Bangladeshi scientists discover complete genome sequence of salt-, flood-tolerant rice

For the first time in Bangladesh, scientists have discovered the complete genome sequence of salinity and flood-tolerant rice.

The discovery came with a joint study conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (Bina) and Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) and could lead to the development of rice able to tolerate around two weeks of submergence, scientists said at a press conference in Mymensingh on Thursday.

Agriculture minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, present at the event, said there are some two million hectares of saline land in the country where farmers can only harvest one crop annually.

"As we look towards having sustainable food security in the country, we are working on making sure farmers in salinity and flood-prone areas can harvest two to three crops annually," he added.

Soil salinity and flood proneness have gradually increased in different parts of the country over the past few years owing to climate change which has hampered rice cultivation. Developing salinity and flood tolerant rice varieties is the only way to combat the problem in the long run.

"Bina's scientists have been trying to develop such rice varieties for almost a decade," said Dr Mirza Mofazzal Islam, director-general of the organisation.