After a long journey of research, Regional Station of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has developed two drought tolerant rice varieties for the farmers of the region’s drought-prone area for the first time in the county.
This variety will give satisfactory yield with scanty rainfall without any irrigation during the rain-fed transplanted Aman season in the drought-prone area.
The rate of rainfall has been declined coupled with the enhanced temperature due to adverse impact of the climate change forcing the agriculture sector into a vulnerable condition.
To face the degradable position, BRRI and IRRI jointly conducted a field level research in the Barind area for the last three years and finally developed the two drought tolerant and short duration varieties.
BRRI Senior Scientific Officer and Principal Investigator of the research program Bishwajit Karmaker revealed the success story at crop-cutting and field evaluation ceremonies at Nachole and Gomostapur in Chapainawabganj and Godagari in Rajshahi district last Wednesday and Thursday.
Karmaker mentioned that average yield of the IR 74371-70-1- 1variety is 4.03 tons per hectare while 3.74 tons has been assessed of the 7873-5-51-HR6 variety per hectare.
Another investigator Scientific Officer Rejwan Bhuiyan stated that most of the existing long duration varieties have become vulnerable due to the crisis of irrigation water.
So, the two newly innovated varieties would easily supplement the crop loss. Addressing as the chief guest, BRRI Higher. Education and Research Coordinator Saidul Islam hoped that the varieties would bring a positive result for around two million hectares of land in the rain-fed drought prone area alongside playing a vital role in boosting rice yield in the days to come.
Terming the development of the drought tolerant varieties as the demand of time, he expected that the new varieties would contribute a lot to ensure food security together with lessening the mounting pressure of the increasing demand for rice to feed the millions of hungry people.
With BRRI Regional Station Chief Sirajul Islam in the chair, the ceremony was addressed, among others, by Additional Director of Department of Agriculture Extension Younus Ali, BRRI Chief Scientific Officers Dr Khairul Basher, Dr Shamsher Ali and Shahjahan Kabir and Principal Scientific Officer Dr Humayun Kabir and Regional Field Officer Sazder Hossain of Seed Certification Agency.
