Agricultural Research on JAF crops
Bangladesh Jute Research Institute
BJRI has a wing carrying out agricultural research on Jute & Allied Fibre (JAF) crops. The main achievements in this field are:
VARIETAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME: BJRI has developed and released 27 High Yielding Varieties of Jute & Allied Fibre crops (Kenaf and Mesta), for the various Agro-Ecological Zones in country.
COLLECTION OF GERMPLASM: BJRI has developed a large collection of more than 5000 accessions of Jute & Allied Fibre Germplasm from home and abroad. The Gene Bank maintaining this Germplasm collection has been designated as the Global Repository for Jute & Allied Fibre crops.
CROP AND SOIL MANAGEMENT: A package of improved jute production technologies has been released for the farmers. For different varieties and locations, the quantities of different kinds of fertilizer and the method and time of their application have been devised and extended.
PEST MANAGEMENT: Effective botanicals for seed-dressing and plant-protection chemicals were developed from locally available plants like neem, garlic, jute seed and such others.
IMPROVEMENT OF FIBRE QUALITY: Improved retting (Ribbon-Retting) techniques were devised to ensure the production of high-quality fibre.
JUTE FARMING SYSTEMS: 20 improved cropping patterns were identified throughout the country; jute has already been incorporated into 18 of them.
SEED PRODUCTION: An improved Late Seed Production Technology proved very effective and widely acceptable to the farmers. BADC has adopted the technology in the Certified Jute Seed Production Programme.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: Nowadays, more Tossa Jute is cultivated: the ratio White Jute vs. Tossa Jute has changed from 65:35 to 35:65.
THE IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH ON JUTE: Jute is constantly pushed to marginal land, yet the yield per acre has increased due to the effective research on jute.