Gazipur Agricultural University held a workshop titled Validation of the Field Application of the Rapid Detection Kit of Wheat Blast at the old auditorium of the university in Gazipur on Thursday.
The event was organised by the GAU鈥檚 Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering under the supervision of Professor Md Tofazzal Islam, principal investigator of the disease early warning system鈥� wheat blast diagnostic project, said a press release.
The workshop showcased the newly developed rapid detection kit, which could identify the wheat blast fungus magnaporthe oryzae triticum in just 30 minutes using a PCRD strip method.
The test costs only Tk 300鈥�400 per sample, making it fast, simple and affordable for both field and quarantine applications.
Professor GKM Mustafizur Rahman, vice-chancellor of GAU, attended as chief guest, while Professor Shah Mohammad Naimul Islam, director of IBGE, chaired the session.
Professor M Moynul Haque, pro-vice-chancellor; and Professor Md Safiul Islam Afrad, treasurer, joined as special guests.
In this workshop that opened new horizons for global agriculture, around 70 participants attended from BARI, BRRI, BADC, BJRI, OMC Health Care, BWMRI, ACI, Apex Biofertilizer, Lal Teer, Supreme Seed, BRAC Seed, as well as from various universities, national research institutions, international organisations and industrial sectors.
Also present were the deans of various faculties of the university, registrar Md Abdullah Mridha, proctor Professor Mohammad Saiful Alam, directors and students.
In his keynote, Professor Tofazzal Islam highlighted that the kit could be used by farmers in the field as well as in airports, land ports and plant quarantine centres for early detection.
鈥楾his technology will serve as a model for developing rapid diagnostics for other major crop diseases,鈥� he said. Professor Mustafizur Rahman remarked, 鈥楤ecause of our internationally recognised scientists, GAU continues to achieve top global rankings. This innovative kit will help identify infections quickly, protect wheat production and strengthen food security.鈥�
During the technical session, associate professor Dipali Rani Gupta provided hands-on training on the kit鈥檚 use and field applications.