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Originally published on cgiar.org by:IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) on Oct 5, 2010

Los Baños, Philippines – More than 57% of China’s rice crop is composed of hybrid rice, which is credited with helping to boost the nation’s rice yields to more than 6 tons per hectare – one of the highest averages in Asia.

In the final edition of Rice Today for 2010, which is the International Year of Biodiversity and the 50th anniversary of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), we share a series of articles that showcase the importance of conserving the genetic diversity of rice and how genetic diversity remains the key to better future varieties of rice.

Hybrid rice is one way genetic diversity can be harnessed. Successful hybrid rice varieties can have 15% higher yields than the best available non-hybrid, thanks to a natural phenomenon called "hybrid vigor." In this issue, we look at China's lead in adopting hybrid rice and how other countries are following suit.

In the rice-importing nation of the Philippines, farmers in the Cordillera region – home of the world heritage Banaue Rice Terraces – are embracing heirloom rice varieties and looking at specialized export markets for their unique product. The genetic history of heirloom varieties is further explored by the head of the International Rice Genebank, Dr. Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton, in his Grain of Truth article.

We take a journey to follow "Carolina Gold" rice from its likely homeland in Indonesia to Madagascar in the 1st century AD, on to North then South America in the 1600s and 1800s, respectively, then back to Africa, and finally returning to settle in the United States in the 1980s.

And, in a twist on the theme of genetic diversity, we explore a modern way the genetic makeup of rice can be changed in a feature on "Clearfield rice" – herbicide-resistant rice bred to help the U.S. rice industry manage red rice – a weedy and problematic relative of rice.

Weed management and other aspects of rice production were all part of IRRI's 2010 Rice Research to Production course where the next generation of rice scientists and experts got a dose of practical experiences and science theory to help prepare them for their careers.

Nutrient management, another practical part of rice production, is soon to be freely delivered to farmers by mobile phones. The technology was introduced in the last edition of Rice Today and, in this issue, we showcase Nutrient Manager for Rice Mobile.

The potential effect of rising wheat prices on rice prices is the topic of this edition's Rice Facts by IRRI's Dr. Samarendu Mohanty. In our mapping feature, we show the value of rice production around the world – with Asia highlighted as the location where rice production is worth the most.

We also feature the host nation of the upcoming International Rice Congress 2010 (IRC2010) – Vietnam – in our country profile. The 2010 IRRI Outstanding Alumni award winners announced in this edition will be presented with their awards at the IRC2010 in November.

And in celebration of IRRI's 50th anniversary, the final installment in the reflective Pioneer Interview series features a potpourri of opinions, ideas, and anecdotes from a cross-section of those IRRI pioneers interviewed over the last 5 years. 

All of these, plus the latest news, views, and books, are available now in Rice Today October - December 2010. Free online registration for the full content and notification of future issues of Rice Today is now available. Subscribers' copies are being mailed.

More information

Contacts

Sophie Clayton, IRRI: +63 2 580 5600 (extension 2204), +63 917 552 6082 or s.clayton@cgiar.org

In the rice-importing nation of the Philippines, farmers in the Cordillera region – home of the world heritage Banaue Rice Terraces – are embracing heirloom rice varieties and looking at specialized export markets for their unique product. The genetic history of heirloom varieties is further explored by the head of the International Rice Genebank, Dr. Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton, in his Grain of Truth article.

We take a journey to follow "Carolina Gold" rice from its likely homeland in Indonesia to Madagascar in the 1st century AD, on to North then South America in the 1600s and 1800s, respectively, then back to Africa, and finally returning to settle in the United States in the 1980s.

And, in a twist on the theme of genetic diversity, we explore a modern way the genetic makeup of rice can be changed in a feature on "Clearfield rice" – herbicide-resistant rice bred to help the U.S. rice industry manage red rice – a weedy and problematic relative of rice.

Weed management and other aspects of rice production were all part of IRRI's 2010 Rice Research to Production course where the next generation of rice scientists and experts got a dose of practical experiences and science theory to help prepare them for their careers.

Nutrient management, another practical part of rice production, is soon to be freely delivered to farmers by mobile phones. The technology was introduced in the last edition of Rice Today and, in this issue, we showcase Nutrient Manager for Rice Mobile.

The potential effect of rising wheat prices on rice prices is the topic of this edition's Rice Facts by IRRI's Dr. Samarendu Mohanty. In our mapping feature, we show the value of rice production around the world – with Asia highlighted as the location where rice production is worth the most.

We also feature the host nation of the upcoming International Rice Congress 2010 (IRC2010) – Vietnam – in our country profile. The 2010 IRRI Outstanding Alumni award winners announced in this edition will be presented with their awards at the IRC2010 in November.

And in celebration of IRRI's 50th anniversary, the final installment in the reflective Pioneer Interview series features a potpourri of opinions, ideas, and anecdotes from a cross-section of those IRRI pioneers interviewed over the last 5 years. 

All of these, plus the latest news, views, and books, are available now in Rice Today October - December 2010. Free online registration for the full content and notification of future issues of Rice Today is now available. Subscribers' copies are being mailed.

More information

Contacts

Sophie Clayton, IRRI: +63 2 580 5600 (extension 2204), +63 917 552 6082 or s.clayton@cgiar.org