A group of Bangladeshi scientists, led by Dr Maqsudul Alam, has sequenced the genome of a local variety of jute alongside already unveiled genome for ‘Tosha’ jute.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came up with the formal announcement at a press conference at her official residence Ganobhaban on Sunday afternoon.
Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni and Dr Maqsudul Alam were present at the briefing.
“Today, we’re revealing with pride that our scientists have finished decoding the genome sequencing for local jute alongside ‘Tosha’ jute. Now the complete data of jute genome is within our grasp,” she told reporters adding, “This is an achievement of the people of Bangladesh, and this is our wealth as the country’s scientists have discovered its mysteries.”
The Prime Minister said with the genome sequencing of local variety of jute alongside ‘Tosha’ variety, now it would be possible to conduct research on jute to improve its standard and ensure its diversified usage.
Mentioning that export earnings from jute and jute-made goods fetched over $ 3 billion in the last three years, she hoped that with the new invention, there would be more jute-based industries in the country.
Hasina thanked everyone involved in the research of jute which is expected to regain its lost glory of being the golden fibre after the two breakthroughs in its genome sequencing.
She alleged that Bangladesh’s jute has lost out on the international market after an agreement with the World Bank during the BNP regime that led to the closure of jute mills. “Then, after assuming office in 2001, the BNP-Jamaat alliance had closed down the country’s biggest Adamjee Jute Mills,” she said.
Bangladeshi scientist Maqsudul Alam, a professor of the University of Hawaii, who earlier decoded the genome of papaya in the US and rubber plant in Malaysia, led from the forefront in sequencing the jute genome.
Dr Alam, also a researcher for Bangladesh Jute Research Institute, present at the briefing, said, “No one who studies jute in any part of the world can ignore our achievements. We’ve tried our best and the keys to all its mysteries are in our hands.”
He invited reporters to visit the research centre at 10am on Monday and witness for themselves the overall progress of the research.
Dr Alam and his team shot to global fame after they discovered the genome sequence for ‘Tosha’ jute in June, 2010.
Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni said an Intellectual Property Cell would be set up under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) would provide technical assistance to this end. “As a result, we would get opportunity for protecting our all intellectual properties.”
Earlier, on June 16, 2010, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in parliament revealed that Bangladeshi researchers have successfully decoded the jute plant genome opening up a new vista in the development of variety of the world’s most adorned biodegradable natural fibre.
With the successful sequencing of jute genome, Bangladesh has become only the second country after Malaysia among the developing nations to achieve such a feat.
Their triumph continued as they sequenced the genome of a fungus, Macrophomina Phaseolina, which reduces yield of more than 500 species of crops, including jute, soybean, cotton, tobacco, maize and sunflower. Hasina announced both of these groundbreaking achievements to the nation.
Dr Alam, who also teaches at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, has achieved two more milestones in genomics – sequencing the genomes of Papaya and Rubber.
Experts say this gene sequencing would help improve the fibre length and quality, including colours and strength; and develop high yielding, saline soil-and pest-tolerant jute varieties through genetic engineering.
A genome is all of a living thing’s genetic material and it is the entire set of hereditary instructions for building, running, maintaining an organism, and passing life on to the next generation.
Genome sequencing is a laboratory process that determines the complete DNA sequence of an organism’s genome at a single time. The process is often compared to “decoding”, but a sequence is still very much in code.
Source: UNBConnect