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International Rice Research Institute October-December 2009, Vol. 8, No. 4

Praying for rain Perils of the delayed Indian

Africa modernizes its rice production Tribute to Father of the Green Revolution Unusual weather patterns: signs of climate change?

US$5.00 ISSN 1655-5422 Rice Today October-December 2009 1 Riz_GSIT-Miami.qxp 27/05/09 10:40 Page 1

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Marine Industry Inspection & Verification in service Health, Safety & Environment Construction Certification Government Services & International Trade contents Vol. 8, No. 4 on the shoulders of giants...... 4 hidden treasure ...... 5 learning from the ...... 6

NEWS...... 7

People...... 9

Odd seasons...... 12 Mike Gale: scientist, mentor, A CLEARER PICTURE...... 14 AND humanist...... 35

FINDING A BALANCE...... 15 PIONEER INTERVIEWS...... 36

Myanmar: One year after a devastating drowned harvest...... 40 cyclone, a bitter harvest...... 18 grain gains...... 41 Rice in the golden state...... 20 monsoon and mortgage...... 42 THE RIGHT SEEd...... 26 When rats attack...... 44 The new frontier ...... 28 Rat trap ...... 46 A tribute to Norman Borlaug (1914-2009)...... 32 never an empty bowl...... 47 On the cover: Delayed monsoon in India has caused a 15–20% mechanical self-sufficiency...... 50 reduction in the country’s rice production. This has subsequently taken out 4% of the world’s rice supply 100 years of rice research...... 53 according to USDA estimates. As almost half of the nation’s states declare drought conditions and a rice facts: the global market pauses...... 54 possible food shortage looms before the country, children in Nari, Bari, lie in mud and pray for rain to maps ...... 56 come and shower their parched land. While India reels from drought conditions, other GRAIN OF TRUTH: circle irrigation...... 58 countries experience deluges that drown their crops. This issue features the many faces of climate change.

Rice Today is published by The Rice Trader Inc. (TRT) in association with the International Rice Research Institute International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, TRT, for 19 years, brought its subscribers crucial, up-to-the-minute information Web (IRRI): www.irri.org; www.irri.org/ricetoday on rice trade through its weekly publication, The Rice Trader. Acknowledged as Web (Library): http://ricelib.irri.cgiar.org the only source of confidential information about the rice market, this weekly Web (Rice Knowledge Bank): www.knowledgebank.irri.org summary of market data analysis has helped both the leading commercial rice companies and regional government officials make informed decisions, which are Rice Today editorial critical in today’s market. telephone: (+63-2) 580-5600 or (+63-2) 844-3351 to 53, ext 2725; fax: (+63-2) 580-5699 IRRI is the world’s leading international rice research and training center. Based or (+63-2) 845-0606; email: [email protected], [email protected] in the Philippines and with offices in 13 other countries, IRRI is an autonomous, nonprofit institution focused on improving the well-being of present and future cover photo © Rajesh Kumar Singh, Associated Press generations of rice farmers and consumers, particularly those with low incomes, publisher Jeremy Zwinger while preserving natural resources. It is one of the 15 nonprofit international associate publisher Duncan Macintosh research centers supported, in part, by members of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR – www.cgiar.org) and a range of other managing editor V. Subramanian funding agencies. editor Mia Aureus Responsibility for this publication rests with TRT and IRRI. Designations used associate editor Lanie Reyes in this publication should not be construed as expressing TRT or IRRI policy or contributing writers Gene Hettel, Sophie Clayton, Sam Mohanty, opinion on the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area, or its authorities, Leah Baroña-Cruz, Trina Leah Mendoza or the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Africa editor Savitri Mohapatra (AfricaRice) Rice Today welcomes comments and suggestions from readers. Rice Today copy editor Bill Hardy assumes no responsibility for loss of or damage to unsolicited submissions, which art director Juan Lazaro IV should be accompanied by sufficient return postage. designer and production supervisor Grant Leceta The opinions expressed by columnists in Rice Today do not necessarily reflect photo editors Chris Quintana, William Sta. Clara the views of TRT or IRRI. advertising manager Logan Wilson The Rice Trader Inc. circulation Lourdes Columbres 2707 Notre Dame Blvd., Chico, CA 95928 Web masters Forrest Orndorff, Serge Gregorio Web: www.thericetrader.com printer DHL Global Mail (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Copyright International Rice Research Institute 2009

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6 Rice Today October-December 2009 NEWS http://ricenews.irri.org Syngenta and IRRI collaborate to benefit Asia’s rice farmers Global team develops tools to unravel diversity of rice nother lane on the research Ahighway between the y looking at what different types nonprofit and private sector Bof rice have in common, a team of opens today to help deliver international scientists is unlocking rice’s technology-driven solutions genetic diversity to help conserve it and to rice farmers and the rice find valuable rice genes to help improve industry in the face of climate rice production. change and global food security Understanding rice’s valuable challenges. genetic diversity and using it to A Memorandum of breed new rice varieties will provide

Understanding (MOU) syngenta the foundation for improving rice signed in Singapore between production and securing global food the International Rice Research services, and alternative forms of supplies. Institute (IRRI) and Syngenta sets irrigation. Recently published online in the out a commitment between the two Public awareness events on rice Proceedings of the National Academy organizations to closely collaborate and scholarships for educating a new of Sciences (PNAS) are the findings of in undertaking rice research, to build generation of rice scientists are also the research team, which scrutinized scientific capacity, and to establish a scheduled to be part of the SKEP the genomes of 20 different types Scientific Know-How Exchange Program agreement. of genetically diverse rice used in (SKEP). The MOU and the anticipated SKEP international breeding. The SKEP will allow Syngenta will also ensure that IRRI, a nonprofit “We are hunting for snippets of DNA, and IRRI to pool their expertise and organization, can continue to widely called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or resources and focus on a number of deliver its research, including the seed of SNPs, that distinguish this rice,” says Dr. areas such as characterizing the genetic new rice varieties, to its partners. Neither Ken McNally from the International Rice diversity of rice, marker-assisted the MOU nor the SKEP will include any Research Institute (IRRI). “The collection breeding applications, and dealing with agreements on exclusive access to IRRI’s of SNPs that we have found is the most constraints to rice productivity. research or research outcomes. extensive in rice to date. “Syngenta has significant expertise “Our collaboration with IRRI, “If the rice types share a favorable in rice research, in the use of marker including the SKEP, is an important next trait, such as drought tolerance, high technology, and in the development of step in our close working relationship,” yield, or even desirable cooking quality holistic approaches to crop production says Mr. Peter Pickering, Syngenta’s head characteristics, they probably share and performance,” says Dr. Robert of Seeds for the Asia Pacific Region. “It similar SNPs contributing to that trait,” Zeigler, director general of IRRI. is entirely consistent with Syngenta’s he added. “This complements the strengths very strong commitment to rice in the Rice contains tens of thousands of IRRI, which include conserving the region and to improving outcomes for of genes, so finding a successful world’s largest collection of rice and rice farmers.” way to hunt through them all is a making it widely available, numerous On hand to witness the signing was major breakthrough. IRRI maintains breeding programs that produce new Syngenta Chairman Mr. Martin Taylor, the International Rice Gene Bank breeding lines and varieties of rice who was in the region visiting several of containing more than 109,000 types of that are made available to farmers Syngenta’s rice and research facilities. rice, yet relatively few have been used in worldwide, and expertise on all aspects In 2010, IRRI celebrates its 50th breeding programs. of sustainable and environment-friendly anniversary. Since its establishment, IRRI Director General Dr. Robert management for the key rice production IRRI has fostered many partnerships Zeigler says, “If breeders know more systems,” he explains. with the private sector and others that about the genetic makeup of rice, they “We will work together on have increased IRRI’s capacity to deliver can use it more effectively. As we face disseminating new crop management and on its mission to improve the welfare of more erratic changes in climate, we will postharvest technologies in key rice- rice farmers and consumers, particularly increasingly rely on using the untapped growing regions, including water-saving through higher rice yields. diversity of rice to develop new and irrigation and site-specific nutrient Announced in Singapore—an improved rice varieties.” management,” adds Dr. Zeigler. emerging hub for IRRI where it will raise This study represents a significant Future areas of research awareness about rice research and build international collaboration attracting collaboration on the agenda may alliances in the region—the MOU and researchers from Asia, North America, include insect resistance monitoring and subsequent SKEP are part of the latest and Europe who are interested in both management, newly emerging diseases, generation of IRRI’s collaboration with basic and applied science from evolution grain quality, weed management in dry- private-sector partners to increase the and crop domestication to practical seeded rice, water quality and ecosystem scope and impact of rice research. breeding.

Rice Today October-December 2009 7 NEWS http://ricenews.irri.org

G8 issues statement on global in the developing world they “are not a food security viable economic or logistical option for most farmers,” Dr. Zeigler says. Leaders of 40 states and international Breeders have found genes that organizations approved the L’Aquila provide resistance against rice blast. But Food Security Initiative (AFSI) at the plants equipped with these genes produce 2009 G8 Summit held in L’Aquila, Italy. lower-quality rice, and the fungus has Their objective is to invest 20 billion quickly evolved to overcome resistance dollars over 3 years to encourage rural in as little as 2 years. At last, however, development of poor countries. Initially scientists appear to have found a winner. invested funds amounted to 15 million Science, in its 21 August 2009 edition, dollars. reports that a team led by molecular The Initiative promotes the biologist Shuichi Fukuoka of ’s development of a global partnership National Institute of Agrobiological focused on agriculture and food security Sciences in Tsukuba describes a novel with the objective of prioritizing of gene that promises lasting the importance of agriculture on resistance without degrading grain taste. the international agenda, launching Source: Science, www.sciencemag.org new investments, and improving the efficiency of aid programs and regional coordination by involving all the “No-cook” rice developed partners. The Consultative Group on If Indian scientists are correct, hundreds International Agricultural Research of millions of people across the (CGIAR) endorsed the Initiative subcontinent could benefit from rice that with Bioversity International’s Emile “cooks” simply by being soaked in water. Frison, who was involved in the G8 Experts at the Central Rice Research expert meetings to develop the AFSI, Institute (CRRI) in Orissa who have

representing the CGIAR in the G8 usrpa developed the rice were inspired by so- Development Ministers’ Meeting. called soft rice, or komal saul, that grows The Initiative also mentions the in the northeast Indian state of Assam. CGIAR, among other international about its programs and the work of the Traditional recipes call for such rice to agricultural bodies, as one of its Consultative Group on International be soaked overnight in water, then eaten partners in its aims toward better Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centers. with mustard oil and onions. global governance, acknowledging the The U.S. Embassy requested the presence Until now, these low-yielding grains fundamental reform processes under way. of a number of CGIAR partners from have not grown outside the northeast, Source: www.g8italia2009.it the Cereal Systems Initiative for South but the scientists at CRRI have managed Asia (CSISA) and the International Rice to develop a hybrid of a traditional soft Research Institute (IRRI). rice with a high-yielding variety of Hillary Clinton visits India rice regular rice. The result has been called scene Aghunibora. Improved gene to tackle rice blast The institute’s director, Dr. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fungus T.P. Adhya, said that field trials of named agriculture as a major part of Aghunibora were already positive, renewed U.S.-India collaboration, and Having a blast is no fun for farmers. suggesting that it could be grown in pledged assistance from the Obama The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe different climates across India. “This is administration that may be in part oryzae can wipe out hectares at a time. the first time soft rice has been grown monetary. She announced this during her It is “a devastating problem,” says anywhere else,” he said. visit to the Indian Agricultural Research Robert Zeigler, a plant pathologist and The aim, he said, was to produce Institute (IARI) in July 2009. She noted director general of the International Rice a grain that would allow people across that, although India has 3% of the world’s Research Institute (IRRI). the country to prepare rice “simply by crop land, it feeds almost a fifth of the IRRI estimates that blast outbreaks putting it in water.” world’s population. can cut yields up to 85%. Fungicides are Source: The Independent, Clinton went to IARI to learn more widely used in developed countries, but www.independent.co.uk

8 Rice Today October-December 2009 people

Awards and recognition 7 (Rice Policy Support and Impact executive officer of the Cereal Systems Assessment). Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) project. RRI’s Rice Database, maintained Glenn Gregorio is back at IRRI CSISA brings together public- and Iby the IRRI Library, received the headquarters as plant breeder for abiotic private-sector organizations to develop Association of College and Research stresses (salinity and zinc deficiency) and deliver integrated technology Libraries (ACRL) Science and after a successful 3.5-year stint in solutions for sustainable intensification of Technology Section 2009 Oberly Award Nigeria. He will continue the work of major intensive cereal production systems for bibliography in the agricultural or R.K. Singh in these two areas as R.K. in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. natural sciences. The award is given Singh becomes senior scientist and New postdoctoral fellows are Alexis every 2 years to “the best English- regional plant breeding coordinator for Ndayiragije, who is with the IRRI- language bibliography in the field of East and southern Africa. He has moved Africa program; Shanta Karki and Jolly agriculture or any related science.” to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he Chatterjee for applied photosynthesis joins the new IRRI–Africa Rice Center and systems modeling in C4 rice; Yuko office. Nakano joins under the Bill & Melinda Keeping up with IRRI staff Paul Quick Gates Foundation project on stress- has joined IRRI tolerant rice; and Junghyun Shim works evelopment Director Duncan as principal with the Plant Breeding, Genetics, and DMacintosh has been named scientist and head Biotechnology Division. acting executive director of IRRI Fund of the applied IRRI bids farewell to Robert Singapore (IFS) following the Fund’s photosynthesis and Hijmans, senior scientist (GIS specialist); establishment in June. Director General systems modeling Terry Jacobsen, head of the Facilities

Robert Zeigler is IFS Board chair. team for C4 Rice. Management Unit; and Hari Bhagat Bill Hardy is now IRRI’s senior Martin Gummert is now senior Gurung, international research fellow. science editor. scientist (postharvest specialist). Guoyou Alexis Faulkner Ye has also come on board as senior joins IRRI as scientist (breeding informatics specialist). Obituaries consultant for the He will lead the development and Institute’s Golden deployment of germplasm information Mike Gale, former IRRI Board of Jubilee. She will serve management systems and will contribute Trustees member (2001-03), passed as the point person to related activities across the Institute. away on 18 July while attending a music for all information Mark Boru Douthwaite joins festival with his wife, Sue. Mike was a pertaining to IRRI’s IRRI as guest scientist and innovation highly distinguished scientist and has 50th-year celebrations. and impact director for the Challenge been honored internationally for his Gurdev Khush, former principal Program on Water and Food. contributions to cereal genetics and the plant breeder at IRRI, has been appointed New scientists genetic improvement of crops. His work eminent professor from 2008 to 2013 at are David Raitzer, and collaborations with cereal-mapping the Graduate School of Biotechnology of who will do impact groups worldwide founded the new Kyung-Hee University (KHU) in Suwon, assessment and science of comparative genomics. . He will work on the project priority setting for A Thai colleague, Yothin Konboon, Development of an Ecofriendly High- rice research as died of unknown causes on 27 August Yield New Plant Type Rice with a KHU it relates to food while attending a workshop at IRRI. professor. security, poverty Yothin was a soil scientist at the Ubon Thomas Metz, former interim reduction, rural Ratchathani Rice Research Center and head of the Crop Research Informatics livelihoods, human was a long-standing collaborator of Laboratory (CRIL), continues as head of health and nutrition, and environmental the Consortium for Unfavorable Rice CRIL-IRRI. Guy Davenport will head sustainability; M.S. Ramesha, who Environments. CRIL-CIMMYT. will develop high-yielding rice varieties Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, Richard Bruskiewich, formerly adapted to water-scarce conditions and known as the “Father of the Green bioinformatics specialist, is now suitable for direct-seeding and alternate Revolution,” died of complications computational/systems biologist and wetting and drying systems; Deepinder from cancer on 12 September. The deputy leader of the C4 Rice project. Noel Grewal, who will help develop elite Nobel committee honored Borlaug in Magor, head of the Training Center, is breeding lines with high iron and zinc 1970 for his contributions to high-yield now interim leader for IRRI’s Program contents in polished rice grains; and crop varieties and for bringing other 6 (Information and Communication). Fiona Hay, who will lead new areas of agricultural innovations to the developing Thelma Paris, gender specialist, has research to improve the operations of the world. Many experts credit the Green been appointed deputy head of the Genebank at IRRI and its coordination Revolution with averting global famine Social Sciences Division. Sushil Pandey with other rice genebanks. during the second half of the 20th century, continues his work as leader for Program M. Srinivas Rao is now the chief which perhaps saved 1 billion lives.

Rice Today October-December 2009 9 people

TR AINING COURSES AT IRRI Top 5 downloaded Upland Rice Variety Selection ­Techniques (for African countries) IRRI books on IRRI Training Center, Los Baños, Philippines, 9-13 November 2009 (targeted participants This is a one-week course for researchers 1. Principles and practices of rice production (http://snipurl.com/scytg) and extension officers from African countries who work in upland rice. The main objec- By Surajit K. De Datta tive is for participants to learn selection techniques for upland rice to enable them to 2. Small farm equipment for developing countries (http://snipurl.com/scyvu) develop rice variety selection plans and pro- By United States Agency for International Development, International Rice mote upland rice cultivation in Africa. The course will cover the theories and practices Research Institute of cultivation and management techniques of upland rice. After the course, participants 3. Rice is life (http://snipurl.com/scyx9) should be able to evaluate upland rice vari- eties that are suitable in African countries, Edited by K Toriyama, K L Heong, B Hardy, World Rice Research Conference, and also be knowledgeable of the mainte- nance and multiplication of breeders’ and International Rice Research Institute quality paddy seed. 4. The rice economy of Asia (http://snipurl.com/scyxt) This course is supported by the government of Japan through the Japan International By Randolph Barker, Robert W. Herdt, Beth Rose Cooperation Agency. 5. Technical handbook for the paddy rice postharvest industry in

Leadership for Asian Women in Agricul- developing countries (http://snipurl.com/scyzk) tural R&D and Extension IRRI Training Center, Los Baños, Philippines, By James E. Wimberly, International Rice Research Institute 23 November-3 December 2009 Topics include Asian women in the work- place, mainstreaming gender concerns in Top 10 PDF downloading countries the workplace, leadership and management, personality development, developing work- related knowledge and skills, and relating to 1. India 6. Malaysia others. 2. United States 7. China 3. Philippines 8. Indonesia For more details, contact Dr. Noel Magor, head, 4. vietnam 9. Iran IRRI Training Center ([email protected]) 5. Thailand 10. Japan or see www.training.irri.org.

NEW book www.irri.org/publications Integrated Crop and Resource Management in the Rice-Wheat System of South Asia

Edited by J.K. Ladha, Yadvinder-Singh, O. new technologies. This 395-page Erenstein, and B. Hardy. book presents the outputs of the Asian Development Bank project his book covers the history of the titled “Enhancing Farmers’ Income and TRice-Wheat Consortium and explains Livelihood through Integrated Crop the importance of resource-conserving and Resource Management in the technologies developed for this system, Rice-Wheat System in South Asia.” The such as laser land leveling, zero-till and goal is to produce more food at less reduced-till drill-seeded wheat, direct cost (by improving yield per unit area) seeding of rice, and a leaf color chart for and improve water productivity. This nitrogen management. is necessary because there will be an Through integrated crop and additional 20 million people per year in resource management, farmers can this area to feed. This book helps explain combine their practices with these how this can be done.

10 Rice Today October-December 2009 1. Rice Today Managing Editor V. Subramanian (center) takes the magazine to Myanmar. From left 1 to right: Tin Aung Latt, Tin Aung Lay, Yan Kyaw, and Htun Than.

2. The Rice Trader Happy Hour is never without the latest issue of Rice Today. From left to right: R. Sundar, N. Mohan, Raza Taqi, Sedat Andic, Jimmy Soh, Andrew Tan, and Edmund Siua.

3. Information and Communications Unit (ICU) staff of the International Center for Soil Fertil- ity (IFDC) reads every issue of Rice Today. In the front row (left to right) are IFDC editors Lisa Thigpen and Courtney White. Standing at the back (right) are Cheryl Bennet, IFDC librarian; and Tom Hargrove (left), recently retired ICU coordinator. Hargrove, who reads the IFDC Corporate Report in this photo, was editor, then head, of the IRRI Communication and Publications De- partment from 1973 through 1992.

4. Honeymoon read. IRRI newly wed staff Ruth Panela (left) 4 and husband, Red, take Rice Today with them to Hong Kong.

3 2

Rice Today October-December 2009 11 ariel javellana ariel Odd seasons Is it time to re-define our growing seasons?

by R. Wassmann, G. Centeno, and S.B. Peng

Unusual dry seasons in 2008 and 2009 cast suspicion on climate change

limate change has often been IRRI’s Climate Unit thus studied to work. Their photosynthetic process blamed for unusual weather this occurrence to assess the potential slows down, so the plants produce lower phenomena, especially the changes in the supposedly dry season of yields. Because of this, potential yield in extreme cases. But then Los Baños. the dry season is normally higher. When Cagain, climate has never been a “fixed” farmers plant rice in early January, the condition. It constantly changes. So, any Needed sunshine crop’s flowering and grain-filling stages detection of genuine signs of climate More sunshine translates into more fall right on time during April, when the change has to filter out the new but energy to convert atmospheric carbon month’s bright sunny days bring enough normal climate patterns that occur at the dioxide and water into carbohydrates solar radiation to achieve maximum plant same time. In the Philippines, variations that subsequently result in higher rice photosynthesis. in climate are largely influenced by El yields. If the sun becomes covered by Oddly, however, almost all the Niño, which is an irregular climatic clouds, especially heavy dark clouds days of the 2008 and 2009 dry season occurrence. It generally arrives every 3 that bring rains, rice plants find it harder received low radiation (see Fig. 1). The to 5 years. Rice is grown in the Philippines during two distinct seasons—the dry and the wet season. The dry season, from January to April, tends to produce higher yields than the wet season, from July to October. Climatic changes within these seasons can significantly affect rice production. Thus, farmers and researchers alike grew concerned when they experienced very wet conditions during the first months of 2008 and 2009. Those in Los Baños, Laguna, where the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is situated, wondered whether the weather was undergoing some fundamental changes. Given such occurrence, should we start re-defining Fig. 1. Average daily radiation in the dry season at the IRRI farm. our growing seasons? Data source: IRRI Climate Unit.

12 Rice Today October-December 2009 Ms. Centeno, IRRI associate scientist, Moreover, these Its counterpart, La Niña, is more monitors the weather at the wetland values are about associated with high rainfall. La Niña agromet station. 20% below the 30- conditions prevailed from early 2007 year average dry- to early 2009. Its occurrence in 2007- season value. They 08 was the strongest within the past are even lower 20 years. Over the past few months, than the 30-year however, La Niña has transitioned average wet-season to El Niño. According to the World value, which is 16.5 Meteorological Organization, during megajoules per June and July 2009, the ocean surface square meter per in the central and eastern equatorial day (from June to Pacific has been substantially September of 1979- warmer than normal, supporting 2009). the development of El Niño through the remainder of 2009 and probably Too much rain into the first quarter of 2010. In all The wettest dry likelihood, the next dry season will not season in the past be as wet as the preceding ones. 30 years occurred in 2009 (see Fig. 2). Unusual dry seasons This year also had Following these observations, it can the highest daily be said that the dry seasons of 2008 rainfall amount and 2009 were more like a wet season ever recorded in for the rice crop. Is this evidence of a dry season. To climate change? Should we indeed note, rainfall on 21 start re-defining our growing seasons? April (104.1 mm) At this point, it is still premature was extremely high to describe this as a symptom of a compared with the persistent trend. Scattered over the average rainfall of past decades were years with unusually 152 mm over the high rainfall, but none of which had a chrisanto quintano chrisanto entire dry season. discernible trend as 2008 and 2009 did. We will remember the dry season of average daily radiation from January to El Niño effect 2009, but we have yet to see whether April was 14.9 and 15.1 megajoules per The interannual variability of the this extreme case will occur again square meter per day in 2008 and 2009, climate in the Philippines—as well soon. respectively. Significantly, these values as in all of Southeast Asia—is also Two years of study are simply are the lowest since 1979, when IRRI’s largely determined by El Niño. El not enough to detect any statistically weather station started recording data. Niño corresponds to the wet years. significant amount of climate change. We do, however, need to carefully watch future development in terms of seasonal shifts. If wet dry seasons occur more frequently, breeding programs and crop management recommendations will have to be adjusted quickly to help farms continue to yield more rice despite poor radiation and more rainfall.

Dr. Wassmann is the coordinator of the Rice and Climate Change Consortium, Ms. Centeno is an associate scientist in the Climate Change Unit at IRRI, and Dr. Peng is a senior crop physiologist in Fig. 2. Average daily rainfall during the dry season recorded at the IRRI Wetland Agromet Station, 1979 to 2009. the Crop and Environmental Sciences Data source: IRRI Climate Unit. Division at IRRI.

Rice Today October-December 2009 13 by G. Centeno, K. Sumfleth, A clearer picture and R. Wassmann

orecasting changes in climate however, these resolutions tend to fall area has and by identifying hot spots of has always been a complex task. short of providing a clearer picture. high vulnerability, that is, rice production However, with the development of Although for now GCM cannot provide areas that are especially vulnerable to new regional downscaling tools, finer resolution, regional downscaling expected climate change (see figure). suchF as PRECIS, studying the causes tools have been developed to complement The report hoped to help the government and patterns of climate change has at last GCM. One of these tools is PRECIS, and other stakeholders in their long-term become less difficult. which can produce high-resolution planning and policy development to PRECIS, or Providing Regional climate change scenarios for a selected improve rice production. Climates for Impact Studies, was target region. With the success of this initial developed by the Hadley Centre of Understanding the advantages of research, IRRI will also do similar the UK Meteorological Office for this tool, the International Rice Research assessments in other rice-growing impact studies in developing countries. Institute’s (IRRI) Climate Unit has now countries in the next few years. In fact, Previously, climatologists mainly used adopted PRECIS in its studies of climate the IRRI office in India has already General Circulation Models (GCM) change in relation to rice growing. started doing a study on northern India. that operate at a global scale and can In its first study done in 2009 in the generate illustrations with a resolution Philippines, it was able to assess potential ranging from 150 × 150 km to 300 × 300 rice production output in seven provinces Dr. Sumfleth is a visiting research fellow km. In studying more regional scopes, by analyzing the type of climate each at IRRI.

Note: The authors would like to thank the Bilateral Programme Budget of the British Embassy for partially funding this project, and also the Information and Technology Services staff of IRRI for their technical assistance in operating the climate server.

14 Rice Today October-December 2009 william sta. clara sta. william Finding a balance by M. Alberto, Y. Hosen, and R. Wassmann

ice thrives in a flooded respectively. Although the consequences ecosystem. These conditions for the sustainability of rice fields remain enrich the nutrients available unknown, it is worthwhile to thoroughly for the crop’s growth, allowing assess the use of aerobic rice, and AWD, Rfarmers to reap abundant harvests. as an option to mitigate the dire effects The downside, however, is that this of climate change and, at the same time, flooded ecosystem emits large amounts reduce emissions. of methane—a major greenhouse gas Hence, in response to these (GHG)—that contribute to global climate concerns, IRRI conducted two distinct change. field measurements to determine just how One of the effects of climate much AWD and aerobic rice growing change is drought, which now occurs contribute to climate change (see more frequently in some regions. This Goodbye gas on page 14 of Rice Today aggravates water shortages, which thus Vol. 6, No. 3). threaten rice production even more. Hence, water-saving techniques have One goes down, another goes up been developed, particularly by the Methane emissions from rice fields are International Rice Research Institute mainly determined by the application (IRRI), such as alternate wetting and of water and organic inputs. Again, drying (AWD) and the growing of the more flooded the field is, the more aerobic rice in well-drained, nonpuddled, methane is released. The emission of and nonsaturated soils (see The big this particular GHG is also influenced squeeze on pages 26-31 of Rice Today by the type of soil, weather, tillage Vol. 7, No. 2, and High and dry on pages management, residue, fertilizer, and rice 28-31 of Rice Today Vol. 6, No. 4). cultivar. Recent assessments of irrigated In this bid to conserve water, rice cultivation estimate that, in 2000, however, the environmental impacts of its global emissions were equivalent these methods have yet to be established. to 625 million metric tons of carbon As farmers try to save water Needless to say, the two water- dioxide. saving techniques have advantages Since flooding the soil sustains in the face of shortages, and disadvantages. AWD, for one, methane emissions, shifting to a more maintains the basic features of flooded conservative way of applying water in they also have to contend rice fields and keeps the potential rice fields appears to be the best solution for high production intact. However, to reduce the amount of methane released with climate change that although this practice reduces methane into the atmosphere. To note, AWD emissions, it can potentially increase the effectively lessens the water used in makes water in their fields release of nitrous oxide—another GHG. irrigation by 15–30%. Aerobic rice systems similarly entail The first experiment IRRI did in even scarcer drastic changes in carbon and nitrogen 2006 covered eight crop seasons and emissions and canopy temperature measured GHG emissions captured that contribute to global warming and in chambers installed in AWD fields. aggravate heat stress for the rice plants, This study confirmed that water-

Rice Today October-December 2009 15 Camera m. alberto m.

CO2/H2O analyzer Sonic anemometer Radiation sensors

Data logger Solar pannel

Temperature/humidity probes

Batteries

Figure. Eddy covariance system installed at IRRI.

saving techniques are indeed effective heat, water vapor, and carbon dioxide carbon from the atmosphere than in mitigating the net global warming in a lowland (flooded) and aerobic rice aerobic rice fields. This is attributed to potential (GWP) of rice fields. environment using the eddy covariance lowland rice’s higher photosynthetic These methods, however, raise (EC) method (see Figure). capacity to convert carbon into organic the risk of increasing nitrous oxide EC is the standard micrometeoro- compounds and to the slow organic emissions when a high amount of nitrogen logical method that directly measures matter decomposition in flooded soils. fertilizer is applied. This can offset CO2 and heat exchange over a larger In turn, the conversion from a flooded to or even supersede any GWP savings area. Unlike the chambers used in the an aerobic system entails net emissions made by lowered methane emissions. study described above that cover an area from soil organic carbon that have to be These findings can be used to explain of only 1 square meter per chamber, the taken into account to compute the net conflicting reports on the net GWP water- EC’s minimum scope is a 100-meter GWP of these systems. saving techniques had in earlier studies radius corresponding to a field size of Moreover, IRRI found out that the conducted in different regions and under 4 hectares when the system is located temperature and water vapor profiles different N management practices. There in the center. The EC system at IRRI in rice canopies of these two different seems to be a growing consensus that is actually the first in the Philippines. environments vary significantly. The water-saving techniques can still keep Powered by a solar panel, the system difference was particularly observed nitrous oxide emissions relatively low if consists of a sonic anemometer that in the records of what is scientifically nitrogen is applied in appropriate doses. senses wind coming from all directions called “sensible heat flux” and “latent Thus, the aim should be to combine to record its gas composition, an open- heat flux.” Sensible heat is the energy techniques of (1) water saving and (2) path CO2/H2O infrared analyzer, as well that warms the surrounding air, whereas efficient N-use management as a means to as sensors for radiation, temperature, latent heat is the energy stored as water reduce GHG emissions. and humidity. All these sensors can vapor. IRRI learned that, on an annual generate 10 data records per second. basis, aerobic rice fields had 58% more The warmer field These data are then stored in a data sensible heat flux and flooded fields IRRI conducted its second study in logger. had 18% more latent heat flux. This 2008 during the wet and dry seasons Based on the 2008 findings, distinction has implications for the to compare the seasonal changes in lowland rice fields sequester more heat stress the rice plant is exposed to

16 Rice Today October-December 2009 by Reiner Wassmann william sta. clara sta. william Food vs. gas IRRI finds a way to ensure food security and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions

he International Rice Research can reduce GHG emissions in a given Institute’s (IRRI) work has area of rice land, but, in most cases, Tdemonstrated the potential the saved water will then be used to to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) irrigate more rice land or new crops in emissions in rice production with future seasons. Subsequently, reduced relatively low opportunity costs emissions caused by these techniques and, in some cases, with increased are offset by emissions created in productivity. Adapting technologies newly irrigated land. Ironically, if to local conditions is necessary, and the saved water were channeled to this involves local farmers, extension other users, for example, in residential agents, and research institutions in areas, one could rightfully claim technology design and dissemination. CERs because of a net reduction in Technically, methane reduction global warming potential (GWP) from irrigated rice could be a caused by the mitigation project. promising strategy to mitigate GHG Increasing food production is Ruth Agbisit, assistant scientist at IRRI, collects a gas sample from a field chamber through a manual emissions in line with the idea of an absolute necessity for the human gas collection system. Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) population, and improved resource- introduced in the Kyoto Protocol use efficiencies are imperative to (http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/ achieving this goal. As an agricultural convkp/kpeng.pdf). According to research institution devoted to in either system. Heat stress caused by this regulation, farmers can receive increasing food production, IRRI high temperatures is aggravated by high payments from a private or public proposes specific provisions for CER humidity. The distinct microclimates in institution in an industrialized allocations in the land-use sector the canopy result in more temperature- country for reducing GHG emissions. to converge the legitimate goals of related stress in nonflooded rice fields In the next step, a designated panel food security and GHG mitigation and more vapor-related stress in flooded of the United Nations Framework in a Copenhagen agreement. Our fields. Convention on Climate Change suggestion is to compute net GWP Facing climate change (http://cdm.unfccc.int/index.html) savings based on food production can approve CERs that can be used targets. As long as saved resources, As much as growing rice and saving by the purchasing institution as part namely, water and fertilizer, are water are important, their effects on of its required contingent of emission used to increase food production in climate change mean more challenges savings. a resource-efficient manner, it seems ahead. This demonstrates how complex Now, however, there is no CER unreasonable to account for new the world can be, as we try to plug one project in rice production. One emissions as offsets in or leakages hole and another one bursts open that obstacle is the reluctance of the from a mitigation project. equally needs attention. Nevertheless, UNFCCC panel this only goes to show how the world to accept projects needs to find a balance. Aside from in the land-use saving water, it is also important to sector. Even if this consider the overall effect of these water- changes in the clara sta. william saving technologies on climate change, near future, the while at the same time ensuring food existing regulations security. for CERs obstruct funding of GHG mitigation through water-saving Ms. Alberto, assistant scientist, and Dr. projects. Water- IRRI technician collects a soil Hosen, soil scientist, are working with saving techniques solution sample in an AWD field. the Rice and Climate Change Consortium at IRRI.

Rice Today October-December 2009 17 myanmar One year after a devastating cyclone, a bitter harvest

by Richard Stone

Myanmar weathered Cyclone Nargis better than expected, but the global financial crisis has jeopardized the country’s fragile food security

uring the night of 2 May way for another crisis—the global security. Priorities of the U.N.-managed 2008, Cyclone Nargis financial meltdown—to push Myanmar fund are expected to include microcredit barreled across Myanmar’s to the brink of catastrophe. Credit has schemes, agricultural policy reform, Ayeyarwady delta, evaporated, paddy farmers are going small business development, and R&D to D flattening homes and sweeping away broke, and household rice stores are boost agricultural productivity. people, draft animals, and stores of rice. dwindling. “The country’s rural economy Nargis meted out a major blow to On a visit to the region 4 months later, has virtually collapsed,” an official with fragile farm communities. With gusts plant physiologist Abdelbagi Ismail saw International Development Enterprises, topping 200 kilometers an hour, the vestiges of the storm’s fury, including a nonprofit operating in Myanmar, said cyclone cut a swath of devastation 150 tidal-surge watermarks kilometers wide as it

IRRI more than 2.5 meters / churned northeast across high on the few trees left the Ayeyarwady delta and

JOHNSON

standing. He witnessed D over Yangon (formerly

AVI the lingering anguish D Rangoon), Myanmar’s of survivors who lost capital and biggest city. entire families among the The tidal surge swamped 140,000 people dead or an estimated 783,000 missing. “The scene was hectares of paddy fields, shocking, and the stories destroying a third of the we heard from farmers crop in the delta, the were horrific,” says Ismail, country’s rice bowl. Local who with four colleagues rice varieties are tall and from the International Rice blow down easily, says Research Institute (IRRI) Ismail, and they succumb in Los Baños, Philippines, readily when fields are went to Myanmar flooded or salty. Nargis (formerly Burma) to Resilience. Nargis survivors transplanting rice also ruined much of the last August in the Ayeyarwady delta. advise local scientists on delta’s rice seeds, which how to restore rice yields had been stored in bamboo after the cyclone. containers that were A year after one of the deadliest to a gathering of food security experts in easily water-logged. “Nargis made a bad cyclones in modern history, Myanmar’s Yangon in March. “The current conditions food-security situation worse,” says Zoe food security teeters on a knife’s edge. are unprecedented in living memory.” Hensby, livelihoods adviser at DFID. Emergency food relief averted starvation To help Myanmar cope, the At first, Burmese scientists feared among the 2.4 million survivors in the European Commission, Australia, the that delta paddies would remain too delta, and rice production countrywide U.K.’s Department for International saline to grow rice for months. “From has largely rebounded thanks to Development (DFID), and other donors the beginning, our advice was not to favorable weather and the use of high- are establishing LIFT, a $100 million, worry about it,” says Ismail. According yield varieties. But Nargis paved the 5-year fund for livelihoods and food to observations after the December

18 Rice Today October-December 2009 2004 tsunami and Cyclone Sidr, which travel to all areas of the tightly controlled situation will remain critical until July. slammed Bangladesh in November country for a month last autumn. In the meantime, the global financial 2007, salt intrusions were washed out the Robust rice yields were about the downturn has exposed and aggravated following rainy season. Nargis came at only piece of good news that Fang’s team the frailties of Myanmar’s agricultural the end of Myanmar’s dry season, just uncovered. In addition to the appalling system. “Many households are facing before cleansing rains. By the time the human toll, Nargis drowned 122,000 unprecedented levels of hardship,” says IRRI team arrived in the middle of the water buffalo and robbed survivors of Hensby. monsoon season in August, salinity was farm implements and fishing boats and To mitigate the impact of future back to normal in fields they inspected gear. “Many families lost everything: cyclones, IRRI has sent submergence- and farmers had managed to replant 80% their homes, property, and job and salt-tolerant rice varieties to of disaster-hit paddies. “They bounced opportunities,” says Fang. Myanmar for testing. IRRI’s Irrigated back and had a crop in the ground,” says The U.N. team also noted that Nargis Rice Research Consortium is also IRRI’s Grant Singleton. “They showed coincided with a grave pest infestation working with Burmese universities to tremendous resilience.” in Chin, Myanmar’s poorest state. In incorporate cutting-edge technologies Such perseverance helped Myanmar a phenomenon that recurs every half- and knowledge into curricula to better last year to export nearly half a million century or so, bamboo flowered en masse train future agricultural scientists and tons of rice, according to a report last in Chin in 2007. The sudden fecundity extension officers. Myanmar may have January for the United Nations Food and fueled an explosion in the rat population. weathered Nargis better than expected, Agriculture Organization (FAO) and “When this happens, it is invariably a but the country’s food security is more the U.N. World Food Programme. “The major traumatic event,” says Singleton, vulnerable than ever. paddies are recovering,” says Cheng Fang, a zoologist who specializes in rodents. an economist at FAO’s Global Information Last year, rats decimated Chin’s corn and Early Warning System on Food and and rice harvests, “leading to acute food Reprinted with permission from Science Agriculture in Rome. His team had rare insecurity in many villages,” according to magazine. Mr. Stone is the Asia editor of permission from Myanmar authorities to the U.N. report, which forecasts that the Science.

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© 2008 Monsanto Co. Monsanto Imagine and the Vine Design are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. It was a delight getting the various interested parties together in California to highlight this region’s advancements in rice research and production. Like many rice-growing areas in the world, California is not exempt from the challenges facing rice production such as water scarcity. Nevertheless, this region never fails to strive to achieve sustainability. In fact, it is a great pleasure to live in the California rice valley and work with these different players every day. The successive articles in this section feature the diverse regulatory, research, political, and economic needs of the California rice industry, as the authors all aim to give a glimpse of rice in California.

by Jeremy Zwinger there has not been any substantial change is approximately 350,000 tons. There is a in the market in recent years. The system huge hole in the exportable supply then, remains rather tight because, among the as the year progresses, and as customers Japonica update japonica rice exporters, the U.S. is the wait for the crop from the Northern Since many of our readers are very only one left exporting. This is especially Hemisphere to arrive. interested in this subsection of the the case in the higher quality markets. Following the weather problem, market, I felt compelled to do a special One of the key variables to watch in perhaps the next question is, When will overview of the risk areas in this region. the global japonica market is the weather Egypt lift its export ban on japonica rice? For those who do not work or trade in that has affected the key producing Egypt imposed the export ban this market, this could be a good eye regions. The drought in Australia, for primarily to protect its domestic market opener on the effects of supply shortage example, has brought the country’s from excessive price shocks. With the and the critical nature of water reserves. crop production to nearly zero, and has Indian monsoon largely affecting global There are only four main exporters significantly reduced the global supply production this year, I believe that of japonica rice—China, Australia, of japonica rice (see graph on page 22). Egypt will likely regard national food Egypt, and the United States. A review This problem is also shown in Australia’s security as its top priority and keep the of these exporters is the best way coming 2010 crop, which is estimated ban in place until October 2009, at least. to summarize this particular rice’s to produce a total of only 75,000 tons. Similar to what happened in 2008, this exportable supply. It is also a good way to Consequently, this means another year of restriction would result in rising prices. predict price direction, given the growing no supplies for the export market, as the Prior to these problems, Egypt used overall demand for japonica. Basically, country’s domestic annual consumption to export 1 million metric tons of rice

Rice in California 20 Rice Today October-December 2009 Rice Today October-December 2009 21 annually. In 2008, however, the country exported just 300,000 to 400,000 metric California breeding by Kent McKenzie RES initiated a grower-funded accelerated breeding program in 1969. It tons. A majority of the export contracts hired three rice breeders and expanded the program. In one of its projects, RES included special terms and restrictions, as New and improved rice varieties sweep across America’s rice bowl incorporated the semidwarf trait into Calrose. Then, it added the earlier maturity the government tried to minimize price through the hard work of the Rice Experiment Station and support trait by cross-breeding the variety with induced mutants and a tropical indica impacts on the local market. Because from the California rice industry. variety (IR8). Large-scale crossing, effective selection screening, and yield testing of the tight supply situation worldwide, proved to be very effective in coming up with new and better varieties. In fact, Egypt might play the same cards again The first successful plantings of California rice occurred a century ago, some 60 the recently developed medium grains have significantly improved yield, kernel this year. Egypt will most likely continue miles (96 km) north of Sacramento. size, and whole-kernel milling yield. to minimize its exports to protect Recognizing the clear need for research, the Sacramento Valley Grain So, by 1992, more than 95% of California’s rice area was planted with domestic prices. I believe this is an Association, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the University improved semidwarf rice. Average yields rose to 3.6 tons per acre (9 tons per accurate analysis of the situation. Note, of California (UC) established the Rice Experiment Station (RES) near Biggs in hectare). Together with improved short and long grains, the program also however, that this is always questionable because the Egyptian government could 1912. released varieties considered as “specialty market types.” change its mind at any time. This visionary concept of bringing The RES Breeding Program continues growers, researchers, and other rice to improve varieties. During the Rice Field The drought in Australia and the Data source: The Rice Trader limited exports from Egypt, when industry players together to address Day held in September 2009, Dr. Jacob Lage combined with the very little carryout and support California’s rice production reported that, under the medium-grain in the California market, will probably State University have the potential to After 3 years of drought, California’s continues to be a successful model. In project, the stability of milling yield has keep prices up for some time. One must compete with the varieties grown in water reservoirs have gone down to very 1969, it was used to set up the California been recovered in some very early maturing watch the market dynamics very closely California. Jupiter was the first variety risky levels. This could greatly reduce Rice Research Board that funds the RES varieties of the Calrose line. They are now in as the year progresses. An increase in the introduced. But, now, there is an even production unless the next year brings Rice Breeding Program and UC Rice advanced testing and seed increase stage. number of players in the U.S., specifically better one called Neptune. This event more rain. Research Projects. Likewise, the founding Dr. Jodari, the long-grain project leader, in the California market, has also spurred will greatly affect the overall supply Moreover, the Japanese market must of the California Rice Commission in 1999 expressed his enthusiasm about the cooking competition for paddy buying, which and demand equation as the South must also be watched, as the recent change made use of funding from rice farmers quality of the conventional varieties and has thus resulted in a higher cost of raw now equate the production of indica in the government—the first change product. This can especially be noted (long-grain) varieties against the new in parties since the government was and milling and marketing organizations. several specialty-type long-grain varieties from the intense amount of cash trade that japonica (medium-grain) varieties. This set up after World War II—could alter The California Cooperative Rice that are being developed. Dr. Virgilio Andaya, replaced the old pool system, which is an situation reminds us of the old adage the buying structure (the World Trade Research Foundation (CCRRF) is a grower-funded, private, nonprofit research on the other hand, shared his work that uses marker-assisted selection as a new odd type of private cooperative, and also that too much of a good thing can turn Organization–based tender buying with foundation that owns and operates RES. The 478-acre (191 hectares) RES tool for his premium-quality short-grain breeding project. Moreover, the annual from Australia’s move to buy a mill in into something bad. In this case, it has restriction on commercial imports). facility supports breeding and genetics research, agronomic research, and seed event also showcased RES’s improved facilities, namely, the new DNA marker California to fulfill contracts and demand. induced competition. The 2010 crop Japan now buys more than 50% of the production. Since its inception, the RES has provided many improved varieties laboratory, greenhouses, and the enhanced cold-tolerance screening facilities. The Australian businesses continue to will likely be firm proof of this fact, as U.S. medium-grain exports. Therefore, that have benefited the California rice industry. Funding used for these capital improvements came from donations made by work to fill their markets in the Middle southern U.S. growers gain the ability Japanese demand is critical in providing From 1918 to the 1950s, California primarily grew only two tall, japonica various rice industry players to support California’s rice research. East and the Pacific. High-quality to choose between indica and japonica direction in the market. Japan’s very poor short-grain varieties, Caloro and Colusa. Both were originally from Japan and material will then be short of supply. varieties. This can potentially shift the growing season caused by the excessive China. In 1947, RES produced the medium-grain Calrose—a product of a It is also important to watch the competitive balance of equations. wet and cloudy weather could affect backcrossing program for Caloro. After its release, Calrose became the main Dr. McKenzie is the director of the California Rice Experiment Station. He is also a introduction of new medium-grain rice Like Australia, California also production as well. Morakot variety grown throughout the 1970s. plant breeder at RES. varieties in the southern states of the experienced a great deal of weather aggravated the situation by damaging U.S. These varieties from Louisiana issues that must be watched closely. crops in Japan and .

All in it together by Tim Johnson Research Board spends US$1.5–2 million a year to fund the public breeding program at the California Cooperative Rice Research Station. In addition, important pest and disease research is funded through the University of California rice growers work together to tackle the tough problems California (UC) and other research centers across the nation—all specifically for concerning their crops the benefit of California producers. After this brief overview of the global japonica market, it is my hope that readers now understand This initiative paved the way for the development of short-stature Research japonica varieties, specifically suited to the state’s Mediterranean climate. the necessity of uniting rice research and rice trade. Severe weather patterns continue to affect Four decades ago, California’s rice farmers joined together to fund research, The modern-day Calrose varieties, as well as the premium medium-grain and production. Population is increasing at rates higher than yield increases. Rice research is thus critical specifically to advance varietal development and agronomics for the state’s short-grain varieties, have all been developed through the grower-funded producers. Coming from this geographically isolated region that produces breeding. Yield advancements and improvements in quality over the past 40 to providing a stable food supply, and is the first step in the supply chain of rice trade. Although japonica rice, growers realized that advancing production in the state would years have allowed California to realize some of the highest single-crop yields the japonica market is only a small cross-section of global rice trade, it nonetheless highlights the require a commitment to new varieties and new production techniques. in the world. Using a state law that allows growers to levy a special tax on themselves, The state also pioneered production systems that included water-seeded impact that weather, population, research, and shortage have on securing a stable food supply. the industry formed the California Rice Research Board (CRRB) in 1969. The rice. Specific methods for controlling watergrass, broadleaf weeds, and rice water

22 Rice Today October-December 2009 Rice Today October-December 2009 23 weevil are especially important to growers who have few chemical controls, as management practices to reduce the amount of these constituents that leave the the use of pesticides is strictly controlled by state and federal regulations. rice fields. Improving air quality is also important in a state that is largely urban. Regulation Twenty years ago, the industry came under close public scrutiny for the age- Following the successful model for research, the industry formed the California old practice of burning rice straw at the end of every harvest. Although the Rice Commission (CRC) 10 years ago to address the unique regulatory and public practice is a widely accepted method to reduce disease and weed pressure in policy challenges faced by the state’s rice farmers and handlers. With some of the following year, the impact on air in the region was unacceptable. Working the most stringent state regulatory requirements in the world, rice farmers in with regulators and lawmakers, the industry gradually phased out this practice, California are expected to comply with the exacting air, water, and pesticide while it developed alternatives to burning. The farmers were able to work out a policies. practice of re-flooding the fields and incorporating water to the straw to aid in CRC implements extensive surface-water quality programs that monitor decomposition. agricultural drains and streams for pesticides, and also the nutrients and metals associated with rice production. The assessments are paid by farmers and rice Mr. Johnson is the president and CEO of the California Rice Commission that handlers. Working closely with UC and CRRB, the Commission also develops represents the entire California rice industry.

On their toes by Jim Hill

Researchers in California keep up with the changing times and find solutions to problems affecting rice production

Following the International Rice Research Institute’s (IRRI) release of variety IR8, California growers approved in 1969 a self-assessed funding to speed up the lagging effort in rice breeding. The farmers in California wanted to catch up with the programs at IRRI and in other parts of the world. Hence, the Rice Experiment Station (RES) focused on plant breeding, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) concentrated on breeding methodology and genetics, while the University of California (UC) zoomed in on plant production, protection, Furthermore, the RRB has also funded far-reaching programs in agricultural engineering, and other aspects of rice productivity. The California environmental toxicology, believing that it is always better to participate in the Rice Research Board (RRB) provided the funding for UC and USDA research. Since regulation (and de-regulation) of crop protection chemicals than to take a passive the RRB was established, it has given a cumulative total funding of US$20 million role. Thus, in the past 30 years, rice production and research in California have (current value). been fully integrated with environmental research. One good example is how the One of the RRB’s early decisions that proved to be remarkably foresighted study on rice pesticides in the early 1980s led to improved water management was the incorporation of the California rice variety testing program into the UC’s that helped reduce herbicide content in the Sacramento River by 98%. extension service. This allowed advanced lines from the RES to be given out to Over the years, UC and RES research has focused increasingly on rice local extension advisors in a coordinated statewide effort to test the developed diseases caused by exotic pests. This has helped solve the problem of blast varieties under different environments. disease (which was previously not a problem in California) and bakanae disease. Ten years after the release of IR8, California farmers had their first semidwarf But, perhaps the most pressing issue concerning current production is the variety, Calrose 76, which was developed by USDA through induced mutation. persistent growth of herbicide-resistant weeds. University researchers are now Next, RES breeders came out with semidwarf varieties produced in studying alternative systems such as minimum tillage and intermittent water cooperation with the USDA and UC. This event ushered in California’s “green management to shift weed recruitment to more vulnerable species. However, revolution” in rice. such shifts also change fertility, and water and pest management. This must be A number of important early contributions to rice productivity, however, further studied by an interdisciplinary team. came from UC Davis’s research projects that were funded by the RRB. The Forty years after the first referendum for grower-supported research was research test on the impact of using water as a heat sink against cold night-time passed, one thing is abundantly clear—nature abhors a vacuum. For every temperatures resulted in the practice of raising water levels in the field from 10 problem solved, a new one emerges, underscoring the need to be always vigilant Organized by: to 20 centimeters before flowering to protect the crop from cold temperature– in matters of rice productivity and food supply. induced floret sterility. Next, studies on the life cycle of rice water weevils demonstrated that egg-laying adults have limited flying ability; thus, only the Dr. Hill is a professor and extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences perimeter of the rice field basins needs to be treated with insecticides. UC Davis of the University of California, Davis. He also serves as the associate dean for research was also able to identify zinc deficiency as the cause of the so-called International Programs in the university’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sponsorship opportunities available! “alkali disease.” Sciences. Don’t miss your chance to connect with key players in the Americas Rice Industry. Build your brand through our integrated international marketing program!

REGISTER TODAY! Email [email protected] Tel: +1 (530) 345-4140 24 Rice Today October-December 2009 Response of nontolerant seedlings to glyphosate herbicide. ervices (3) ervices S rop rop C & & d ee S merica, merica, A orth orth N

SGS

The right seed

by Amanda Patin

Choosing seeds carefully can help farmers reap bountiful harvests and good profits

ice is grown throughout Determining the type of seed to ISTA testing methods, on the other hand, the southern United States, plant can be a daunting task. Over the apply internationally and facilitate seed particularly in Arkansas, years, technological advancements movement across borders. Standard Louisiana, Mississippi, through conventional breeding and germination places the seed in ideal RMissouri, Texas, Florida, and California. genetic modification have significantly growing conditions to determine the The U.S. ranks 11th in world rice expanded the array of seeds for selection. maximum germination potential of the production. Interestingly, according to the However, one cannot simply choose seed. The acceptable growing medium U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), seeds randomly. The need to meet is sand or a paper-based product. The the southern states have increased their the growing demand for food and the incubation period is 14 days, and the rice area except for California. Arkansas increase in plantings on marginal lands temperature can be adjusted from 20 to and Missouri, in particular, have expanded have placed great emphasis on seed 30 °C or kept constant at 25 °C (AOSA their planted rice area by 12%, leading to quality. Seed quality and purity play a 2008). ISTA specifies some pretreatments an expected 4% increase in rice exports. critical role in the crop’s success. to the seed to assist in breaking seed In fact, USDA projects the total rice Because of this, testing methods dormancy. These can be a 50 °C preheat supply for the 2009-10 season will be have been developed to help evaluate period or a 24-hour presoak in water or 268.2 million cwt (13.41 million tons), seeds. potassium nitrate (ISTA 2009). which is 7% higher than the 2008-09 Standard germination methods for Rice vigor tests are used to help rank output. About 3.7 million cwt of the last testing rice seed for both Association the seeds’ potential performance under season’s harvest was used as seed rice for of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) and less-than-ideal conditions. Typically, 2009-10. International Seed Testing Association the seed is subjected to a heat or cold In growing rice, the field’s (ISTA) rules are similar and produce stress. The accelerated aging test uses a environment and the conditions during similar results. The AOSA seed testing measured quantity of seed on a screen, growth and harvest affect the quality of methods are mainly used in the U.S. and suspended above water in a plastic rice produced. So, farmers need to make are considered the basis for standard box. The sealed box is placed into a sure that they begin the season right, germination methods listed in the Federal water-jacketed incubator preheated to starting with what type of seed to plant. Seed Act and placed on the seed label. 42 °C. The seed ages for 96 hours and

26 Rice Today October-December 2009 reaches a seed moisture of 30% (± 2%). method that splits proteins on the basis of quality. Rice seed treatment application, Following heat stress, the seed is planted their isoelectric points in a pH gradient. safety, and storage studies are on top of moistened blotters, covered Known control samples, individual performed to evaluate how chemicals with sand and germinated for 7 days at seeds, and parent control samples are affect seed physiology through time, temperatures alternating between 20 and evaluated to determine variety, female using germination and vigor testing. 30 °C. In the cold test, the seed is planted selfs, male selfs, and hybrid off-types. Verification of appropriate treatment on blotters saturated with water at 5 °C, The rice seed is crushed and its proteins levels is also performed using two and covered with a layer of prechilled are extracted with 2% glycine solution. replicate subsamples from the submitted sand. The seed stays in this condition for (Glycine extracts glutelins, which are sample, which are extracted in an 7 days and is then transferred to a 30 °C structural proteins soluble in diluted appropriate solvent by shaking or by incubation chamber for 5 days. Following alkali or acid solutions.) The extracted applying sound energy. The amount the prescribed germination period, proteins are placed onto an agarose gel of chemical treatment is determined normal seedlings are evaluated. with a 4–5 pH range. The proteins are by comparing the extracted sample Seed genetic purity can be then pulled across the gel at an average to analytical standards using high- evaluated using the Clearfield™ of 50 watts for 80 minutes. The gel is performance liquid chromatography herbicide bioassay test or isoelectric stained with phosphohexose isomerase (HPLC). A wide range of treatments focusing (IEF). The Clearfield rice (PHI) enzyme. Different molecular from leading manufacturers are herbicide test was developed to components of the protein are detected available for analysis. More are being detect expression of a herbicide trait according to their position in the gel. developed. in a variety or hybrid to assure an Banding patterns between varieties of Evaluating seed quality will help acceptable level of trait purity. This rice differ greatly. ensure that planted seeds grow well and test is a substrate imbibitions test with With each new development in rice, provide good returns to farmers. herbicide solution incorporated into whether it be by traditional breeding the germination media. Seedlings are methods or by genetic modification, a grown out and visually evaluated for test method is necessary to evaluate the References tolerance of the herbicide. The herbicide quality and purity of the seed. Methods AOSA. 2008. Rules for testing seeds. concentration allows the nontrait to evaluate the purity of new products, Association of Official Seed Analysts, seedling to grow and to express nontrait such as nutrient enhancement products Las Cruces, NM. symptoms. A nontrait rice seedling and new herbicide-tolerant varieties, ISTA. 2009. International Rules for Seed reveals bent, shortened protective are developed as the advancements Testing, Zurich, Switzerland. sheaths, blunted primary root, as well as approach the prelaunch stage of spidery, blunted secondary roots. commercialization. IEF tests rice hybrid seed lots and Various novel and standard seed Ms. Patin works with the Seed and Crop individual seeds for varietal purity. It is amendment products applied to rice seed Services of SGS North America (www. an inexpensive and accurate separation for protection from pests can affect seed seedservices.sgs.com).

Rice plants warmed by sand germinating after 7 days at 30ºC. Rice germination after 14 days at 20–30 ºC (right).

Rice Today October-December 2009 27 the new frontier

by Lanie C. Reyes and Charmaine Chin

Scientists converge to discuss advances in rice genetic research and how they can contribute to food security following the gene revolution that changed the world of rice

he human population and varieties tailored to the needs of farmers. (e.g., submergence tolerance, drought demand for food are projected One of these tools is marker-assisted tolerance, disease resistance) can readily to increase in the next 40 years. selection (MAS), a new “precision be identified and the undesirable ones can TWith changes in land use, less breeding” method (see On your mark, be avoided during the selection process. agricultural land needs to produce more get set, select on pages 28-29 of Rice Through marker-assisted selection, food—especially rice, the basic food of Today Vol. 3, No. 3). This shortens the the SUB1 gene, which confers flood half of the world’s population. Beyond breeding process by precisely moving tolerance, was transferred into Swarna, these challenges are climate change and specific traits from one variety into a popular variety grown on millions of the looming water scarcity, which, if another through the use of molecular hectares in India, while still retaining not overcome, will adversely affect rice markers—DNA landmarks along the Swarna’s good traits such as high yield, production. rice chromosomes. In this way, parts high grain quality, and pest and disease The historic sequencing of the rice of the rice genome (the plant’s genetic resistance. The rapid improvements in genome completed in 2005 radically makeup) that control characteristics marker technology underscore the value changed how scientists approach challenges in rice science. Published in the journal Nature, the final sequence Dr. Ken McNally, IRRI molecular of the rice genome was the product of a biologist, shows (2) panaligan global collaboration coordinated by the the 20 rice d International Rice Genome Sequencing varieties whose DNA will be Project (IRGSP). It has been called a sequenced. raymon jose “gene revolution”—a milestone for rice improvement programs and a revolutionary landmark in rice science (see The gene revolution, pages 15-18 of Rice Today Vol. 5, No. 1). Having a high-quality reference sequence of rice has sparked many gene discoveries that promise to improve the efficiency of rice breeding.

Precision breeding Over the years, traditional plant breeding has evolved. From just selecting the Rice leaf samples in extraction buffer, best-performing plants in the field for the after the intermittent shaking step of a next generation, new tools have evolved DNA isolation procedure.

that enable scientists to rapidly deliver quintana chrisanto

28 Rice Today October-December 2009 that gene discovery has for developing pair of DNA nucleotides in different and delivering new varieties. The mega- varieties. Mapping these differences varieties with the SUB1 gene are a good among varieties could help reveal and example of how farmers can rapidly pinpoint the genetic basis behind rice’s benefit from genetic advances (see Scuba diverse traits, including stress tolerance, rice, stemming the tide in flood-prone early maturity, high-quality grains, and South Asia on pages 26-31 of Rice Today increased yield, among others. These Vol. 8, No. 2). traits are essential ingredients for IRRI scientists continue to work breeding new improved varieties. on gene discovery and marker-assisted The OryzaSNP data set, the selection for other important traits. largest collection of SNP data for Important work that is poised for rice, is now being used by many revolutionary developments involves researchers worldwide. genes for salt and drought tolerance, New advances in next- and genes for tolerance of phosphorus generation sequencing methods also deficiency and resistance to pests such as promise to accelerate the decoding of brown planthopper and diseases such as many more rice genomes in the future. blast, bacterial blight, and tungro virus. “In other words, we will have the DNA sequence of thousands of rice varieties, the Manila Hotel, Philippines. Sequencing of diverse rice varieties eventually encompassing the entire gene RG6 will also be held in conjunction Although having a complete sequence bank of rice,” says Dr. David Mackill, with the 7th International Symposium on of the rice genome was an essential IRRI plant breeder. “This would allow Rice Functional Genomics and the Rice beginning, the fact is that only a single us to find all the forms of the genes Annotation Project 6 Workshop (RAP6), genome of rice cultivar Nipponbare was available and how these affect the traits a project led by Japan on analyzing sequenced out of thousands of diverse of the rice plant.” rice genome data. Her Royal Highness rice varieties grown around the world. This will provide a pool of SNPs Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of More research is urgently needed to that will enable rapid genotyping of Thailand will officially open this event. further explore DNA sequence variation diverse rice germplasm. The availability Kick-starting IRRI’s 50th across other important rice varieties. of low-cost SNP markers will then anniversary, this event aims to provide an IRRI’s OryzaSNP project, a collaborative enable rice breeders to take advantage of avenue for the participants to exchange effort with other international scientists, more efficient MAS techniques for rapid new research results from rice genetics aims to discover genetic variation in variety development. and to apply the new knowledge to Oryza sativa, cultivated Asian rice. overcome the problems facing global Researchers examined the fine-scaled The gathering of experts food security. differences among 20 genetically More than 700 top scientists and RG6 will cover the latest diverse rice varieties by studying their researchers from around the world are developments in evolutionary studies of single nucleotide polymorphisms or expected to attend the 6th International rice, breeding research, mapping of genes SNPs (pronounced as “snips”). SNPs Rice Genetics Symposium (RG6), which and quantitative trait loci, identification are the genetic variation between a will be held on 16-19 November 2009 at and cloning of genes for biotic and abiotic stresses, gene expression, genomic databases, and mutant induction for functional genomics. “The symposium is a timely event that builds on the excitement generated by rapid advances in rice genomics and its potential benefits to food security and the international rice industry,” says Dr. Robert Zeigler, IRRI director general. Simply put, this significant occasion will bring together renowned scientists and rice researchers who share a common goal of improving rice production for humans.

(Left to right) Dr. Gurdev Khush, former IRRI plant breeder; Dr. Sant S. Virmani, former IRRI principal scientist for hybrid rice breeding; Dr. Ronald Ms. Chin is marketing manager of Phillips, IRRI Board of Trustees member, and Dr. Robert Zeigler, IRRI director general, confer during the Fifth International Rice Genetics Symposium. Special Events Group, IIR Exhibitions Pte. Ltd. in Singapore.

Rice Today October-December 2009 29 Urbito Ongleo

During a visit to IRRI on 26 October 1966, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson (kneeling, right) contemplates the importance of IR8, soon to spearhead the Green Revolution in rice across South and Southeast Asia.

At center, Robert F. Chandler, IRRI’s first director general, explains to Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos the significance of IR8’s semidwarf trait.

At left are IRRI’s first two rice breeders, Peter Jennings, who selected the parents and made the IR8 cross (standing), and Hank Beachell, who identified and selected the segregating line, IR8-288-3, which ultimately reached farmers’ fields as IR8.

A few minutes after this photo was taken, President Johnson made an impassioned speech to IRRI staff and visitors during which he said, “If we are to win our war against poverty, and against disease, and against ignorance, and against illiteracy, and against hungry stomachs, then we have got to succeed in projects like this, and you are pointing the way for all of Asia to follow.” (Watch on YouTube: http://snipurl.com/s286z) Rice Today October-December 2009 Rice Today October-December 2009 Rice30 Today October-December 2009, Vol. 8, No. 4 31 a tribute to sanjaya rajaram sanjaya Norman Borlaug (1914-2009) ™™ passion, persistence, and persuasion by Robert W. Herdt

This article was adapted from a University of Minnesota Legacy Day presentation on 18 September 2007, which later appeared in The Aurora Sporealis, the Alumni News Magazine of the Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, 2007: pp. 24-29. Excerpts are reprinted here by Rice Today with permission to, in a small way, recognize Norman Borlaug, a true giant of his time who passed away at age 95 on 12 September 2009. The author is a former economist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), 1973-83, and head of the IRRI Economics Department, 1978-83; later director, agricultural sciences, and vice president, The Rockefeller Foundation; and currently adjunct international professor of applied economics and management, Cornell University. To read the entire article and additional notes, go to www.irri.org/publications/today/borlaug.asp.

orman Borlaug received Iowa. Growing up on the family farm, job as a microbiologist with DuPont. But, the Nobel Peace Prize in he came to know the value of hard work after a few years, he had the opportunity 1970, about 25 years after he and clear goals. More importantly, in his to join one of the first international Nbegan working to increase own words, he came “to know right from agricultural development assistance food production in Mexico. He received wrong from his parents, grandparents, programs—The Rockefeller Foundation the Prize at the midpoint of his career. and neighbors.” Program in Mexico. Before then and since then, he has endured Norm was a teenager during the With the encouragement of U.S. much and accomplished much, and he Great Depression in the U.S., and one Vice-President Henry Wallace, in 1940, continues, working every day, traveling can only imagine the courage and the Foundation entered discussions around the world, pursuing his mission, determination it took for him to leave the with the Mexican government and inspiring each of us by his very presence. farm during the depths of that depression sent three distinguished professionals His life is a story of hard work, and come here to the University of to review their agricultural situation. determination, persuasion, persistence, Minnesota, where he would earn his Professor Stakman, with Professors and passionate dedication to help farmers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Richard Bradfield of Cornell University produce more abundant food for others It must have been during his and Paul Manglesdorf of Harvard, and provide better lives for themselves. formative years at the University spent more than 2 months roaming As Newsweek recently reported (20 that he came to recognize the power over thousands of miles of highways July 2007), only five people have been of science to address the practical and byways in 16 of Mexico’s 33 states, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the problems of farmers. After a brief time seeking to understand the situation Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the with the Forest Service, he decided to and how the Foundation might help. Congressional Gold Medal—Mother continue his education as a graduate The essence of their recommendation Theresa, Nelson Mandela, Martin student under one of the giants in plant was that the Foundation should send Luther King, Jr., Elie Wiesel, and pathology, Professor E.C. Stakman. a team of scientists who would work Norman Borlaug. Norm shares many The influence Stakman had on Norm is with the Mexican agricultural ministry characteristics with the other four: self- hard to overstate. Especially memorable to breed better plant varieties, improve sacrifice, dedication, patience, vision, was a 1938 lecture where Stakman soil and crop management, and increase and compassion. characterized wheat rust as “a shifty, livestock productivity. J. George Harrar, changing, constantly evolving enemy.” another University of Minnesota plant Early years That view of wheat rust has stayed with pathologist, who later became the Born at the beginning of the First World Borlaug to this day. Foundation’s president [and a co-founder War, Norm learned his early lessons at After obtaining his doctoral degree of IRRI], was selected to head the team. a one-room school in Howard County, with Professor Stakman, Norm took a Norm was invited to join him.

32 Rice Today October-December 2009 Thus, Norm began the first phase of cost of US$21 million. Average yields results from the beginning. Four his life’s work. were 11 bushels to the acre, about half selections were later released as varieties, the U.S. level, but subject to enormous resulting in notable increases in Mexico’s A lifetime of service fluctuations caused by epidemics of wheat production by the late 1940s. The years 1944 through 1960 were wheat rust. This was an obvious target But, the potential for disaster dedicated to helping Mexico increase for the Harrar team, and George himself remained always in Borlaug’s mind. its food production. The first years organized the first year’s work on wheat. That constantly changing enemy—wheat were spent on learning by doing. Norm In Borlaug’s boyhood, the Iowa rust—was at bay but not defeated. In was the team’s pathologist and so had home farm had never grown wheat, and the years to come, he was to make responsibility for all the two innovations that had diseases attacking all the tremendous payoff. Most crops—with emphasis on plant breeders made a few dry beans and corn. But, in crosses or a few dozen reality, Norm did whatever (2) hettel gene crosses each season. Each needed doing—insect of the many individual control, plot layout, planting, plants that resulted were and recruiting helpers. observed throughout the Norm recalled, “We growing season and seeds were to help Mexico solve from the best individuals its own food problems. were harvested and planted In other words, alongside the next year, with more our own work, we were selections made, and so to train local scientists forth for 8 to 10 years. and ease them into our Recognizing that jobs. Moreover, we were each individual plant was to be neither consultants potentially valuable, the nor advisors, but working general practice was to scientists getting our keep most and advance hands and boots dirty, and their progeny to the next demonstrating by our own generation. But, the number field results what could be of individuals rapidly done.” increases and the work of But, in the process, observation can become Norm had to fight some overwhelming. As Norm aspects of Mexican culture, says, “This hit-or-miss particularly the conviction Dr. Borlaug lit a spark in the minds of many young scholars in different parts of process is time-consuming that scientists were above the world—like these wheat research trainees studying in the field and in the seed and mind-warpingly hand labor or getting dirty. quality selection breezeway at the experiment station of the Centro de Investiga- tedious. There’s only one ciones Agrícolas del Noroeste (CIANO) in northwestern Mexico during the early He was told by one of his 1990s—in the conviction that this spark would develop into a flame that would chance in thousands of ever colleagues in the early days, motivate the young people’s efforts to improve the standard of living and make life finding what you want, and “Dr. Borlaug, we don’t do a little more tolerable for the less fortunate. That is the culmination of his life and actually no guarantee of work. Go to http://snipurl.com/s6c98 to view a 5:16 clip on YouTube of him inspir- these things in Mexico. ing these trainees in the field. success at all.” That’s why we have peons. Success in breeding All you’ve got to do is wheat means keeping draw up the plans and take them to the his doctoral thesis had been on flax. So, ahead of the ever-evolving rust organism. foreman and let them do it.” when George asked Norm to take over Failure means disaster for farmers, Norm lost his temper (it wasn’t the the wheat program after the first year, he nations, and even, in an extreme case, the last time). He yelled back, “That’s why had little background to draw on. But, whole world. Norm became convinced the farmers disrespect you. If you don’t that didn’t stop him from taking up the that only by making thousands of know how to do something yourself, challenge. And so, he began his life-long, crosses from wheat gathered from all how can you possibly advise them? If persistent attack on wheat rust—that around the world would he be able to the peons give you false information, shifty, ever-changing enemy fingered by raise the probability of finding the right you wouldn’t even know. No, this has to Professor Stakman. combination to a high enough level. So, change. Until we master our own efforts, Norm and his small team began by he began to make many more crosses we will go nowhere in this project.” making crosses among five established than any breeder had until that time. In 1944, wheat was Mexico’s second Mexican varieties and several imported That meant a tremendous increase in most important food crop, and half of ones. The resulting 38 combinations, the fieldwork of examining and scoring it was being imported, at an annual by some stroke of luck, gave promising the progeny, imposing tougher criteria,

Rice Today October-December 2009 33 and discarding a higher analyses. And, after fraction of plants. This the invention of shuttle approach, high-volume hettel gene breeding, the process crossing, gave a much was a year-round effort, higher overall probability unlike most plant of success. breeding in the United But, it still required States, where the winter 8 to 10 years to get a season is used to analyze variety and Norm looked results and plan the next for a way to grow two year’s work. crops a year in order to If learning from cut down on that time. Norm was not easy, A possible place was neither was being his the Yaqui Valley in supervisor. In those Sonora, 1,200 miles to days, the Annual Report the north, where irrigated of The Rockefeller wheat was normally Foundation was planted in the fall. But, compiled from the the wheat program, like separate reports of the other parts of the In his later years, Dr. Borlaug worked tirelessly to start bringing the Green Revolution to its officers, including Foundation’s effort, was Africa. He made many trips to the continent and mingled with researchers and farmers alike. those in Mexico and This photo was taken during a 1994 meeting in Wad Medani, Sudan. See the full Robert focused in Toluca, not Herdt article on the Rice Today Web site for more on the “Borlaug approach” in Africa. elsewhere. With high- far from Mexico City, volume crossing, shuttle where most farmers breeding, and training were exceedingly poor and the climate learned “to tell the status of a wheat plant young scientists, Norm had limited time was very different from Sonora. Norm from its look, manner of growth, feel, for paperwork. His annual reports were proposed establishing an “off-season” movement, and level of growth. Wheat not always produced by the deadline and facility in Sonora, but that idea didn’t sit itself was becoming a person. Moreover, apparently, one year, he was particularly well with George and so failed to gain wheat was the best teacher about wheat.” late. After several reminders from the his approval. Getting George to change He began to see that different wheats had responsible director and vice president, his mind was to test Norm’s passion, different “personalities.” He could tell George, then Foundation president, sent persistence, and powers of persuasion. them apart at a glance, or “even by the a telegram telling Norm to get his report Even so, it took the good offices of rustle of the wind through their ripening in. The responding telegram was short Professor Stakman, who happened to be heads.” Like many other pioneering but to the point; Norm said: “Do you in Mexico at the time, to get Norm and plant scientists, including Mendel and want paper or do you want wheat?” George to the point where they could McClintock [Barbara McClintock, Ever the student and ever the agree on the plan to extend the wheat American cytogeneticist, 1902-1992], teacher, with passion, persistence, and work to Sonora for a second season Norm’s advances were based on careful persuasion, a clear focus on worthy each year. This was the birth of “shuttle observations made during hours and goals, and science directed at solving breeding” (read more about this radical hours of devoted work. problems, Norm has stressed the need to technique in the full article). The untold story of Norm’s life is, tackle problems rather than pursue fame, however, his career as a teacher. In the disciplinary knowledge, or preconceived Student and teacher very first days of his assignment to The solutions. Norm’s student years may have begun in Rockefeller Foundation’s program in Iowa in the 1920s, and formally ended Mexico, he encouraged young Mexican with the awarding of his PhD degree technicians to learn the secrets of plant from the University of Minnesota in breeding—crossing and selection—the To read more about Norman Borlaug— 1942, but he has never ceased being critical steps that most plant breeders the global agricultural diplomat, prize a student. In addition to Professor kept to themselves. Throughout the winner, and philanthropist—and how his Stakman at Minnesota, he credits many Mexico period, he gave young people the initial work in Mexico saved millions from colleagues, including George Harrar, opportunity and responsibilities to learn. starvation in South Asia, and his later Ed Wellhausen, John Neiderhauser, and But, learning from Norm wasn’t involvement in Africa, go to the full article Louis Roberts, with providing insights easy. His classes didn’t take place in on the Rice Today site at www.irri.org/ and challenges that led him to ever- an air-conditioned room. It involved publications/today/borlaug.asp. All issues greater efforts. preparing land, planting seeds, taking of Aurora Sporealis are available in the But, perhaps his greatest teachers observations and making notes, making University of Minnesota Libraries’ Digital were the wheat plants to which he crosses, making more observations, Conservancy at http://conservancy.umn. devoted uncounted hours. As he says, he harvesting, keeping records, and doing edu/handle/923.

34 Rice Today October-December 2009 Michael Gale scientist, mentor, and humanist

His work significantly contributed to the development of rice science as we know it today

by H. Leung, J. Leach, and R. Zeigler “Being a wheat geneticist is not enough. he became one of the instigators of a working group that met in Singapore Being a rice geneticist is also not enough. to discuss the merits of sequencing n 18 July 2009, we lost our the rice genome. This resulted in dear friend, Dr. Michael You have to be a cereal geneticist.” an unprecedented multicountry Gale, who passed away in collaboration that produced the first ONorwich, England. Even sequenced genome of a crop plant. though Mike was a wheat geneticist, he Mike served as a member of IRRI’s had a long association with rice research Foundation’s (RF) Rice Biotechnology Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2003. He as he worked as a strong supporter Program. Through this program, Mike then worked for the Science Council of of the International Rice Research advised numerous scientists, helped the Consultative Group on International Institute’s (IRRI) mission through his shape research priorities, and generated Agricultural Research, in which he various scientific roles and advisory active debates that all contributed to offered scientific advice on genetic capacity. Each of us came across Mike the creation of the vibrant rice research research involving crops that are more in different stages of our careers, and community that we see today. beneficial to the poor. Within a span of so, our memories of him vary based on Needless to say, Mike carried an 20 years, Mike helped scientists from our personal experiences. Yet, we all in-depth knowledge of all aspects of both developed and developing nations treasure his contributions to the world as genetics. We recall how he used to build careers and networks among a scientist, mentor, and humanist. say, “Being a wheat geneticist is not countries. Mike started his career in wheat enough. Being a rice geneticist is also Above all, Mike was a world-class genetics, but his work reached far beyond not enough. You have to be a cereal scientist and citizen who will always be that. He also had a remarkable influence geneticist.” Hence, many young scientists remembered well for his generosity in on rice science. His recognition of the looked up to him as a good mentor. His sharing his ideas and time to help solve grass genomes as colinear specifically rich knowledge of science mixed with problems that confront the developing laid the foundation of comparative great humor made discussion with him world. We, and many scientists at IRRI genomics among plant species. His interesting and exciting. and around the world, feel privileged to famous “Crop Ring Circle” (the Moreover, one of Mike’s greatest have known Mike in our careers. He will concentric circles of chromosomes of contributions in this field of study was be dearly missed. different cereals and grasses) is still his advocacy to use advanced science used in seminars and classrooms. But, to solve agricultural problems. After his influence in rice science and among serving as the scientific advisor for the Dr. Leung is a senior plant pathologist rice researchers did not really begin until RF Rice Biotechnology Program, he at IRRI. Dr. Leach is a professor of plant the mid-1980s, when he served as the worked for the infusion of cutting-edge pathology at Colorado State University. scientific advisor for The Rockefeller technology in rice research. In 1997, Dr. Zeigler is IRRI’s director general.

Rice Today October-December 2009 35 The irri pioneer interviews Conducted by Gene Hettel gene hettel (3)

“Rock” and Rice: The Rockefeller-IRRI biotechnology saga

Next year, 2010, marks not only the International Rice Research Institute’s (IRRI) 50th anniversary but also a half century of collaboration between the Institute and its co-founder, the Rockefeller Foundation. This includes an alliance that started a quarter century ago to help create the new discipline of rice biotechnology. When that effort began in 1984, Gary Toenniessen, currently a managing director of the Foundation, led the charge to bring the new developments in molecular and cellular biology to rice. In this interview, he shows what can be accomplished with around US$120 million of funding and a cornucopia of ideas.

A career with the Rockefeller Foundation wheat. The thinking was, if you could program from the New York office. We fter graduating from the State breed for wheat in Mexico and have also had John O’Toole, a former IRRI University of New York at those varieties adopted over the vast agronomist and rice physiologist [1974- Buffalo, I received a fellowship areas of South Asia, maybe you could 84], working in the program, initially from the U.S. Public Health breed for rice in a single location and from India and then from Bangkok; and ServiceA that sent me to the University have those varieties, or at least those Tosh Murashige helping in China, Korea, of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, breeding lines, be used across the vast and the Philippines. where I spent 5 years getting my PhD areas of Asia where rice is grown. So, In recent years, we are working more degree in microbiology. When I was the Rockefeller Foundation convinced in Africa. So, I spend a lot of time on the looking around for a job at the end of the Ford Foundation to partner with it to African Program today. But, I have to that training period, the Rockefeller create IRRI. Within 3 or 4 years, IRRI’s say that the most rewarding work I have Foundation (RF) contacted me about first variety, IR8, came out and had a done with the Foundation was from 1984 a new type of postdoctoral fellowship huge impact throughout South Asia and to 2002, when we invested about US$120 they had, for which one worked with the other regions. But, many more fruits million in the Rice Biotechnology Foundation while also pursuing some were to come from the Rockefeller-IRRI Program. I worked very closely with research at a nearby research institute. association over the next four and a half IRRI during that whole period. I received one of those fellowships and, decades. within a year, I was made a program I was trained as a microbiologist and The RF changes course—from doing to officer of the Rockefeller Foundation. So, that meant molecular biology as well. So, funding for almost my entire career, which is now when the Foundation, in the late 1970s In 1980, Dr. Richard W. Lyman became 38 years, I have been a program officer to early 1980s, decided to move into the president of the Foundation. His in the New York office of the Rockefeller applying the new tools of molecular and feeling was that foundations really Foundation. cellular biology to crop improvement, I should not be operational. They should In my opinion, IRRI is one of the was one of the people on the staff who be organizations that provide funds to Rockefeller Foundation’s great success knew something about molecular biology others who get the job done. In the case stories. The whole idea for IRRI came and I assumed more responsibility for the of agriculture, he congratulated us for out of the Foundation. It was based Foundation’s investments in that area. helping establish IRRI, the International on what Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Once the Rice Biotechnology Program Maize and Wheat Improvement Center Norman Borlaug had accomplished with began in 1984, I, more or less, ran that (CIMMYT), the International Center

36 Rice Today October-December 2009 irri

In October 1995 on the IRRI farm during the Foundation’s Rice Biotechnology Meeting held in conjunction with Rice Genetics III, Dr. Toenniessen (3rd from left) confers with (from left) Gurdev Khush, IRRI rice breeder and principal scientist, 1967-2001; Ken Fischer, IRRI deputy director general for research, 1991-99; Darshan Brar, IRRI rice breeder and currently head of the Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division (PBGB); John O’Toole, IRRI agronomist and rice physiologist, 1974-84, and later Foundation associate director; Zhikang Li, IRRI molecular geneticist and currently coordinator of the International Network for Molecular Breeding, Beijing; Robert Herdt, IRRI economist, 1973-83, head, IRRI Economics Department, 1978-83, and later Foundation director, agricultural sciences, and vice president; and Swapan Datta, IRRI senior scientist in PBGB, 1993-2005, and currently deputy director general for crop science, Indian Council of Agricultural Research. for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the advances that were occurring in cellular from the time Al arrived, we were International Institute of Tropical and molecular biology were applied to going to work on rice because he quite Agriculture (IITA), and a number of tropical crops important in developing correctly recognized its importance. the other international centers, and also countries and the staple foods of the But, I still conducted a very systematic for creating mechanisms, such as the poor in those countries. Second, the process of looking at the eight most Consultative Group on International Foundation should develop a strategy important crops in determining whether Agricultural Research (CGIAR), to fund for Africa, where the food situation was or not the breeding programs were those centers. deteriorating. strong enough in those crops to make it At about that time, a team of reasonable to introduce a biotechnology external advisors agreed with Dr. Creating rice biotechnology program and what the impact would Lyman that it was now possible for the So, we then moved quite quickly to be if the Foundation did do that. When Foundation to bring its field operations implement the first recommendation, we compared all of the results, rice to a close. In fact, I can remember their which was to apply the new was clearly at the top. We could build report stating that, in many ways, the developments in molecular and cellular on what were already strong breeding era in which expatriate scientists go out biology to tropical crops. Dr. Alva App, programs. IRRI was there, so we had and actually do research was coming to a new RF director of agriculture, came a strong partner to work with and, of a close, and what the Foundation should in. Al had actually spent about 6 years course, rice fed more people than any really do is to find ways of supporting [1976-82] at IRRI as a visiting scientist, other crop. international centers and strengthening seconded to IRRI as an employee of First of all, we received approval existing national programs. So, the the Boyce Thompson Institute for from our trustees to make a major advisors recommended that the Plant Research to lead the work on the long-term commitment. So, the initial Foundation work in two principal areas. Azolla [a tiny nitrogen-fixing fern]–rice document that went to the Foundation’s One was to make sure that the new combination. So, it’s clear to me that, trustees in December 1984 informed

Rice Today October-December 2009 37 Finding relevant traits somewhere else. Since they were really The second component was to work on the “inventors” of the tools, they had the traits for which one would want to use the real sense of ownership. When they those tools, once available, to introduce went back home, there was a real sense into rice. But, we needed to understand of pride and desire to use those tools those traits at the molecular level in within their home countries and the order to use those tools. We hired Bob Foundation supported them when they Herdt [IRRI economist, 1973-83; head went home. of the IRRI Economics Department, Over time, the funds that were 1978-83; later, director for agricultural going into tool development and into sciences at RF and vice president; work on the traits shifted from the see his tribute to Norman Borlaug, West—the U.S. and Europe—to Asian passion, persistence, and persuasion, countries, particularly China, India, and pages 32-34] as our colleague at that Thailand, where they began developing time. Previously, his job at IRRI had real capacity. By about 2000, when been to prioritize traits that IRRI we would have meetings of our rice was going to work on so he had biotechnology network, we had scientists already developed the methodology from the major companies working in for prioritizing traits. He did the biotechnology asking to come to those same thing for the Foundation’s rice meetings. biotechnology program. We also had scientists from It is basically a technique that laboratories that we were not supporting measures the yield forgone because around the world asking to come to those you do not have that trait. For example, at meetings because they would learn, that particular time, there were no known not only the most recent results in rice them that this was likely to be a 15-year- genes for resistance to the rice tungro biotechnology but also in biotechnology long program, or longer, and, at that time, virus, which, at that time, was causing in general, from some of the Asian we said that the Foundation was likely to a lot of problems in the Philippines and programs that we were supporting. That commit US$80 million or more. If you other countries in Southeast Asia. So, is when we realized that we had achieved actually adjust $80 million for inflation that turned out to be very high on his our goal, when the Asian scientists were over that period of time, it comes out to list of priorities. There were reasons to at the forefront of doing the research about $120 million. believe that biotechnology would work on tool development and working on We designed the program to have as a way of addressing the tungro virus. the traits. We recognized that we had three major components. The first was to Bob outlined our research priorities for accomplished our goal of making sure “create” rice biotechnology. Molecular rice biotechnology in the 1991 book that the new tools on molecular biology biology was a brand new discipline in Rice Biotechnology, which IRRI breeder would be applied to rice and that has the early 1980s and there was nobody Gurdev Khush and I edited [see http:// certainly proven to be the case. We see in the world except for a few Japanese snipurl.com/qv0uh]. Asian countries continuing to make who were doing serious work on major advances in the development rice molecular biology. IRRI had no Building molecular biology capacity and application of rice biotechnology. biotechnology program. There were no in Asia China and India, for example, now rice molecular biology programs in the The third component was capacity have as much capability as Monsanto United States. So, it was a wide-open building in Asian rice research or Syngenta or any of the major opportunity for the Foundation to lead institutions. In countries such as India, corporations. So, that’s an overview of the effort to really create a significant China, Thailand, and the Philippines, the Foundation’s Rice Biotechnology biotechnology research program for the we tried to link the more fundamental Program. most important food crop in the world. research programs with the rice research Creating the technology meant institutions within those countries. That creating a molecular genetic map of rice involved a lot of training. During that Go to www.irri.org/publications/today/ and then creating the tools that would 17- to 18-year period, the Foundation Toenniessen.asp for the complete allow the genetic engineering of rice. It supported about 400 fellowships for transcript with links of Dr. Toenniessen’s meant understanding the way the rice Asian scientists. Many went to advanced pioneer interview, in which he tells little- genome is structured, and understanding laboratories in the U.S., Europe, known facts about the fascinating Golden at the molecular level the relationship Australia, and Japan, where we were Rice story, the ardent competition among between rice and rice pathogens. There funding the work on tool development. scientists to develop the molecular map was a lot of investment in those basic Most of the actual work that led to for rice, and the challenges that are tools that make up the set of technologies important discoveries was done by Asian being encountered to take the Green that we call biotechnology. scientists in a laboratory in the U.S. or Revolution to Africa.

38 Rice Today October-December 2009 Challenge: feed 9 billion people* Are you a part of the solution? As a part of its commitment to sustainable agriculture, Monsanto has pledged $10 million over five years to support graduate student studies in rice and wheat breeding to help meet this challenge. Monsanto established this program in honor of two of the world’s most preeminent rice and wheat breeders: Dr. Henry Beachell and Dr. Norman Borlaug. The program is open to students worldwide who are seeking a Ph.D. in rice or wheat plant breeding.

Applications will be accepted Nov. 1, 2009 through Feb. 1, 2010.

For eligibility requirements and application information, please visit www.monsanto.com/mbbischolars.

* By the year 2050. Monsanto imagine® and Vine Design® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. ©2009 Monsanto Company.

MON(19690C)_FellowshipAd_Update_090909.indd 1 9/9/09 12:02:24 PM drowned harvest Story and photography by Chris Quintana and Bill Sta. Clara

yphoon Ketsana (Philippine name Ondoy) could not Thave come at a worse time. On 26 September 2009, Ketsana dumped a record rainfall—1 month’s rain in just 6 hours—on Luzon Island in the Philippines, which caused reservoirs, lakes, and waterways to overflow. Rice fields, which would have been harvested in a few more days, were submerged—also drowning farmers’ hopes of income for the season. It certainly looks like climate change at work. The deluge inundated areas that had not flooded in decades, including many parts of Los Baños and Bay towns in Laguna Province (shown in these photos). Many residents of these towns, along the coast of Laguna de Bay and adjacent to the International Rice Research Institute, were forced to leave their submerged homes temporarily and wait out the flood in makeshift shelters, using fishing boats and improvised rafts for transportation. Five days later, the local social welfare office recorded at least 7,400 affected families in the two towns, where, as in many other areas, floodwaters had not yet substantially subsided. This is but a glimpse of the calamity in 25 Philippine provinces on the island that has affected more than 500,000 families.

To see more photos, go to http://snipurl.com/sap2q interest in reducing postharvest losses. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Grain gains the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) are currently funding by Mia Aureus the adaptation and out-scaling of improved Experts at the Postharvest Rice Conference and Exhibition identify postharvest technologies through IRRI and its national partners in Cambodia, key solutions to increase yield Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and the Philippines. t a time when the world food shortage, unsuitable traditional sun-drying supply continues to be outpaced practices, pests, moisture absorption in Yield of edible rice by a growing population and traditional open-storage systems, as well More than just losing a significant consumption, boosting grain as from outdated and poorly maintained amount of grains, however, farmers productionA has emerged as a top priority rice mills that yield as low as 60%, and also tend to lose grain quality in the among governments. The first Postharvest drastically reduce head rice (see Working postharvest process. Dr. Melissa Rice Conference and Exhibition held together to save grains on pages 20-21 of Fitzgerald, IRRI grain quality specialist, last 15 to 17 July in Bangkok, Thailand, Rice Today Vol. 8, No. 3). Engr. Carlito raised this important question, “What was thus very timely in highlighting the Balingbing, an assistant scientist at use is high yield if it cannot be eaten importance of postharvest activities in the IRRI, even noted that poor postharvest or sold?” She said that the two things rice production chain and in achieving management operations expose grains to that determine the value of rice in the food security. Jointly organized by the unfavorable environmental conditions that domestic and international markets are International Rice Research Institute could cause fungal contamination such as the proportion of broken grains and the (IRRI) and AsiaCongress Events Co., mycotoxins, and further losses. rice’s “chalkiness.” Improper postharvest Ltd., the conference brought together Although research has activities are one of the key causes of leading researchers and experts in produced many new postharvest grain breakage. If the grain is densely postharvest. It also featured service technology concepts, adoption and packed with good-sized starch granules, providers and equipment suppliers (such commercialization have been slow it is much more likely to withstand as GrainPro, Buhler, Satake, FrigorTec, for many reasons. Among them are postharvest processes. etc.) that are leading companies in technologies not matched to users’ needs Chalk, or the white spot on the postharvest technological innovations. or targeting the wrong users; limited grain, is caused by air spaces between Countries did not take real notice of understanding of quality and losses, and the starch granules, which make the grain agriculture’s importance until the food how these are affected by postharvest fragile and easy to break. Chalkiness crisis of 2008. Since then, leaders have management; lack of market incentives reduces the value of the rice by 25% or put more effort and investments into for better quality rice; and limitations in more and decreases head rice yield. Dr. farming to increase yield, particularly available financing schemes. Fitzgerald pointed out that an increase in that of rice, the staple food of around half A new postharvest value chain chalkiness decreases the acceptability of of the world’s population. Now, the world approach including all postharvest the rice, which would consequently spell produces rice at a 1% annual growth stakeholders promoting improved a marked reduction in financial return rate. However, Dr. Samarendu Mohanty, postharvest management could speed up to farmers. Chalk is induced by high head of IRRI’s Social Sciences Division, the modernization of the sector. Should temperatures; so, rice production faces a revealed that yield growth must step up improved postharvest technologies be further threat with global warming. to 1.2–1.5% a year if the world intends to adopted by farmers, Engr. Gummert IRRI’s Grain Quality, Nutrition, and keep up with increasing demand. What advised that this equipment must be Postharvest Center is trying to develop many fail to consider, though, is that what farmers really need (not what markers (see On your mark, get set, improving yield growth has never really intermediaries perceive that farmers need) select on pages 28-29 of Rice Today Vol. just been about planting the cereal and and must be user-friendly enough for 3, No. 3) in rice’s genetic makeup that harvesting it. The postharvest process farmers to easily adapt to it and integrate will enable plant breeders to develop is just as crucial, as how the grains are it into their current rice production varieties that will be translucent (not handled at this stage makes a lot of practices. Funding is also needed to help chalky) and more resistant to grain difference in the amount of rice that is raise both knowledge and technology breakage. IRRI hopes to go beyond just actually available for consumption. on farms and with other postharvest increasing paddy yield to increasing stakeholders and to sustain the adoption the “yield of edible rice.” Dr. Fitzgerald Lost grains of this technology and improvements said that “yield as paddy means nothing According to Martin Gummert, IRRI for it. Unfortunately, there has been to farmers, consumers, or marketers if postharvest specialist, 15–20% of rice significant disinvestment in public-sector grains like these (chalky and broken) are grains are lost during postharvest. These postharvest research and development beneath the hulls. The Australian Centre losses are often caused by delays in the in the past. Recently, however, we have for International Agricultural Research is postharvest chain resulting from labor seen some donors showing renewed currently funding this work.”

Rice Today October-December 2009 41 The Thai Rice this would keep India out of the Convention reveals market in 2009 and possibly even in 2010, as domestic food global rice industry security becomes the country’s concerns: India’s top priority. monsoon woes and Tight balance Thailand’s restructured The price outlook session rice mortgage scheme featured Mr. Zwinger, Mr. Sridhar Krishnan (Olam dominate. International), Mr. Vandara Din (Ascot Commodities), Mr. Rafael Lopez Relimpio (Ebro Story and photos by Puleva), and Mr. Sriprasert. V. Subramanian These panelists provided an amalgam of insights concerning he Thailand Rice the markets of Southeast Asia, Convention 2009 was the emerging exporters of the fourth in a series of Cambodia and Myanmar, the conferences organized by current self-sufficiency status Tthe Thai government that began of Indonesia, and demand from in 2001. Built on Thailand’s Monsoon the ever-growing European status as the world’s largest Union, Middle East, and, rice exporter (since 1979), the most significantly, Africa. event gathered more than 500 Mortgage Their views suggested that rice specialists, producers, & markets were tightly balanced millers, exporters, buyers, between supply and demand. and government officials to discuss availability came at a cost of US$350 Any weather anomaly may affect this all aspects of the global rice industry. per ton of paddy, the scheme has made tight balance and result in more market Among the invited guest speakers were Thailand the world’s most expensive volatility. Mr. Zwinger showcased the Samarendu Mohanty, head of the Social exporter compared with other sizable japonica rice market as a good example Sciences Division of the International rice-exporting nations. Mr. Papanos of a tight demand and supply situation. Rice Research Institute, and Jeremy added that Thai exports were simply not Poor crop development in Australia, Zwinger, publisher of Rice Today. made up of generic rice, but of several Egypt, and Japan has made the United Two concerns that consistently specialized products such as Hom Mali, States, particularly California (the rice came up during the presentations and parboiled rice, fragrant brokens, and bowl of japonica), the only stable source discussions were the Thai rice mortgage Pathumthani rice. This has allowed of japonica rice for exports to key system that is now being restructured Thailand to create a strong brand of rice consumers. (into a price guarantee scheme) and the in the world market, making the country The conference, in essence, revealed delayed monsoon that has affected rice renowned for its high rice quality and some very nervous exporters, traders, plantings in India. Price outlook, market consistency. In the process, however, government officials, and buyers who volatility, and food supply sustainability Thailand has struggled in the lower grade seek stability in price, rice availability, thus became strong secondary themes on segments, where price competitiveness and the economic environment. The the back of these two events. is an integral factor in procurement speakers noted how the industry now sits decisions. Thailand has constantly found on a razor’s edge, given the monsoon, Price guarantee scheme itself competing with cheaper exports El Niño, and other factors that could Experts invited to the event scrutinized from Vietnam and Myanmar. significantly affect supply. On the Thailand’s recently approved price positive side, speakers also pointed guarantee mechanism that will replace Delayed monsoon to strong production in Thailand and the rice mortgage scheme and also the India’s monsoon was another hot topic Vietnam as factors that could offset the role of politics in rice. Their analysis at the conference. According to Dr. current production difficulties faced in revealed how the rice mortgage system Mohanty, at the time of the convention, India. Thailand and Vietnam are sitting undermines Thailand’s competitiveness not more than 19% of the plantings had on an estimated 7 million tons of stocks, in the market. Robert Papanos of Seacor been completed. The delayed monsoon which, together with India’s own buffer Commodity Trading LLC and Vichai caused near-drought conditions that stock (at an estimated 20 million tons at Sriprasert of Riceland International destroyed crops. Because of this, India the time of the convention), could provide Limited observed that, by creating a expected to see a lower-than-average hope for a balance between supply and system in which guaranteed export production. The delegates agreed that demand.

42 Rice Today October-December 2009 Academic, private sector and interdisciplinary groups together “in one remarkable learning environment. ” A new level of global business connections

RichARd h. B ARRy hAll now open College of Business Department of Agribusiness & Applied Economics North Dakota Trade Office The Center for Global Initiatives & Leadership

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North Dakota State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, Vietnam Era Veterans status, sexual orientation, marital status, or public assistance status. Direct inquiries to the Chief Diversity Officer, 205 Old Main, (701) 231-7708. irri When rats attack

by Trina Leah Mendoza

Community members band together to prevent hungry rats from eating their crops

famine broke out in India’s Bay ecoregion northeastern state of Mizoram in (India, Myanmar, 1958-59. It reportedly took more Bangladesh), in

than 10,000 lives and caused northern Laos, and (2) singleton grant severeA sociopolitical conflicts. This led in other parts of the to the Mizoram Uprising in 1966, which world where bamboo was followed by a 20-year armed revolt grows, including against the central Indian authority. The Peru and Argentina struggle ended only in 1986 with the in South America. signing of a peace accord. What started the famine? The Damage and disease answer lies in the startling increase in the Chittagong Hill in rodent populations after the rare Tracts phenomenon of bamboo flowering In November Rats chewed up most of the rice at the center occurred. 2008, a team of of the field in Banaue, Philippines. “Rodents are major pests in researchers led by agricultural production,” says Grant Dr. Steven Belmain, a rodent ecology enough, the rats also invaded people’s Singleton, IRRI rodent expert and and management expert from the Natural houses, ate stored food, destroyed coordinator of the International Rice Resources Institute (NRI), University personal possessions, and even bit people Research Institute’s (IRRI) Irrigated Rice of Greenwich in the United Kingdom, while they slept. Increased dysentery Research Consortium. “In Asia, rodents submitted a scientific assessment report and cases of fever with unknown causes cause, on average, annual preharvest to the United Nations Development were also reported in the affected areas. losses of 5–10% in rice crops. A loss of Programme on rodent outbreaks Although it has not yet been clinically 6% is substantial, as this is enough rice to following bamboo flowering and their confirmed, these illnesses were believed feed 225 million people for a year.” impact in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. to have been caused by rodent-borne However, rare rat population According to the findings, the diseases. outbreaks can cause severe crop dominant bamboo species in the region More rat outbreaks are expected to losses, especially in the uplands, flower on a 40- to 50-year cycle. Rats occur in many parts of the Hill Tracts in where such losses can lead to major devoured large quantities of bamboo 2009 and 2010. To mitigate the damage, food shortages. Since 2005, such seed, fueling their reproductive rate. the NRI researchers proposed to the cases have been reported in Mizoram As soon as they finished eating up the Bangladeshi government a strategy (eastern India), Chittagong Hill Tracts bamboo seed supply, they moved out that includes community training and (Bangladesh), Chin State (Myanmar), into the agricultural fields and rural capacity building, ecosystem research, and the provinces of Oudomxay, Luang communities and searched for more food. and publicity and an awareness Namtha, Sayaboury, and Luang Prabang The damage these rats caused was campaign. (Lao PDR). These infestations often far more serious than losing a few stored happen after an expansive bamboo rice sacks. The communities suffered The worst outbreak in 20 years flowering takes place. Also known as damage 4–5 times greater than that seen The worst rat outbreak in 20 years mautam, rattadas, or nuu khii, this in the floodplains of Bangladesh. As if occurred in April 2008 in northern Laos. rare phenomenon occurs in the Bengal destroying nearly all field crops was not Farmers in the uplands lost most of their

44 Rice Today October-December 2009 rice, maize, and other reported in the Philippines important cash crops. More and Southeast Sulawesi, than 500 villages with Indonesia. These, however, 250,000 people possibly were not related to affected turned to the bamboo flowering but to World Food Programme the asynchrony of rice (WFP) for assistance. The planting in the irrigated WFP then conducted an lowlands. Such patchy emergency food security outbreaks occur too often assessment in March 2009 in the intensive lowland to measure the impact of rice agroecosystems. the outbreak and the extent Unfortunately, there is little of the damage. documentation of the factors The study learned leading to these outbreaks, that nine districts across Boy eyes rat meat in Pyay, one of their impacts, and the four provinces lost more the many markets in Myanmar that successes and failures of than 50% of their expected sell the rodent as food. management action. harvest because of rat IRRI believes it crucial outbreaks, and other northern provinces Paletwa, north of Chin State, in 2007. to conduct an international conference were likely to be severely affected as Caused by the Rattus rattus species, on the impacts of rodent outbreaks on well. In fact, 100% rice losses were outbreaks erupted 2 months after bamboo food security in Asia. Scheduled for common. Upland farmers in most areas flowering. 26-28 October, the conference will believed that the outbreaks were due to During the outbreak season, the document the evidence and impact bamboo flowering. extension staff from the Myanma of rodent infestations and to develop Moreover, rats brought food Agriculture Service (MAS) conducted a a framework for research on rodent insecurity to 85,000–140,000 people rodent control campaign in 28 villages. management in the agricultural systems and caused families to eat only one Farmers used different ways to prevent of Asia. Participants will review the or two meals a day. The villages that further rat damage, such as setting local impact of ecologically based rodent suffered the most were the non-Lao Tai traps, and driving them away with a management in both lowland and upland villages that relied mostly on upland barrage of noise. “However, the farmers rice environments in Southeast Asia and farming, were far away from markets, did not do them as a community, as it develop follow-up activities that include had poor road access, had fewer should be,” says Ms. Htwe. “They control forging partnerships with the public and labor opportunities, and had limited rats by using different kinds of local traps private sector (e.g., civil society groups access to natural resources. The rat only when they see damage in the field, and nongovernment organizations). outbreaks came as an additional shock and they rely mainly on rat hunters.” Plenary presenters will include Dr. and an unwanted blow to their already According to MAS, Paletwa Belmain, Ms. Htwe, Dr. Singleton, Dr. challenged livelihood. According to regularly imports 6,135 tons of rice from Ken Aplin (Mizoram), Dr. Bounneung the WFP’s assessment, food insecurity its neighboring district, Rakhine. In 2008, Douangboupha (Laos), and Dr. Sudarmaji will even intensify when the 2009 rainy however, they needed to import about (Indonesia). season sets in. 1,200 tons more because of rat damage. “Historically, there are records The local government also arranged dating back to the 1750s of these rodent Invading Chin State in Myanmar to buy surplus amounts of rice to sell explosions that have led to devastating Chin State is located in western to farmers at the base price, but most food shortages in eastern India, western Myanmar, surrounded by the Chittagong farmers did not have money to buy them. Myanmar, and southeastern Bangladesh,” Hill Tracts, and Mizoram. Like their Alarmingly, there were new reports says Dr. Singleton. “However, there is neighboring countries, the people of in September 2009 of rodent outbreaks little information documented about what Chin depend on upland rice cultivation in Palatwa Township, Chin State, species are involved, what methods proved for their daily calories. Unfortunately, and Kyauktaw Township, northern effective in holding the hordes of rats at they also share the problem of rising rat Rakhine State (Arakan). MAS said that bay, or when these outbreaks will happen. populations after bamboo flowering. rodent damage to upland rice started in What has surprised the rodent experts is Nyo Me Htwe, a doctoral rodent August 2009 following massive bamboo that, over the past 4 years, the outbreaks ecology student and IRRI scholar, flowering, similar to the 2007 and 2008 have been blinking in and blinking out. studied the impacts of rodent outbreaks occurrences. It is not just one tidal wave of rodents. throughout Chin State in 2007-08, which Instead, it is a gradual wave sweeping were believed to be the most serious in Working and learning together through the region. There is so much we 50 years. Rodent outbreaks are not confined to need to share and document so that we can According to Ms. Htwe, rat the upland regions. This year, high be better prepared in the future to fight outbreaks occurred in 30 villages in crop losses because of rats were also these waves of starvation.”

Rice Today October-December 2009 45 Models that characterize changes in the demography and population density of rodents are needed to help predict expansion Rat trap of rodent-borne diseases and thus allow planning, which by Trina Leah Mendoza will improve public health. The authors highlighted that possible effects of human activity and The tables have been turned. global climate change should be further investigated, because A rat-eating plant has been these might lead to rodents having different interaction patterns and habitats, which could discovered in , then lead to infectious diseases emerging in areas that were Philippines. Could this be the previously not affected. A key message that solution to rat population emerged in the article is the underreporting of rodent control? zoonoses or disease transmission. “Insufficient attention is paid to the diagnosis of these important diseases,” says Dr. Singleton. “In n early August, surprising reports Asia, often common and treatable of a rat-eating plant discovered diseases such as leptospirosis and murine in Palawan circulated on the rodent management and coordinator of typhus are misdiagnosed. Some cases are international and local news circuit. the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium. simply diagnosed as fevers of unknown IAccording to media reports, a team of “We are often told about botanical origin, while others are misdiagnosed botanists led by British experts Stewart extracts that are poisonous to rats, but, as dengue or malaria. This is a tragedy McPherson and found perhaps, we now have a natural rat trap! given that many poor agricultural the plant in 2007 on Certainly, this newly discovered rat trap workers are at high risk of contracting in Narra, Palawan, after a 2-month is a welcome addition in controlling rats, rodent-borne diseases.” expedition. because rodents are the most abundant The reviewers conclude that more The team, which included staff and diversified order of living mammals research is needed to develop integrated from Palawan State University, received in the world, and can contribute to human prevention strategies, and to determine word from two Christian missionaries disease and threaten public health.” how to interrupt disease transmission who found the large, carnivorous pitcher cycles that involve rodents. With proper plant in 2000. Their detailed findings Rodent-borne diseases— application of ecologically based rodent were published earlier this year in the a comprehensive review control methods, it is possible to reduce Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society Dr. Singleton recently co-authored the dangers of rodent-borne diseases in after a 3-year study of all 120 species of with Drs. Bastian Meerburg and Aize areas where humans, food animals, and . Kijlstra from Wageningen University, rodents live close to one another. According to GMANews.TV, the the Netherlands, a 50-page review on If this rat-eating pitcher plant can, in rat-eating plant is among the largest of rodent-borne diseases and their risks to some way, help in catching rats, then it is pitcher plants. Its pitchers measure 30 public health. In their article, published a much-needed contribution to effective × 16 centimeters, which are twice the in Critical Reviews in Microbiology, rat management and another interesting size of pitcher plants commonly found the scientists stressed that rodents play way of nature to maintain its checks in the area. Named after British nature a significant role in transmitting a large and balances. However, Dr. Singleton filmmaker Sir David Attenborough, the number of diseases to humans, and to explained, “The time it would take a attenboroughii uses acid-like animals that provide important sources pitcher plant to digest a rat would be enzymes to dissolve its prey. of protein for humans. Risk levels sufficient for another generation of rats In his interview with Telegraph. of infection vary between different to be born! So, our quest for an effective co.uk, Mr. McPherson said that “the plant pathogens, and it is thus crucial to method of rodent management continues, produces spectacular traps which catch observe rodent populations more closely with management based on a strong not only insects but also rodents.” to predict future disease occurrences and understanding of the ecology and living “This is a spectacular discovery,” to be able to identify new rodent-borne habits of rodent pests offering the best says Grant Singleton, IRRI's expert on diseases. promise.”

46 Rice Today October-December 2009 Never an empty bowlby Savitri Mohapatra

African countries come together to work toward self-sufficiency joseph rickman joseph

he Council of Ministers of the we have to generate knowledge and Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the 23 member countries of the technology that can benefit Africa,” Council of Ministers called for a mega- Africa Rice Center hailed the commented Africa Rice Center Director program on rice as this cereal is the new harmonized international General Dr. Papa Abdoulaye Seck. “The fastest growing food staple in Africa. partnershipT for rice development in advantages of our collaboration can Hence, it is regarded as an engine of Africa during its 27th Ordinary Session help us have critical mass and very high economic growth and political stability held in Lomé, Togo, 2-3 September 2009. impact.” that can affect poverty and hunger. It also greatly appreciated the strong On behalf of IRRI, Dr. Achim The mega-program would represent research alignment forged between the Dobermann, deputy director general a global rice science partnership Africa Rice Center and the International for research, conveyed IRRI’s strong providing synergies for research Rice Research Institute (IRRI). commitment to the partnership. conducted by the three CGIAR-supported “By pooling together our resources, Referring to the ongoing reforms of centers working on rice (Africa our intelligence, and our efforts, the Consultative Group on International Rice Center, IRRI, and the Centro

Rice Today October-December 2009 47 1 2 3

Internacional de Agricultura Tropical international donor community. region’s 2008 rice production compared in Colombia) and other partners, most The current session of the Africa with that of 2007. notably, the national research systems. Rice Center Council of Ministers, Most notable was the 241% increase Also included are other advanced which was chaired by Mr. Kossi in Burkina Faso’s rice production in research institutes, in conjunction with Messan Ewovor, minister of agriculture, 2008 compared with 2007. Burkina Faso development partners. livestock, and fisheries, Republic of was one of the countries rocked by food Recognizing the geographic Togo, was held against the backdrop of riots. FAO attributes this turnaround expansion of the Africa Rice Center, the the recent food crisis, particularly the in Burkina Faso’s rice fortunes to Council of Ministers made a historic rice crisis that affected several African government support to farmers. Senegal, decision to officially change the center’s countries. the world’s eighth-largest rice importer, name from the West Africa Rice The Council commended the also increased its rice production by Development Association (WARDA) to Center for not only assisting the member 90% in 2008 through a presidential Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice). countries in responding to the rice initiative. “This change reflects the current crisis, but also for alerting them and Other African rice-producing reality,” the Council of Ministers recommending strategies to effectively countries that have recorded double-digit declared. “Today, our center is very manage such crises in the future. increases in national rice production different from when it was established in Following the food crisis, several in just 1 year are Mali, Benin, Nigeria, 1971, in view of the increasing number member countries of the Africa Rice Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and of member countries beyond West Africa Center adopted key policy measures Uganda. and the continent-wide adoption of the recommended by the Center in 2007 to Many African governments have public goods generated by it.” support the rice sector. According to now prioritized local rice production. The Council underlined that the the Food and Agriculture Organization They strive to create conditions that pan-African ownership of the Center has (FAO) of the United Nations, this will enable farmers to begin to use increased, particularly since 2007, during contributed to an 18% increase in the Africa’s largely untapped land and water which six countries from central, eastern, resources to produce affordable rice. and northern Africa joined the Center. As “This is a step in the right direction, a result, the number of member countries AfricaRice publications are on display but governments still need to do more in rose from 17 in 2006 to 23 in 2009. The at the 27th Ordinary Session of the order to significantly reduce dependence AfricaRice Council of Ministers. Council noted that, in fact, the Center’s on rice imports for national food technologies and services greatly benefit security,” says Dr. Papa Seck. 34 African countries, including 11 In realization of the critical role nonmember countries. played by research in developing The Council of Ministers Session technology innovations and solutions was inaugurated by the prime minister required to increase rice production of the Republic of Togo, Mr. Gilbert and food security, Africa Rice Center Fossoun Houngbo, on behalf of the member countries invested ten times president. “We salute the prominent role more in 2007-08 in rice research through that the Africa Rice Center has been their contribution to the Center than playing in the fight against poverty between 2001 and 2006. through the intensification of rice These achievements and the research in Africa,” stated the prime challenges of the African rice sector minister. He also appreciated the efforts were discussed by the Council, which made by the governments of the Center’s concluded by making several key

member countries and the support of the (5) raman r. resolutions.

48 Rice Today October-December 2009 1. Inauguration of the 27th Ordinary Ses- sion of the AfricaRice Council of Ministers: (foreground from left to right) Papa Abdoulaye Seck, director general, AfricaRice; Hon. Florence Chenoweth, minister of agriculture, Liberia; and Gilbert Fossoun­ Houngbo, prime minister of Togo.

2. AfricaRice-IRRI research alignment hailed by the AfricaRice Council of Ministers: (from left to right) Inoussa Akintayo, regional coordina- tor, African Rice Initiative, AfricaRice; Marco Wopereis, deputy director general for research, AfricaRice; Achim Dobermann, deputy director general for research, IRRI; and Kossi Aboua, scientist, Togo National Program, ITRA.

2. Togo’s Prime Minister Gilbert Fossoun ­Houngbo (third from left) inaugurates the 27th Ordinary Session of the AfricaRice Council of Ministers. Sitting with him are Getachew Engida, board chair, AfricaRice (first from left); NERICA-based dishes are Kossi Messan Ewovor, minister of agriculture, displayed at the 27th livestock, and fisheries, Togo second( from Ordinary Session of the left); Leopold Gninevi, minister of energy, Togo AfricaRice Council of (fourth from left); Papa Abdoulaye Seck, direc- Ministers. tor general, AfricaRice (fifth from left).

Rice Today October-December 2009 49 mechanical self-sufficiency Africa mechanizes its harvest and postharvest resources to achieve food security

Story and photos by Joseph Rickman The potential to increase production Uneven ripening of crops causes delays Rice productivity in East and southern in harvest and increases losses from Rice production in Africa Africa is now very low, with yields shattering, birds, and weather damage. n sub-Saharan Africa, rice is a very averaging between 1 and 1.5 tons per Late-planted crops are also much more important staple and cash crop. In hectare. If this region can maximize its susceptible to pest damage, especially 2006, the region produced more fertile lands and acquire ready access to leaf diseases. Delays during harvesting, than 21.6 million metric tons of rice water and other inputs such as fertilizer, threshing, and drying also cause losses in Iand imported 9.4 million tons. African Africa can double or even triple its rice both grain quantity and quality. imports accounted for more than one- production. Following the harvest stage, third of the internationally traded rice, losses during postharvest are also which cost approximately US$2 billion in Production constraints very high, ranging from 15 to 50%. In foreign exchange. At present, however, rice farmers face some instances, all the grains are lost, Over the past 3 years, local rice constraints that constitute a combination contaminated by fungus, particularly prices have increased sharply. In of inappropriate and poor management mycotoxins, or spoiled by rain after Mozambique, during 2008, rice imported skills, timing of operations, and harvest. Farmers lose much of their grain from Asia sold for $930 per ton in local availability of labor at critical times. because of poor postharvest management, stores and markets, which was nearly These factors are often interrelated and, outdated postharvest technology, and poor three times the price in 2007. Even today, in many cases, controlled by factors from and unhygienic storage facilities. Since in many villages and rural markets, outside the farm. most of the crop is hand-threshed, farmers polished rice continues to sell for $0.80– Diseases such as HIV/AIDS and prefer to harvest crops at lower moisture 0.90 per kilogram, or $800–900 per ton. tuberculosis, plus the migration of young content—as this makes threshing easier. Many African governments now people to the mines and other urban This often means that the crop is left realize that relying on the world market industries, have reduced the local farm in the field a month longer than what is to supply their rice is very risky and labor pool. When labor is available, necessary. The outcome is less grain and expensive, and many consider this an productivity is often very low because of poorer rice quality that later translates unwise long-term strategy. To avoid severe poor health and nutrition problems. into consumers turning away from locally food insecurity and, in some countries, Moreover, in many areas, rice crops produced rice, thereby reducing farmers’ civil instability, governments are now are not planted on time and yield losses income. serious about increasing rice production. of up to 2 tons per hectare have been Moreover, potential income is lost The International Rice Research recorded on the same farm with plantings as many farmers sell their grain at the Institute (IRRI) and the Africa Rice 1 month apart. To compensate for this, point of harvest. If farmers could store Center (AfricaRice) are working closely farmers either plant more seeds or their grain safely and have access to with many sub-Saharan governments, transplant older seedlings. Unleveled and transportation—so they are not at the nongovernment organizations, and uneven fields also result in higher water whim of local traders—they could commercial companies to increase rice requirements, more weeds, poor fertilizer increase the value of their grain by production across the region. efficiency, and nonuniform crop ripening. 20–30% within 2–3 months after harvest.

50 Rice Today October-December 2009 In these circumstances, if successful. Hence, the government is to East and southern Africa is also postharvest losses in sub-Saharan now ordering more 2-wheel tractors and very high. A tractor that costs $2,500 Africa were reduced by 50%, this would threshers from Asia. A local machinery in Thailand costs more than $5,000 in provide another 2 million tons of paddy manufacturer has already built and tested Tanzania. One-off fabrication costs or 1.6 million tons of milled rice. This is the first engine-driven thresher. Cone are also expensive, but, we hope, these equivalent to nearly 30% of imports and weeders have also been built locally will decline when larger numbers are the real value is $700 million per year. and a pedal thresher is on the way. The manufactured locally and more dealers cone weeders proved to be six times come into the market. Overcoming the problem faster than hand weeding when tested in In spite of the high cost of imported One way to overcome the timeliness southern Mozambique. equipment, there is a substantial problem and improve the efficiency of In Tanzania, 2-wheel tractors are economic benefit in using 2-wheel operations is to add more energy to the starting to become very popular. More tractors for land preparation. One system. than 500 machines have been imported, 2-wheel tractor can plow 1 hectare a Increasing labor is not really an with many going into the rice-growing day and uses approximately 20 liters option. But, small machines, such as areas. IRRI is working with the local of diesel. Add to this labor, repair, and 2-wheel tractors, grain threshers, and importer and the Mechanization Section maintenance, and the total operating mechanical weeders, can be introduced in the Ministry of Agriculture to further cost is approximately $35 per hectare. to boost production. support the expansion of 2-wheel tractors Obviously, a cost of ownership must Where mechanization has been and other equipment. Pedal threshers are be added, so the overall cost will be introduced, farmers observed that already being manufactured in Tanzania approximately $50 per hectare. This timeliness of operations improved, as and an engine-driven thresher will soon compares economically very favorably did the efficiency and quality of the end follow. with current manual and large-tractor product. Land was much better prepared, After initial tests, drum seeders plowing. Note that the tractor can also weed growth declined, crops were are now being fabricated locally in be used as a power source for threshing, harvested at higher moisture content, and Mozambique and will soon be in pumping water, transportation, and grains were stored safely and much earlier. Tanzania. The imported plastic Asian generating electricity. When 2-wheel tractors are combined with version introduced for demonstrations Cooperative ownership appears to a trailer, many on-farm transportation and has already succumbed to African rats be the obvious solution for purchasing market isolation problems are solved. The and rough handling. A metal version is equipment in the short term. Many engine can also be used as an auxiliary now being built. African farmers are already used to power source for pumping water, crop working in associations or cooperatives, threshing, rice milling, and generating Adoption so this should not be a problem. Local electricity. This combination of equipment The adoption and sustainable use of credit organizations have started working helped pave the way for self-sufficiency in equipment in Africa will take time. with cooperatives and governments now many Asian countries and it has the same IRRI’s experience in Asia suggests see mechanization as the way forward. potential in Africa. that it would take 8–10 years for When introducing machines, IRRI and the AfricaRice are the mechanization program to fully changes to current farming practices are building on the lessons learned in Asia develop—from initial testing to local often required. Several examples have and are now importing small-scale ownership and wide-scale adoption. And, already taken place in Mozambique. machines for testing and demonstration the key to a sustainable mechanization Traditional manual threshing requires in Africa. program is to base it on sound business straw to be left long, whereas mechanical IRRI, specifically, is collaborating principles from the beginning. The use threshing requires short straw. Similarly, with the government, machinery of the equipment must show a strong the use of mechanical cone weeders manufacturers, and dealers in Tanzania financial benefit, have local ownership requires seedlings to be sown in rows. and Mozambique to support the and dealer support, have a local IRRI and the AfricaRice have a importation, fabrication, and field champion, have government support, and pivotal role in making mechanization demonstration of equipment. In 2008, provide training for all players. happen. On-farm demonstrations, IRRI introduced 2-wheel tractors, The cost of hiring machinery support for the private sector, and, most threshers (both engine- and pedal- contractors in Africa is now excessively important, local training in the use and driven), manual cone weeders, and drum high. Where large tractors are used, local maintenance of equipment are already seeders into Mozambique. Then, in 2009, contractors charge $70–80 per hectare taking place. Like in Asia, this will another batch of threshers was shipped to for one pass, and rice millers charge be a long-term transition, but, it is a Tanzania. A 2-wheel tractor and a pedal- $80–100 per ton for contract milling. In basic requirement for rice production to and engine-driven thresher are now on comparison, these costs are nearly three increase in Africa. their way to Burundi under the IRRI- times those of their Asian counterparts. CARE project. Labor costs in Africa range from $1 to $2 The pieces of equipment imported per day, as in Asia. Mr. Rickman is IRRI's representative for into Mozambique have already proved The cost of importing equipment East and southern Africa.

Rice Today October-December 2009 51 BruinsRiceFullLow.pdf 1 6/5/2009 11:39:23 AM

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he world is experiencing 32 years to achieve what has been three simultaneous accomplished within a year and a revolutions: in molecular half through the assistance of this biology and genetics, unique community of volunteers. “Tin computational power and storage All workstations at IRRI capacity, and in communications,” are connected to the institutional observes Dr. Robert Zeigler, director network that contributes to the general of the International Rice Nutritious Rice for the World Research Institute (IRRI). “The project. When a workstation computational revolution allows becomes idle for 10 minutes, the scientists around the world to tackle Berkeley Open Infrastructure for almost unimaginably complex Network Computing or BOINC problems as a community, and (see http://boinc.berkeley.edu) in real time. Although there are software kicks in and runs tasks

no silver bullets, rice production hettel gene associated with the projects on can be revitalized with the help the World Community Grid of new technologies.” Agricultural breed better rice varieties with higher rather than displaying pretty animated research has recently joined the ranks crop yields, promote greater disease pictures of a screensaver. Note that of scientific disciplines that use intricate and pest resistance, and use a full leaving workstations on at all times computations in their research methods. range of bioavailable nutrients that is not advisable as this will consume Traditionally, supercomputers can benefit people around the world, large amounts of electricity. The data were associated with research areas especially in regions where hunger is obtained at IRRI are the result of idle that required very large amounts of a critical concern (see http://snipurl. moments when people have to make calculations and huge volumes of com/s8bwy). This project, run by the a phone call, attend a meeting, visit complex data such as astrophysics Computational Biology Research Group the washroom, read a newspaper, etc. and geophysics. The first generation at the University of Washington, requires By the time we celebrate IRRI’s 50th of supercomputing devices was often a massive amount of computing time anniversary in 2010, the Institute will purpose-built machines that required to complete. This is where the World have donated more than 100 years of specialized care in terms of maintenance. Community Grid comes in (see www. computer time to research programs on They also needed specific software worldcommunitygrid.org). the World Community Grid. development skills to optimize the use of The World Community Grid offers Anyone who owns a computer the multiprocessor architecture. Now, it public research projects an alternative that is connected to the Internet can is possible to build a device that has more to the large investments required participate in this project. The required capacity than the early supercomputers to run such projects on traditional BOINC software can be downloaded for using off-the-shelf components. At IRRI, supercomputers by distributing computers running different versions of researchers use several number-crunching computational tasks over the Internet to Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac, and devices ranging from a specialized high- volunteers who donate their computers’ for most versions of Linux. Downloads performance computing (HPC) device idle time to this project. Since the World and simple configuration instructions are to a gaming device modified to run Community Grid was launched on 12 available from the World Community parallelized statistical analyses. May 2008, the amount of computing Grid Web site. And, while you are at it, Some complex tasks are daunting time donated to this project at the time you may want to join the IRRI team, even for the largest supercomputing of writing was equivalent to a single and we will include your statistics in our equipment. The Nutritious Rice for computer running for 16,687 years. To team results! the World project, in which IRRI put this into perspective, a fairly large participates, aims to predict the structure HPC device with 32 nodes, each having of proteins of major strains of rice. four modern four-core processors, would Mr. van den Berg is head of Information The study intends to help farmers need to run continuously for more than Technology Services at IRRI.

Rice Today October-December 2009 53 RICE FACTS The global rice market pauses by Samarendu Mohanty Head, IRRI Social Sciences Division

or the first time since the crisis in late 2007, new uncertainties plague the global rice market. A record global rice crop in 2008 keptF the situation under wrap, with rice prices dropping by as much as 60% after peaking in May 2008. Favorable growing conditions in the major rice-producing countries definitely helped the situation, as 10 million tons of rice were added to the global rice inventory at a time when stocks reached a level not seen in the last 30 years. Government interventions in the form of a higher minimum Fig. 1. The rise and fall in global rice prices. procurement price, along with higher Data sources: World Bank and USDA. input subsidies, also helped production reach a record. One of the undesirable outcomes of raising the support level, however, has been the diversion of rice away from the market to government warehouses. This is evident in the more-than-normal spread between Thailand and Vietnam rice prices that has been seen in recent months, when higher Thai intervention prices have kept export prices higher. As Figure 1 shows, the price of Thai rice 5% broken is about $100 higher than its Vietnam counterpart, compared with the normal spread of US$10–20. Similarly, retail rice prices in major Indian markets have also witnessed steep increases in Fig. 2. Rice retail prices in major Indian markets. the past months, while government grain Data source: Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Government of India. US$1 = 48 rupees. bins overflow with rice (see Fig. 2). Experts’ estimates regarding the amount of rice sitting in government channeled through the public distribution The current situation warehouses, particularly in India and system to provide subsidized grain to Despite the comforting stock numbers Thailand, vary. The estimates range from the 65 million people living below the for India, Thailand, China, and other 20 to 25 million tons for India and 6 to poverty line. The government has also Asian countries, the global market is 8 million tons for Thailand. In addition, allocated 17 million tons of grain to those waiting and watching because of the India also had a banner year in terms above the poverty line who can buy it number of uncertainties evolving quickly of record wheat procurement, pegged at less subsidized prices. The challenge in the market today. First, the erratic somewhere around 30 million tons. From for the government now is to strike a behavior of the monsoon in many parts the outside, it appears that India is sitting balance between the public and private of India and Bangladesh is making other comfortably with these buffer stocks at distribution system to ensure a steady major players re-evaluate their situation. its disposal. However, more than half supply of grain in the market and keep Thailand, which was initially desperate of the procurement stocks need to be prices stable. to auction off some of its surplus rice to

54 Rice Today October-December 2009 Fig. 3. Yield growth needed to keep the rice price (Thai 100%B) constant at around $300 per ton. Data source: Global rice model, University of Arkansas. open up storage space for the new crop, conditions in Bangladesh look is projected to grow by 8% in the next 10 no longer appears to be in such a hurry. much better. The delayed arrival of years, with the rice price (represented by Hence, supply in the global market the monsoon initially affected the Thai 100%B on the right side) climbing has suddenly dried up and traders now transplanting process, particularly in the up to $530 per ton in the next few years assess the extent of the Indian drought’s northern parts of the country, but rice and staying there for the last few years of damage before they jump into the planting has picked up in recent weeks, the projection period. To keep the price at market. Sources from India say that the as sufficient rains arrived. around $300 per ton, yield needs to grow kharif (summer crop) rice area is down at a much faster rate (of around 15%) in by as much as 20% compared to the last Looking beyond 2009 the next 10 years. season, and production is estimated to be Irrespective of what happens to the In addition to revamping yield 10 million tons lower. These numbers are market in the next few months, the growth, it is also necessary to achieve a just preliminary figures, however, and it fundamental problem for achieving greater degree of price stabilization in will take a few more weeks to come up global rice food security, sagging yield the global market. This is particularly with more concrete estimates of the area growth, has yet to be addressed. Over the true for rice, the primary staple for and yield of the current kharif crop. The past 8 years, nearly half of the production the poorest of the poor in the region. last time the monsoon failed was in 2002. increase has been attributed to area Uncertainty in production arising out It was just as bad as the current monsoon expansion rather than to productivity of India’s poor monsoon this season and Indian production then fell by more growth. Current global rice area is at a will likely happen again in the future than 21 million tons. historic high, but yield growth has fallen in another country and combine with Rainfall in recent weeks has below 1%. At the same time, global some other problem. Re-building stocks definitely helped in expanding rice consumption has been rising at a healthy to a level that can assure importing planting in the lowlands of Uttar Pradesh rate of 1.5% annually. With further countries of a steady flow of rice to the and Bihar, but many parts of the upland area expansion less likely in the future, global market is one way to stabilize rice area have already been lost this productivity growth must be ramped the market. Although this sounds like season because of deficient rainfall. up if we want to feed the hundreds of an expensive proposition, it is a realistic Members of the International Rice millions of poor people. solution considering the structure of the Research Institute’s (IRRI) field visit To assess the yield growth global rice market, in which domestic to eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in required to keep rice cheaper, we ran a food security is a top priority for four of the second week of September clearly simulation using the global rice model the top five exporters. The current global observed moderate to severe stress developed and managed by researchers rice stocks of 89 million tons1 are higher on rice plants because of the delayed at the University of Arkansas. Baseline than the stocks recorded a couple of years planting and irregular rainfall throughout projections for rice supply, demand, ago, but lower than those seen during August. It is evident that rice production trade, and prices were developed under the 1990s. The need for a higher buffer in India will be less than in the previous the assumption that the weather is may not be essential if rice markets in kharif season because of reduced rice normal, the current policies continue, and the region become integrated enough so area and yield. present yield growth is still applicable. that any form of trade restriction is not a Unlike in India, however, crop As Figure 3 shows, baseline paddy yield viable policy option anymore.

1 United States Department of Agriculture estimate.

Rice Today October-December 2009 55 Maps

South Asia’s twist of fate by Sonia Asilo, Arnel Rala, Angelo Pacheco, and Cornelia Garcia

ater is essential in rice area in Bihar, India, and 130,000 hectares ascii formats. It can be downloaded in South Asia. In Figure 1, the orange Acknowledgment Deadly Typhoon Morakot. NASA/ farming. Proper water control of arable land in Nepal, and took away for free from NASA’s Web site using to dark red regions show high rainfall The images and data used were acquired Goddard Space Flight Center. in rice fields helps farmers 25% of the potential wet-season crop area TOVAS. The satellite observations are accumulation in areas severely affected using the GES-DISC Interactive Online www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ attain high yield. More often, in Bangladesh. complemented by ground radar and by flooding. Figure 2 shows the excessive Visualization and Analysis Infrastructure hurricanes/archives/2009/h2009_ Whowever, nature takes this control away The National Aeronautics and rain-gauge measurements to validate amount of rainfall recorded in 2008. The (Giovanni) as part of NASA's Goddard MorakotNews.html from farmers. Drought leaves them with Space Administration (NASA) in the satellite rain estimation techniques. northern part of Uttar Pradesh in India Earth Sciences (GES) Data and Hijmans RJ, Van Etten J. 2009. raster: little water, while storms ravage their collaboration with the National Space Using the script written in the statistical had the highest rainfall accumulation, Information Services Center (DISC). raster data handling for geographic crops. Both circumstances devastate their Development Agency of Japan launched environment, R, TRMM 3B43 v6 ASCII not to mention the highest number of data analysis and modeling. R rice fields. on 27 November 1997 the Tropical product can be mapped and converted to casualties as well. References package version 0.9.7-8. http://r-forge. During the monsoon season, South Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) tiff using the raster package developed at In a sudden twist of fate, however, Majumdar B. 22 August 2008. Food r-project.org/projects/raster/. Asia regularly experiences widespread satellite that gives researchers and IRRI. this year’s monsoon season took a riots as floods swamp South Asia. Huke R, Huke E. 1997. Rice area by floods. In 2007, heavy rains inundated scientists access to near-real-time TRMM accumulated rainfall different turn. As you will read in this Environmental News Network. www. type of culture: South, Southeast, and Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. The Asian rainfall information on a global scale (mm) images were captured during the issue’s Rice facts, this year, India’s enn.com/lifestyle/article/37998. East Asia. Los Baños (Philippines): Development Bank reported that floods and maps of potential flooding. TRMM monsoon season (June-September) in summer-season crops were left thirsting Gutro R. 10 August 2009. NASA Satellite International Rice Research Institute. damaged 13.3 million hectares of crop products are available in image and South Asia. In 2007, flood was recorded for water. Sees Severe Flooding Rains from NASA. 2009. Introduction to TRMM. http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ precipitation/trmm_intro.shtml#Intro. Fig. 1. 2007 rainfall accumulation Fig. 2. 2008 rainfall Wikipedia. 2009. 2007 South Asian in South Asia. accumulation in South floods. http://en.wikipedia.org/ Asia. wiki/2007_South_Asian_floods.

Ms. Asilo is a senior specialist in remote sensing, Mr. Rala is an associate scientist, Ms. Garcia is an associate graphics, and Mr. Pacheco is a programmer. All work at IRRI’s Social Science Division.

1 Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Online Visualization and Analysis System (http://disc2. nascom.nasa.gov/Giovanni/tovas/).

56 Rice Today October-December 2009 Rice Today October-December 2009 57 grain of truth reduced by not flooding and water logging rice soils. In addition, reducing Circle irrigation: the number of flooded fields would reduce breeding areas for mosquitoes. a new response to climate change Research performed in Missouri and Arkansas in the United States and by Blake Onken in Brazil has shown that irrigating rice with a center-pivot system reduces water applications from 28 to 50% compared lobal water scarcity and with conventional flood methods, while its implications for rice maintaining or improving rice yields. production have been an area Reported yields from these studies have of significant concern and been between 6 and 8 tons per hectare. discussion.G Water scarcity is a problem Because a center-pivot irrigated field of sufficient magnitude, that a “one-size- is never flooded, early season rains are fits-all” solution is unlikely. Breeding less likely to drown direct-seeded rice programs aimed at improving drought as it germinates. This was documented tolerance in rice, as well as innovative this season in field trials in Arkansas. and novel production systems, will be While paddy fields had to be replanted rovaznik required to adequately address the issue P due to excessive spring rains, the center- ick ick of water scarcity, as it relates to rice R pivot irrigated field sustained very little production. One topic that has had little damage. Plus, center-pivot irrigated fields discussion, however, is the use of center- Center-pivot systems perform well will dry out more quickly at the end of pivot irrigation systems to help resolve on sloped fields of up to 30 degrees, the growing season allowing harvest this problem. which eliminate the cost of expensive equipment into the field sooner. Also, Research is currently underway to land leveling operations. Additional earlier harvesting will reduce yield losses evaluate and adapt center-pivot sprinkler cost savings can be realized from from seed-head shatter, lodging, and systems to rice production. The impetus reductions in labor and expenses for land pests. for this research is threefold: to reduce repair, heavy tillage, puddling, lateral A number of factors do have to be the water required to produce rice, to canal construction, surface smoothing, taken into account when considering expand the geographic area suitable for and check (bund) construction and the use of center-pivot systems for rice rice production, and, finally, to reduce the maintenance. Expansion of rice ground irrigation. The use of blast resistant cost of overall production by automating without expensive land development rice varieties is essential as overhead irrigation operations and fertilizer and can occur by using center-pivot systems. sprinkler systems will regularly wet the chemical applications. Areas previously unsuitable for rice rice canopy. Increased dependence on Center-pivot sprinkler systems have production due to topographic or soil herbicides will also occur without flood many advantages over other forms of type constraints may now be considered water to keep weeds in check. Herbicide irrigation. They apply water much more for cultivation. Sloped fields, uneven and fungicide programs will have to be uniformly to fields than do either flood ground, and lighter textured soils could carefully monitored. The cost of these or furrow irrigation; and, since pumping all be put into rice production. programs should be offset by reduced requirements are reduced, water outflows Established rice paddies are suitable production and pumping costs, however. are lessened allowing farmers to save only for rice production. To rotate Center-pivot sprinkler systems may on both water and energy. Moreover, rice with other crops can be difficult not be applicable to every field and every another added benefit is, fertilizers or impossible. The use of center-pivot situation, but the expectation is that, and chemicals can be applied through systems would help facilitate crop the advantages of center-pivot sprinkler the center-pivot system with the same rotation for healthier crops and soils. It irrigation can be successfully adapted to high efficiency as the irrigation water. would also make farmers more flexible to widespread rice production. More research This can significantly reduce labor and respond to changes in markets, weather, is required to confirm the sustainability of application costs. The loss of fertilizers and other conditions. Because a field rice yields in using this technology. Early and chemicals to leaching and runoff irrigated by a center-pivot system does indications, however, show that center- is minimized, thereby increasing input not require maintaining flood water, pivot sprinkler systems will provide the efficiencies and reducing potential puddling operations, which make crop same water, labor, and nutrient savings for environmental impacts. Furthermore, rotation difficult would be eliminated. rice as for other field crops. in-season application of nutrients From a “green perspective,” (particularly nitrogen) through fertigation published estimates place the methane enables plants to better utilize the production of rice paddies at between Mr. Onken is the director of Application nutrients, as the system matches the plant 50 and 100 million tons per year. Engineering and Education for the Lindsay need and uptake. Greenhouse gas emissions could be Corporation based in the United States.

58 Rice Today October-December 2009

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