Zannatul Ferdous
Department of Food, Agriculture and Bioresources, School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, Pathum Thani, Thailand;
Avishek Datta
Department of Food, Agriculture and Bioresources, School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, Pathum Thani, Thailand;
Mazharul Anwar
On-Farm Research Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Agricultural Research Station, Alamnagar, Rangpur, Bangladesh
Indigenous microorganism; Plastic mulch; Profitability; Vegetable productivity; Yield difference
Coastal regions of Bangladesh
Crop-Soil-Water Management
Cauliflower, Tomato
Site description On-farm studies were conducted in three subdistricts spread between two regions of Bangladesh: Baliakandi, Rajbari (inland region); and Dashmina, Patuakhali; and Charfession, Bhola (coastal region) (Figure 1). These three subdistricts were purposely selected for the study, as they produce a large volume of vegetables for the Bangladeshi market and represent two important geographical regions in Bangladesh. Experimental setup and treatment details Studies were initiated at farmers’ fields at three locations described earlier. A total of 20 farmers from each subdistrict were selected for conducting the trial in the 2014–2015 crop-growing season. Small, unreplicated trials on farmers’ fields, known as “dispersed experiments” were established under local farm conditions (Ferdous et al. 2016). The land was divided into two equal plots (each 100 m2 ), where one plot was maintained either with plastic mulch or IMO, whereas the other plot was maintained without plastic mulch or IMO, depending on the location. Cauliflower was grown with and without plastic mulch at Baliakandi, Rajbari, whereas tomato was grown with and without plastic mulch at Dashmina, Patuakhali, and with and without IMO liquid at Charfession, Bhola. The mulching treatment, along with a control (bare soil), was imposed on both cauliflowers at Baliakandi, Rajbari, and tomato at Dashmina, Patuakhali. The land was tilled with a power tiller, and weeds and crop stubbles were removed. The treatment was applied manually by covering the plot with black plastic mulch (0.025 mm thick, 12 m wide, black embossed) using recommended commercial practices. Crop management The details of crop-management practices followed for each crop at each location. In cauliflower plots, one-third of N and all other fertilizers were applied during final land preparation. The rest of N fertilizer was top-dressed in two equal splits: 20 and 40 days after planting (DAP). Irrigation was applied two times at 20–25 and 40–45 DAP to plots with plastic mulch, whereas three supplemental irrigations were given to plots without plastic mulch at Baliakandi, Rajbari location. Hand weeding was done two times in plots without plastic mulch, whereas no weeding was required in plots with plastic mulch. In tomato plots, one-third of N and all other fertilizers were applied during final land preparation. The rest of N fertilizer was top-dressed in two installments: 25 and 45 DAP. Two supplemental irrigations were provided at 20–25 and 40–45 DAP to plots with plastic mulch, whereas plots without plastic mulch at Dashmina, Patuakhali, were irrigated three times (at 20–25, 40–45, and 60–65 DAP) (Table 1). There was no weeding done or needed in plots with plastic mulch, whereas weeding was conducted twice in plots without plastic mulch. At Charfession, Bhola, two supplemental irrigations were applied to plots with and without IMO liquid (Table 1). Both plots maintained with and without IMO liquid were weeded twice. Data collection and statistical analysis After physiological maturity, 10 randomly selected plants from each plot were hand harvested and plant height, yield, and yield components of cauliflower and tomato were measured. Yield per plant for each crop was determined plotwise and converted to yield on an area basis (kg ha–1 ). Weed density and fresh and dry weights of weeds were measured before harvesting cauliflower at Baliakandi, Rajbari, and tomato at Dashmina, Patuakhali. Data on weed population, yield, and yield components were statistically analyzed using paired t-test (Fradette et al. 2003; Zulfiqar and Thapa 2016). The statistical package SPSS 16.0 was used for the data analysis. Gross return for each vegetable crop under each treatment was calculated by multiplying the gross amount of crop produced by the farm-gate price. Finally, the gross margin was calculated by subtracting the cost of production from the gross return.
JOURNAL OF CROP IMPROVEMENT
Journal