Sept. 10, 2015. A seminar entitled “Gene Expression Study of Salt tolerant Rice variety by SAML Project” was held on 9th September, 2015, Wednesday at 10.30 am at IFST auditorium, BCSIR. The main article was presented by Dr. Zeba Islam Seraj, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka. Throughout her career she has been working on developing salt tolerant rice variety to increase rice production in the saline coastal areas of Bangladesh. In this seminar she explained her research works about transformation of farmer popular rice varieties, namely, BR-28 and BR-47 with PDH45 gene from pea which showed better salt tolerance at both seedling and reproductive stage in laboratory condition. A part of this work, analysis of Gene expression across several generations, was performed in BCSIR, Rajshahi. For further field trial these transgenic plants containing stable PDH45 gene will be screened at the transgenic greenhouse at BRRI.
Architect Yafes Osman, the honorable Minister of Science and Technology, the Govt of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the Chief Guest of the seminar listened to the talk with rapt attention. He welcomed this genetic study of rice and expressed his keenness for more collaboration between corresponding institutes in agricultural research for the country. He hoped that such collaborative researches will lead to huge success in Bangladesh in the future. Mr. Md. Humayan Khalid, a member of the Planning commission and Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam, the Chairman, BCSIR were also present at the seminar. Dr. Rezaul Karim, PI of the SAML project and the Principal Scientific officer, BCSIR, are responsible for supervising the project and organizing the seminar.
In the 11th September edition, The Daily Star has presented an illustrated featured article on this remarkable feat by Dr. Zeba Seraj and her team of devoted young scientists. The article is supported by a group photo of the whole team. The honorable Agriculture Minister, Begum Natia Chowdhury congratulated Professor Seraj on her outstanding piece of research work.
On behalf of GNOBB, the coordinator also expresses his and the members’ heartfelt felicitations to this dedicated scientist on her outstanding achievement. Once the field atrial in the contained greenhouse of BRRI is successfully completed in the next two and a half years, the farmers will reap the benefit of this scientific achievement from the laboratory to the field paving the way to food sufficiency.