Ongoing research projects with strategic directions and emerging focus area:
1. ‘GCRF South Asian Nitrogen Hub Project’ – A Coordinated project among South Asian Countries and United Kingdom for the duration of 2019-2024. Responsible as a Principal Investigator of (i) ‘Experimental testing of agronomic solution of nitrogen issues across South Asia’ with a focus on increasing nitrogen use efficiency, profitability and crop yields, (ii) ‘Village level engagement and testing of solutions of N issues across South Asia’ which will be focusing on-farm testing of promising options working with villages to consider profitability, yield, ease and social acceptability in the context of whole-farm nitrogen use efficiency. Prof. Rahman is also Co-leading the Work Package of Development of guidance/tools for practitioners. Under this work package a Mobile based N App will be developed for increasing N use efficiency and reducing N loss.
2. ‘Towards INMS’ – Involved in this International Nitrogen Management System (INMS) Research Project as a team member. Emerging focus area of this project is targeted for conducting research for improving and understanding of the global nitrogen cycle.
3. ‘Soil Structural Stability and Carbon Sequestration in Soils of Bangladesh’ – RMC, BSMRAU funded project for the duration of 2017-2020. Responsibilities as a Principal Investigator to focus the effects of organic carbon on soil structural stability and ascertain a relationship of soil aggregates with carbon sequestration and different ratios of basic cations.
4. ‘Modeling Climate Change Impact on Bangladesh Agriculture (CRP II), second phase’ – Krishi Gobeshona Foundation (KGF) funded project for the duration of 2019-2021. Responsibilities as a Principal Investigator to identify resource conservation strategies for soil health improvement, carbon sequestration in soils and skilled manpower development for understanding climate change and its effects on agriculture and finding solutions/strategies of climate change mitigation and adaptation through training and education.
5. Improvement of soil health and crop productivity of major problem soils of Bangladesh through organic amendments. It is a Program Based Research Grants (PBRG) project (ID No. 135) of NATP (BARC) for the duration of 2018-2020. Responsibilities as a Co-Principal Investigator is to conduct research on management of saline and industrial polluted soils through biochar and other organic matter application.
Salient research achievements with a brief statement:
1. Determined carbon sequestration potentials of different manures, composts, biochar and rice straw. Carbon sequestration indices (CSI) of rice straw, poultry manure and cowdung ranged from 0.21 to 0.29 which can be used to predict C sequestration in soils. If CSI is multiplied by the amount of C applied, then C sequestration can be attained. Findings on C sequestration through organic amendments certainly contributes in selecting climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
2. Quantified organic matter mineralization constants (k) of different organic materials like poultry manure, cowdung, vermicompost, rice husk biochar, rice straw etc. which might help farmers and researchers for soil health improvement and fertilizer management.
3. Identified the trends of nitrogen transformation and release patterns of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen in wetland paddy soils of Bangladesh, which might help farmers for urea fertilizer optimization.
4. Developed mathematical models for calculation of soil hydraulic properties and bulk density. According to the broad physiographic units of Bangladesh a sets of mathematical equations have been developed for calculation of field capacity, permanent wilting point, available water capacity, hydraulic conductivity and bulk density. Students, researchers and policy makers might be benefitted from these equations. Such unique equations for calculating soil hydraulic properties developed first time in Bangladesh.