Volume 01 Issue 64 September 2017
ACI Motors is planning with Government subsidy
project under Department of Agricultural Extension
(DAE) to promote this technology. Government
subsidy will support farmers to purchase Trans-
planter and ACI will provide support like: training on
seedling rising, maintenance and operation. Thus,
we are planning to popularize mechanical rice
transplanter to the farmer’s level.
According to Prof. Dr. Md. Monjurul Alam, Bangla-
desh Agricultural University, by using Rice Trans-
planter farmers can save transplantation cost up to
9,600 Tk/ha.
Dr. F H Ansarey
Managing Director & CEO
ACI Agribusiness
Bangladesh is the 4th largest rice producing country
in the world. Around 80% of total cultivated land
utilized for rice is covered with transplanted rice.
However, manual transplantation of rice is expen-
sive because of labor shortage during harvesting
season. Mechanical transplantation of rice has been
considered the most promising option as it saves
labor, ensures timely transplanting and attains
optimum plant density that contributes to high
productivity.
There are some challenges like: seedling rising,
operation and maintenance, on time availabilities of
seedling for popularization of mechanical Rice
Transplanter. To overcome these challenges ACI
Motors is planning with Government subsidy project
Joint activities by ACI and Govt. Organization
Popularization of Mechanical Rice Transplantation
Contents
ACI Seed Field Day at Rajshahi
Climate Change Is Transforming the World's Food Supply
EDITORIAL BOARD
Advisory Editor
Prof. Lutfur Rahman
Advisor, ACI Agribusiness
Editor
Shamim Murad
Head of Partnership &
Business Development
ACI Agribusiness
Members
Mohammad Muhebbullah Ibne Hoque
Product Development Service Manager
ACI Seed
Yusuf Alam
Asst. Marketing Manager
ACI Fertilizer
Tanmoy Majumder
Assistant Product Manager
ACI Motors
Abrar Shahriyar Mridha
Asst. Manager
ACI Agrolink
Adeeba Raihan
Senior Scientist
Advanced Seed Research
& Biotech Centre
Mahmudul Haque Jishan
Planning Executive
Premiaflex Plastics Ltd.
3
Biotech Corner
4 - 6
Events and Activities
7 - 10 Agri-tech and Communication
11 - 12 Readers’ Corner
3
4
Climate change is poised to affect the world's
food supply in three key ways, experts say.
"There will be impacts on the quantity, quality
and location of the food we produce," said Dr.
Sam Myers, a medical doctor and senior
research scientist studying environmental
health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of
Public Health.
ACI Seed organized a vegetable field day on Papiya
Super at Joynagar, Rajshahi on 9 August 2017.
Acceptability of CRISPR\Cas9
Technology:
CRISPR/Cas9 has been dramatically changing
the field of genome engineering.
9
Biotech Corner
Acceptability of CRISPR\Cas9 Technology:
because the modifications will go off with the death
of that person. In case of crop improvement
programs this technology can be used to develop
disease resistant varieties because this technology
targets a particular gene sequence and cuts the
targeted DNA into segments within the cytoplasm of
the host cell before it takes part in protein synthesis.
Whereas, the concern is about horizontal gene
transfer, there is less information about post conse-
quences, so, initially this technology can be used for
the improvement of vegetitavely propagated crops
where flowering doesn’t take place, e.g. potato.
Therefore, this technology can be very effective for
the betterment of animal health, crops, as well as
human health. Building a strong public opinion and
awareness would be crucial for using this technique
in variable life forms. (Assistance of Mahmood
Hasan, ASRBC is acknowledged)
Prof. Lutfur Rahman,
Advisor, Agribusinesses & Editor, Biolife
3
CRISPR/Cas9 has been dramatically changing the
field of genome engineering. The clustered regularly
interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)
locus is found in the genomes of some bacteria and
archaea which has been modified for genome engi-
neering. It contains tandem repeats and spacers, in
which the repeats comprise the same sequence and
the spacers comprise different sequences derived
from exotic DNA. The CRISPR locus functions with
CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins as an adaptive
immune system against invading foreign DNA
through inducing a DNA double-strand break (DSB)
at the specific locus in association with Cas
protein(s). DNA repair pathways, such as NHEJ
(non-homologous end joining) or HDR (homology
directed repair). Without donor template, NHEJ
induces small indels, which can be used for gene
knockout or frame-shifting. HDR is used to knocking
or substitute the target sequence by using a donor
template or ssODN (single stranded oligodeoxynu-
cleotide). This mechanism is being used worldwide
for editing genome of different organisms including
human for molecular recording, genetic engineer-
ing, treating genetic disorders, reversibility of antibi-
otic resistance. Biosafety issues always arise with
these types of gene modifications in organisms. The
CRISPR\Cas9 system differs from other genetic
modification methods that it uses cells own repair
mechanism that leads to a knockout or knock-in of a
targeted sequence. But the gene of insertion vehi-
cles (e.g. lentivirus, T-DNA of Ti Plasmid) integrates
into genome. Another big concern arises with
CRISPR\Cas9 system, gene drive. The objective of
gene drive is to rapidly spread a genetic modifica-
tion within a population, e.g. spread a mutated mos-
quito that will not spread malaria, dengue etc. Gene
drive research and its implementation can have
major evolutionary and/or ecological impacts. Since
risk depends on the alteration of species rather than
on the drive itself, proposed gene drive experiments
must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. And
where this technology is being used for gene
therapy, e.g. modifying human somatic cells for
therapeutic purposes has low biosafety issues
4
Events and Activities
ACI Seed organized a vegetable field day on
Papiya Super at Joynagar, Rajshahi on 9 August
2017. The main aim was to introduce high yield-
ing bitter gourd variety to the smallholder rural
farmers of Joynagar village, and to build trust
between the seed dealers and the farmers.
Another aim was to improve their livelihood
status. The village Joynagar under Poba Upazilla,
Rajshahi is well known as a vegetable growing
area. Different hybrid and HYV varieties of vari-
ous crops are being cultivated there. Md. Bablu is
a progressive farmer of Joynagar who accepts
modern technology for sustainable development.
This year Md. Bablu cultivated hybrid Papiya
Super bitter gourd in his 5 decimal of land and
earned net profit Tk. 15,000. He said, this year he
also cultivated other varieties but he did not get
much profit from them and the field conditions
were not at acceptance level. But the Papiya
Super showed more vigorous and higher yield
potential over other market leading varieties and
ACI Seed Field Day at Rajshahi
he determined to cultivate Papiya Super in more
land in the next season. Other farmers also got
motivated to cultivate Papiya Super in their land.
More than 20 farmers participated in the field day.
Retailers, Sales Officer, SPO, and PDS Officer
were also participated in the programme.
Nitrogen Efficiency for Bioavailability (NEB) is
now applied to maximize its uptake and decrease
environmental impact through reduced usage of
urea fertilizer. It is a blend of natural ROOT EXU-
DATES, which helps to increase microbial activi-
ties in the soil. By the use of NEB, plants get more
of the N for longer period of time, which helps to
give significant growth advantages of plants.
ACI Fertilizer organized a workshop on NEB on
Sunday, 27 May 2017 for the personnel of Depart-
ment of Agricultural Extension (DAE) at Khamar
Bari, Comilla. KBD Bashir Ahmed, Business
Director of ACI Fertilizer was present there as the
chief guest, Mr. Abdus Sabur Khan, ZSM of
Comilla Zone, ACI Fertilizer was present as spe-
cial guest while Dr. Md. Sahinul Islam, Additional
Director of DAE presided over the program.
The key discussion was on the features, benefits,
NEB Workshop held at Khamar Bari in Comilla
application, and impacts on economy of using
NEB at different crops especially on potato. A
decision was made to conduct result demonstra-
tion under DAE in upcoming potato season and
recommend the farmers to produce quality yield
at optimum cultivation cost.
5
Events and Activities
for Organic Fertilizer to the Stockiest. Mr. Rezaul
Islam, Zonal Sales Manager with his team organ-
ized the program successfully and got a tremen-
dous feedback from the customers with more
than 1000 MT Organic Fertilizer from the custom-
ers. In the event, the customers actively partici-
pated and gave different suggestions to increase
the market coverage with proper positioning and
branding.
On the 22 August 2017, ACI Fertilizer organized a
sales booking program for Organic Fertilizer at
BRAC Learning Centre in Rangpur. Kbd Bashir
Ahmed, Business Director of ACI Fertilizer
attended the event as the Chief Guest while Kbd
Md. Mustafizur Rahman, Sales Manager partici-
pated as a Special Guest. Mr. Asadur Rahman,
Assistant Product Manager offered an attractive
booking program
Bioferti is 100% natural product, which is
produced from the world’s best marine plant
“AscophyllomNodosum”. It is produced in Atlan-
tic Ocean. Bioferti’s composition of beneficial
bioactive compounds supports the plant to
upgrade the nutrient and grow properly.
ACI Fertilizer arranged a training program for
Area Manager and Regional Manager on
bioferti to understand the features and benefi-
ciaries positioning and communication on 5
August 2017 at hall room of ACI Centre.
Mr. Soumendhu Gosh, Business Development
Manager of Acadian Seaplants Limited,
Canada, the principal of bioferti took the training
session. The participants showed their field
experience regarding bioferti and gathered
valuable knowledge.
Mr. Soumendhu also visited the field to under-
stand the market. He went to Tangail and
Training on Bioferti by Acadian Seaplants Ltd, Canada
Organic Fertilizer Sales Booking Program at Rangpur
discussed with stockiest, retailers and farmers
as well as received tremendous feedback. He
was delighted to see activities of field force in
the market.
6
Events and Activities
services were offered. While the service
personnel handled Major Complains, custom-
ers also received useful tips for bike mainte-
nance. Customers also enjoyed 10% Discount
on Spare Parts, Engine Oil and Helmets
throughout the event. Different customer
engagement events, rallies, and raffle draws
took place during the service camp.
YAMAHA Mega Service Camp
ACI Motors, the sole distributor of YAMAHA
Motorcycles in Bangladesh arranged a 5-day
long Mega Service Camp in August 2017. The
service camp was held from 21 August to 25
August at International Convention City Bas-
hundhara – ICCB, Dhaka. At this mega service
camp, customers got Free Service Check Up
for their YAMAHA Motorcycles. Moreover, Free
YDT Check Up and Free Fuel Injector Cleaning
7
Agri-tech & Communication
areas, where food production is normally high.
(Source: Agriculture - 2017 News and Scientific Articles on Live
Science. www.livescience.com/topics/agriculture)
all across North America - creating the potential
for the evolution of drug resistance in the wider
environment.
Climate Change Is Transforming the World's
Food Supply
Climate change is poised to affect the world's
food supply in three key ways, experts say.
"There will be impacts on the quantity, quality
and location of the food we produce," said Dr.
Sam Myers, a medical doctor and senior
research scientist studying environmental
health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of
Public Health. According to him Researchers
studying climate change are looking at how the
biological and physical changes happening on
Earth due to climate change will transform food
production. For example, studies have shown
that the combination of increased levels of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, rising tem-
peratures and changes to precipitation may
result in significantly lower yields for staple crops
such as corn and wheat, particularly in tropical
Big Agriculture creating new generation of
antibiotic-resistant superbugs
A group of Canadian and French scientists
have uncovered more evidence that prolific use
of antibiotics in animal agriculture is contribut-
ing to the development of drug-resistant "super-
bugs," in a study published in Journal of Envi-
ronmental Quality and funded by Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada.
Feeding antibiotics to healthy animals is a
common practice in industrial agriculture,
because it is believed to reduce rates of illness
and to result in larger animals and therefore,
higher profits. But there is risk for evolution of
antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These bacteria
might evolve directly in the animals' bodies,
becoming superbugs if they somehow spread
to humans (as in E. coli contamination from
cattle feces). In addition, large quantities of
unmetabolized antibiotics are secreted in farm
animals' manure, which is then used as fertilizer
8
Agri-tech & Communication
them less harmful. Now, researchers have
found a species of bacteria that eats antibiotics
for food. "I think it's kind of a game changer in
terms of how we think about our environment
and antibiotic resistance," Topp said.
(Source: Agriculture news, articles and information - Natural
News. http://www.naturalnews.com/agriculture)
varieties, and that their research means that
plant breeders can now select new mutations
that separate the desirable and undesirable
traits conferred by DELLA proteins.
(Source: Crop Biotech Update, International Service for Acqui-
sition of Agri-Biotech Applications. www.isaaa.org)
Green Revolution Genes Promise More Yield
In the new study, researchers found a new,
previously unknown type of drug resistance that
combined two already well known bacterial
abilities. It is well established that bacteria read-
ily evolve two major forms of drug-resistance:
either they develop ways to purge drugs from
their cells, or they metabolize the drugs to make
3D reconstructions of the inflorescence apex of Arabidopsis, comparing
the wild type (right) with a DELLA mutant (left) – each apex is approxi-
mately a fifth of a millimeter across. To precisely measure how DELLA
mutation affected the meristem, individual
A team of researchers at the John Innes Centre
(JIC) led by Professor Robert Sablowski stud-
ied DELLA proteins which cause a range of
growth responses in plants. Mutations in
DELLA genes were selected by plant breeders
during the green revolution to increase yield
through reduced stem length.
The research details how selecting the mutation
for shorter stems also resulted in a smaller inflo-
rescence meristem, the growth zone where
flowers form. Smaller growth zone results in
fewer flowers and seeds, which is a key factor
in crop yield potential. But the team showed
how the effects could be separated.
Professor Sablowski said that separating the
stem growth and meristem size effect could
unlock further yield increases in widely-used
9
Agri-tech & Communication
activates the pathway in various ways -- especially
through the interaction of a planthopper protein
called G protein pathway suppressor 2 (GPS2), and
a viral protein called capsid protein. "The interaction
between these two proteins promotes RSV repro-
duction inside the planthopper, ultimately leading to
disease outbreak when the insect carries the virus
among rice crops," says first author and postdoc-
toral researcher Wei Wang.
(Source: Agriculture and Food News, Science Daily.
www.sciencedaily.com)
of foundation seed, was long awaited.“We’ve been
working on this for four years, and we feel it has great
promise in drought resistance. The science itself has
been 10 years in development,” Northey says.
(Source: Successful Farming, www.agriculture.com)
A small brown planthopper -- a member of a species known for being a
major carrier of rice stripe virus -- feeding on a rice plant.
Photo Credit: : Junjie Zhu
Drought-Tolerant Wheat on The Way
Look for a grinning, midsize lab-coat guy this winter,
wearing dark glasses possibly, at the CFIA Variety
Registration Office in Ottawa or Toronto. Julian
Northey plans to be there, toting his paperwork, to
register a new durum wheat for trials in western
Canada. If it happens and if it holds up to scrutiny, the
new durum wheat will be a breakthrough in drought-
tolerant technology. Northey earned a doctorate in
plant molecular genetics in 2009 from the University
of Toronto. A year later, he launched Frontier Agri-
Science (FAS), an agricultural biotechnology com-
pany specializing in non-GMO genetic technology.
FAS now has a team of seven scientists with serious
credentials and a website listing partnerships with
four Canadian universities as well as BASF,
Biogemma, and ICRISAT, the international crops
research institute for the semiarid tropics
(frontieragri.science). The new durum is a product of
the platform that specializes in water-use efficiency
and stress tolerance. Other platforms are directed
toward herbicide tolerance and biofuel production.
The September 28 FAS durum harvest, with six lines
Planthoppers May Help Stop Crop Disease Spread
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of
Sciences' Institute of Zoology have discovered how
a severe rice virus reproduces inside the small
brown planthopper, a major carrier of the virus. Rice
stripe virus (RSV) causes major damage to rice
crops each year. "Most plant viruses depend on
insects to carry them between plants, and many can
reproduce inside the cells of these carrier insects, or
'vectors', without actually harming them," says Feng
Cui, Professor of Zoology. "RSV, one of the most
notorious plant viruses, is carried by the small
brown planthopper and, once inside the cells, man-
ages to achieve a balance with the insect's immune
system .Viral infections in animal hosts activate a
pathway by which a type of enzyme, called c-Jun
N-terminal kinase (JNK), is signalled to respond.
But how exactly viruses regulate this pathway in
vectors remains an open question.
To address this question, Cui and her team explored
the effect of RSV on the JNK signalling pathway in
the small brown planthopper. Studying interactions
between proteins, and using an analytical method to
determine the compounds that are important for the
JNK signalling pathway, they found that the virus
10
Agri-tech & Communication
How Humans Domesticated Wild Wheat
A sophisticated sequencing study reveals genetic
changes that emerged in wheat as it became
domesticated by agricultural societies in the Fertile
Crescent, roughly 10,000 years ago.The findings
provide scientists with a better understanding of
traits in modern wheat -- the variety used to make
bread and pasta -- and could inform efforts to
improve the yield and quality of this key food
source.
The domestication of wild wheat caused a shift in
traits, which mostly relate to seed dormancy, spike
morphology, and grain development. For example,
while the spikes of wild wheat shatter at maturity, all
domesticated wheat spikes remain intact, which
enables easier harvest. Here, RazAvni and
colleagues used 3-D genetic sequencing data and
software to reconstruct the 14 chromosomes of wild
tetraploid wheat, Triticumturgidum.
The team then compared genes responsible for
shattering in domesticated wheat to the corre-
sponding genes in wild wheat, in order to under-
stand genetic changes underlying the evolutionary
transition to a non-shattering state. They identified
two clusters of genes in domesticated wheat that
have lost their function. When they engineered
strains of wheat with one of these gene clusters
restored, the wheat exhibited unique spikes where
the upper part was brittle and the lower part was not
brittle. These results suggest that the two gene
clusters play a part in transforming the brittle quali-
ties of wild wheat.
(Source: Agriculture and Food News, Science Daily.
www.sciencedaily.com)
11
Readers’ Corner
Believe it or not!
Nutrition Chart
Agro Tips
A banana is considered a natural mood booster. Depressed people are said to be low on Serotonin and
bananas are a cheap source of Serotonin, amino acid, and Vitamin B6.
Banana is also used as a skin rejuvenator and lets your skin remain youthful for a long time.
The richness of nutrients and vitamins in banana make it a natural healer in various kinds of body ailments. It
is one good digestive fruit.
If a Pregnant lady munches on banana regularly, she can avert any kind of deficiency as well as side effects of
medicines. They are rich in Folic Acid, Calcium, iron, Vitamin C, and antioxidants.
Bananas are very rich in a mineral called potassium. It is an electrolyte that our body requires to keep electrical
impulses flowing through the body. Without electrical impulses, our heart will not operate. So, eat bananas for
a happy and healthy heart.
Banana plants are not trees, they are a type of herb.
Bananas contain around 75% water.
Fibre taken from banana plants can be used to
make clothes.
The banana tree, or herb, bears only one bunch
of bananas before dying. Luckily, it shoots a new
"eye" (a baby plant) before dying, the entire
process only taking about ten months.
The word “Banana” has been derived from an
Arabic word “Banan” that means finger in
Arabic. And, of course, they have given it a
thoughtful name as the fruit resembles a
finger.
89
12 g
0.3 g
1.1 g
358mg
1 mg
2.6g
Banana (100 grams)
Source: USDA
Calories
Sugar
Total Fat
Protein
Potassium
Sodium
Dietary fiber
12
Readers’ Corner
ACI Agribusinesses
ACI Centre
245 Tejgaon Industrial Area
Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Phone: + 88 02 887-8603
E-mail: biolife@aci-bd.com
sectoedab@aci-bd.com
ACI Agribusinesses, the leading agriculture integrator in Bangladesh,
is dedicated to gaining prosperity of Bangladesh through food
security. ACI Agribusinesses offers complete solutions to farmers and
also educates them about the technical know-how.
www.aciagribusinesses.com
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Sharing is caring!
It's awfully hard to extract juice from bananas, even though they're 80% water. Have you ever tried
squeezing one? Their molecular structure is just not very squeezable. The currently available
banana juice is blended banana, not squeezed banana. Which is, obviously, cheating. But for
some reason, Indian atomic scientists are trying to find a way to extract juice from banana. Yeah,
atomic scientists! (From the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre)
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