Crop Diversity in Bangladesh: Conservation Strategies for a Changing Climate
1 Former Director General (DG), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur and Chief Scientific Officer, Plant Genetic Resources Centre, BARI;
2 Former Director General, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI), Dhaka.;
3 Former DG, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Gazipur
Review
International Journal of Scientific Research Updates, 2026, 11(01), 010-019.
Article DOI: 10.53430/ijsru.2026.11.1.0047
Publication history:
Received on 20 October 2025; revised on 17 December 2025; accepted on 20 December 2025
Abstract:
Bangladesh is endowed with abundant plant genetic resources (PGR). These resources play a vital role in adapting agricultural practices to improve food security in the country amid climate change. Regrettably, PGR is under threat due to the emergence of high-yielding varieties to meet rising food demands and the expansion of crop agriculture into newer areas of the country, even into some marginal lands. This study reviews the state of conservation and utilization of PGR in Bangladesh through an analysis and evaluation of secondary data gathered largely from agricultural research institutions. Our study reveals that formal conservation efforts began with the establishment of gene banks at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Gazipur, in 1974 and the Jute Research Institute, Dhaka, in 1992 and of the Plant Genetic Resource Centre (PGRC) at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur, in 1985. The establishment of the Germplasm Centre, a living repository of fruit, medicinal and agroforestry species, established at the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh in 1991 was another valuable addition to the PGR conservation effort in the country. Together, these PGRCs under the National Agricultural Research System have preserved over 27979 germplasm samples of 153 crop species in four ex situ orthodox seed genebanks. Additionally, formal agroforestry research giving importance to the conservation of forest plant species started in Bangladesh in 1970 at the Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI), Chattogram.
Keywords:
Biodiversity; Genetic diversity; Genetic erosion; Plant genetic resources
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