Bangladesh approves new rice varieties to fight drought, salinity and malnutrition

Bangladesh has approved three new rice varieties designed to withstand drought and soil salinity and improve nutrition, offering farmers new options as erratic rainfall and coastal salinity threaten rice production.

The National Seed Board (NSB) cleared ACI dhan4, BRRI dhan119 and BINA dhan29 at its 116th meeting on October 28. The Agriculture Ministry published the meeting minutes on November 9.

All three are inbred Aman varieties. One is drought-tolerant, another can withstand high soil salinity, and the third contains elevated levels of iron and zinc.

The varieties were developed by private company ACI Limited, the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), respectively.

The board also approved a fourth Aman variety, Supreme Dhan-2, developed by Supreme Seed Company Limited.

ACI dhan4: Built for drought

ACI dhan4 is designed for farmers facing irregular rainfall and prolonged dry spells during the Aman season.

Developed by the Inbred Rice Genetics team at ACI Seed's Advanced Seed Research and Biotech Centre, the variety produces an average of six tonnes per hectare. Under favourable management, yields can reach seven tonnes.

In cultivation trials across five drought-prone districts, it yielded an average of 6.36 tonnes per hectare. Even under drought conditions, production remained around 4.6 tonnes.

Its drought tolerance comes from two genetic regions, qDTY2.2 and qDTY4.1, associated with improved water uptake through roots.

The Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and BINA independently confirmed the presence of both genetic regions in samples supplied by the Seed Certification Agency.

BARI also found that ACI dhan4 showed the highest activity across eight antioxidant enzymes tested under drought stress, outperforming other varieties by 18–79%. These enzymes help protect plant cells against drought-related damage.

The variety also offers an advantage in crop timing.

Farmers sowing between July 1 and 15 can harvest between October 25 and November 10, allowing them to prepare their fields for Rabi cultivation.

Its grains are long and slender, expanding to around 1.6 times their original length after cooking.

The rice contains 27.1% amylose, 7% protein and 21 milligrams of zinc per kilogram. Its estimated glycaemic index is 58.9. Milling recovery is 73%, while head rice recovery is 61%.

Mohammad Mizanur Rahaman, director of R&D and Operations at ACI Seed, said the variety was developed to reduce farmers' exposure to erratic rainfall.

"ACI dhan4 combines drought tolerance with promising yield performance. Its harvest timing also gives farmers an opportunity to cultivate a Rabi crop after Aman," he told Daily Waadaa.

"This rice variety contains two drought-tolerant genes, making it the first rice variety in Bangladesh to possess two such genes."

He said the combination of drought tolerance, grain quality and early harvesting could make it particularly useful in water-stressed regions.

BRRI dhan119: Rice for saline fields

BRRI dhan119 targets another growing challenge: salinity in coastal farmland.

Developed for districts including Satkhira and Khulna, the variety produces an average of 5.7 tonnes per hectare under suitable management.

Depending on salinity and growing conditions, yields range from 4.8 to 7.6 tonnes.

Researchers say it produces around one tonne more rice per hectare than BRRI dhan73, an existing salt-tolerant variety.

It also matures faster, taking around 115 days.

Plants reach an average height of 113 centimetres, with each panicle carrying around 215 filled grains, roughly 70–80 more than BRRI dhan73.

Its main advantage is tolerance to salt at different growth stages.

At the seedling stage, it can withstand salinity of up to 12 decisiemens per metre (dS/m) for three weeks.

During vegetative and reproductive growth, it can maintain yields under salinity levels of 8–10 dS/m.

But researchers say grain quality could prove just as important as salt tolerance.

Dr Khondaker Md Iftekharuddaula, BRRI's chief scientific officer and head of its Plant Breeding Division, said earlier salt-tolerant varieties often failed to match local preferences.

"Our earlier salt-tolerant varieties had coarse grains, but farmers in the Satkhira region prefer slender rice," he told Waadaa.

"BRRI dhan119 has slender, premium-quality grain. Under good management, it can yield up to seven tonnes per hectare. It also combines a shorter growth duration with higher yield."

The variety produces medium-slender, white grains that become fluffy after cooking.

BRRI has developed 17 salt-tolerant rice varieties. BRRI dhan67 remains the most popular among farmers, according to the institute.

BINA dhan29: More iron and zinc

BINA dhan29 addresses a different problem: micronutrient deficiency.

The new Aman variety contains higher concentrations of iron and zinc, two essential nutrients often lacking in diets heavily dependent on rice.

Laboratory tests on rice polished by 10% found 5.6 milligrams of iron and 26 milligrams of zinc per kilogram.

BINA researchers say the variety could help improve nutritional intake, particularly among women, children and disadvantaged communities.

It also offers higher yields.

BINA dhan29 produces an average of 6.30 tonnes per hectare, around one tonne more than conventional varieties, according to researchers.

Its growth cycle lasts 110–115 days, with mature plants reaching 100–105 centimetres.

The grains are long and slender. Cooked rice is fluffy, reddish and flavourful, according to the institute.

The variety contains 26.90% amylose, while 1,000 filled grains weigh around 19.50 grams.

Researchers developed it through a cross involving the mutant parent variety BINA dhan7.

Dr Fahmina Yasmin, BINA's chief scientific officer and head of its Plant Breeding Division, said grain quality had been a barrier to the adoption of earlier nutrient-enriched varieties.

"The newly developed BINA dhan29 has relatively slender grains and higher yields than the earlier varieties," she told Daily Waadaa.

"We hope these features will make it more popular among farmers."

Researchers believe the combination of higher yields, slender grains and improved micronutrient content could encourage wider cultivation and consumption.

The Seed Board also cleared Supreme Dhan-2, another inbred Aman variety developed by Supreme Seed Company Limited.

It yields an average of 6.33 tonnes per hectare, compared with 4.70 tonnes for BRRI dhan87.

Its growth cycle, however, is 130 days, three days longer than BRRI dhan87.

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