Take measures for developing blast-resistant wheat varieties

A number of scientists, academics and experts yesterday called for immediate government steps to develop varieties resistant to wheat blast, a deadly fungal disease.

They cautioned the government against slackness in the quarantine system, which would increase the risk of bringing plants, food crops and seeds with alien diseases to the country from abroad.

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Though blast in wheat was first seen in South America in 1995, detection of the fungal disease in Bangladesh last year was the first such case in Asia. It recurred again in the country in the current wheat season but in a much smaller scale than last year's.

Yesterday, more than 300 scientists, agriculturalists, academics, students and media professionals took part in a seminar titled "Wheat Blast: Bangladesh Context" at the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University in the capital.

In his keynote paper, Dr Tofazzal Islam, who heads the Biotechnology Department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University in Gazipur, highlighted the need for an extensive study on the origin and spread of blast in Bangladesh's wheat fields.

There should be scientific collaboration -- both at national and international levels -- to apply the latest agri-science tools to develop wheat varieties that can withstand blast attacks, he said.

Other speakers said the government has to take necessary measures to ensure that no plants, crops or seeds are imported or allowed into the country without an exhaustive quarantine and screening process.

Last year's emergence of wheat blast, first time ever in Bangladesh, came hard on the heels of Bangladesh's first wheat imports from Brazil, which has been struggling with the fungal disease for long. There was a huge public outcry against alleged quality compromise over imports of those wheat consignments from Brazil.

The fungal disease damaged wheat crops in Bangladesh for two consecutive seasons last year and this year.