Supercharging the rice engine An ambitious project to re-engineer rice photosynthesis has the potential to transform rice production as much as, if not more than, any single advance since agricultural research began By Dilantha Gunawardana
No sex, please—we’re apomicts Despite its yield advantage, hybrid rice is shunned by many poor farmers because of the need to purchase new seeds every season. Work to develop “apomictic” hybrid rice aims to solve that problem. By John Bennett and Xin’ai Zhao
Deciphering the code An international drive to generate data on tiny genetic differences will help scientists develop high-yielding, high-quality rice varieties that can better withstand pests, diseases, and environmental stresses By Jill E. Cairns and Ken McNally
The ultimate backup The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, designed as a last-resort backup for Earth’s most important crops, has accepted its first samples, including more than 70,000 different types of rice
Illuminating the gap
The new science of metabolomics is shining a light into the dark space between a rice plant’s genes and the resultant qualities we appreciate when we eat rice
By Melissa Fitzgerald and Robert Hall
The unsung heroes of the rice field
Simply by growing rice, farmers cultivate a complex—and free—pest control system without doing a single extra thing.
By Yolanda Chen
The pesticide paradox
Pesticide use at the International Rice Research Institute is down almost 90% in 14 years, while pests are less of a problem and biodiversity has increased.
By Henry Sackville Hamilton
Fertile progress
The past 20 years have seen an evolution in researchers’ understanding of how to best apply nitrogen fertilizer to rice. That knowledge is now being passed on to farmers.
By Roland J. Buresh, senior soil scientist at IRRI
Less salt, please
Farmers hampered by salt-affected soils in Bangladesh are set for relief as researchers breed salinity tolerance into locally popular rice varieties. By Peter Fredenburg
Black soil, green rice
An extraordinary type of soil from South America has implications for both rice production and the environment in Asia. By Stephan Haefele
Fighting Asia’s postharvest problems
The fate of rice after harvest is a crucial but often-neglected part of the production chain. Now a major effort to overcome postharvest problems is gaining momentum.
By Trina Leah Mendoza and Martin Gummert
From genes to farmers' fields The practical application of gene discovery to develop
submergence-tolerant rice will help farmers avoid the ravages of severe flooding by David Mackill
Pest by pest, step by step Cambodian researchers are set to increase their understanding of rice diseases as part of a project that could help lift the country off the lower rungs of Asia's rice yield ladder by Rowena McNaughton
Diagnosing drought Improved methods of measuring how rice plants respond to drought in the field are helping scientists discover how and why some varieties tolerate water shortages better than others—knowledge that will ultimately help farmers withstand the cruel vagaries of the weather by Rachid Serraj and Jill Cairns
Opposites attract...attention Researchers zero in on two genes at opposite ends of the rice genome that provide tolerance for a dreaded due of widespread stresses, high salinity and phosphorus deficiency by Peter Fredenberg
Beating blast Combining traditional and modern breeding techniques, researchers in Korea have succeeded in the perilously difficult task of making Korean rice varieties resistant to one of the crop's most destructive diseases by K. K. Jena
It's not all about the research! The International Rice Research Institute is, as its name suggests, renowned for its research. But, for more that 40 years, it has also trained scientists to make sure that research has impact. by Mark Bell
Building a better rat trap Amid the spectacular mountains of the northern Philippines, an improved rat trap is helping farmers prevent rodents from devastating precious rice fields by Adam Barclay
Unlocking the genetic vault Buried deep within the International Rice Genebank are little pieces of genetic treasure-- but how do we find them? by Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton and Ken McNally
A dry vision As Asia's irrigation water becomes increasingly scarce, researchers are developing rice varieties that can thrive in dry conditions by Gary Atlin
How to find needles in haystacks The relatively new science of bioinformatics is helping agricultural scientists accelerate research that was once prohibitively time-consuming or even impossible by Richard Bruskiewich
A happening lab A state-of-the-art gene-discovery facility in the Philippines has emerged as the buzzing hub of an inclusive community of cereal scientists and trainees by Hei Leung and Marichu Bernardo
Specific benefits Farmers earn more from their rice crop by scientifically optimizing fertilizer use by Roland J. Buresh
