Zinc Rice

The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) recently released a new zinc rice
variety, BRRI dhan72. The variety, developed with support from Harvest Plus, has
higher zinc content and is higher yielding than two previously released varieties.

“This variety is developed for farmers who want to have better yield along with
higher zinc content in rice,” said Khairul Bashar, the Harvest Plus Country
Manager for Bangladesh. Harvest Plus and partners plan to start disseminating
the new zinc rice variety to farmers starting in early 2016.

Partha Biswa, the lead breeder of BRRI dhan72, highlighted the new variety’s
qualities. “It will have an average yield of 5.7 tons per hectare, but with proper
care the yield can go up to 7.5 tons. The first zinc rice varieties yield 4.5 tons per
hectare,” he revealed. “BRRI dhan72 also contains about 9 percent protein and 23
milligrams of zinc per kilogram of rice.”

The Director General of BRRI, Jiban K. Biswas, noted that BRRI dhan72 would suit
farmers who cultivate three crops a year. “It is a farmer-friendly variety, which
takes only 125 days to harvest,” he said. That duration is 20 days less than the
most popular non-zinc rice varieties, meaning farmers can plant a short-duration
crop before the next rice planting season.

BRRI dhan72 was developed conventionally in a process known as bio

fortification, and is suitable for the high and medium highlands, particularly for
the southern part of the country. It is the third zinc rice variety to be released in
Bangladesh. The earlier varieties, BRRI dhan62 (2013) and BRRIdhan64 (2014),
were released for the monsoon (Aman) and dry (Boro) seasons, respectively.
What is the role of Zinc (Zn) in plants

factsheet-zinc Zinc is an essential plant nutrient required for several biochemical

processes in the rice plant, including chlorophyll production and membrane
integrity. Thus, Zn deficiencies affect plant color and turgor. Zn is only slightly
mobile in the plant and quite immobile in soil.

Why apply Zinc to Rice

Zinc limits plant growth when the soil supply of Zn is low or adverse soil

conditions (such as continuous flooding) prevent plant uptake of Zn.

In such cases, Zn needs to be applied as required. Other nutrients need to be

applied in balanced amounts to ensure a good crop response to fertilizer Zn
application and to achieve a healthy and productive crop.

How to manage Znic

Zinc deficiency symptoms: Stunted plants and dusty brown spots on upper leaves;
patches of poorly established plants; symptoms appear 2−4 weeks after
transplanting; higher levels of empty grains; delayed maturity and lower yields; Zn
deficiency leaf symptoms resemble Sulfur (S) and Iron (Fe) deficiency in alkaline
soils and iron toxicity in poorly drained organic soils.

Occurrence of Zn deficiency: Zn deficiency is not very common, but can occur in

neutral and calcareous soils; intensively cropped soils; continuously flooded
paddy soils or very poorly drained soils; sodic and saline soils; peat soils, soils with
high available Phosphorus (P) and Silicon (Si) status; sandy soils; highly
weathered, acid, and coarse-textured soils; soils derived from serpentine and
laterite; and, leached, old acid sulfate soils with a small concentration of
Potassium (K), Magnesium (Mg), and Calcium (Ca).

How much Zn to apply? If Zn deficiency symptoms are observed in the field, apply
10−25 kg ZnSO4 · H2O or 20−40 kg ZnSO4 · 7H2O per ha on the soil surface, or dip
roots of rice seedlings in a 2−4% ZnO suspension before planting (i.e., 20−40 g
ZnO/L water). Rice plants can recover from Zn deficiency if the field is drained - a
dry fallow increases the availability of Zn. The crop only requires around 0.05 kg
Zn/ha (both straw and grain) per ton of grain yield, but much more Zn fertilizer
must be applied because Zn once applied is not very available to the plant.

When to apply Zn? Apply the Zn fertilizer on the soil surface after last puddling
and leveling in the main field or apply Zn fertilizer to the nursery beds 7−8 days
before pulling seedlings. The effect of Zn application to soil can last 2−5 crop
seasons on all soils except in alkaline soils. In alkaline soils, Zn may need to be
applied to each crop.

Market system

Middlemen control the rice market and they are the ones who are to blame for
the fall in prices, noted economist and banker Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled said
yesterday.“A group of people favored by the government forces farmers to sell
rice to them at a low price. They make a quick buck … They are the middlemen.
They are very powerful,” said Ibrahim.Speaking at a discussion in the capital, the
former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank suggested that the farmers should
unite by forming cooperatives or associations to resist the middlemen.He also
questioned the food minister’s role in tackling the current situation, and urged
him to be more responsible.Right to Food Bangladesh, a coalition of different
non-government organizations, in association with Action Aid Bangladesh
organized the discussion on prices of agricultural products at the Jatiya Press
Club.The speakers cautioned the government that the farmers might decrease
paddy farming in the next major paddy cultivation seasons -- Aman and Boro.As a
result, the rice price may increase significantly next year, they opined.
To take control over the market, the speakers said the government should
procure more paddy directly from the farmers and store them with the farmers
and millers to overcome the shortage of granaries.“Frustrated with the low prices,
farmers will grow less paddy next year. So, it is clear that rice will be costlier next
year,” said Mohsin Ali, general secretary of Right to Food Bangladesh.Qazi
Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, chairman of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, said if the
government extended the time of its procurement programmer, it would help the
farmers get better prices.“Agriculture is still the foundation of our economy.
Therefore, agriculture, farmers, and farmworkers should get top priority in our
development plans, which is not the case now,” he added.Md Asaduzzaman,
former research director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, said
there was a big gap between prices of paddy and rice. “Why is there such a big
gap and where does the money go?” he asked,The situation has become this dire
because the market is not regulated, added Asaduzzaman.Anwar Faruque, former
agriculture secretary, said good Boro yield was one of the key factors in
Bangladesh becoming self-sufficient in food product.