Mubasshir Ahmed 1*, Jannatul Ferdous Tanni 2, Kamiliya Kader 1, Md. Shamim-Al-Mamun 1, Shaikat Mitra 1, Atik Hasan 3 and Year Uddin Sarkar 1
1Agronomy Division, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute, Manik Mia Avenue, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh 2Department of Plant Pathology, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh 3Breeding Division, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute, Manik Mia Avenue, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh
*Corresponding author: hadi.sau@gmail.com
The sowing date is a crucial factor for jute and allied fiber crops for better crop growth as well as fiber production. It is more important for advanced breeding lines before variety release. The purpose of this study was to provide information to breeders on the sowing time of advanced breeding lines of smooth Mesta, so they can recommend suitable sowing times for specific varieties. This study was carried out in the Jute Research Substation at Dinajpur, Bangladesh from March to July 2023. For the experimental treatments, three distinct sowing dates-namely, March 20th, March 30th, and April 10th were used, alongside the utilization of an advanced Mesta breeding line, SM-2, developed by the Bangladesh Jute Research Institute. A high-yielding Mesta variety, BJRI Mesta 3 (SAMU-93) was used as a control. A factorial RCBD design with three replications was used. Results showed that advanced breeding lines and sowing dates significantly affected plant height, base diameter, green weight with leaves, green weight without leaves, fiber yield and stick yield. Both the highest fiber yield (2.50 tha-1) and stick yield (5.00 tha1) were found when SM-2 was sown on 30th March. The second highest fiber yield (2.32 tha-1) and stick yield (4.64 tha-1) were found when SM-2 was sown on 10th April. The research showed that fiber yield and stick yields were 21 and 33% higher than the control respectively, when it was sown on 30 March.