Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is one of the major fiber crops. Its production is under threat due to scarcity of water resources under a changing climatic scenario. Limited water availability also decreases the uptake of phosphorus, and less uptake of phosphorus can deteriorate the quality attributes of cotton fiber. There is a need to introduce bio-organic amendments which can mitigate osmotic stress on a sustainable basis. Inoculation of rhizobacteria can play an imperative role in this regard. Rhizobacteria can not only improve the growth of roots but also enhance the availability of immobile phosphorus in soil. That is why the current experiment was conducted to explore and compare the efficacy of sole application of diammonium phosphate (DAP) over plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSB) coated DAP on growth and quality attributes of cotton under artificially induced osmotic stress at flowering stage. The impact of phosphorus levels was found to be significant on the plant height, leaf area, average boll weight, stomatal conductance, net photosynthetic rate, and seed cotton yield, while the irrigation effect was significant on all the parameters. The PGPR coated phosphorus performed better as compared to other treatments under normal irrigation and osmotic stress. Results showed that PGPR coated phosphorus increased by 29.47%, 21.01%, 41.11%, 32.73%, 15.63% and 22.89% plant height, average boll weight, stomatal conductance, net photosynthetic rate, fiber length, and seed cotton yield respectively. In conclusion, PGPR coated DAP can be helpful to get higher cotton productivity as compared to control and sole application of DAP under normal irrigation and osmotic stress.

Vegetables are considered high value crops based on their growing areas and productivity, even if they are affected by a variety of insect pests throughout the whole growing season. Leaf miner is an immature of an insect that lives inside and consumes the leaf tissues of vegetable plants. Adult females of leaf miner puncture the leaf with their ovipositor, forming tube pattern, and feed on the punctured parts. Host plants survey of leaf miner in Multan (Pakistan) area was conducted. Twenty host plants were found in 2017, whereas twenty-four host plants were found infested with Liriomyza spp. (Diptera) in 2022 i.e., watermelon (24% infestation), long melon (75%), pumpkin (71%), round gourd (67%), snake melon (70%), bitter gourd (50%), long gourd (89%), bottle gourd (93%), pointed gourd (80%), snap gourd (86%), ridge gourd (83%), cucumber (98%), mung bean (98%), eggplant (60%), Petunia alba (88%), Zinnia elegies (30%), cotton (10%), okra (5%), berseem (7%), tomato (89%), Pea (52%) and Canola (28%). No infestation of leaf miners was observed on potato, chilies, and sweet potatoes. Color attraction results in 2017 and 2022 showed that there was maximum attraction of tomato leaf miner towards yellow sticky cards as compared to blue sticky cards. Varietal preference of tomato crop showed that Baby red variety was the most preferred by leaf miner (Liriomyza spp.), and comparatively Sehar was the least preferred variety. Field efficacy of four different insecticides against leaf miner were also tested. Insecticidal effects attributed as percent reduction of leaf miner infestation that showed the highest reduction values were observed after 7 DOA for Spinetoram (76.98%), whereas Bifenthrin (57%). Deltaphos (43 %) was the least toxic insecticide against Liriomyza spp. Integrated approaches are recommended to manage vegetable leaf miner like application of yellow sticky traps, discouraging preferred host plants, application of insecticides with novel modes of actions like spintoram and spinosad for effective management.

A study was carried out at flood affected reverine villages of three upazilas (small administrative unit) under Jamalpur district in Bangladesh during September, 2011 to May, 2012 to explore the relationship, contribution and direct–indirect effect between personal attributes and their coping strategies towards household food security practiced by the farmers during flood. Data were collected from randomly selected respondents and analyzed through both the qualitative and quantitative techniques by using a statistical program. Out of 18 personal, economic, social and psychological characteristics of the farmers, the personal education, housing condition, annual income, annual expenditure, savings, organizational participation, participation in IGAs, cosmopoliteness, environmental awareness, knowledge on flood coping mechanisms and household food security had positive but both credit received and utilization of received credit had negative. In addition, age, family size, training received, risk orientation and involvement in safety net programs are insignificant with coping strategies towards household food security during flood period.

The study was under take to determine and describe the general characteristic of respondents, to explore present livelihood status of unified enclaves people and to identify problems faced by them. The study was conducted at different unified enclaves’ areas of Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Panchagarh and Nilphamari district during December 2016-June 2017. A total 200 respondents were randomly selected from unified enclave areas for the study 50 from each district. Thirty two percent residents live in straw and mud wall houses and side walls are developed either by tin or by bamboo or other low cost materials and poor families (29%) have walls made by jute sticks. Agriculture is the main source of livelihoods in these areas (80%) including agricultural day labour. Non-farm activities (20%) are mainly limited to shop keeping or trading, rickshaw van pulling. No formal educational institute sponsored by government or private sector was found in unified enclave areas but recently people in enclave areas have built new structures with signboard on their lands by own finances with the hope that their relatives and peers will get jobs if the government approves the scheme. There is no community clinic or primary healthcare facility in the unified enclave areas. Majority of the respondents (76%) take treatment from village doctor and Kobiraj followed by upazilla health care centre (13%) and 5% from community clinic. Ninety two percent birth deliveries had been attended by relatives or midwives at home. Nearly 92% girls were married before age of 18 years. The study reveals that 88% respondents were suffering from dowry but there is no eve-teasing in the unified enclaves due to their strong family and social bondage. Insufficient irrigation facilities and quality agricultural inputs, lack of training and lack of marketing facilities of agricultural products is the major problems of their livelihoods. Insufficient support and lack of training in agriculture, livestock and fisheries, lack of healthcare centre, educational institution, poor road transportation facilities, and insufficient loan facilities of agriculture is the major problems of unified enclaves. To improve the condition of lives of people in unified enclaves, need to ensure quality agricultural inputs and irrigation facilities, agricultural product marketing facilities, training on modern farming and agricultural credits with lower interest rate.  Group based or community based fish, poultry or cattle farming might be beneficial for landless people. Low cost capital is needed to establish micro or small business enterprise. To improve the condition of lives of people in unified enclaves, different government agencies have taken various initiatives. But government programmes will not be enough to meet various needs of people of unified enclaves. Intervention from private sector would address various development needs there.

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