DU develops salt-resistant rice varieties

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Dhaka University has developed salt-resistant versions of two rice varieties--BR11 and BRRI Dhan 28-- which are cultivated extensively across the country.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has been testing these versions in the salinity-affected regions in the country's south.
All the versions have been made using the DNA marker assisted breeding, which ensures that both salt tolerance and high yielding characteristics exist in the same plant.
BRRI, Programmes in Agriculture and Life Sciences (PALS) of Bangladesh Academy of Science and United States Department of Agriculture (BAS-USDA) and Generation Challenge Program (GCP) assisted the development of the new versions.
Prof Zaba Seraj of the biochemistry and molecular biology department disclosed this at a programme at the university where US Ambassador Dan Mozena was present for exchange of research ideas between the two countries.
She said they are working on creating new drought-resistant versions of the hybrid varieties of rice through genetic modification process.
Dan Mozena said this research is not simply some theoretical, academic exercise destined to end up forgotten on a dusty shelf. The research is real and can yield results that farmers can use in their fields, he added.
Mark Tegenfeldt, agriculture development officer at USAID, and Sarwer Sayed Hussain, agricultural specialist at USDA, among others, accompanied the ambassador.