Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has introduced an innovative jackfruit variety named BARI-6, which does not require glue for grafting.
This jackfruit tree bears fruit in just one and a half years after planting and offers year-round availability.
The National Seed Board of the Ministry of Agriculture released BARI-6 in June, marking a significant advancement in commercial jackfruit farming in Bangladesh.
BARI scientists have observed that other fruits like mango, litchi, guava, Burmese grape, and malta flourish with the grafting method, producing fruit in 1-2 years while maintaining their taste and aroma.
While mangoes have traditionally dominated the market due to their ease of cultivation, jackfruit faced challenges.
Despite being the national fruit, traditional jackfruit seedlings had a slow growth problem, taking 7-8 years to produce inconsistent fruit in terms of taste and quality, discouraging commercial cultivation by farmers.
To address this issue, researchers began developing faster-yielding, more flavorful jackfruit varieties.
Dr Zillur Rahman, chief scientific officer of BARI's Fruit Division, said: "We began successfully producing grafted saplings in 2009 by collecting special jackfruit varieties from across the country. There was hope. In 2018, we embarked on extensive research funded by the Agricultural Research Foundation to create high-yield, early-bearing jackfruit grafted seedlings."
In 2021, Dr Rahman planted 15 saplings from Ramgarh, Chittagong, and remarkably, 13 of them bore fruit in just one and a half years.
He added: "The BARI-6 tree is vibrant and lush with broad branches. Most of the trees yield fruit after just one and a half years, while all trees bear fruit after two years. The average fruit weight is 3.93kg. The upper surface of the fruit appears yellowish-green. The pulp is firm, bright yellow, and glue-free. Its sweetness (TSS) is 24.8%. The average yield is 10.6 tonnes per hectare."
The introduction of this variety is expected to revolutionize jackfruit cultivation due to its short planting period.
Dr Debasish Sarkar, director-general of BARI, said: "BARI has been consistently successful in developing new varieties and technologies. Our latest achievement is BARI Kathal-6. It boasts excellent taste, sweetness, and aroma. The emergence of this variety will open up new horizons for jackfruit cultivation in the country."
He added: "This year, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has recognized jackfruit as a priority product for Bangladesh. Jackfruit is a nutrient-rich fruit. It is cultivated on approximately 1,700,000 hectares of land in the country, earning about Tk3,000 crore annually.
"Our scientists have also developed technology to produce various jackfruit-based products to minimize wastage and create numerous entrepreneurial opportunities," he concluded.
