Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are identified as one of the most promising next-generation battery technologies owing to their high theoretical specific energy, sustainability, and affordability. ...However, the commercialization of Li-S batteries has been hindered by severe technical challenges, including the lithium polysulfide (PS) dissolution/shuttling effect, a major cause of fast capacity degradation over cycling. We demonstrated that, for the first time, nanolayer polymer coated high surface area porous carbons (NPCs) were coated directly on sulfur electrodes (NPC-S), which led to a high specific capacity of ∼1,600 mAh g −1 approaching the theoretical specific capacity limit in the NPC-S based Li-S batteries. The NPC-S based Li-S batteries maintained their large initial specific capacity gain compared with the Baseline-S based Li-S batteries (control) over extended cycles. A follow-on study indicated that the NPC-S approach is a necessary and critical step to boost the near-theoretical specific capacity while being stabilized over long cycles with a synergistic strategy. Our experimental and computational results suggest that NPC coated on sulfur electrodes provides not only an effective and strong PS-trapping power but also an increased redox reaction kinetics for sulfur ↔ PS’s conversions during battery charge and discharge, rendering the realization of near-theoretical discharge specific capacity in the NPC-S based Li-S batteries. The findings presented in this study may inspire a new, simple, low-cost, and commercially scalable approach, without adding any appreciable dead weight or volume to the batteries, in the effort to tackle the technical challenges facing SOA Li-S batteries.
Twenty nine restorer lines of rice were evaluated for fourteen agro-morphological traits during Boro (irrigated rice) season of 2012-2013 at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University ...(BSMRAU), Gazipur, and Bangladesh. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among the restorer lines for all the traits studied.The phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was higher than genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all the traits indicating the presence of little environmental influence in the phenotypic expression. Heritability estimate was found high for all the yield contributing traits. High heritability along with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was recorded for secondary branches per panicle followed by number of effective tillers, flag leaf area and panicle weight. Contrary, days to flowering and days to maturity showed high heritability coupled with low genetic advance as per cent of mean. Pearson correlation revealed grain yield had positive association with number of effective tillers per hill, panicle length, spikelet fertility, flag leaf area, plant height and thousand grain weights. Mentioned characters also found positive association with yield in both genotypic and phenotypic level. Spikelet fertility, number of secondary branches per panicle, thousand grain weights and number of effective tiller possessed higher positive direct effect on grain yield. It indicated the importance of these traits as selection criteria of yield improvement in hybrid rice programme.
Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 44(2): 291-301, June 2019
An experiment was conducted at the farmers’ field of Phulpur MLT site of On- Farm Research Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Mymensingh during 2015-16 and 2016-17 to find ...out a suitable intercrop combination of garden pea with maize for higher productivity and profitability. Five treatments, viz. T1= Maize (100%) + one row garden pea (33%) in between maize lines, T2= Maize (100%) + two row garden pea (66%) in between maize lines, T3= Maize (100%) + garden pea broadcast (100%) in between maize lines, T4= Sole maize and T5= Sole garden pea were tested following RCB design with six dispersed replications. Maize var. BARI Hybrid Maize-9 and garden pea var. BARI Motorshuti-3 were used in monoculture as well as in intercropping situations. Intercropping of garden pea improved the yield components of maize and offered some additional yield. The highest maize grain yield (8.62 t ha-1) and maize equivalent yield (20.22 t ha-1 yr-1) were recorded with maize (100 %) + two rows of garden pea (66 %) in between maize lines (T2). The values of all the competition functions were greater than unity and maize (100 %)+ two rows of garden pea (66 %) in between maize lines (T2) showed higher values of land equivalent ratio (1.56), gross return (Tk. 311920 ha-1), gross margin (Tk. 175697 ha-1) and BCR (2.29) as compared to other treatments.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 43(4): 691-702, December 2018
The experiment was conducted at the Regional Spices Research Center, BARI during May 2014 to April 2015 to study the variability and character association in cinnamon germplasm taking the characters ...- tree growth, leaf characteristics, bark thickness, specific bark weight and quality of bark of cinnamon plants. Range, variance and coefficient of variation of 30 different characters showed variations in 53 cinnamon accessions. High coefficient of variation was found for base girth, main stem height, number of tertiary branches/plant, tree volume, fresh and dry bark weight of tertiary branches. Bark thickness and specific bark weight gradually declined from main stem to lateral branches. The hierarchical cluster analysis with single scaled dendrogram showed eight clusters due to variation among the germplasm. Cluster III contained maximum 14 genotypes followed by cluster I and cluster VII, each having 12 genotypes. Association analysis revealed that significant correlation of base girth with tree volume, and secondary branches/plant had also significant correlation with leaf thickness and tree volume. It also revealed that significant correlation of fresh bark thickness of main stem with fresh bark thickness of primary, secondary and tertiary stems, also with fresh and dry bark weight of main, primary, secondary and tertiary stems. Specific bark weight had also significant correlation with fresh and dry bark weight of main, primary, secondary and tertiary barks.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 41(3): 555-564, September 2016
The experiment was conducted at the farmers’ field of Bhaluka Upazilla under On-Farm Research division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Mymensingh during 2014-15 and 2015-16 to evaluate ...the performance of Wheat-Mungbean-T.aman rice improved cropping pattern against a farmers cropping pattern of Wheat-Fallow-T.aman rice. The findings of the study indicated that three crops could be grown successfully in sequence in the tested site. The higher rice equivalent yield (15.33 t hd-1 yr.-1), production efficiency (34.74 kg ha-1 day-1) and land utilization index (70.69 %) were obtained from the improved cropping pattern than the farmer’s one. Average gross return (Tk. 262750 ha-1), gross margin (Tk 126204 ha-1) and marginal benefit cost ratio (MBCR) 2.23 of the improved pattern indicate it’s superiority over farmers’ existing pattern. The fertility status of soil i.e. pH, organic matter, total N, available P, S, Zn and B content in soil were increased over the initial soil due to addition of mungbean biomass.Thus, inclusion of mungbean in the existing farmer’s cropping pattern will improve soil health and the system productivity as a whole.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 43(2): 333-343, June 2018
Genetic diversity in 31 traditional Bangladeshi Aus rice genotypes were studied under transplanted condition through Mahalanobis D2 statistic for grain yield and yield contributing characters. The ...genotypes were grouped into five clusters. The inter-cluster distances were higher than intra-cluster distances indicating wider genetic diversity among the genotypes of different clusters. The intra-cluster distances were lower in all the cases reflecting homogeneity of the genotypes within the clusters. The cluster II contained the highest number of genotypes (08) and the cluster I and III contained the lowest (05). The highest intra-cluster distance was noticed for the cluster II and the lowest for cluster IV. The highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster II and V followed by cluster III and V, cluster I and V and the lowest between cluster I and III. Regarding inter-cluster distance, the genotypes of cluster V showed high genetic distance from all other clusters. The genotypes from cluster V could be hybridized with the genotypes of other characters of other clusters for producing transgressive segregants. The highest cluster means for yield, effective tiller number and grain length, were obtained from cluster I; whereas the lowest mean value for yield, culm length, plant height and grain breadth were found in cluster II. Therefore, genotypes under cluster I, cluster II and cluster V might be selected for future breeding program as parents for crossing to produce new recombinants with desired traits.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 43(2): 253-266, June 2018
The experiment was carried out at the farmers’ field of On-Farm Research Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Mymensingh during two consecutive years 2015 and 2016 to find out ...the suitable intercropping system for increasing crop productivity and profitability of groundnut with sesame intercropping system. The treatments were T1=sole groundnut, T2=sole sesame, T3= Two rows of groundnut in between paired rows of sesame and T4= Three rows of groundnut in between paired rows of sesame. Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with six dispersed replications. Between intercropped treatments, three rows of groundnut within paired rows of sesame showed higher sesame equivalent yield (2.33 tha-1) and groundnut equivalent yield (2.14 tha-1) which provided the yield advantages of 108 and 32% over the respective sole crops. The highest land equivalent ratio (1.64), gross return (Tk 1,28,350 ha-1) and benefit cost ratio (2.15) were also achieved in three rows of groundnut within paired rows of sesame compared to other intercropping and sole cropping systems. The result showed that three rows of groundnut in between paired rows of sesame is found most productive and profitable than sole sesame or sole groundnut for maximum profit in Mymensingh regionBangladesh Agron. J. 2017, 20(1): 99-105
The experiment was carried out at the research field of the Department of Agronomy of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur during November 2014 to March 2015 to assess ...and evaluate the physiological derivations of wheat varieties under water deficit condition. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design comprising two water regimes (irrigated or control and water stress) in main plot and three wheat varieties (BARI Gom 25, BARI Gom 26 and Sourav) in sub-plot with four replications. Surface irrigation was applied into the irrigated plots in total growing season but it was applied in water stress plots up to 21 days after sowing after that irrigation was stopped in water stress plots. It was revealed that studied parameters were significantly influenced by water regimes, variety and their interaction. The xylem exudation rate, light interception, SPAD value, leaf water potential, relative water content, water retention capacity was higher in irrigated condition where canopy temperature, water uptake capacity, water saturation deficit higher in water stress condition.The wheat var. BARI Gom 26 showed the highest PAR, SPAD value, leaf water potential, relative water content, water retention capacity where BARI Gom 25 exhibit lowest under water deficit condition. On the other hand, BARI Gom 25 showd the highest canopy temperature, water uptake capacity and water saturation deficit in water deficit condition. Therefore, considering the physiological performance and other characters BARI Gom 26 could be considered preferably for water shortage condition followed by Sourav where BARI Gom 25 was susceptible one.Bangladesh Agron. J. 2016 19(2): 105-114
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