The investigation was carried out to evaluate the effect of different organic manures on turmeric with reference to vegetative growth, biomass production, rhizome yield and its attributes of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.). Turmeric showed better response to the application of organic manures. Plant with neem cake application had the taller plant (79.30 cm), maximum number of tillers per plant (5.40), leaf number (5.40), leaf area (44.09) leaf area index (0.429), fresh weight of halum ( 190.05g), fresh weight of root (49.13 g), fresh weight of rhizome per plant (256.21 g) and dry weight of halum (15.21g), dry weight of root (7.32 g), dry weight of rhizome per plant (40.35 g), total dry matter yield (6.85 t ha-1) than those received other types of manures. Moreover, yield attributes such as number of mother rhizomes per plant-1 (1.75), more number of primary rhizomes per plant-1 (5.19), secondary rhizomes per plant-1 (18.03) and tertiary rhizomes per plant (7.69) were also highly accelerated by neem cake application. Similarly, the same treatment expressed the best in terms of size of mother rhizome (7.69 cm), primary rhizome (21.86 cm) and secondary rhizomes (7.05 cm).All these parameters in cumulative contributed to  produce the highest estimated fresh rhizomes yield & cured rhizomes yield (29.48 t ha-1, 5.59 t ha-1 respectively). The highest curing percentage (20.28) was observed in T3 treatment having mustard cake@ 2.0 t/ha. Thus, organic manure like neem cake was best fitted natural fertilizer for turmeric cultivation.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/agric.v10i1.11060The Agriculturists 2012; 10(1): 16-22

A field experiment was conducted at the Spices Research Centre, Shibgonj, Bogra, Bangladesh during the rabi seasons of 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 to determine the requirement of N, P, K, and S of coriander (BARI Corinader-1) for achieving satisfactory seed yield of this crop. Different levels of nitrogen (0, 40, 70, and 100 kg/ha), phosphorus (0, 25, 50, and 70 kg/ha), potassium (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg/ha), and sulphur (0, 10, 20, and 30 kg/ha) were distributed in the plot. The experiment was tested in randomized complete block design with three replications. There was positive impact of application of those nutrients on the yield and yield contributing characters of coriander up to a moderate level of N 70 P 50 K 30 S 20 kg/ha. The highest seed yield (2.06 t/ha in

Comprising 34 groundnut genotypes an experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with three replication at the Research farm of Regional Agricultural Research Station, BARI, Hathazari, Chittagong during Rabi season (December 2009 to April 2010) for estimation of the multivariate analysis of divergence. The genotypes were grouped into five clusters. Cluster III contained the highest number of genotypes (12) and the cluster II contained the lowest (2). The inter-cluster distances in all cases were larger than the intra-cluster distance which indicated that wider diversity is present among the genotypes of distant grouped. The highest intra cluster distance was observed in cluster V and the lowest in II. The highest inter cluster distance was observed between the cluster IV and III followed by V and III and the lowest between cluster V and I. Days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, number of branches per plant, number of matured nuts per plant and karnel size were the most important contributors based on the latent vector. But the highest cluster means for matured nuts per plant, 100 karnel weight, 100 nuts weight and yield per plant were obtained from the cluster II. With moderate yield but early maturity varieties were found in cluster IV. Therefore, more emphasis should be given on cluster VI for selecting genotypes as parents for crossing with the genotypes of cluster II and III for getting new recombinants with early maturity and higher yield.

A field experiment was conducted at the Spices Research Centre, Shibgonj, Bogra, Bangladesh during rabi (winter) seasons of

Nutritional constraints often restrict yields of crops in farmers’ fields. Plant nutrient status is currently diagnosed using empirically derived nutrient norms from arbitrarily defined high and low yielding subpopulations above a quantitative yield target. Generic models can assist Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis (CND) in providing a yield cutoff value between high-and lowyielding subpopulations for small databases. The objectives of the present study were to determine minimum bulb yield target of high yielding subpopulations in farmers’ fields and to know nutritional difference between high and low yielding subpopulations. Data were collected at random using a survey database of 42 observations from nine districts of northern region of Bangladesh where high yielding varieties of onion (cv. BARi Piaz-1) are being extensively cultivated. Nutrient composition was determined form leaf at 45-50 days after transplanting. Mean, median, minimum, maximum, standard deviations, skewness of yield as well as nutrient concentration for N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Na, Zn, Mn, Fe, and B were determined and a R (undetermined elements), which comprises all nutrients not chemically analyzed and quantified in onion. Row centered log ratio and cumulative variance ratio function of each nutrient was calculated. The CND generic model gave 10.61 t/ha as minimum cutoff yield of the high-yield subpopulation. Boron was identified as the core yield limiting nutrient for onion in piedmont plain, floodplain and basin soils of Bangladesh. However, S, N, P, and Zn also play a significant role for increasing bulb yield of onion. Onion in farmers’ fields of northern region of Bangladesh may require higher B fertilizer dose for better bulb yield. From the studied piedmont plain, floodplain and basin soils of Bangladesh, the yield limiting nutrients were established the following series: B>S>N>P>Zn>Fe>Ca>K>Mg. Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 38(2): 271-287, June 2013 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v38i2.15890