New early-maturing rice released

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has developed an early maturing highly productive monsoon rice variety suitable for Aman season.

National Seed Board (NSB) in its meeting yesterday gave release approval to the grain -- BRRI dhan87 -- which has been bred through a cross between BRRI released earlier rice variety BRRI dhan29 and a wild rice called Oryza rufipogon.

BRRI scientists told the news agency that the newly released variety BRRI dhan87 will mature up to 7 days earlier than BRRI dhan49, which BRRI had released 10 years back as an Aman variety.

As against BRRI dhan49's per hectare productivity of five tonnes, the BRRI dhan87 will grow 6.5 tonnes a hectare.

Pest and disease infestation in BRRI dhan87 is comparatively lesser than other conventional varieties, said the BRRI scientists.