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Achieving high-yield potential is always the ultimate objective of any breeding program. However, various abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought, cold, flood, and heat hampered rice productivity tremendously. Salinity is one of the most important abiotic stresses that adversely affect rice grain yield. The present investigation was undertaken to dissect new genetic loci, which are responsible for salt tolerance at the early seedling stage in rice. A bi-parental mapping population (F2:3) was developed from the cross between BRRI dhan28/Akundi, where BRRI dhan28 (BR28) is a salt-sensitive irrigated (boro) rice mega variety and Akundi is a highly salinity-tolerant Bangladeshi origin indica rice landrace that is utilized as a donor parent. We report reliable and stable QTLs for salt tolerance from a common donor (Akundi) irrespective of two different genetic backgrounds (BRRI dhan49/Akundi and BRRI dhan28/Akundi). A robust 1k-Rice Custom Amplicon (1k-RiCA) SNP marker genotyping platform was used for genome-wide analysis of this bi-parental population. After eliminating markers with high segregation distortion, 886 polymorphic SNPs built a genetic linkage map covering 1526.5 cM of whole rice genome with an average SNP density of 1.72 cM for the 12 genetic linkage groups. A total of 12 QTLs for nine different salt tolerance-related traits were identified using QGene and inclusive composite interval mapping of additive and dominant QTL (ICIM-ADD) under salt stress on seven different chromosomes. All of these 12 new QTLs were found to be unique, as no other map from the previous study has reported these QTLs in the similar chromosomal location and found them different from extensively studied Saltol, SKC1, OsSalT, and salT locus. Twenty-eight significant digenic/epistatic interactions were identified between chromosomal regions linked to or unlinked to QTLs. Akundi acts like a new alternate donor source of salt tolerance except for other usually known donors such as Nona Bokra, Pokkali, Capsule, and Hasawi used in salt tolerance genetic analysis and breeding programs worldwide, including Bangladesh. Integration of the seven novel, reliable, stable, and background independent salinity-resilient QTLs (qSES1, qSL1, qRL1, qSUR1, qSL8, qK8, qK1) reported in this investigation will expedite the cultivar development that is highly tolerant to salt stress.

Achieving high-yield potential is always the ultimate objective of any breeding program. However, various abiotic stresses like salinity, drought, cold, flood, and heat hampered rice productivity tremendously. Salinity is one of the most important abiotic stresses that adversely affect rice grain yield. The present investigation was undertaken to dissect new genetic loci, which are responsible for salt tolerance at the early seedling stage in rice. A bi-parental mapping population (F2:3) was developed from the cross between BRRI dhan28/Akundi, where BRRI dhan28 (BR28) is a salt-sensitive irrigated (boro) rice mega variety and Akundi is a highly salinity tolerant Bangladeshi origin indica rice landrace that is utilized as a donor parent. We report stable QTLs for salt tolerance from a common donor (Akundi) irrespective of two different genetic backgrounds (BRRI dhan49/Akundi and BRRI dhan28/Akundi). A robust 1k-Rice Custom Amplicon (1k-RiCA) SNP marker genotyping platform was used to genotype this bi-parental population. After eliminating markers with high segregation distortion, 886 polymorphic SNPs built a genetic linkage map covering 1526.5 cM of whole rice genome with an average SNP density of 1.72 cM for the 12 genetic linkage groups. A total of 12 QTLs for nine different salt tolerance-related traits were identified using QGene and inclusive composite interval mapping of additive and dominant QTL (ICIM-ADD) under salt stress on seven different chromosomes. All of these 12 new QTLs found unique, as no other map from the previous study has reported these QTLs in the similar chromosomal location and found them different from extensively studied Saltol, SKC1, OsSalT and salT locus. Twenty-eight significant digenic/epistatic interactions identified between chromosomal regions linked to or unlinked to QTLs. Akundi acts like a new alternate donor source of salt tolerance except for other usually known donors like Nona Bokra, Pokkali, Capsule, and Hasawi used in salt tolerance genetic analysis and breeding programs worldwide, including Bangladesh. Integration of the seven novel and stable QTLs (qSES1, qSL1, qRL1, qSUR1, qSL8, qK8, qK1) reported in this investigation will expedite the cultivar development that is highly tolerant to salt stress.

A detailed study of rice genetic resources in Bangladesh's coastal areas is necessary. This understanding is a necessary requirement for its utilization in selective breeding. The study reports on the qualitative morphological trait-based assessment of 150 local rice samples collected from Bangladesh's coastal zone, including 50 advanced lines developed from coastal germplasm. Six of the thirteen analysed characters had a substantial gene contribution, whereas the average was 0.694. The most impressive diversity was in leaf blade intensity of green colour (LBIGC: 0.705). The total morpho-qualitative diversity was calculated to be 0.412. The character efficiency content ranged from 0.655 (LBIGC) to 0.136 (Leaf Sheath: Anthocyanin colouration, Leaf Blade: Presence/Absence, and Leaf Blade: Anthocyanin. Colouration). As per the morphological variance study, 93% of morphological changes were detected within individuals, whereas 7% were found in populations. The 150 germplasm samples were divided into four subpopulations using STRUCTURE-based population analysis. A moderate genotypic difference was detected amongst all groups, with an Fst value of 0.111. The G statistic backed up the record as well. The Shannon mutual information index reached a value of 1.252 between populations 2 and 3. In terms of gene exchange, the highest value was found between populations 3 and 4. Our data indicate a high degree of diversity in Bangladesh's coastline rice germplasm. The findings will aid in conferring the farmers' Intellectual Property Rights on the investigated rice germplasm.

Aims: To screen potato genotypes for salt tolerance using in vitro salt stress and moleulcar markers. Experimental Design: The experiment was arranged in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. Place of the Study: The experiment was conducted at the Molecular Biology and Tissue Culture Laboratories, Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh. Methodology: In vitro screening of five potato genotypes (CIP 112, CIP 117, CIP 120, CIP 127, and CIP 128) was done in an agar medium using tissue culture technique at different concentrations of salt viz. 0.0, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 mM of NaCl. All genotypes were further analysed through SSR markers using three primers. The DNA bands were visualized on gel electrophoresis and scored for polymorphic loci, gene diversity, and genetic distance. NTSYSpc program was used for constructing unrooted neighbor-joining tree and scatter diagram. Results: Potato genotypes CIP 112 and CIP 117 emerged as the most salt tolerant genotypes with the highest plant height, shoot dry weight, root length, and root dry weight at different concentrations of NaCl. CIP 127 and CIP 128 were poorly tolerant to salt stress. The most sensitive genotype CIP 120 produced minimum plant height, shoot dry weight, root length, and root dry weight at different NaCl concentrations. Results indicated that significant differences were found among cultivars. The banding pattern of microsatellite confirmed a distinct polymorphism among salt tolerant, moderately salt tolerant and salt sensitive lines. The clustering pattern of the potato genotypes suggests that variations occur due to genotypic variation and possibly not epigenetic adaptation under salt stress conditions. Conclusion: The salt tolerant pototo genotypes CIP 112 and CIP 117 can be used for developing salt tolerant genotypes.

While crop enhancement can be performed using the agronomical adaptive traits of local crop varieties, human actions and climatic conditions alter their diversity. An assessment and characterization of 20 germplasm accessions of Mota-named coarse rice diversity alongside eight fine-grained rice from the south-central region of Bangladesh is our primary objective. In this original study, we perform the evaluation of genetic variability of Mota-named coarse rice in comparison with the fine rice from south-central coastal Bangladesh using morphological characteristics and SSR molecular markers. Nineteen morphological descriptors showed distinct variations. Three prominent groups surfaced from simple sequence repeat (SSR). Eighty-seven percent and 13% of genetic variation within and among populations were observed, respectively, using analysis of molecular variance. Five subpopulations emerged from model-based structure study. The studied SSR loci showed 0.642 (for mean polymorphism content value per primer), 0.862 (as highest value), and 0.683 (as average value) for gene diversity of every locus. Geographical information-based molecular analysis revealed high allelic richness (18–21) in the upazilas (counties) of Bauphal, Galachipa, and Dumki, all in the district of Patuakhali, division of Barisal. Morphological–molecular analysis of Mota-named coarse rice germplasm revealed a considerable amount of genetic diversity and a prominent level of population structure. Our results provide information useful for future breeding and conservation programs.

It is crucial to analyze the population structure and genetic diversity of the samples to be studied before a breeding program can be launched. Thirty-one genotypes of papaya germplasm from Spain, Brazil, Ecuador, China, Taiwan, India, and several locations in Bangladesh were genotyped using ten polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers to investigate their molecular diversity as well as their genetic relatedness. The highest numbers of alleles, gene diversity and polymorphic information content were seen in the P3K1024CC and P6K900CC markers. This result confirms the suitability of these markers in the assay of the genetic diversity of papaya genotypes. The model-based population structure and the distance-based assessment categorized the genotypes into six different subcategories. The analysis of molecular variance revealed that 11% of the entire genetic diversity was due to differences among the populations, while 89% was a result of differences within the population. The FST value of 0.136 showed a high level of genetic diversity among the groups alongside a negative FIS (− 0.232) and FIT (− 0.065). The diverse material revealed by our research expands the current papaya genetic resources, which can be used effectively in genomic studies in papaya improvement programs as well as in germplasm conservation studies.

Waterlogging is a major constraint of mungbean production in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world and can cause a significant yield loss. The study evaluated 100 mungbean genotypes for tolerance to waterlogging employing rigorous field screening procedures. Three-week-old seedlings of 100 mungbean genotypes were subjected to waterlogging for 3 days maintaining a waterlogging depth of 2.5 cm. Waterlogging tolerance was evaluated during the periods of recovery and final harvest considering relative performance (values of waterlogging relative to non-waterlogging controls) of 18 plant traits. All the genotypes showed a wide range of variation in relative values. Some genotypes subjected to waterlogging produced plenty of adventitious roots that contributed to foliage development and chlorophyll increment, which resulted in better shoot growth, and eventually yield of mungbean increased. Nine plant traits highly associated in waterlogged conditions were used in cluster analysis. The genotypes within cluster 6 and cluster 7 performed better regarding almost all plant traits whereas cluster 4 performed very poorly. Discriminant function analysis showed that function 1 and function 2 explained 54.5% and 32.2%, respectively and altogether 86.7% variation in the genotypes. The harvest index and straw dry matter mostly explained the total variance in function 1. Dry matter of root, shoot and straw explained the maximum variance in function 2. Root dry matter played the most dominant role in explaining the maximum variance in the genotypes. The genotypes IPSA-10 and VC 6379 (23-11) showed a better degree of tolerance to waterlogging concerning yield and associated morpho-physiological traits.

The study was conducted at the Stress Research Site of the Department of Agronomy of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh during the period from April to July 2017 to evaluate the effect of rescue nitrogen fertilizer for improving the performance of waterlogging tolerance in mungbean genotype VC-6173A. Both waterlogged and non-waterlogged mungbean plants were received varying doses of rescue nitrogen from urea fertilizer. The rescue nitrogen (N) treatments were: N0-no rescue N; N30 - 20 and 10 kg ha-1 rescue N applied at 0-day and 15-day after removal of waterlogging (ARW); N40 - 30 and 10 kg ha-1 rescue N applied at 0-day and 15-day ARW and N50 - 40 and 10 kg ha-1 rescue N applied at 0-day and 15-day ARW. The study was laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Different levels of rescue N improved plant height, leaf chlorophyll index, phonological period, plant growth, pod formation and seed yield of mungbean. N-treated plants showed higher relative SPAD chlorophyll values and the increment was higher for higher N-dose. Waterlogging reduced 40% root dry matter and 34% both shoot and total dry matter relative to non-waterlogged plants. Rescue N significantly increased both the root and shoot dry matter. The waterlogged plants without rescue N showed 29% reduction in the number of pods per plant and the reduction showed 13% for rescue N40 in waterlogged plants. The seed yield reduction was 25% in waterlogged plants without rescue N but with rescue N, seed yield remarkably increased particularly in N40-treated plants. Therefore, the study suggests that rescue N fertilizer application may be a viable practice in improving waterlogging tolerance and increasing yield of mungbean. The Agriculturists 2019; 17(1-2) 01-13

The experiment was conducted to assess five tropical strawberry genotypes at phenotypic and molecular level. Among the five strawberry genotypes (BARI Strawberry 1, BARI Strawberry 2, BARI Strawberry 3, FA 005 and Festival), BARI Strawberry 2 was found to be the best in respect of fruit per plant (32.42), fruit yield per plant (594.73 gm) and yield per hectare (19.39 ton). Ten SSR primers were initially screened for molecular characterization and finally MFv104, ARSFL-10 and ARSFL-15 markers were selected for the analysis. EMFv104 and ARSFL-15 produced the maximum number of polymorphic alleles (4) while ARSFL-10 produced three polymorphic alleles. The major allele frequency at each locus ranged from 0.4 (EMFv104) to 0.6 (ARSFL-10). The PIC values varied from 0.4992 on ARSFL-10 to 0.672 on EMFv104. The gene diversity ranged from 0.56 (ARSFL-10) to 0.72 (EMFv104 and ARSFL-15). BARI Strawberry 1 and Festival were the closest genotypes with the lowest genetic dissimilarity value of 0.16667. EMFv104 and ARSFL-15 can be used as polymorphic markers for assessing genetic diversity of different strawberry genotypes.

The date palm tree offers a wide range of benefits. It contributes significantly to environmental balance—it thrives in severe climatic conditions. It is a known source of several useful medical and nutritional chemical compounds. In recent times, environmental and non-environmental factors like unregulated commercial exploitations, extensive genetic and soil erosion, and pests and disease infestations threaten the existence of the date palm cultivars. Traditional breeding of date palm takes a long time due to its extended life cycle and difficulty in identifying the sex as the sex becomes prominent a few years after planting. However, with the advancement of tissue culture and other biotechnology and molecular breeding, date palm researches have been accelerated. Both in vitro and in situ conversation options have been explored as a way to conserve the existing cultivars. Traditional propagation via offshoots is simply not enough to meet the present-day date palm tree demands. Conversely, micropropagation has shown promising signs as a better large-scale propagation method for cultivating date palm trees. In vitro regeneration involving different methods has been explored. This came with noticeable shortcomings like browning, latent contamination, extended in vitro cycle, ex vitro acclimatization and transplanting, and somaclonal variation. Further research into these issues has resulted in improved micropropagation systems of various date palm cultivars. The genetic conformity is retained in regenerated plantlets via molecular characterization—an essential requirement for commercial production. More work is required to perfect the micropropagation of exclusive date palm varieties. This will facilitate the commercial production of date palm utilizing tissue culture laboratories worldwide.

Mungbean (In this study, we aim to evaluate how two promising phytohormones, namely cytokinin (CK) and gibberellic acid (GAOur results showed that foliar application of CK and GA

There is a need for the plant breeders to exploit novel genetic variations to meet up with increasing food needs by the human population which can be cultivated in different climatic conditions and to provide top-quality and beneficial foods as demanded by the people. Plant breeders can utilize the crop wild relatives (CWRs), which are the closest relatives to the domesticated plants, as a practical gene pool. The expansion of genetic diversity of crop plants has been supported by the data revealed by the genomics of CWR. Advanced DNA sequencing technology has provided opportunities for sequencing of CWR and its enhanced application in the development of the crop. After the completion of the genomic sequencing of significant crop species, the focus has been placed in the broader gene pool analysis of the important farm produce including CWR. In order to perform an efficient exploration of the beneficial genetic variation in CWR, de novo sequencing and resequencing must collectively be applied. According to the results of genome analysis, beneficial alleles present in CWR were discovered, and genome regions where the variation is missing in domestication bottlenecks have been identified. Maximizing what the genome sequencing of CWR offers can be achieved by targeting top priority CWR for sequencing. By coordinating the worldwide efforts to use genomics, it is possible to speed up biodiversity exploitation and conservation needed to sustain agriculture and availability of foods.

The aim of this study was to explore the prospects of integrating simple sequence repeat (SSR) or microsatellite marker data into a geographical information system to anticipate spatial distribution of allelic diversity of wild date palms in Bangladesh. The genetic diversity, spatial distribution, and population structure were assessed in 38 genotypes of wild date palms using 12 SSR primer pairs. A total of 67 alleles were counted ranging from 4 (KSU-PDL74) to 8 (MPdCIR070). Major allele frequency was in the range of 0.26 (MPdCIR032) to 0.89 (KSU-PDL74), polymorphic information content ranged from 0.18 (KSU-PDL74) to 0.75 (MPdCIR032), and gene diversity ranged from 0.19 (KSU-PDL74) to 0.77 (MPdCIR032). Three major clusters were formed by the unrooted tree grouping. The population structure divided 38 genotypes into six populations. Population 1 and Population 2 each contained seven pure genotypes while Populations 3, 4, 5, and 6 contained 6, 4, 3, and 3 pure genotypes, respectively. The remaining eight genotypes were admixtures. The pairwise Fst estimate among sub-groups indicated that the six populations are undoubtedly different from each other. The date palm genotypes of Amtoli, Doshmina, and Kuakata in coastal Bangladesh contained the highest allelic diversity (13–15). SSR2-80 and SSR5-80 were considered to be the most important alleles for the identification of areas with unique diversity as these alleles are repetitively found in a small geographic area. Locally common alleles of Bangladeshi wild date palm were identified. Outcomes of this research will offer valuable guidelines for future breeding strategies and will be beneficial for assessment and conservation of Bangladeshi wild date palm genetic resources.

Plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge comprise an inimitable universal heritage, and their conservation and utilization are of instantaneous concern. As it is the basic source of all types of agricultural activity, the conservation and protection of these precious materials are of immense potential. Plant genetic resources conserved by the farmers constitute our invaluable assets to meet the growing demands to increase crop production and productivity. The Convention on Biological Diversity is engaged with the genetic erosion and waning use of agrobiodiversity in modern-day agriculture. This is perhaps the most comprehensive intergovernmental agreement concerning for conservation, proper utilization of genetic resources, and giving out the benefits arising out of exploitation in an equitable way. Concern about the looming accessibility of agricultural production, food security, and environmental stability has encouraged the conservation of plant genetic resources and indigenous knowledge to the pinnacle of the international development strategies. Plant genetic resource and traditional knowledge conservation and utilization have been the source of dramatic scientific changes over the course of the last few decades. Precise evaluation and documentation of plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge are a prerequisite for their sustainable utilization to secure the food security.

Genetic polymorphism and relationships among 30 commercial varieties of Bangladeshi aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) were established using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers. Out of fifty 10-mer RAPD primers screened initially, four were chosen and used in a comparative analysis of different varieties of indigenous Bangladeshi aromatic rice. Of the 33 total RAPD fragments amplified, 7 (21.21%) were found to be shared by individuals of all eight varieties. The remaining 26 fragments were found to be polymorphic (78.79%). Pair-wise estimates of similarity ranged from 0.101 to 0.911. Highest genetic diversity was determined between Radhunipagol and Dubsail varieties (0.911). The amount of genetic diversity within aromatic rice germplasm was quite high as determined by the genetic similarity coefficients between varieties. Genetic similarities obtained from RAPD data were also used to create a cluster diagram. Cluster analysis using an un-weighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) was used to group the varieties and the 30 aromatic rice varieties were grouped into 6 clusters where cluster I includes the maximum number of varieties (9). Cluster VI includes minimum number of varieties (2). This Study offered a rapid and reliable method for the estimation of variability between different varieties which could be utilized by the breeders for further improvement of the local aromatic rice varieties.