FisheriesPoor water quality, overfeeding, low oxygen, sudden temperature changes, overcrowding and disease brought in by new fish can kill aquarium fish; regular partial water changes and measured feeding are the main remedies.
AgrotechA University of Sao Paulo geneticist says biological pest and disease control, such as the bacteria strains his university's company Genica develops, could double output on existing land.
EnvironmentThe water resources ministry has sent a proposal for a feasibility study of about Tk 23 crore on the Teesta master plan to the Planning Commission; the plan covers bank protection, dredging, embankments and reclaiming 170 sq km of land.
FlowersWeeks of rain have destroyed marigolds, roses, tuberoses and other flowers in the flower-growing villages of Bagnan and Uluberia in Howrah, West Bengal, while lotus grown in canals and fallow land has done well.
Families can raise chickens on little space, labour and money to meet their needs for eggs and meat and earn extra income; guidance on house size, floor litter and sourcing birds for a small farm.
Many saplings planted under Sirajganj's government tree-planting drive have died within six weeks for lack of care, while one Ullapara union shows a cost of about Tk 399 per tree against a market price of Tk 50 to 60.
CookingFried rohu tail and hilsa roe mashed with roasted dried chillies, onion and coriander and dressed with mustard oil make a sharp Bengali bhorta.
LivestockHeifers infected in their first lactation have poorer udder health for life, so hygiene, bedding, fly control and early checks before calving matter, Agriland advises.
A mobile court seized 150 sacks of urea and fined a pesticide trader Tk 5,000 at Kamarjani port in Gaibandha Sadar for bringing in and stocking fertiliser without authorisation.
IslamVerses 4 to 7 of Surah Al-Ma'un warn not those who skip prayer but those who pray heedlessly, pray to be seen, and refuse even small help to others.
ECNEC has approved a Tk 751.77 crore project to rebuild the Musapur regulator in Companiganj, Noakhali, which collapsed in August 2024, and to improve flood and river management and drainage in the Chhoto Feni and Bamni river basins.
CropsA BADC-approved low-lift pump irrigation scheme in Ullapara, Sirajganj was sanctioned on land not owned by the applicant, and the pump was built on neighbouring railway property.
AgribusinessA University of the Free State team surveyed 132 small-scale farming households in two former homelands and found labour, infrastructure and aspirations limit farming more than land does.
Market ManagementThe IGC sees a 90% chance of a very strong El Nino peaking in November, with world wheat and maize output each down 3%, though wheat futures kept falling on geopolitics and UK yields came in well below average.
GalleryThe white-throated kingfisher is one of 11 kingfisher species found in Bangladesh; photographer Hasan Mahmud follows one at Balarampur in Pabna from its perch to the dive and the catch, in a Prothom Alo photo story.
FruitsIn Madhupur, Tangail, traders now pack pineapple trucks with weeds such as jagatber and German lata (Mikania) instead of straw, and cutters sell them at Tk 300 to 450 a van-load.
HealthBangladesh's first oral cholera vaccination drive reached 82.6 percent of its target with the first dose, leaving more than 852,000 people out, about 42 percent of them in Narayanganj.
Rooftop farmingGarlic can be grown organically in pots in a garden, on a balcony or on a roof: plant cloves in October-November, mulch and water with care, and lift the bulbs at the end of summer.
EnvironmentThe Gandak rose above the danger mark and breached a ring dam in Areraj block of East Champaran, Bihar, flooding about a dozen villages, submerging paddy and leaving people short of drinking water and fodder.
EnvironmentWarm El Nino water travelling along the Pacific as a 'Kelvin wave' is heading for California, where it can raise sea levels and worsen flooding from tides and storms, scientists warn.
