New high-yielding 'BU Soybean-5' variety developed at BSMRAU

Researchers at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) in Gazipur have developed a new high-yielding soybean variety named "BU Soybean-5" that is tolerant to waterlogging, has a short life cycle, and produces largest seeds in the country.

It has recently been registered with the Seed Wing of the Ministry of Agriculture.

According to university authorities, the Department of Agronomy at BSMRAU has been conducting research on soybeans in various aspects since 2006, collecting nearly 200 germplasms from the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC/World Vegetable Center) in Taiwan, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, and the Noakhali and Lakshmipur districts of the country.

So far, 6 PhD and 18 Masters students have earned degrees in solving various problems of soybean production. In coastal areas, excessive rainfall often occurs suddenly due to cyclones at the beginning of soybean maturity. As a result, waterlogging occurs and causes significant damage to soybeans.

Coastal soybean farmers have long had a demand for short-life cycle and waterlogging-tolerant varieties.

In view of this, long-term research at BSMRAU has shown that the germplasm can tolerate waterlogging for up to seven days in addition to high yields.

Professor Abdul Karim, the head of the variety development team, told The Business Standard that after completing the research at the university, the accuracy of the variety was verified at the farmer level. For this purpose, the variety was cultivated in the fields of farmers in various upazilas of Noakhali and Lakshmipur districts in both Rabi and Kharif seasons.

"Based on the opinions of farmers and researchers, the germplasm was registered with the Seed Wing of the Ministry of Agriculture under the name BU Soybean-5."

He further said, "The yield of the variety in different upazilas was 3.5 tonnes. While the life cycle of other varieties in the country is 100-110 days, BU Soybean-5 matures in 75-85 days depending on the season.

As a result, the variety will be protected from sudden waterlogging due to excessive rain before the soybean fruits ripen. The variety has 38% protein and 20% oil," he added.

BSMRAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Md Giashuddin Miah said, "Soybean varieties adapted to adverse conditions developed by BSMRAU are being cultivated on nearly 10,000 hectares of land.

"Moreover, the seeds of these varieties are much larger than the traditional varieties in the country, their life cycle is shorter and the protein content is also higher. Due to the significant amount of protein, there is a high demand for these varieties as animal and fish feed in the country.

"The new variety BU Soybean-5 will be able to play a special role in increasing soybean production in the land when sudden waterlogging occurs due to cyclones in coastal areas," he added.