Purpose: Sustainable crop production could contribute to feed and fuel for the ever-increasing global population. The use of heavy agricultural machinery has improved the efficiency of farming operations and increased global food production since the 1950s. But their negative impact on soil includes changing soil structure resulting in deteriorating soil productivity and environmental quality is being noticed for several decades. The purpose of this review is to summarize and help to better understand the effect of heavy machinery, tire inflation pressure, and field traffic on soil properties and crop development, yield, and economics of different farming systems published in the last 20 years.Methods: Search engines such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, Springer Link, Wiley Online, Taylor & Francis Online, Academia, and Research Gate platforms were used to collect and review the articles. This review includes indexed journals, conference and symposium proceedings, reports, academic presentations, and thesis/dissertations.Results: Soil compaction increases bulk density and soil strength and reduces soil porosity and soil hydraulic properties. Stunted plant root growth due to compaction of soil affects crop growth and development, and yield. Soil compaction resulting from heavy machinery traffic caused a significant crop yield reduction of as much as 50% or even more, depending upon the magnitude and the severity of compaction of the soil.Conclusions: High gross weight vehicles/machinery traffic damages soil structure and soil environment that are critical for sustainable crop production. The use of heavy machinery such as subsoiling for removing soil compaction results in more fuel use, increased use of energy, cost, and sometimes risks of re-compaction, further deteriorating soil conditions and causing additional adverse environmental consequences. The economics of different farming systems affected by soil compaction, potential soil compaction management strategies, and future research needs have also been discussed.

Precision agriculture (PA) transforms traditional practices into a new world of production of agriculture. It uses a range of technologies or diagnostic tools such as global navigation satellite system (GNSS), geographic information systems (GIS), yield monitors, near-infrared reflectance sensing, and remote sensing in collecting and analyzing the in-field spatial variability data, thereby enabling farmers to monitor and make site-specific management decisions for soils and crops. PA technology enables visualization of spatial and temporal variations of production resources and supports spatially varying treatments using variable rate application technologies installed on farm agricultural field machinery. The demand for PA is driven by recognition within-field variability and opportunities for treating areas within a field or production unit differently. PA can be applied to multiple cultural practices including tillage, precision seeding, variable rate fertilizer application, precision irrigation and selective pesticide application; and facilitates other management decisions making, for example, site-specific deep tillage to remove soil compaction. PA technology ensures optimal use of production inputs and contributes to a significant increase in farm profitability. By reducing crop production inputs and managing farmland in an environmentally sensible manner, PA technology plays a vital role in sustainable soil and crop management in modern agriculture.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important vegetable that plays a vital role in global food and nutritional security and alleviation of poverty, especially in Bangladesh. Although, the soil and climatic conditions of Bangladesh are favourable for potato cultivation, every year production is hampered due to use of low quality seeds. Seed potato industry is developing in Bangladesh. However, only 5-10% quality seeds are being produced and used by the potato farmers. Quality seeds alone can contribute to increased yield by 15-20%. Both public and private sectors together supply only 5% quality seed potato and the rest 95% is almost of low quality produced by the farmers themselves. In prioritizing different issues of agriculture, challenges of production and supply of quality seed to the farmers should be considered as a top priority issue. For increasing quality seeds, the whole seed system needs to be reviewed. The present work was an attempt to review the seed potato production systems, supply system and also to identify the possible challenges and policy implications in regards of the problems on seed potato in Bangladesh.The Agriculturists 2015; 13(1) 173-188

A two years field study was carried out in the research field and laboratory of Seed Technology Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh during rabi season of 2008-10. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of five different dates of harvest viz. H₁: 65 Days after emergence (DAE), H₂: 70 DAE, H₃: 75 DAE, H₄: 80 DAE and H₅: 85 DAE on the seed yield and viability of French bean. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCB) with four replications. Results showed that the yield and yield contributing parameters significantly influenced the days to harvesting. The highest seed yields of 1.15 and 1.31 t ha^-1 were obtained from the harvest of 75 DAE (Days after emergence) in 2008-09 and 2009-10, respectively. On the contrary, seed quality parameters like seed germination, root length and vigour index were also significantly influenced by harvest time. The highest seed germination percentage of 91.33 and 91.56 were recorded from the seed plots harvested at 75 DAE (pods are light brown with few yellow colour) both for the year 2008-09 and 2009-10, respectively. Similarly, the vigour indexes (12.49 and 11.64) were the highest in seed harvested at 75 DAE from the year of 2008-09 and 2009-10, respectively. This might be due to more food reserve and dry matter accumulation on the seed at later harvest. However, seeds harvested in 80 and 85 DAE were also found good for seed yield and seed quality. SAARC J. Agri., 13(1): 1-13 (2015)

Sustainable, safe and nutritious food productions are the major challenges for global food security which meets dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. The objectives of the study were to utilize homestead resources in scientific method for producing fresh vegetables and fruits over space and time and to meet up the food and nutritional security of the farmers. Household survey was carried out to ascertain livelihoods information of the selected farm households before intervention. The trial was conducted at six replications by the participatory approaches following vegetables production “Golapgonj Model”. Results revealed that a family consisting five members having small homestead area with some fruit trees could be capable of harnessing sufficient and diversified vegetables and fruit round the year by utilizing the all possible homestead nieces and management of fruit trees. Results also suggested that the farmers consumed lion share of their products that could meet up nutrition from various vegetables and fruits, some of them distributed a portion to relatives and neighbors and also sold a portion of them. The additional income generated by selling of surplus vegetables and fruits was generally utilized to purchase supplementary food items, in turn increase the diversification of the family’s diet. Interestingly, active participation of family members (especially women and children) in their homestead vegetable production activities was also ensured. Thus, all these might be lead to full utilization of both physical & other farm resource available in the farm & mobilize resources that increased food & nutritional security, income as well as improved their livelihoods as well.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 12(2): 377-387, December 2014