Bangladesh develops four new varieties of summer rice

The Bangladeshi scientists have developed four new varieties of rice for aman season (summer paddy) creating scope for increasing the yield of this monsoon crop and reducing reliance on boro (winter paddy) production.

The new varieties are submergence-tolerant BRRI Dhan-51 and BRRI Dhan-52, and Hybrid-4 and Hira Dhan-10, both first ever hybrid rice varieties for aman season, leading English newspaper The Daily Star reported on Sunday.

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) in collaboration with International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) developed the two submergence-tolerant varieties, BRRI developed Hybrid-4 while a private company-- Supreme Seed-- developed Hira Dhan-10.

The National Seed Board has certified all the four new varieties allowing their cultivation at farmers level, said BRRI scientists.

Normal yield of BRRI Dhan-51 and BRRI Dhan-52 is 5-5.5 tons a hectare, but when submerged, the yield is 4-4.5 tons, said Khairul Bashar, head of Genetic Resources and Seed Division of BRRI.

"To ensure food security amid threats of climate change, the submergence-tolerant varieties are a breakthrough," he said.

Development of these two varieties took four years of joint efforts by BRRI and IRRI.

Bashar further said BRRI with its own efforts for around eight years developed Hybrid-4, the yield of which is up to 7.5 tons a hectare.

Supreme Seed took five years to develop Hira Dhan-10, and its yield is six tons a hectare.

Now that the hybrid and submergence-resistant varieties are released, these can bring a shift in rice cultivation pattern in the country, he said.

According to official data, the countrys aman production last year was 13.1 million tons from 5.85 million hectares of land, while that of boro was 19 million tons from 4.8 million hectares.