of age, 30% respondents’ education was in the secondary level, average family size was 5.81, 40% of the respondents were occupied with agriculture as their primary occupation, average annual income and expenditure were Tk. 258560 (US$3015.28) and Tk. 242373.50 (US$2826.51), respectively. The livelihood assets were moderate. About 83.34% of the respondents belonged to the poor category and rest 16.67% of the respondents belonged to non-poor category. About 98.33% and 96.67% respondents suggested that, if job opportunity increases and ensure proper education; then their socioeconomic improvement will be faster. So, government and other organizations need to come forward to create more employment opportunity and education facilities for improving their livelihood pattern and food security status.

Impact of vermicompost based nitrogen management and plant spacing on the performance of short duration transplant Aus rice (cv. Parija)

An investigation was carried out at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University to inspect the effect of vermicompost based nitrogen management and plant spacing on the yield performance of short duration transplant Aus rice (cv. Parija). The study comprised three spacing viz. 20 cm × 20 cm, 20 cm × 15 cm and 20 cm × 10 cm, and five nitrogen management viz. no nitrogen, 75 kg N ha-1, 55 kg N ha-1 + vermicompost @1.25 t ha-1, 35 kg N ha-1 + vermicompost @2.5 t ha-1 and vermicompost @5 t ha-1. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. At harvest, both the spacing of 20 cm × 20 cm and 20 cm × 15 cm produced the tallest plants, the highest number of total tillers hill-1 and effective tillers hill-1. The highest grain yield (3.59 t ha-1) was recorded in 20 cm × 15 cm spacing which was at par with the grain yield (3.52 t ha-1) in 20 cm × 10 cm spacing. The 20 cm × 10 cm spacing also produced the highest straw yield (4.88 t ha-1) and biological yield (8.40 t ha-1). The lowest grain, straw and biological yields were recorded at the wider spacing of 20 cm × 20 cm. In contrast, the highest grain yield (3.79 t ha-1), straw yield (4.99 t ha-1) and biological yield (8.79 t ha-1) were found in 75 kg N ha-1 which was as good as the yields of 55 kg N ha-1 N+ vermicompost @1.25 t ha-1. The highest number of total tillers hill-1 (14.11) and effective tillers hill-1 (12.67) were found in the interaction effect of 20 cm × 20 cm spacing with 75 kg N ha-1. The interaction between 20 cm × 15 cm and 55 kg N ha-1 N+ vermicompost @1.25 t ha-1 gave the highest grain yield (4.58 t ha-1), straw yield (5.71 t ha-1) and biological yield (10.29 t ha-1). The lowest grain yield (2.03 t ha-1), straw yield (3.49 t ha-1) and biological yield (5.52 t ha-1) were found in the interaction between 20 cm × 20 cm and no nitrogen. Therefore, usage of 20 cm × 15 cm spacing fertilized with 55 kg N ha-1 + vermicompost @1.25 t ha-1 appeared as the promising practice of transplant Aus rice cv. (Parija) cultivation.

Effect of nutrient management on growth and yield of two tomato varieties in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) region of Bangladesh

The main goal is to investigate the effect of crop nutrient management on growth and yield of two tomato varieties in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) region of Bangladesh. Two factors experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Factor A was two varieties of tomato namely, V1: BARI 2 and V2: BARI 15. Factor B was different types of fertilizer like F0 (Farmers practices), F1 (vermicompost), F2 (inorganic fertilizer), F3 (combined fertilizer: 3/4 vermicompost+ 1/4 inorganic fertilizers), F4 (control, no fertilizer). Soil characteristics and climatic conditions were recorded. Plant growth, flowering and fruit characters, and yield were found significantly different (p<0.05). The highest plant height, flowering and fruit characters related to higher production were found in BARI 15 (V2) variety influenced by combined application of fertilizer F3 (3/4 vermicompost + 1/4 inorganic fertilizers). The maximum number of flower clusters per plant (9.66), fruit clusters per plant (8.13), individual fruit weight (117.7 g), fruit numbers per plant (51.17) were found in V2F3 and the same parameters were the lowest in V1F4. The results showed the highest production (95.50 t/ha) in V2F3 followed by V2F0 (81.70 t/ha), V2F1 (72.17 t/ha) and V2F2 (68.06 t/ha), and the lowest yield (27.70 t/ha) in V1F4. The highest fruit yield ((95.50 t/ha) found in V2F3 showed 80.84% higher compared to the V1F4 (27.70 t/ha) treatment. Considering the variety, the highest yield (74.05 t/ha) was found in V2 which was 40% higher yield compared to V1. Combined application of vermicompost and inorganic fertilizers performed best as the nutrient management and BARI 15 was found as a suitable variety for the CHTs climatic condition. Hence, the similar type fertilizers proportion can be applied for the other vegetables production in the farmers field for the healthy and eco-friendly environment achievement.

Changes in growth parameters and forage quantity and quality of corn harvested at different developmental stages

Due to the different agricultural practices such as second cropping or more for the increase product obtained from the areas of suitable climate, some differences in harvesting stages of plants have been occurred. The study was carried out in the Menemem location of Izmir in the coastal Aegean region of Turkey under Mediterranean climate in 2018 and 2019 to determine the performance of corn cultivars in different maturity stages. Seven varieties of corn (Everest, Aga, Kilowatt, Burak, Samada-07, P30B74 and P31Y43) were harvested at 3 different growth stages (silking, end of milk and dough stages) to determine the changes in some parameters of growing, forage quantity and quality. The highest average of dry forage yield (24159 kg ha-1 average of years) was determined at the third harvest date. The maximum cob rate was also measured at the third harvest date, but the maximum leaf and stalk rates were measured at the first harvest date. The average protein rate decreased throughout the growing period while ADF and NDF increased. Almost all of the varieties were found to have large leaf areas. The Burak variety came to the fore due to its long length and relatively thick stalk features and high green and dry yields. Moreover, P31Y43 was determined to have a high quality in addition to high green and dry grass yields. Therefore, the Burak and P31Y43 can be suggested in terms of high parameters both quantity and quality under different crop conditions for increase production.

Production and marketing of turmeric (Curcuma longa) in Sunsari District, Nepal

Turmeric is a popular spice in Nepalese households and a potential cash crop in the country's tropical areas; yet, due to limited study on production technologies and marketing channels, Nepalese farmers have struggled to earn a reasonable return from its production. For this study, 100 turmeric producers were selected by using simple random sampling technique from total turmeric growing population registered in PMAMP at Barahakshetra Municipality of the district. The research was carried out during January to May. Primary data were collected through field, survey, FGD, and KII while a literature review was carried out as the source of secondary data. Information collected from the field survey were coded, tabulated, and analyzed by using the statistical software of MS Excel 2010 and SPSS V26.0. It was found that majority of the respondent farmers had agriculture as their primary occupation. The average household turmeric area was 0.43 ha. The labor cost contributed 45.46% for the of cultivation with an average cost of cultivation pf NRs.110.63 per kg for dried turmeric. Moreover, the gross return of Rs.270057 per hectare and the BCR 1.35, indicate that turmeric farming is profitable. The average productivity of dry turmeric in the study area was 1800 kg per hectare. Insufficient technical services and low market price of the turmeric were main production and marketing problem faced by turmeric producing community This study suggests the adoption of innovative technology for farming, government intervention in price fixing and replacement of local seed by improved seed.

Effect of transplanting dates on yield attributing characters of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) variety

The research was conducted on the field of Chagunarayan municipality (Tathali) from 23rd March to 17th June 2020 to observe the effect date of transplanting on attributing character of tomato Genotype. 23rd March, 6th April, 21st April, and 6th May are the four sowing dates laid out in the RCBD design with three replications. And the data were observed in 10 days intervals for each planting time. The attributing character like plant height, leaf number, no of branches shows positive impact for early shown plant species, and development for later sowing date shows decreasing result. Therefore, the species planted before the planting time is beneficial from an economic point of view where the plant shows a positive growth rate on attributing character, and it can be considered for further research programs as well.