India: Government honors breeder’s work for first salt-tolerant Basmati

The government of India, through the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), recognized the contributions of R.K. Singh in the development of the first salt-tolerant Basmati rice variety, Basmati CSR30, in a ceremony held in New Delhi on 16 July 2013.

Dr. Singh is a senior scientist at IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology (PBGB) division. He co-developed Basmati CSR30 with B. Mishra while working with him at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI) in Karnal, India, before joining IRRI.
The recognition for ‘outstanding service to his country’ was received by a representative on Dr. Singh’s behalf by Sharad Panwar, Indian minister of agriculture and ICAR president. Dr. Singh was unable to attend the ceremony in person.

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IRRI-trained emergency teams help community during heavy monsoon rains

For the past two days, members of the Neighborhood Emergency Services Team (NEST) teams in various barangays in Los Banos and Bay have been actively monitoring flood and erosion situations, providing hourly feedback on the heavy downpour caused by Typhoon Maring and the Habagat (monsoon) rains. They have also been helping bring affected families in Barangay Lalakay to an evacuation center.


IRRI earlier facilitated a NEST training with participants from barangays Maahas and San Antonio in Los Banos on 24-28 June 2013 and for barangay Paciano Rizal in Bay on 29 July-2 August, with 21 and 26 graduates, respectively.

With funding from the United Parcel Services (UPS) and through the facilitation of IRRI's Host Country and Community Relations Office and Safety and Security Services, the NEST was started in 2012 as a program designed to build participants’ capacity to provide help; prepare themselves in any emergency; avoid crime and terrorism; prevent fire incidents and be knowledgeable in the use of basic firefighting equipment; contribute to the safety and security of the community; and save lives.


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CORIGAP opens as IRRC achievements lauded in new RIPPLE issue

The 23rd issue of RIPPLE features the Closing Rice Yield Gaps in Asia (CORIGAP) Project, which takes off from the success of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC). The new CORIGAP project builds on partnerships and linkages formed by the IRRC in six partner-countries—Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, and Vietnam. CORIGAP’s goal is to sustainably increase rice yield by 10% by 2016 in three major rice granaries and by 20% by 2022 in six granaries for 500,000 smallholder farmers.

A summary of the IRRC’s achievements for the past 16 years can also be read in the latest RIPPLE issue. From an external panel report titled, Meta-impact assessment of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC), the IRRC is shown to have delivered a six-fold economic return of a US$12 million investment from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Other stories feature the works of Roderick Rejesus, a Filipino agricultural economist at North Carolina State University in the USA, and Ladda Viriyangkura, senior specialist on rice inspection and certification at the Thailand Rice Department.

The new issue of RIPPLE can be accessed through the IRRC web site, or downloaded from Scribd.


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Analytical services lab gets ISO certification

IRRI’s Analytical Service Laboratory (ASL) recently received its new PAO ISO 17025 certificates for maintaining its accreditation after the Philippine Accreditation Office (PAO) conducted its third yearly surveillance visit.



The ASL also successfully added 13 standard operating procedures to its scope of accreditation, covering all plant- and soil-testing methods and most of its water analyses.

ISO 17025 is the hallmark of quality assurance in chemical testing.

The Analytical Service Laboratory (ASL), manned by a team led by Lilia Molina, is IRRI’s first ISO-accredited testing laboratory.

Learn more about the ASL.



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West Bengal: Stress-tolerant rice seed production strengthened

A workshop that sought to sustain awareness and strengthen seed production of stress-tolerant rice varieties (STRVs) was held at the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, on 2 August 2013.


The workshop was organized by the Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia, or STRASA, project and the IRRI-National Food Security Mission (NFSM), in close association with the West Bengal Agriculture Department and the West Bengal Seed Association (WBSA).

The workshop had 60 participants, composed of deputy directors from all districts where demonstrations are being carried out and representatives from small private seed companies who have major shares in the paddy seed market in West Bengal and adjoining states.

STRASA’s Manzoor Hussain Dar discussed a seed delivery strategy that aims to actively promote small-scale farmers’ access to quality seed of stress-tolerant varieties. He further outlined a work plan to overcome key bottlenecks in the production and delivery of STRVs.

S.K Bardhan Roy, senior rice breeder and key collaborator of STRASA, explained how different varieties with tolerance to single or multiple stresses are being multiplied and evaluated in West Bengal, highlighting the performance of these varieties in drought-, flood-, and salinity-prone areas of the state.

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Direct-seeded rice areas to get boost from rice that can germinate in anaerobic conditions

The inception and planning meeting for the BMZ-supported project, Increasing productivity of direct-seeded rice areas by incorporating genes for tolerance of anaerobic conditions during germination, was held at IRRI on 13–14 August 2013.

The BMZ-supported project provides IRRI an opportunity to better understand the mechanisms underlying tolerance of anaerobic germination (AG) stress in order to develop rice varieties that can survive flooded conditions right after sowing, and to test improved crop management practices in direct-seeded conditions.



IRRI partners with three institutions for the project—the Max Plank Institute (MPI) for Developmental Biology in Germany; the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice); and the Rice Research and Development Institute (RRDI) in Sri Lanka.

Eero Nissila, head of IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology division, said that improved AG-tolerant varieties and the corresponding crop and weed management is very much needed in each of the participating countries.

Discussed during the inception meeting were the occurrence of flooding during germination and weed problems in each of the participating countries, and the need to test newly developed AG-tolerant varieties along with crop and weed management practices.

The participants, who drafted research work plans for each country, were Oliver Manangkil and Rolando Cruz (Philippines); D.S. Kalukandara and R.S.K. Keerthisena (Sri Lanka); and Abdelbagi Ismail, Berta Miro, Bhagirath Chauhan, Carlos Casal, Eero Nissila, Endang Septiningsih, Evangeline Ella, Frederickson Entila, James Quilty, John Carlos Ignacio, Leigh Vial, Margaret Pelayo, Ofelia Namuco, Swarna Herath, Swe Myint Thien, Teodoro Migo, Thahir Awan, and Tobias Kretzschmar (IRRI).


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Chinese Taipei: IRRI scientist speaks on reducing postharvest losses at APEC seminar

Alfred Schmidley, business model and value chain specialist at IRRI, was a featured speaker at the recent APEC seminar, Strengthening Public-Private Partnership to Reduce Food Losses in the Supply Chain, hosted by Chinese Taipei.

The event, held on 5–8 August 2013, was the first major output of a multi-year project by APEC that began this year to address losses from food processing and elsewhere along the supply chain. It was attended by 120 participants from the APEC Secretariat and 18 member-economies.
In his presentation titled, Advancing postharvest technologies to reduce losses in rice postharvest value chains, Mr. Schmidley spoke about how postharvest losses are aggravated by increased yields, cropping systems intensification, and other factors such as labor shortages, the absence of improved technologies, and the lack of a postharvest sector capacity to efficiently process paddy and reduce losses.

The APEC seminar highlighted the fact that 95% of agricultural research monies go toward increasing yields while only 5%, or less, is allocated to reducing postharvest losses and addressing other postharvest issues.

The seminar is part of an ongoing effort by APEC to raise awareness about food losses, find better ways to measure and assess losses among member-economies, enable private sector investment, and foster adoption of technologies that can reduce losses across farm and food-processing supply chains.

At the end of the conference, delegates agreed to establish a focal point network (FPN) and appoint cross-sector representatives from APEC member-economies. They also agreed to establish a research team to follow up on assessment methodologies, tool kits, datasets, and the need for future capacity building activities.

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Vietnam: Rice postharvest and laser-leveling advocacy seminar conducted

While the Mekong Delta remains a major rice-producing region, other areas in Vietnam must not be left behind in efforts to improve the quality of the country’s rice exports through improved postharvest technologies.

A seminar on rice postharvest and laser-leveling for the northern, central, and highland regions of Vietnam was held on 30–31 July 2013 in Quang Ngai Province.
Seventy participants from the project’s partner universities and local government authorities and representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Trimble, and Ideal Farming Corporation attended the event.

The seminar aimed to identify constraints and opportunities in expanding technology use in the various regions of Vietnam, document insights to guide policy for promoting laser-leveling technology, and ensure the commitment of the provinces to the goal.

Participants were brought on a field tour at the Quang Ngai Sugarcane Seed Center and in Ngia Hinh District, where the use and benefits of laser-leveling technology are showcased.
Partners from Nong Lam University’s (NLU) Ho Chi Minh City and Hue campuses presented the results of their assessment of different rice postharvest technologies in Vietnam. Truong Thi Thanh Nhan, one of the first to buy laser-leveling equipment in Dak Lak Province in central Vietnam, reported about the advantages of using the technology. Mark Heyward of Trimble presented various business model proposals that may interest farmers or farmers’ groups.

The event was organized through the Asian Development Bank-IRRI Postharvest Project, in cooperation with NLU, the National Extension Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.


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Women rice farmers honored

IRRI marked its first-ever Women in Rice Farming Day on 8 August 2013 to recognize the role of women in agriculture, particularly in rice farming. The event was attended by 213 participants from the national and local governments including the Philippine legislature, the academe, media, NGOs, and the private sector.

Emerlinda Roman, chair of the IRRI Board of Trustees, welcomed the participants, citing the Philippines as "one of the world's leading countries in laws, rules and regulations that promote the rights and welfare of women and protect them against discrimination and harassment in the workplace."

She also mentioned that Filipino women are well represented in research as well as in research leadership in the Philippines and studies reveal that gender is not a big issue in the country as women continue to be actively involved in various fields, especially in education and research.
Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, undersecretary for special concerns at the Department of Agriculture (DA), said that according to the National Statistics Office in 2012, 93.4% of Filipino women are employed. Out of the number of employed women, 21.7% are in the field of agriculture, 80% of whom are in rice farming.

“Women participation is particularly high in activities such as planting, weeding, input and fertilizer application, drying, and sacking. Indeed, women constitute an integral part of the rice industry in the Philippines,” Usec. Romulo-Puyat added. She also thanked IRRI for organizing the event, which was held at the IRRI Headquarters. It was attended by women from the national and local government units, the academe, the media, and the private sector.

V. Bruce J. Tolentino, deputy director general for communication and partnerships at IRRI, presented a briefing on the event and an overview of IRRI’s research agenda.    

Women in Rice Farming Day activities included interaction with scientists and rice experts through a marketplace presentation of IRRI’s work on rice breeding, women-inclusive rice research, International Rice Genebank, the Nutrient Manager, grain quality and nutrition, and healthier rice. Booths were also set up for DA/PhilRice and the PCW.

Participants were brought on a field tour that included stops in which they were introduced to IRRI’s facilities on its long-term continuous cropping experiment, farm equipment and machinery, ecological engineering, seed health, and quality seed storage.

The event was held in partnership with the DA and the PCW.  View photo album.

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IRRI backs Golden Rice research

After the successful observance of Nutrition Month in the Philippines, IRRI’s deputy director general for communication and partnerships V. Bruce J. Tolentino called on fellow Filipinos to rally against malnutrition and support the quest for solutions to help solve vitamin A deficiency. He explained that Golden Rice is a new type of rice that contains beta-carotene (a source of vitamin A) that IRRI is developing with the Philippines as a potential new way to reduce vitamin A deficiency and improve nutrition among rice consumers, especially women and children.


However, on the morning of 8 August 2013, one of the Golden Rice field trials at Pili, Camarines Sur, was vandalized. It was disappointing news, but as Dr. Tolentino said in a media release, “It is just one trial and we will continue our Golden Rice research to improve human nutrition.” He also gave a video statement that emphasized the importance of Golden Rice research.

Abelardo Bragas, regional executive director of the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit 5, gave a statement condemning the vandalism of the trial plot. Philippine Secretary of Agriculture Proceso Alcala, who is also a member of the IRRI Board of Trustees, said on national television that the research on Golden Rice should be continued to completion.

The ruined site, where nearly all plants were uprooted or trampled, was less than a hectare in size.

Dr. Tolentino visited the site on 9 August and reported in his blog that the “entire research team was already looking forward to completing the project.” A global petition has since started in support of IRRI's Golden Rice research.

The incident has been reported across local, national, and international media and we are replying to all inquiries. Follow us on Twitter (@riceresearch) or follow hashtag #goldenrice for updates.

More on Golden Rice.


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Mapping and GIS capacity strengthened to aid spread of stress-tolerant rice

An international training-workshop on the characterization of rice-growing environments was held on 24–26 July 2013 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The workshop, joined by 35 participants, aimed to facilitate the dissemination of stress-tolerant varieties in the region.

The 3-day training-workshop sought to introduce to and instruct participants on the use of various tools and techniques related to remote sensing, GIS, and other geospatial technologies for drought assessment and monitoring; characterization of drought-, submergence-, and salinity-prone areas; and targeted dissemination, real-time data collection and transfer, business management-to-extension system, and rice crop monitoring using satellite data—all to assess impact and prospects of enhancing rice production in the rainfed lowlands of South Asia through crop and natural resource management.

The event was opened by D.B. Gurung, executive director of the Nepal Agricultural Research Council, commending the Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) project for its success in targeted dissemination of stress-tolerant rice varieties in India and Bangladesh within a very short period of time, through the use of remote sensing and GIS techniques and applications. “I am very keen on IRRI replicating such an initiative in Nepal in the near future,” he said.

Dr. Gurung also applauded IRRI’s capacity building efforts, particularly through STRASA and EC-IFAD programs, for Nepalese scientists and extension officials.

Vijay Kumar Mallick, joint secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Development of Nepal, shared about experiences in Nepal regarding the work on remote sensing and GIS and requested IRRI’s support in identifying and characterizing target areas for dissemination of improved rice varieties.

Sudhanshu Singh, IRRI’s rainfed lowland agronomist for South Asia, welcomed participants to the event. A.N. Singh, GIS consultant, gave the overview, rationale, and expectations for the workshop.

Participants were brought on a field visit on 26 July.

The training-workshop was made possible through support from the STRASA and EC-IFAD projects.


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IRRI biometrics group releases statistical tool for Windows

The Biometrics and Breeding Informatics (BBI) group, under IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology (PBGB) division, has launched version 1.0 of the Statistical Tool for Agricultural Research, or STAR. 

STAR is a complete data management package that provides statistical analyses of experimental data. Its main modules and facilities are data management with a spreadsheet, descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlation and linear regression analysis, randomization with layout and electronic field book, and non-parametric data analysis. 

STAR runs on the Windows operating systems and has a user-friendly interface where options are accessible via drop-down menus. It uses the Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP) for the graphical interface and R language for statistical computing and graphics.

STAR version 1.0 may be downloaded from http://bbi.irri.org/.  Comments or suggestions are welcome and can be sent to STAR.bbi@irri.org. 

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