Zinc Enriched High Yielding Rice Variety BRRI dhan84 for Dry Season Rice Growing Areas of Bangladesh

A newly released zinc enriched, high yielding, slender and red pericarp grain containing rice variety BRRI dhan84, suitable for dry ecosystem (Boro season) of Bangladesh is an improvement over existing zinc enriched rice varieties for Bangladesh. The main objective of this research was to develop the of high yielding rice varieties with improved nutritional quality in term of high zinc (Zn≥24 mg/kg) in polished grain. The study was taken in 2004 by crossing between BRRIdhan29/IR68144//BRRI dhan28///BR11 and it takes near about 13 years to develop the targeted variety. After selection of one homozygous advanced line (BR7831-59-1-1-4-5-1-9-P1) the Regional Yield Trial (RYT) was conducted in Boro 2014-15 saeson and the Advanced Line Adaptive Research Trial (ALART) was evaluated at different farmers’ field in Boro 2015-16 season and different yield trials were conducted using Randomized Complete Block Desing (RCBD). The variety has satisfactorily passed the Proposed Variety Trial (PVT) conducted in the farmers’ field in Boro 2016-17 season. As a result National Seed Board (NSB) approved this variety for commercial cultivation in the dry season (Boro season) in 2017. It has modern plant type with 96 cm plant height and matures by 140 days. The salient feature of this variety is the red colored grain, earlier than check variety, the proposed variety showed higher yield than check variety BRRI dhan28. Identifying characters of this variety are dark green leaf, semi erect flag leaf, long slender and red colored grain. It can produce 6.0-6.5 t/ha grain yield. Thousand grain weight of the variety is 22.8 g and it has colored grain tip. The rice has zinc content 27.6 mg/kg, 25.9% amylose content with 9.7% protein content. BRRI dhan84 was released as a high yielding, zinc enriched rice variety to meet the nutritional (zinc) demand of the country. The zinc enriched BRRI dhan84 is a superb variety for cultivating in the dry (Boro) season and farmers can be economically benefited and the country will be nutritionally benefited by the cultivation of BRRI dhan84.