This couldn’t be better timed. Breeders in Bangladesh have just released the most promising zinc-rich rice line yet. The new variety – enriched with high zinc content and high yield potential – got regulatory approval on Tuesday and reach to farmers for cultivation in the next Boro season, scientists at Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) told Dhaka Tribune.
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The release of – BRRI dhan100 – coincides with Bangabandhu’s birth centenary celebration year and is expected to come in handy in the fight against zinc-deficiency during the time of Covid-19. Zinc is essential to good health and immunocompetence. Its deficiency is generally associated with a negative impact on overall health, increased susceptibility to disease, and infections. Around 29% of South Asia’s population, including that of Bangladesh, are at risk of inadequate zinc intake, according to Harvest Plus, a program based at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) that helped BRRI scientists develop six hi-zinc rice varieties since 2013. Breeders in Bangladesh released the world's first biologically fortified (biofortified) high-yielding variety zinc rice – BRRI dhan62 – back in August 2013. Biofortification is the idea of breeding crops to increase their nutritional value either through conventional selective breeding, or through genetic engineering. BRRI ...
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