The National Seed Board approves two new high-yield rice varieties, BRRI-105 and BRRI-106. One of them poses a low diabetes risk
Published : 03 Mar 2023, 03:20 PM
The National Seed Board has approved two high-yield rice varieties, BRRI-105 and BRRI-106, suitable for cultivation during Boro and Aush seasons.
Developed by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, the rice varieties were approved at a meeting at the agriculture ministry in Dhaka on Thursday.
Of the two varieties, BRRI-105 is ideal for cultivating in the Boro season in arable land, and BRRI-106 is suitable for non-saline tidal areas in the Aush season.
BRRI-105 scores low on the glycaemic index (GI), a rating system for foods containing carbohydrates, meaning it has low-carb content and diabetes risks are lower, according to the institute. That’s why it can be popular as a diabetes paddy crop, the institute said.
The score of the variety is 55 on the glycaemic index that tracks numbers from 0 to 100 assigned to foods. It’s expected that the variety will gain huge acceptance as “diabetes rice” due to its low GI score, said Dr Md Shahjahan Kabir, director general of the institute.
The average output of the variety is 7.6 tonnes per hectare but it can produce up to 8.5 tonnes in the best possible conditions.
The rice variety can be identified through its green and straight leaves, as well as medium-long and thin grains.
Meanwhile, BRRI-106 can produce 4.79 tonnes per hectare on average, which is 17.4 percent higher than the output of BRRI-27 in areas frequented by unsalted tidal waters. The variety can produce up to 5.49 tonnes in the best possible conditions.