News Overview

By Waseem Hussain, Mahender Anumalla, Margaret Catolos,  Joie Ramos, Ma Teresa Sta. Cruz, and Myrtel Valenzuela In a landmark study published in The Plant Genome, IRRI scientists unveiled a next-generation flood-tolerant rice germplasm that outperforms current SUB1A varieties by 40–50% in submergence tolerance. This germplasm also exhibits high stagnant flooding tolerance, a trait lacking in SUB1A varieties. Floods Threaten Asia’s Rice Bowl—And SUB1A Alone Isn’t Enough

by Waseem Hussain, Mahender Anumalla, Margaret Catolos, Joie Ramos, Ma. Teresa Sta. Cruz, and Myrtel Valenzuela IRRI scientists are changing how rice is bred for stress-prone areas by shifting the focus from traits to environments. Their new approach, TTE, offers a faster, more reliable path to develop climate-resilient varieties. Scientists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) are shifting the way rice is bred for

By Rowena Castillo, Benedict Jardinero and Kazuki SaitoInternational Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Indonesian farmer looking at the recommendation provided by Layanan Konsultasi Padi (Rice Crop Manager for Indonesia) through her mobile phone. (Photographed by Jo Anne Holly Torres-Ilagan) When smallholder rice farmers open a text message on their mobile phone and see a tailored fertilizer and crop management recommendation just

In a push to promote sustainable agriculture and combat groundwater depletion in Bangladesh’s drought-prone Barind region, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a pilot project to encourage the adoption of Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation practices among local farmers. The Barind area, located in the country’s northwestern region, faces chronic water scarcity due to low rainfall and

by Sharif Ahmed, Abdullah Miajy, Abdul Haque, and Humnath Bhandari In northern Bangladesh, the widespread adoption of mechanized Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR) remains slow due to limited access to suitable seeding machines and lack of skilled operators. These constraints prevent farmers from fully benefiting from climate-smart technologies, especially as they face the increasing challenges from labor shortages, rising input costs,

by Christian Dohrmann Plant health is vital for both environmental and human well-being, as plants supply oxygen and food. However, rice crops face increasing threats from climate-induced stressors, pests, and diseases, all of which undermine sustainable agriculture and food security. Rice, a staple for over half the world’s population, is highly sensitive to its environment. Climate change has intensified extreme

by Nusrat Jahan, Muhiuddin Faruquee, and Mohammad Rafiqul Islam The Haor wetlands in northeastern Bangladesh stretches across the horizon, playing a critical role in national rice production. Spanning the districts of Habiganj, Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, and Brahmanbaria, the Haor basin supports large-scale cultivation of Boro rice during the dry season. These low-lying marshlands contribute 25% of the country’s

By Untung Susanto1, Hasil Sembiring2, Russell Reinke2, and B.P. Mallikarjuna Swamy2 1National Research and Innovation Agency, Indonesia, 2International Rice Research Institute Stunting due to Zinc deficiency is a major public health challenge in Indonesia. To address this, the government introduced Inpari IR Nutri Zinc, a high-zinc biofortified rice variety developed by IRRI and partners, now widely cultivated across high-stunting regions.