Agriculture in Bangladesh : Wheat

Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain which is a worldwide staple food. The archaeological record suggests that wheat was first cultivated in the regions of the Fertile Crescent around 9600 BCE. The civilization of West Asia and of the European peoples have been largely based on wheat, while rice has been more important in the East Asia. It is one of the oldest of the cereal crops, it was introduced in Bengal in 1930-31. The wheat leaf consists of the sheath, blade, ligules and auricle. The leaf sheaths normally enclose the lower 2/3 of culm. A maximum of 5-7 seminal roots may function throughout the life of the wheat plant. Until now the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute has developed 16 varieties of wheat. Sonalika, the variety released in 1973, remained dominant through the 1980s. Kanchan, developed in 1983 and made available to growers in 1987, now covers more than 80 percent of the wheat area. In Bangladesh although it is less important than rice, it is now recognized as the second alternative cereal crop in this country. It is highly nutritious and high energy food source.