Fungus genome map paves way for 'Snow White' jute variety

Bangladeshi jute researchers are now upbeat at the prospect of commercial release of a new variety of jute -- Snow White Fibre -- following decoding of the genome of deadly fungus macrophomina phaseolina by a team of local scientists.

Globally famed geneticist Dr Maqsudul Alam led the team.

More than a decade ago, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) developed the jute variety with high commercial potentials but withheld its release to farmers considering its too much susceptibility to the deadly fungus -- macrophomina phaseolina.

BJRI breeders told The Daily Star that unlike other jute fibres, the fibres derived from Snow White variety do not require bleaching, and it has got all the potentials of being commercially used in threads, fabrics and garments.

"Its (Snow White) fibres could have been used alongside cotton at a 30-70 per cent ratio and it would have greatly reduced our import dependency for cotton. But after the invention of this special breeding line (Snow White), we found out that the variety is highly susceptive to macrophomina phaseolina," explained, biotechnologist Dr Shahidul Islam of BJRI.

Dr Islam, who was in the core team that Maqsudul Alam led in decoding the fungus genome, said despite all the potentials of the new jute variety, "We had to withhold its release to farmers because of fungi-susceptibility.

"Now that we traced out all the protein tools of macrophomina phaseolina and how it causes colossal damage to jute, in general, and this (Snow White) variety, in particular, we'll be able to engineer an immune system in the plant so that Snow White withstands the fungal damage."

Dr Islam went on, "We at BJRI even tried to develop a line (pre-variety stage) by cross-breeding Snow White with another line so that it no longer remains susceptive to macrophomina phaseolina. But that experiment in 2007 did not work as we ended up getting a line comparatively much less susceptive to the fungus but at the same time it lost many of the expected characteristics of Snow White line."

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced in parliament that Dr Alam and his team decoded the genome of the most deadly fungus that causes seedling blight, root rot and charcoal rot of more than 500 crop and non-crop species including jute and soybean.

The gene sequencing of macrophomina phaseolina would particularly help Bangladeshi scientists to develop jute varieties capable of fighting the fungus that causes an annual yield loss of around 40 billion taka (US$489.77 million) damaging 30 per cent of the country's precious natural fibre, experts said.

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Fungus genome map paves way for 'Snow White' jute variety