{"title":"Prospects and potentials of sustainable lac (Kerria lacca kerr.) cultivation in Bangladesh: a comprehensive review","authors":"Najmun Naher, Mritunjoy Mojumder, Md. Nurul Islam","doi":"10.1007/s10457-026-01618-0","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Lac is a commercially cultivated high value, non-timber forest product which has significant industrial use. It serves as an important source of income for rural farmers residing in forest and sub forest regions of the country. The highest lac production was recorded from India which contributed more than 60% of the total production of world followed by Thailand and China. Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Vietnam contributed smaller shares. In Bangladesh, lac farming was primarily concentrated in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts, where it provides vital livelihood support to rural communities. Currently, Bangladesh requires roughly 1200 metric tons of processed lac annually, yet domestic production remains significantly insufficient to meet this demand. However, a critical research gap exists regarding how scientific management strategies can overcome the regional challenges of untrained cultivation methods, pest infestations, and microbial diseases that currently restrict yields. This comprehensive review aims to evaluate the prospects of sustainable lac farming by examining host tree optimization, favorable climate zones such as the northwestern and central regions of Bangladesh, and integrated pest management. The ber tree (<i>Ziziphus jujuba</i>) is a major host for lac cultivation in India, where over 400 potential lac insect host plant species exist. The suitable climatic condition found for lac cultivation was 24–27 °C temperature, 70–85% humidity, and 1000–1500 mm annual rainfall. Regardless of these advantages, factors such as untrained cultivation methods and microbial infections significantly reduce yield and quality. Improving host management, pest control, and community extension can boost sustainable lac cultivation, driving rural growth and biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh. Stronger research and policy support will unlock its potential as a climate-resilient, eco-friendly enterprise.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7610,"journal":{"name":"Agroforestry Systems","volume":"100 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2026-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Agroforestry Systems","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10457-026-01618-0","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"AGRONOMY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Lac is a commercially cultivated high value, non-timber forest product which has significant industrial use. It serves as an important source of income for rural farmers residing in forest and sub forest regions of the country. The highest lac production was recorded from India which contributed more than 60% of the total production of world followed by Thailand and China. Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Vietnam contributed smaller shares. In Bangladesh, lac farming was primarily concentrated in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts, where it provides vital livelihood support to rural communities. Currently, Bangladesh requires roughly 1200 metric tons of processed lac annually, yet domestic production remains significantly insufficient to meet this demand. However, a critical research gap exists regarding how scientific management strategies can overcome the regional challenges of untrained cultivation methods, pest infestations, and microbial diseases that currently restrict yields. This comprehensive review aims to evaluate the prospects of sustainable lac farming by examining host tree optimization, favorable climate zones such as the northwestern and central regions of Bangladesh, and integrated pest management. The ber tree (Ziziphus jujuba) is a major host for lac cultivation in India, where over 400 potential lac insect host plant species exist. The suitable climatic condition found for lac cultivation was 24–27 °C temperature, 70–85% humidity, and 1000–1500 mm annual rainfall. Regardless of these advantages, factors such as untrained cultivation methods and microbial infections significantly reduce yield and quality. Improving host management, pest control, and community extension can boost sustainable lac cultivation, driving rural growth and biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh. Stronger research and policy support will unlock its potential as a climate-resilient, eco-friendly enterprise.
期刊介绍：
Agroforestry Systems is an international scientific journal that publishes results of novel, high impact original research, critical reviews and short communications on any aspect of agroforestry. The journal particularly encourages contributions that demonstrate the role of agroforestry in providing commodity as well non-commodity benefits such as ecosystem services. Papers dealing with both biophysical and socioeconomic aspects are welcome. These include results of investigations of a fundamental or applied nature dealing with integrated systems involving trees and crops and/or livestock. Manuscripts that are purely descriptive in nature or confirmatory in nature of well-established findings, and with limited international scope are discouraged. To be acceptable for publication, the information presented must be relevant to a context wider than the specific location where the study was undertaken, and provide new insight or make a significant contribution to the agroforestry knowledge base
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