Three concentrations of each of IAA viz. 2.5 (T 1 ), 5.0 (T 2 ) and 10 (T 3 ) ppm and GA 3 viz. 2.5 (T 4 ), 5.0 (T 5 ) and 10 (T 6 ) ppm were applied as foliar spray on bitter gourd. Results showed a positive stimulatory effect in the increase of female flowers at T 3 where the male to female sex ratio was the lowest. The number of fruits, fresh weight of fruits and yield per plant were also found to be the highest at T 3.

Background: Birth preparedness and complication readiness is an imperative intervention which has proven to reduce delays in care seeking behavior in case of obstetric emergencies. Although, many pregnant women and their families do not take the suggested steps to prepare for childbirth, despite of being known of them. Additionally, marked disparities often have been observed between rural and urban areas, with more maternal and neonatal deaths occurring in the rural areas owing to the unpreparedness. This study thus set out to assess and compare the knowledge, practice and factors associated with birth preparedness and complication readiness among women from rural and urban areas in Bangladesh. Methodology: A cross-sectional comparative study design have been undertaken among 250 rural and 240 urban women in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh and Shaheed Sayed Nazrul Islam Medical College and Hospital, Kishoreganj, Dhaka over a period of 6 months from 1st October 2020 to 30th March 2021. All pregnant women who attended in the antenatal clinic of SSNIMCH and SSMCH for the first time during the study period was include in the study. Quantitative data was collected by the use of semi structured questionnaires adapted from the safe motherhood questionnaire, developed by maternal and neonatal Programme of Johns Hopkins Programme for International Education in Gynaecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO) an affiliate of John Hopkins University. Result: Birth preparedness and complication readiness was evident in 34.17% of the urban and 30.4% of the rural respondents. Urban women were statistically significantly more aware of the danger signs of pregnancy, labour and postpartum period (p<0.001). Selection of place of delivery, arrangement of transportation, emergency fund and blood donor was the most important actions taken as part of birth preparedness both in rural and urban respondents. Null birth preparedness was observed among 28.0% of the rural respondents compared to 2.50% of the urban respondents. The decision regarding the place of delivery was taken mostly by their husband both in urban and rural sub sets. Thus, this study findings showed low practice of BPACR both among urban and rural community while rural people showed more inaction than urban people. Bioresearch Commu. 8(2): 1100-1105, 2022 (July)

Through allelopathic interactions, plants may either suppress competing species or promote those that may help them better adapt to their environment. The purpose of this research was to determine how the root exudates of 15 common weeds affected the germination of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Every other day, 15 seeds were dispersed over Petri dishes (with filter paper) and pots (with garden soil) and treated with 1 mL and 5 mL of aqueous root exudates, respectively. Distilled water had the highest germination rate at 86.33% and the lowest at 64.00% (p = 0.001) for Commelina benghalensis in the Petri dish containing root exudates. The seed germination percentage of the pot condition was the lowest, at 68.45% (p = 0.004), for Solanum nigrum, while the control was 87.23%. Similarly, the lowest shoot length, 12.01 cm (p = 0.0025) in Mikania micrantha, and the lowest root length of 2.17 cm (p = 0.0048) in Leucas aspera, were recorded, whereas the control was 19.13 cm and 3.46 cm, respectively, in Petri dishes. In addition, the lowest shoot and root growth were 9.72 cm (p = 0.0004) in Mikania micrantha and 4.34 cm (p = 0.0019) in Spilanthes acmella, while the control was at 20.13 cm and 6.42 cm, respectively, for pot culture. Furthermore, in seedlings, biomass studies of treated T. aestivum showed elevated malonaldehyde (MDA) levels in both Petri dishes and pot cultures. However, chlorophyll a and b levels, as well as those of the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), are lower than in the control group. Both enzymes were elevated in pot cultures compared to those grown in Petri plates. The dry weight of T. aestivum seedlings cultivated in pots and Petri dishes demonstrated its considerable allelopathic influence. This research found that the root exudates of all the weeds studied could have the capacity to impede wheat seed germination as well as the development of wheat seedlings. These inhibitory effects were higher in Petri dishes than in pot cultures.

The Allelopathy phenomenon is an important component in a natural and an agro-ecosystems causing a stimulatory or inhibitory effect in crop production through the release of allelochemicals to the environment. In this study, the allelopathic effect on seed seed germination, seedling growth, fresh weight, dry weight, vigor index, total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents of radish (Raphanus sativus L.) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) to the root exudates of Ageratum conyzoides L. (T1), Leucas aspera (Willd.) Link. (T2), Scoparia dulcis L. (T3), Spilanthes acmella L. (T4) and Vernonia patula (Dryand.) Merr. (T5) were studied in the laboratory. Results showed that the concentrated aqueous root exudates of T5 exerted highly reduced the effect of all the parameters as compared to control (distilled water) followed by T4. However, T2, T3, and T1 showed the least inhibitory effect on both the test crops. In comparison to cucumber, radish was more sensitive to inhibitory effects of aqueous root exudates of these five weeds. The result suggested that the root exudates may affect radish and cucumber seeds due to the inhibitory effect of allelochemicals which were present in the tested weeds.

This research investigated the allelopathic effects, the yields and qualitative phytochemical screening of the water extract of root exudates of five weed species i.e. Cyperus rotundus L. (T1), Marselia quadrifolia L. (T2), Ludwigia hyssopifolia (G. Don) Exell, (T3) Pistia stratiotes L. (T4) and Colocasia esculenta L. (T5). The allelopathic tests of root exudates on five weed species showed that all the extracts had the pronounced inhibitory effect on cowpea and mungbean (tested crops). The yields of root exudates of the selected weed species varied. Root exudate of T3 showed the highest yield whereby T1 contained the lowest one. A preliminary phytochemical test showed the positive result of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols and carbohydrates whereas proteins, amino acids, tannins, saponins, have been found to be absent in the root exudates of tested weeds. The results evidenced that these mentioned weeds contain compounds in their root exudates which may cause allelopathic effects on both tested crops.