BAU seaweed-based research launched
City Desk :
In response to climate challenges, a group of researchers at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) has initiated a study on seaweed-based bio-stimulants as an eco-friendly and sustainable solution to enhance crop resilience.
The research was highlighted at a workshop titled “Eco-friendly Management Strategy Using Seaweed-based Bio-stimulants to Improve Crop Resilience against Climate Change-induced Abiotic Stresses”, held today at the conference hall of the Faculty of Agriculture, BAU.
Researchers at the workshop noted that over the last 35 years, saline-affected land in Bangladesh has increased by around 26 percent. According to estimates from 2010, approximately 1.056 million hectares of land in the country are affected by salinity, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the total cultivable land in coastal regions.
In addition, about 41 to 50 percent of the country experiences drought at different times of the year, a situation further aggravated by climate change.
Addressing the workshop as the chief guest, BAU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr AK Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan said agriculture is facing multidimensional challenges due to the adverse impacts of climate change. He stressed that there is no alternative to developing sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies to overcome these challenges.
The vice-chancellor expressed optimism that research on seaweed-based bio-stimulants would create new opportunities for building a sustainable future for agriculture, while emphasising the importance of applying research outcomes at the field level.
The keynote presentation was delivered by Dr Md Tahjib-ul-Arif, Sub-Project Manager and Associate Professor of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at BAU.
He said Bangladesh’s coastal areas are rich in marine seaweed resources that remain largely underutilised. Currently, 47 species of green algae, 59 species of brown algae and 94 species of red algae have been identified in the country, he added.
Members of the research team, Prof Dr Shayla Sharmin and Prof Dr Md Abdul Hannan, said the successful application of this technology would bring positive physiological and molecular-level changes in crops. They noted that the effectiveness of Gracilaria seaweed extract is currently being tested on the wheat variety ‘BWMRI Wheat-1’.
Following the completion of the research, there are plans to introduce two to three effective bio-stimulant products to the market, which would contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2, 13 and 14).
The workshop was chaired by Prof Dr Shayla Sharmin, Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Special guests included Prof Dr Masum Ahmad, Dean (In-Charge) of the Faculty of Agriculture; Prof Dr Mohammad Mosharraf Uddin Bhuiyan, Director of the Planning and Development Section; and Prof Dr Md Hammadur Rahman, Director of the Bangladesh Agricultural University Research System (BAURES).
Teachers, researchers and students from various departments attended the programme.