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* Corresponding author: ms.islam@brri.gov.bd
The Barind tract of northwestern Bangladesh experiences increasing heat stress during the boro and aus rice growing seasons, threatening yield stability for over 6 million smallholder farmers. We conducted a four-year multi-site field trial (2021–2024) across 12 districts to evaluate the performance of seven indica rice cultivars under projected climate scenarios. Treatments included three thermal regimes (ambient, +1.5°C, +2.0°C) using open-top chambers. Selected varieties (BRRI dhan75, BRRI dhan89, and a new line BR-9117-3-2-3) retained 85–87% of baseline yield under +2°C anomalies, compared to 62% for conventional check varieties. Spikelet sterility, panicle exsertion timing, and grain-filling duration were identified as the principal physiological determinants. Economic analysis suggests that adoption could safeguard approximately BDT 3,200 crore in annual farm-gate value across the region. Findings provide a baseline for adaptation policy and varietal release strategy for 2027–2032.
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the dominant staple of Bangladesh, accounting for over 70% of total caloric intake and cultivated on roughly 11.5 million hectares annually. The Barind tract — a Pleistocene terrace covering parts of Rajshahi, Naogaon, and Chapai Nawabganj districts — supports 1.8 million hectares of rice production, of which 60% is the heat-sensitive boro crop. Climate projections for the region indicate growing-season temperature anomalies of +1.5–2.5°C by 2050 (Hossain et al., 2023; IPCC AR6 WG2)…
The economic implications are substantial. Smallholder rice farmers in the Barind region — averaging 0.8 ha per household — exhibit limited adaptive capacity, with 78% reporting no formal exposure to climate-resilient cultivars in a recent BBS survey (BBS, 2024). Existing literature on heat-tolerant varieties has primarily focused on controlled-environment studies; multi-site, multi-year field validation remains sparse…
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Islam, M. S., Hossain, A., Sultana, N., Alam, U. S., & Roy, S. (2026). Heat-resilient rice cultivars for the Barind tract: a four-year multi-site trial across 12 districts of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 51(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjas.v51i2.83406
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