8th INTERNATIONAL WHEAT CONFERENCE

WheAT BReedINg STRATegy IN BANgLAdeSh
M.Moznur Rahman
Director (Research), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur Bangladesh
e-mail : moznurwrc@yahoo.com
Wheat was a non-traditional crop in the country till 1971 when only 0.1m ton wheat was
produced in an area of 1.3 m ha. After independence in 1971, few Mexican wheat varieties
including Sonalika (introduced) and later on Kanchan (developed in 1983 by Wheat
Research Centre of the BARI) predominated the country’s wheat area till end of the last
century. Following severe attack of the widespread Sonalika and Kanchan varieties by
leaf blight (caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana) disease being the major reason for low wheat
production prior to 2000, WRC-developed six other high yielding disease resistant varieties
resulted many-fold increase in per unit area and therefore total production despite
shrinkage of wheat area due to pushing back to marginal lands and increased cultivation
of boro-rice, potato and maize. In addition to the mandatory work of developing
varieties, WRC is committed to developing cost-effective production technologies under
rice-wheat system for getting higher productivity and profitability per unit area. More
recently, challenges have been undertaken in developing short stature leaf blight resistant
varieties able to grow under heat and drought stress situation along with making rooms
for expanding wheat cultivation in unexplored areas like saline/char/moist land to cope
up with the need of rising population of the country under changed climate. With this
end in view, crossing and subsequent selection (modified bulk and pedigree) in segregating
generations inciting to nursery and yield trials are the regular yearly programs undertaken
massively by the breeders accompanying with pathologists of the centre. Resistance
breeding is given top priority regarding leaf blight and leaf rust (Puccinia triticina), the
common wheat diseases of Bangladesh. Insect pest of wheat is not alarming like disease.
Better plants in terms of resistance, high yield, good tillering ability, short height, early
maturity, long and coarse spikes, more unshrivelled grains/spike are the usual criteria
for selection. Some nurseries and most yield trials are planted in different locations of
the country under both optimum as well as late seeding conditions in order to see their
performance and select thereof the better ones considering all combinations. Exotic
germplasms from CIMMYT, ICARDA and particular countries like Pakistan, Nepal etc.
are often received by the centre and these are tested as separate nursery wherefrom selected
lines (suited to our climate with desirable characteristics) are allowed to advance,
and some are taken to crossing block on the basis of desirable traits thought to be useful
in transferring through hybridization. Based on selecting better plants/germplasms,
the lines are advanced through segregating generation/nursery to yield trial; finally few
lines are planted in farmers’ field along with on-station trial for DUS test for at least
two years before undergoing selection by the committee of National Seed Board who
inspect and recommend for release. In the mean while, breeders of the centre initiate
producing nuclear seeds three years ahead of release of a variety; by the time when NSB
team declares as variety (name proposed by the breeder), handsome quantity of breeder
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