In Bangladesh, sweetpotato is the fourth most important source of carbohydrates behind rice, wheat, and potatoes. Potassium is vital for sweetpotato growth, boosting tuber size, sweetness, disease resistance, and yield quality, with deficiencies leading to poor tuber formation and increased stress susceptibility. The present study evaluated the effect of varying dosages of potassium fertilizer (Muriate of Potash, MoP) on the growth, yield, and biochemical qualities of sweetpotato. As a genetic material, BAU sweetpotato-5 was chosen as it is recognized for its high yield, short duration, and nutritional advantages. There were three treatments—full dosage of MoP (321.6 kg ha⁻¹, T₀), half dosage of MoP (160.8 kg ha⁻¹, T₁) and no MoP (T₂). Four replications of a randomized complete block design (RCBD) were used in the experiment. According to analysis of variance, the morphological and biochemical parameters, such as the fresh weight plant⁻¹, number of tuber plant⁻¹, chlorophyll content, total phenolic content, vitamin C, carotenoid, anthocyanin, Zn, and Fe content varied significantly among treatments. The application of the full recommended dosage of MoP resulted in the highest values for several traits, including the fresh weight plant⁻¹, number of tuber plant⁻¹, chlorophyll content, carotenoid, anthocyanin, and Fe content. Conversely, total phenolic content and vitamin C were highest without MoP application. Principal component analysis (PCA) differentiated treatment T₀ from T₁ and T₂ due to higher positive coefficients of the number of leaves at 115 days after transplantation, vine length at 115 days after transplantation, number of branches, stem diameter, fresh weight plant⁻¹, tuber length, tuber diameter, tuber weight, number of tuber plant⁻¹, SPAD, carotenoid, anthocyanin, Fe, and negative coefficients of total phenolic content, vitamin C, and Zn. The findings suggest that potassium is integral to maximizing both yield and key nutritional components in sweetpotato cultivation.

The study was carried out at the Agricultural Research Field of IUBAT to investigate the impact of varying levels of boron (B) fertilizer on the growth and production of okra (Hybrid Okra-Shomy). The experiment followed a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. The experiment included four treatments: T0 (Control), T1 (1kg B ha-1), T2 (2kg B ha-1), and T3 (3kg B ha-1). These treatments were implemented in order to assess the optimal outcomes of the study. The findings of the study showed that T2 (2kgB/hac) treatment performed better in all aspects of growing parameter especially yield contributing traits like number of fruit/plant (89.75), number of fruit/treatment (387.98), individual fruit weight (17.34gm), number of seed/fruit (57.50),100 seed weight (8.15gm), yield/plant (387.98gm), yield/hac (1549.7kg), yield (17.09) ton/hac, Plant fresh weight/plant (524.81gm) and root length (20.40cm), respectively. IUBAT Review, 6(2): 106-114

Chitosan is an eco-friendly polysaccharide, enhancing growth and managing disease infections in fruits and vegetables. This study examines the effects of preharvest application of chitosan and calcium (Ca) on yield and postharvest chitosan coating on tomato storage. There were nine preharvest treatments, viz., T0 = control, T1 = 50 ppm chitosan, T2 = 80 ppm chitosan, T3 = 0.50% Ca, T4 = 1.0% Ca, T5 = T1 and T3 (combined), T6 = T2 and T3 (combined), T7 = T1 and T4 (combined), and T8 = T2 and T4 (combined), and three postharvest treatments, viz., C0 = control, C1 = 0.10% chitosan, and C2 = 0.20% chitosan, to examine the yield parameters and major physical and biochemical qualities of tomatoes on different days after postharvest storage (DAPS). The results revealed that chitosan and Ca treatments had a significant influence on yield while showing an insignificant impact on the biochemical qualities of fresh-harvested tomatoes. Postharvest application of chitosan coatings effectively reduced weight loss and shrinkage (34–37%) compared to the control. At 20 DAPS, only the 0.20% solution met the marketable threshold of ≥5.0, while the control failed in 100% of the samples. As storage duration increased, titratable acid and vitamin C decreased, while lycopene and sugar content rose in tomatoes. This research indicates that foliar spraying with 80 ppm chitosan during fruit initiation significantly boosts tomato yield, and a 0.20% chitosan coating on postharvest tomatoes enhances longevity and preserves biochemical quality.

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and essential minerals. It provides vitamins A (via beta-carotene) and C, which strengthen immunity, support vision, and provide powerful antioxidants in human health. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of solid, liquid, and combined solid-liquid fertilizer application on the vegetative growth, tuber yield, and nutrient content in sweet potato-BARI17 that was grown in geo-bags. In this study, liquid fertilizer application stimulated vegetative growth by enhancing maximum vine length, leaf number, and fresh biomass compared to the control treatment. The highest tuber yield was recorded in the solid fertilizer treatment at 85.7 ton/ha, followed by 70.78 ton/ha for combined fertilizer, 62.74 ton/ha for liquid, suggesting that solid fertilizer supplementation could be an effective strategy for increasing tuber yield under geo-bag cultivation. The sweet potato BARI-17 showed 35% glucose and sucrose and 30% fructose, while it showed 65% Fe, 15 % Mn, 19% Zn, and 1% Cu. Thus, it is recommended as a suitable nutrient management approach for sweet potato production in confined urban systems. These results demonstrate that solid, liquid, or combined fertilizers showed significant impacts on source-sink partitioning between vegetative growth and tuber development in sweet potato. The fertilizer based-sweet potato improvement could be cost-effective, eco-friendly, reduce chemical fertilizer dependency, and sustainable solution for urban agriculture.