Molecular breeding efforts to improve rice abiotic stress tolerance in Bangladesh

Society for the Advancement of Breeding Research in Asia and Oceania (SABRAO) 2017. Agriculture is the most important sector of the Bangladesh economy with rice as the staple crop for food security. Rice production in Bangladesh has been threatened by various abiotic stresses: including flooding, drought, and salinity; with flooding as the most severe and frequent problem that affects the countrys crop production. Recently, scientists have identified and utilized the SUB1 gene that confers rice flooding tolerance trait, to many popular varieties in Asia, including Bangladesh. Importantly, scientists in Bangladesh are making efforts to breed submergence-tolerant early maturing rice to cope with flooding, which may provide a means for farmers to improve their rice production. Moreover, drought and salt-tolerant rice lines are also being developed through molecular breeding programs. All of these research advances are providing the means for Bangladesh to improve abiotic stress tolerance to increase rice production, providing more stable food security under stress-prone environments.

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