Forest fire spread out in an area having combustible material in the summer season with high temperature. It burns the area and looks like a misery. Forest fire is one of the factors that severely affects the forest biodiversity. Burning actions in a forest affects not only flora and fauna but also soil properties changed due to the forest fire. In summer season on sloppy topography forest fire originates in tropical forests. While in coniferous forests, forest fire outbreaks during the resin extraction activities. More than 350 million hectares (ha) was estimated to be affected by vegetation fires globally. In India about 55% of forest area is prone to the fire. Fires can be natural or man- made, but manmade fire affects mostly. Several forest types and areas are more susceptible to forest fires because of suitable weather, topography and inflammable material. Forest fires adversely affect the soil, water, flora and fauna and disrupt the ecological functions. The new advances in fire control are remote sensing and GIS where real time information can be gathered about the fire break and immediate follow can be done. The chemicals (as borate, ammonium sulfate and ammonium biphosphate) are used for fire control and various other types of fire retardants are used to keep the fire under control. Forest fire changes the composition of vegetation, extinction of species, development of the various adaptations in unwanted plants. Nutrient cycle and soils are affected. Frequent forest fire events cause global warming. Forest fire needed to be controlled at initial stage and the large fires should not be allowed to occur, the modern techniques of monitoring, detection and control must be used for avoiding the large fires happenings.

A field experiment was conducted during the spring season of 2020 to evaluate the different weed management practices in dry directed seeded spring rice under Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project (PMAMP) super zone at Baniyani, Jhapa. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with seven weed management related treatments and three replications. The treatments consisted of pre-emergence application of Pretilachlor, pre-emergence application of Pendimethalin, pre-emergence application of Pretilachlor fb post-emergence butachlor pre-emergence application of Pendimethalin fb post-emergence Bispyribac Na, Sesbania co-culture along with pre-emergence application of Pendimethalin along with two control treatments (weedy free and weedy check). The rice variety Hardinath-1 was used in the experiment. Data regarding the weed flora, weed density, weed dry weight, growth, yield attributes and yield were recorded and analyzed. The highest number of effective tillers per m2 (371.51) and number of grains per panicle (145.43) were obtained in Pendimethalin treated plot and were statistically as par with Sesbania co-culture + Pendimethalin (363.44 m-2 and 140.54 respectively). Higher and statistically similar grain yield was observed in Sesbania co- culture + Pendimethalin (4870kg ha-1) and Pendimethalin treated plots (4780 kg ha-1). The experiment concluded that there was reduction in yield by 66.78 percent due to presence of weed as compared to weed free. Pre-emergence application of Pendimethalin was most beneficial in terms of gross returns, net returns and B:C ratio compared to other weed management practices and hence was most economical.

This paper examined the consumer preferences of duck meat in Mymensingh city of Bangladesh. The aim of the study was to find out how much people like or dislike to consume duck meat and what amount do they consume.  Purposive sampling technique was carried out among 80 consumers of duck meat. A five-point Likert scale was used to measure consumers attitudes towards duck meat and Discriminative Power (DP) value was computed to find out the lowest and the highest variability of responses. Nearly no study related to the preferences of duck meat consumption was conducted before in the selected study area. The findings of this study revealed that 63.75% consumers disfavored duck meat and 30% consumers favored it. Results indicated that the majority of the consumers strongly agreed that dressing slaughtered duck is complex and duck meat is nutritious and delicious. The highest variability in consumers responses was to statement, “duck meat can be used in any occasion. And the lowest variability of responses was to the statement that, “duck meat is very fatty” as almost all the respondents agreed. Therefore, it can be concluded that consumers showed unfavorable attitudes towards duck meat consumption. The reason behind this disfavoring attitude were allergy, asthma and seasonal pattern of duck meat consumption. This means that the respondents showed differentiated response, when they were responding on the statement that duck meat can be used in any occasion while the respondents were somewhat in differentiated while they were responding that the duck meat is very fatty. Traditionally duck is consumed in winter season in Bangladesh. That’s why, the year-round consumer preferences including warmer seasons resulted in lower total year-round preferences.

The present study is investigated the diet composition, feeding activity and intensity, and trophic niche breadth of two Sillaginid fish, Sillago sihama and Sillago arabica at the south of the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq from May 2019 to April 2020. A total of 511 specimens of fish comprised of 239 S. sihama and 272 S. arabica were used for the study. Fish length ranged from 11.7-23.7 and 13.0- 31.2 cm of the previous species, respectively. The results showed that the feeding activity and intensity influenced by months since the lowest stomach fullness occurred during the winter months. The analysis of diet for both species using the index of relative importance (IRI %) of prey items showed that the species were carnivores. The prey items of S. sihama were crabs (80.8%), shrimp (14.6%) and fish (4.6%), while the diet of S. arabica composed mainly on crabs (54.3%), shrimp (32.7%) and fish (13.0%). The overall values of feeding and vacuity indices were 40.4% and 9.5%, respectively for S. sihama, whereas 52.0% and 18.2%, respectively for S. arabica. Based on the results of trophic niche breadth indicate that S. schema is a high specialist feeder (Bi= 0.23), while S. arabica was considered a non-specialized feeder (Bi= 0.71). The study concludes that both species were carnivorous feeders, feeding mainly on crabs, shrimp and fish. S. sihama was a low specialized feeder, while S. arabica was not specialized.

Evaluation of physicochemical parameters namely alkalinity, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), conductivity, dissolved oxygen (DO), hardness, pH and total dissolved solids (TDS) in the wastewater samples collected from Muhammad Ayuba dam in Kazaure, Nigeria. The study was conducted during harmattan season for a period of three months from November, 2019 – January, 2020. All the parameters were analysed using conventional methods. The results showed their concentrations were in the range of 1.00 – 1.50 mg/L for alkalinity, 3.00 – 3.45 mg/L for BOD, 12.45 – 24.00 mg/L for COD, 745 – 1200 µS/cm for conductivity, 5.50 – 6.30 mg/L for DO, 1.82 – 2.45 mg/L for hardness, 7.20 – 7.90 for pH and 410 – 440 mg/L for TDS. The concentrations of these parameters in the wastewater were observed less than World Health Organization (WHO) tolerance limits with exception of electrical conductivity that was above 1000 µS/cm after four weeks of investigation. This study revealed gradual build-up of various ions in the dam water due to the mixing of contaminated wastewater from the adjacent community. Therefore, the periodical monitoring of different physicochemical parameters of the dam water should put in place as to evaluate their environmental impacts and possible potential risks.

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), grown throughout the world for millennia. It is a multipurpose agricultural crop that can provide food, fuel and fibre. An agro-morphological characterization based on 13 traits of 26 flax accessions was carried out during the Rabi season 2017-2018 at the Agricultural Research Station, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Rangpur. The field experiment was laid out in a randomized completed block design having four replications. Flax seeds were sown in 3.0 m × 0.6 m plot with continuous line sowing (two lines). The seed germination (%) and vigour indices of all flax accessions varied from 44.1 – 77.7 and 44.1 – 119.4, respectively. A significant variation in all growth and yield attributing descriptors was observed except 1000-seed weight of flax. Among the accessions, BD-10708 possessed the highest seed yield (182.9 g plant–1) and yield attributing descriptors viz., number of capsules plant–1 (142) and seeds plant–1 (513) of flax. The performance of the local accesson Ulipur was observed poor compared to some of the test accessions of flax. Some of these flax accessions could be used as breeding materials in varietal developmental and improvement programmes with higher yield potentials of flax in Bangladesh.

Precision agriculture is a management system based on information and technology which analyses the spatial and temporal variability within the field and addresses them systematically for optimizing productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability. It is an emerging concept of agriculture that implies a precise application of inputs at the right place, at the right time, and in the right amount to minimize the production cost, to boost profitability and reduce risks. The three main elements of precision agriculture are data and information, technology, and decision support systems. This system of management is known as ‘Site-specific management’ which makes use of technologies like global positioning system, global information system, remote sensors, yield monitors, guidance technology, variable-rate technology, hardware, and software. Agriculture is the mainstay of Nepal but still is not proficient enough to appease the daily consumption needs. The ongoing system of farming practices in Nepal is deemed insufficient to explore the available resources in its optimum potential. Many cultivable lands in the country are still a virgin, and many indigenous crop varieties have remained unexplored in their wilderness that is rich in biodiversity. These possibilities embark great room for increasing agricultural productivity through the precision farming system if adopted the technology on a large scale within the country. The national economy can be flustered and the environment can also be conserved using precision agriculture. It can address all agricultural and environmental issues. It is a technically sophisticated system and requires great technical knowledge for successful adoption and implementation. This study examines the history, global scenario, scope of precision agriculture, and its importance, opportunities, threats, and challenges in Nepal.

A survey was undertaken to examine the accessibility of aqua-drugs and their applications in the semi-intensive aquaculture farms in Patuakhali district. A total of 83 stakeholders were selected and data gathered from aqua-medicine stores, representatives of different pharmaceuticals and semi-intensive aqua-farms owners via questionnaire interviews. PRA tools like focused group discussion, cross-checking, and key informant interviews were also used. Results show that 78% of farmers conduct polyculture and rest executes monoculture. Among the total fish farmer majority, 38% used lime for pond preparation and water quality management and potash used by 44% farmer as a disinfectant. For increasing dissolve-oxygen Oxy-rich (26%) was vastly used while 28% of farmers don’t use any oxygen supplier in their pond. However, 14% of farmers use commercial Megavit-Aqua growth promoters and 14% farmer used probiotics. For disease control, 52% and 14% of farmers use Renamycin and Renamox respectively due to its easy availability and affordability compared to probiotics. Several issues have been reported due to improper use of aquatic medications, such as lack of information about chemical use, sufficient dosage, form of application and indiscriminate use of antibiotics. This research result will help the policymaker to understand the requirement of fishers for healthy and sustainable aquaculture practices.

Clerodendrum colebrookianum Walp.is used as a medicinal food plant among tribal communities of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The shoot of the herb is used as vegetable as well as a medicine to control high blood pressure. This herb is one of the widely used and well-known medicinal food plants in North East India. The present study was carried out to discourse the Pharmacognostic characters of the Clerodendrum colebrookianum shoot. The anatomical discourse revealed up the main vascular bundle and lateral vascular bundle with well developed central pith, secondary xylem, and conspicuous endodermis with the outer surface covered by numerous multicellular trichomes. The fluorescence study of powder shows dull green to brownish in daylight and ash colour to dark brown under UV light. The plant sample contains total ash of 11.15%, the acid in-soluble ash is 1.7% and water-soluble ash is 8%. Methanol gave the highest extractive value with 12.56% while petroleum ether gave the lowest extract of 1.40%. Alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, saponin, glycosides, carbohydrates, proteins and amino acids, fixed oils and fats were found positive but volatile oil was not recorded in all six different solvents used in the phytochemical screening. The present study characterises the diagnostic Pharmacognosy features of C. Colebrookianum, and would give useful data to differentiate the authentic drug sample from the adulterated sample.

Two field studies were conducted consecutively in the summer season of 2015 and 2016 to investigate the effect of different soil mulching materials (bare soil: BS as a control, white plastic: WP, black plastic: BP and rice straw: RS) on growth, productivity, and water-use efficiency (WUE) of potato under three levels of irrigation (I100=100%, I80=80%, and I60=70% of crop evapotranspiration). Growth characteristics, yield and its components, and WUE were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by both irrigation level and mulching materials. All mulching materials effectively enhanced growth and productivity when compared to bare soil. Potato plants grown under BP and WP as well as RS showed higher mean values of large size (> 60 mm) tubers and WUE compared to non-mulched treatment (BS) in both seasons. Mulching treatments noticeably increased tuber yield in the order of BP > RS > WP. Results displayed that, under different soil mulching materials, the I80 strategy studied here could be successfully applied during summer season in commercial potato production allowing water savings of 20% without any detrimental effect on plant growth or productivity.