Media hotline

An information summary for supporters of international rice research

Published by the INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE April - June 2007

In this issue:

NEWS

 

 

PEOPLE

 

 

IRRI VISITORS

 

 

EVENTS, TRAINING, AND WORKSHOPS

 


NEWS

 

 

IRRI Director Generalmeets with Chinese Agriculture Minister

On 18 June, IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler met with Chinese Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai in Beijing. During the meeting, Minister Sun enthusiastically recognized the significant contribution that IRRI has made to the Asian Green Revolution as well as to the development of rice production and research in China. He particularly praised IRRI’s assistance in training Chinese rice scientists. After hearing Dr. Zeigler’s introduction about IRRI’s Strategic Plan 2007-2015, Minister Sun stated that the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, Chinese research institutes, and scientists would like to participate in IRRI’s strategic plan and its research activities in China. He also showed great interest in IRRI’s frontier projects and stated that these are strategically important initiatives.

Also, while in Beijing on the evening before his meeting with Minister Sun, Dr. Zeigler signed a memorandum of agreement with Zhang Xiuqin, secretary general of the China Scholarship Council (CSC), which stipulates that CSC will support and IRRI will welcome Chinese citizens to pursue doctoral degree training and postdoctoral research programs at the Institute on an annual basis. IRRI and China established a cooperative relationship in 1982, which has since had broad influence on Chinese agricultural research.

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New submergence project officially launched at workshop

The project Implementation plans to disseminate submergence-tolerant rice varieties and associated new production practices to Southeast Asia was launched during a planning workshop, 13-14 June, at IRRI.

Supported by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this project was conceptualized after strong typhoons and devastating floods hit Southeast Asia last year, causing serious damage to the agricultural sector. A special guest from the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines, Agricultural Attaché Mitsuhiro Ito, related that IRRI proposes to mitigate flooding and typhoon damage through the development of rice varieties tolerant of submergence and their proper cultivation.

It is notable that the government of Japan recognizes the need to alleviate problems of rice farmers and finds it imperative to undertake measures to manage the ill effects of devastating typhoons. Mr. Ito also said that this project can look at the global concern of climate change. He underlined the importance of disseminating research results to communities at the grass-roots level and suggested that IRRI collaborate with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which, with the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), is also involved in disseminating farming techniques.

IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler remarked that this project showcases IRRI’s effort to transform fruits of research into tangible products that can be delivered to farmers. IRRI has identified genes that are responsible for submergence tolerance and is moving these materials to serve farmers and help them to withstand floods.

The workshop brought forth a comprehensive work plan of activities for disseminating new varieties and technologies in six participating countries ( Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). The 50 participants had very productive discussions, with an optimistic view that there will be exciting results.

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Vietnamese and IRRI scientists begin looking for solutions to the rice virus disease problem in the Mekong Delta

In the last 2 years, rice production in Vietnam, particularly in the Mekong Delta, suffered a major setback when outbreaks of virus diseases carried by the brown planthopper (BPH) caused a loss of about 400,000 tons (or 1.1% of Vietnam’s total). Vietnam’s rice exports were threatened and the infestations prompted officials and farmers to spray insecticides in excess in attempts to curb the spread of the viral infections, which, in turn, escalated to a high usage of insecticides. There is also an imminent danger of the virus problem spreading north and west from the current epicenter in the Mekong Delta, which might affect rice production in Cambodia, Laos, and central and northern Vietnam. The virus has been reported in Cambodia and in Nha Trang, about 400 km north of the Delta. During this time, extensive outbreaks of BPH were also reported in China, Korea, and Japan, causing yield losses of more than 3 million tons of rice.

To focus on identifying research and implementation issues related to management of the BPH/virus problem, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) is providing funds to Vietnamese and IRRI scientists to undertake an 8-month project that will review literature, historical data, and reports, and collect preliminary data to scope for research and implementation issues, provide some understanding of the vector-virus relationships, vector migrations, and vector variability, and explore farmers’ and extension’s perceptions of viral diseases and their management. This information is needed for the development of an integrated management of the BPH/virus problem to prevent its spread and to develop communication management strategies to help farmers adapt.

The research team met at the Plant Protection Department office in Ho Chi Minh City on 30-31 May to develop detailed work plans. After the intensive scoping study, a workshop will be organized in early 2008 to report and advise on potential next steps in research and implementation to manage the problem. The materials gathered in the study will also be used to develop a full research proposal on the management of BPH and the viruses.

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Water-saving technology appreciated for large-scale adoption in Bangladesh

A group of high-level professionals, policymakers, and elite farmers of Bangladesh appreciated the water-saving technology of alternate wetting and drying developed by IRRI. This was revealed during a crop-cutting ceremony held in May at the Madhupur Farm of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, where alternate wetting and drying (AWD) technology is being tested during the current boro (dry) season of rice cultivation.

M Abdul Aziz, secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, government of Bangladesh, directed research and development organizations of the country to prepare an action plan within the next 3 weeks upon validation of the technology on a wider scale during the boro season next year. He asked the country's Agriculture Information Service to be more active in publicizing the technology and further stressed the need for networking with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other countries. Since AWD can intensify weed problems, he discouraged the use of herbicides. He stressed that Bangladeshi farmers should save labor by using a drum seeder for direct seeding, save urea by using the leaf color chart, and save water by adopting AWD to make rice cultivation more profitable.

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Rice network to revitalize global sharing of rice breeding resources

Revitalization was the buzzword and the underpinning theme at the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting of the International Network for Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER), 8-11 May, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Rising to today’s daunting challenge of exchanging rice breeding materials amid complex intellectual property regimes and dwindling resources were representatives from 17 countries, 3 Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centers—IRRI, the Africa Rice Center (WARDA), and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas —and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Welcoming them were Thailand’s Rice Department Director General Surapong Pransilapa and IRRI Program 1 Leader David Mackill, who both stressed the need to strengthen collaboration among rice scientists in order to realize further increases in rice productivity. S.P. Tiwari, deputy director general of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research and a special participant at the meeting, congratulated INGER for facilitating the release of at least 667 varieties in 62 countries, a contribution valued at US$1.67 billion or an average of US$52 million each year since INGER’s establishment in 1975.

To update the INGER TAC on the breeding resources to expect from IRRI, Darshan Brar, head of IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division, presented the state of the art on rice breeding, and IRRI Plant Pathologist Hei Leung discussed possible applications of DNA bar-coding and association genetics in INGER. Specific objectives of IRRI breeding programs and networks were discussed by IRRI Scientists Arvind Kumar, R.K. Singh, K.K. Jena, and David Mackill.

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Temperate Rice Research Consortium launched
during planning workshop in Korea

The Temperate Rice Research Consortium (TRRC) was launched during an international planning workshop on temperate rice, 2-4 May, in Suwon, Republic of Korea. More than 90 scientists from 12 temperate rice-growing countries in Asia, Europe, and North America attended the workshop, which was coordinated by IRRI with financial support from the National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration (RDA), Korea.

The TRRC aims to strengthen national agricultural research and extension system (NARES) partnerships for technology development, validation, and dissemination for improvement of rice production and productivity in temperate environments; strengthen capacity building of human resources of TRRC partners; develop and share improved germplasm and technologies for problem solving and sustainable temperate rice production; and improve grain quality, nutritional value, and postharvest technology for the well-being of humankind and increased overall rice production.

During the workshop, representatives from 12 participating countries presented their country status reports and participated in brain-storming discussions on several issues of temperate rice improvement, including production constraints, biotic and abiotic stresses, grain quality and nutritional value, and water and nutrient management and their possible solutions through multilateral cooperation. In the concluding session, the participants focused on the major issues of temperate rice and identified research priorities and strategies for four major working groups for tackling problems.

A steering committee meeting was also held that discussed the functions of the SC and working groups. The TRRC workshop was organized by K.K. Jena, senior scientist and plant breeder, IRRI, and Kim Ho-Yeong, director general, and Lee Kyu-Seong, senior plant breeder, National Institute of Crop Science, RDA.

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University recognizes IRRI for its contributions

The Central Luzon State University (CLSU) awarded a plaque of recognition to IRRI as one of its international partners that contributed significantly to CLSU's growth and development. The plaque was presented during CLSU's 100th year foundation anniversary with the theme 100 years of leadership and excellent service in agricultural education and countryside development, 9-12 April, in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

The plaque was received by Jojo Lapitan, acting head of IRRI’s International Programs Management Office, on behalf of IRRI during the International Day celebration on 11 April, which was attended by international alumni and partner institutions from various countries.

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Greater Mekong Subregion agriculture ministers hold first meeting; IRRI represents CGIAR

Agriculture ministers of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) met from 9 to 11 April in Beijing to review progress in the region’s cooperation in agriculture, endorse the Strategic Framework for Subregional Cooperation in Agriculture and Core Agriculture Support Program (CASP), and discuss implications for the GMS of new trends in agriculture.

Gary Jahn, IRRI coordinator for the GMS, represented the CGIAR twice. First, he gave a presentation on behalf of the CGIAR to the delegates on 9 April; second, he addressed the ministers and conference at large on 11 April. In his presentations, he highlighted some important proposals under each of the five key components of CASP that the CGIAR centers are ready and willing to implement with the national partners of the GMS. These are facilitating cross-border agricultural trade and investment, promoting public-private partnerships for sharing agricultural information, enhancing capacity in agricultural science and technology, establishing emergency response mechanisms for agricultural and natural resource crises, and strengthening institutional linkages and mechanisms for cooperation.

According to C. Lawrence Greenwood, a vice president at the Asian Development Bank and another speaker at the meeting, agriculture is critical to achieving the GMS vision of an integrated, prosperous GMS. Of the GMS’s 316 million people, about two-thirds live in rural areas and depend mainly on subsistence and semisubsistence agriculture for their livelihood.

Despite strong economic performance and improving living conditions, poverty still remains widespread, particularly in rural areas. An estimated 30% of the Subregion's population remains below the poverty line.

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Gates Foundation looks at rice in China

A delegation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation led by Bill Gates, co-founder of the Foundation and chairman of Microsoft Corp., and Raj Shah, director of the Agricultural Development Program of the Foundation, visited the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)-IRRI Joint Lab on Rice Molecular Breeding and Genetics headed by IRRI molecular geneticist Zhi-Kang Li on 18 April.

After a brief introduction by CAAS Vice-President Zhang Lijian, the delegation met with Dr. Li and his team at CAAS. Dr. Li gave presentations on “Rice Breeding in China—Current Status and Prospects," the concept of “Super Green Rice," and progress in the China National Molecular Breeding Network, a new breeding strategy to combine gene discovery with variety development initiated at IRRI in 1998 and coordinated by Dr. Li. Mr. Gates showed great interest in the topics and discussed molecular markers, genome sequence, gene expression, proteomics, and rice breeding with Dr. Li. The group also visited the National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement and the China National Crop Genebank.

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PEOPLE

 

IRRI board member awarded prestigious Australian honor

On 11 June, Ralph Anthony Fischer, a member of IRRI’s Board of Trustees, was included in the 2007 Queen’s Birthday Honours List Announcements when he was named as a member of the Order of Australia (AM). Dr. Fischer is recognized for his “service to agricultural science in Australia and developing countries, particularly wheat research in the areas of grain yield and crop cultivation and management.”

This appointment recognizes exceptional service in agricultural science and is a very prestigious award within the Australian National Honours System.

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Honors for IRRI Deputy Director General for Research Ren Wang

On 19 May in Hanoi, Bui Ba Bong, vice-minister of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), presented an award to IRRI Deputy Director General for Research Ren Wang in recognition of his contributions to the Vietnamese agricultural sector.

Dr. Wang, who will join the CGIAR on 23 July as director, was recognized for his leadership and commitment in ensuring that IRRI’s mission to help poor rice farmers and consumers improve their lives is fully implemented in Vietnam and for his unqualified support for the continuing development of a more effective NARES in Vietnam.

He was also cited for overseeing and championing the development of relevant plans and strategies that moved the Vietnam-IRRI relationship into a new era of rice research and technology delivery, especially the enhancement of impact through improved in-country partnerships and more productive collaborative activities such as the innovative, award-winning "Ba Giam Ba Tang" radio programs that helped Vietnamese rice farmers reduce their use of pesticides, improve their farm management skills, and increase their incomes.

On 8 June, Duanping Zhang, president of Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), Wuhan, China, presented Dr. Wang a certificate as honorary professor in recognition of his contributions to agricultural research and capacity building of the NARES. After the awarding ceremony, Dr. Wang presented a seminar, Global trends of the rice industry and challenges and opportunities for international agricultural research.

More than 300 students and staff members attended the seminar. Dr. Wang, along with IRRI Scientists Drs. Hei Leung and Gerard Barry, had an extensive discussion with Qifa Zhang of HZAU about the strategic alliance between IRRI and the National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement on 9 June.

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Economist farewells IRRI after 15 years

On 26 April, Mahabub Hossain, economist and head, IRRI Social Sciences Division, gave a farewell summary of social science research at IRRI since 1992. Wrapping up his 15 years with a dual role as a researcher and administrative head in the Social Sciences Division, he presented a synthesis of socioeconomic studies on rice supply and demand trends in Asia and discussed constraints to increasing rice productivity, understanding rural livelihood systems, and the impact of improved rice technologies on poverty reduction.

He mentioned that the role of IRRI should continue to be enhancing rice research capacity of NARES, leading research for development of technologies with abiotic stress tolerance, collaborating with NARES for maintenance breeding for the irrigated system, facilitating transfer of knowledge and technologies from advanced research institutes to young NARES researchers, and maintaining genetic resources and exploring new traits.

Taking early retirement, Dr. Hossain departs IRRI on 15 June to fulfill a commitment he believes he has to his home country of Bangladesh. He plans to establish a development studies institute there in the private sector to help teach civil servants the concepts of development.

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IRRI associate scientist named Most Outstanding Agricultural Engineer for 2007

For his remarkable performance and meritorious contributions to the advancement of agriculture and industry and promotion of the agricultural engineering profession in the Philippines, Engr. Eugenio "Eugene" C. Castro, Jr., associate scientist in the IRRI Training Center, was named the Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers (PSAE) Most Outstanding Agricultural Engineer (Maramba Awardee) for 2007. The awarding ceremony took place during the PSAE Annual Convention at the Philippine Carabao Center, Central Luzon State University, Philippines, on 17 April.

The Maramba award, the highest and most prestigious award given to a professional agricultural engineer by the PSAE, was given to Engr. Castro for his invaluable contributions and services to agricultural engineering as a practicing agricultural engineer, consultant, agricultural development officer, and researcher in the field of agricultural machinery, mechanization, training, and extension. He was also cited for his active involvement in the formulation of the Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standard in agricultural infrastructure, production, and postproduction technologies; for his great contributions and performance in project and resource management; and for his exemplary leadership as the president of the PSAE–Region IV chapter for 7 years, thus making the regional chapter a model regional chapter of PSAE in the Philippines.

Through his leadership, PSAE-Region IV was recognized and was also named as the “Most Outstanding Professional Chapter” of the organization for four consecutive years (2002-05) and for 2007.

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IRRI photographers garner more awards

Ariel Javellana and Ray Panaligan, photographers from IRRI’s Communication and Publications Services (CPS) have won two silver awards (2nd place) for their photographic skills in the 2007 Critique and Awards competition of the U.S.-based Association for Communication Excellence (ACE).

Mr. Javellana won the award in the Feature Photo category for his centerfold shot appearing in the Rice Today (Vol. 5, No. 2) feature Claiming rice fields from wild rivers. It was the centerpiece of a story about how the Ifugao mountain people are claiming rice fields from wild rivers.

Mr. Javellana and Mr. Panaligan combined their talents to win the award in the Picture Story category for their work appearing in the Rice Today (Vol. 5, No. 4) feature Rice in Harm’s Way . This picture story shows how the threatening-to-erupt Mayon volcano caused great hardship for surrounding rice-farming communities. The image spread showed not only the Mayon volcano but also some of the people who live beneath it. Judge’s comments: “The dramatic centerfold anchors a strong visual package, illustrating the precarious lives of rice farmers living in the shadow of an active volcano. The woman with the red parasol is especially eye catching and well positioned in the frame.”

The awards were presented by ACE during its annual international meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 16-19 June.

ACE is an international organization of communicators and information technologists that develops the professional skills of its members to extend knowledge about agriculture, natural resources, and life and human sciences to people worldwide. Filipino communicators working at IRRI and other local institutions belong to the ACE Philippines affiliate organization, which will be conducting its annual meeting on 23 May at IRRI.

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Article on sharing irrigation water wins prize

The article Companion modeling, conflict resolution, and institution building: sharing irrigation water in the Lingmuteychu Watershed, Bhutan, by T.R. Gurung, F. Bousquet, and G. Trébuil, has been awarded the 2006 Ralph Yorque Memorial Prize by the editorial board of the journal Ecology and Society.

The authors received the award for writing the most novel paper [Ecology and Society 11(2):36] that integrates different streams of science to assess fundamental questions in the ecological, political, and social foundations for sustainable social-ecological systems. The prize is 500 Euros provided by the Foundation for Scientific Symbiosis.

According to Dr. Trébuil, the field work that provided the results presented in the article was carried out when Dr. Bousquet and he were assigned to the IRRI-Thailand Office during 2001-04. They are still working intensively in Bhutan, at two different sites in the western and eastern regions, and this recognition will be helpful in achieving more in these areas.

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IRRI VISITORS

 

Ministers from India and Sri Lanka visit IRRI

Subas Pani, secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, government of India, and the Honorable Hemakumara Nanayakkara, minister of agriculture of Sri Lanka, visited IRRI on 1 and 2 June, respectively.

Dr. Pani was in Manila, 27 May to 2 June, to attend the meetings of the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and Pacific, and, during his stay, he wanted to visit IRRI. He was accompanied by H.E. Rajeet Mitter, ambassador of the Republic of India to the Philippines, and four other staff members from the Embassy of India.

Minister Nanayakkara was accompanied by H.E. W.M. Senevirathna, ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Philippines; T.M. Abeyawickrema, secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Sri Lanka; and V.K. Nanayakkara, director of the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute. The minister was especially interested in seeing the Riceworld Museum and the International Rice Genebank.

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Korean ambassador of agricultural trade visits IRRI

Yang Boo Choe, ambassador of agricultural trade of Korea, together with Ki Whan Chung, senior director of the Korea Rural Economic Institute, visited IRRI on 10-11 April to get an overview of IRRI’s research agenda and to meet some IRRI staff.

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EVENTS, TRAINING, AND WORKSHOPS

 

IRRI’s revamped rice production encourages
young scientists to consider careers in the developing world

An exciting new program launched in May by IRRI is encouraging some of the world’s best and brightest young scientists to consider careers helping developing nations, instead of taking jobs focused on the developed world.

It was started in response to growing concerns that young scientists doing very advanced research in the West are increasingly unaware of how their work could have a major impact on the problems faced by many poorer nations. Recent scientific breakthroughs—such as the sequencing of the rice genome in 2004—have triggered exciting new progress in how to help poor farmers overcome such age-old problems as drought, flooding, and high levels of salinity.

Many of these breakthroughs were achieved in advanced research institutes in developed nations by teams that include young researchers who are far removed from the problems poor farmers may face in the field. The three-week “Rice: Research to Production” course held 14 May-1 June at IRRI is one of the first attempts to deal with this growing problem.

“Many young scientists working in developed nations are increasingly isolated from the very people in poorer nations who could really benefit from their work,” says Susan McCouch, one of the leaders of the new course and a professor in the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics at Cornell University. “We want to change this, and encourage good young scientists wherever they are to think of themselves as a new generation of revolutionaries—taking the latest scientific knowledge and using it to improve the lives of the world’s poor.”

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States, the United Kingdom’s Gatsby Foundation, and IRRI, the new course attracted 26 participants from 12 nations, with half coming from the U.S. and EU and half coming from rice-growing countries in Asia and Africa. The new program also seeks to reverse the one-way traffic of recent decades that saw thousands of young scientists from the developing world studying and then taking jobs in the developed world.

“Considering the ongoing revolutions in fields such as molecular biology and bioinformatics, this is an incredibly exciting time to work in agricultural research because we are finally gaining the knowledge we need to solve some of the developing world’s most intractable and difficult problems,” says IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler. “What we have to do now is make sure the young scientists of the world are aware of the unprecedented—almost historic—opportunity they have to really make a difference in the lives of the poor.”

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Sixteen complete course on Analysis of Experimental Data Using the SAS System

Sixteen participants from China, Ghana, India, Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand completed the course, Analysis of Experimental Data Using the SAS System. The 5-day course was held at the IRRI Training Center from 28 May to 1 June. The course attracted not only IRRI staff, fellows, scholars, and consultants, but also researchers from PhilRice and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF).

The course was designed for researchers who do not have aptitude for programming but wish to use the SAS system for the analysis of their experimental data. It focused on reading Excel files containing the data to be analyzed, then performing statistical analyses of these data. It consisted of lectures and hands-on practical exercises.

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IRRI and Philippine Department of Agriculture collaborate on rice seed health practices for rice farmers

IRRI, in collaboration with the Philippine Department of Agriculture, conducted a series of training workshops on Improving Farmers' Rice Seed Health Practices for Crop and Pest Management, from 27 March to 23 May, in selected villages in Bulacan, Pangasinan, Camarines Sur, and Albay in the Philippines.

This activity is the participatory research component of the project Impact of migration and/or off-farm employment on roles of women and appropriate technologies in Asian and Australian mixed farming systems, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and coordinated by Thelma Paris, senior scientist in IRRI’s Social Sciences Division.

The training workshops included topics on crop and pest management, with emphasis on postharvest, which is most important in these villages where seeds used for planting are saved from farmers' own harvest or exchange with other farmers. After the training, the participants, mostly women farmers, were given certified seeds for the farmer-managed experiments, which will be conducted during the 2007 cropping season in collaboration with the DA. The training workshops were facilitated by Francisco Elazigui, from IRRI’s Crop and Environmental Science Division; and Social Sciences Division staff members Catalina Diaz, Joyce S. Luis, Ellanie Cabrera, and Teodora Malabanan.

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New Bangladeshi rice variety reaches more than 1,000 farmers in one year

The workshop on Upscaling BRRI dhan44 at Chaudanga, Bangladesh, on 7 May revealed that, in one year, rice variety BRRI dhan44 reached more than a thousand farmers in nine districts (from an initial 21 farmers in one district).

The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) released BRRI dhan44 in 2005 mainly for the nonsaline subecosystem of tidal wetlands of Bangladesh. BRRI dhan44 plants are taller than Bangladeshi mega variety BR11 plants and BRRI dhan44 performs better in lowlands. It produces about 15-20% higher grain yield than BR11 in lowlands, which are present throughout the country.

The IRRI-led International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) project Accelerating Technology Adoption to Improve Rural Livelihoods in the Rainfed Eastern Gangetic Plains (TAG634) and WAVE Foundation jointly organized the workshop as a technology up-scaling activity. The workshop was held at the training center of the WAVE Foundation. About 110 farmers, development and extension partners from GOs and NGOs, and researchers participated in the day-long workshop.

The IRRI-IFAD project followed a nontraditional approach for up-scaling BRRI dhan44 through NGOs instead of government organizations such as the Department of Agricultural Extension.

About 40% of the workshop participants were farmers and they participated actively in discussions. Several electronic and print media, including Bangladesh Television and Channel I, covered the workshop. The WAVE Foundation, Action Aid Bangladesh, and Practical Action shared the approaches they followed and success in BRRI dhan44 up-scaling. The DAE expressed its interest in becoming involved in BRRI dhan44 up-scaling activities.

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IRRI conducts research design and management course for Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council staff members

Upon request from the Agricultural Technology Transfer Project, a Bangladeshi government project sponsored by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), the IRRI Training Center conducted a training course on Agricultural research: design and management for Bangladesh at IRRI, 30 April-11 May.

Eight mid- to senior-level research officers from BARC, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Planning Commission, joined by two staff members from the University of the Philippines (Los Baños) colleges of agriculture and development communications, attended. They met with IRRI scientists individually and visited the library, Riceworld Museum, the Seed Health Unit, and the International Rice Genebank. They also went to research institutions in Los Baños such as PhilRice, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development, and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture.

IRRI Training Center Head Noel Magor coordinated the course, whose objectives were to improve the communication of research results, to be able to critically assess research proposals being submitted by agricultural research institutions, and to participate in policy discussions on research priorities and research management. The course was capped with a presentation of action plans by each of the participants. The course was co-coordinated by David Shires and facilitated by Angie Maghuyop of the IRRI Training Team.

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Spikelet sterility in boro rice blamed on ignoring technology

About 53,750 hectares of land, out of 4.4 million hectares under boro cultivation, in 18 districts in Bangladesh have suffered from spikelet sterility during the current boro (dry) season. As a result, Bangladesh's Department of Agriculture Extension anticipates a production loss of about 200,000 metric tons of rice during the current season. According to rice scientists, the major cause was sowing seeds in seedbeds and transplanting the boro crop too far ahead of the recommended time.

This was discussed in a workshop held 19 April at BRRI. The most popular boro varieties, BRRI dhan28 and BRRI dhan29, are recommended for sowing in seedbeds within 15-25 November and 5-25 November, respectively. This year, due to early recession of flood, farmers in low-lying areas in 18 districts started sowing seeds in seedbeds from 7 October and finished within the 1st week of November. As a result, the booting/heading stage of these rice varieties occurred during a period of low temperature —below the critical temperature of 18 oC. This exposure to low temperature caused sterility in boro rice. The scientists recommend that we must convince farmers to follow the recommendations of timely sowing and transplanting. Future research should consider the development of varieties that could withstand such fluctuations in temperature during the boro season, and also look at other alternatives, including agronomic aspects.

The workshop was attended by C.S. Karim, honorable adviser, Ministry of Agriculture, as the chief guest, and M. Abdul Aziz, secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, as the special guest. Other important guests and participants were Nurul Alam, executive chairman, BARC, Rahim Uddin Ahmed, director general, DAE, M. Zainul Abedin and Abdul Hamid Miah of IRRI; former directors general of BRRI; farmers; and senior extension officials. Nur-e-Elahi, BRRI director general, presided.

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Annual review and planning meeting for water-saving rice technologies held in Bangladesh

The first annual review and planning meeting of the project Development and Dissemination of Water-Saving Rice Technologies in South Asia was held at the Rural Development Academy in Bogra, Bangladesh, 3-5 April. The 3-year project, which started in 2006, is being supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The meeting gathered 46 scientists from IRRI, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Cornell University.

The inaugural session was chaired by Ferdous Alam, director general, RDA, Bogra. IRRI Social Sciences Division Head Mahabub Hossain was the chief guest. Jiangfeng Zhang, ADB project economist; Nur-E-Elahi, director general, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute; and M.P. Pandey, director, Central Rice Research Institute, India, spoke on donor expectations, expectations for Bangladesh, and expectations for India, respectively.

Dr. Hossain indicated that IRRI is working on developing rice technologies for areas suffering from too much water in the rainy season and too little water in the dry season. He highlighted that, considering the cost of rice production, an aman crop is more suitable than boro rice. Overexploitation of groundwater during the boro season will affect the environment. But erratic rainfall in the aman season also affects the aman crop and so aerobic rice will be tested under those weather conditions. He appreciated the approach of farmers' participatory research to evaluate such technology and advised scientists to tune their research program considering farmers’ needs and feelings.

 

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Workshop on improving rice grain quality held at IRRI

A workshop on Clearing old hurdles with new science: improving rice grain quality was held at IRRI on 17-19 April.

Workshop participants created a vision and mission for the International Network for Quality Rice (INQR); discussing new science that contributes to our understanding of rice grain quality traits; determining ways to capture that science and develop it to measure and understand rice grain quality; discussing collaborative opportunities for new projects on chalk, fragrance, and quality evaluation of physical traits; revisiting the traits of physical, sensory, and cooking properties; and discussing the inclusion of nutritional quality into the definition of rice grain quality.

This workshop is the first international meeting specifically dedicated to rice quality in this century and it is also the first full meeting of the INQR.

The INQR was formed in 2006. It has 75 members from 26 rice-growing countries. The membership comprises people who do rice quality evaluation, starch scientists, and rice quality geneticists. The INQR is co-chaired by Melissa Fitzgerald (IRRI) and Christine Bergman ( University of Nevada).

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Scientists discuss cool rice for a warmer world

On 26-30 March, more than 80 scientists from 14 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America attended an international workshop on Cool Rice for a Warmer World held at the Crop Physiology and Production Center (CPPC), College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), Wuhan, Hubei, China. The workshop was sponsored by IRRI and HZAU, with partial financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

IRRI Director General for Research Ren Wang, Chi Gao, HZAU vice president, and Qing Chang, deputy director general, Bureau of International Corporation, National Natural Science Foundation of China, delivered the welcome messages.

“Global warming affects rice production and it is very timely that IRRI initiated this workshop”, said Prof. Gao. “ Hubei Province needs ‘cool rice’ more than any other rice-growing areas in China due to its high air temperature and high humidity.”

In his message, Dr. Wang stressed the importance of the workshop in serving as a catalyst between upstream and downstream research on high-temperature stress around national research institutes. He also thanked the National Natural Science Foundation of China, stating that IRRI could benefit from its strong support.

In five workshop sessions, 28 participants talked about heat stress on reproductive development, high-temperature effects on grain quality, physiological mechanisms and modeling of high-temperature stress, breeding for resistance to high-temperature stress in rice, and high-temperature problems in their countries and solution strategies.

On the last day of the workshop, participants focused on the major research issues on high-temperature stress and on identifying research priorities and strategies for developing research proposals and collaboration for tackling the problem. The ultimate goal is to formulate strategies for developing new rice varieties for the warmer world to come.

The workshop was organized by Shaobing Peng, IRRI senior crop physiologist, and Drs. Jianliang Huang and Kehui Cui of CPPC.

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Training on ecological management of pests held at IRRI

A 2-week training on Ecological management of pests (rodents, insects, and weeds)—biological, economic, and social dimensions was held at IRRI, 19-30 March. The main sponsors for the course were the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium and the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The training covered an integrated ecological approach to pest management, which includes a combination of rodent, insect, and weed management as well as the social and cultural dimensions of technology transfer. During the course, participants were able to acquire knowledge and skills in using scientific approaches and computer technologies to study pest management at an agroecosystem level. The course also included an understanding of the different processes and factors that influenced farmers’ decision making in pest management, in which participants developed different ways to effectively transfer knowledge to target end-users.

Fourteen participants from Belgium, Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, United Kingdom, and Vietnam attended and successfully completed the course.


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Expert meeting on hermetic storage conducted in Indonesia

On 24 March,decision makers and researchers from national and provincial research institutions from West Java, South Sumatra, North Sumatra and South Sulawesi, extension workers from West Jawa, distributors of hermetic storage systems from the Philippines and Indonesia gathered at the Indonesian Center for Food Crop Research and Development in Bogor to discuss issues and strategies to disseminate hermetic storage systems to farmers in Indonesia.

Five years of research at IRRI and 3 years in Indonesia have shown that hermetic, or airtight storage can help double the life of rice seeds, maintain good milling quality and protects the grains from pests like insects and rodents without the need for pesticides. In hermetic storage systems such as the IRRI “super bag,” the atmosphere inside the storage container is modified by biological activities in the grain and by respiration of insects resulting in a drop of oxygen and increase in carbon dioxide. In the modified atmosphere, insects can not survive.

The meeting, organized by the IRRI Indonesia office, was conducted as part of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC) activities in Indonesia.

 

During the meeting researchers from the Indonesian Center for Postharvest Research and Development, the Indonesian Center for Rice Research, and the provincial Technology Assessment Centers from Medan, Makassar, and Palembang and gave an update on the research findings in Indonesia. IRRI provided a summary of the findings in other countries. Representatives from Grainpro Inc., the international supplier of commercial hermetic storage systems and the IRRI super bag, and from the Agribusiness Club Jakarta, distributor of the locally made hermetic bag Kantong Semar, provided an overview about their products and the working principle and the application.

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