MEETING OF THE IRC STEERING COMMITTEE,
Held at FAO, Rome, Italy, 25 February 2000
Review of Rice and Related Activities in 1999 and PWB 2000-01:
Discussion on the IRRI’s Proposal for the Announcement of the International Year of Rice
Report on the Preparation of the Expert Consultation on Yield Gap and Productivity Decline
Approval of the IRC Newsletter, Issue No. 49 (2000)
Other Matters: New Development in Rice Technologies and Others
1. Review of Rice and Related Activities in 1999 and PWB 2000-01:
1.1 The Secretariat of International Rice Commission, AGPC:
During 1999 the Secretariat of the IRC continued its regular activities such as: (1) the preparation and publication of the IRC Newsletter (Vol 48), (2) the publication of the Proceedings of the 19th Session of the Commission, (3) the provision of support to the Workshop on "Research Strategy for Rice Sector Development in the Economies in Transition" organised by the Inter-regional Co-operative Research Network on Rice in the Mediterranean Climate Area in Bucharest from 1-4 September 1999 and the organization of the Third Meeting of the Working Group on Hybrid Rice in Latin America and the Caribbean (GRUTHA) from 20-24 September 1999 in Goiania, Brazil, and (4) the preparation for the organization of the Expert Consultation on Yield Gap and Productivity Decline in Rice Production which will be held from 5-7 September 2000 in Rome, Italy.
The major achievements obtained by the Secretariat of the IRC during 1999 were:
1.2 The Rice Development Programme, AGPC:
The major activities of the Rice Development Programme (RDP), during 1999, included the support to the development and use of hybrid rice outside of China, the development and test of integrated crop management packages for irrigated rice production in selected Member-Countries, the studies on yield evolution in Africa and yield gap in Latin America, and the pilot demonstration of inter-specific varieties O. sativa x O. glaberrima in West Africa. These activities will be continued during 2000-2001, with the exception of the study on yield evolution in Africa. The training on high rice yielding technology for staff of national rice programmes, in selected countries in the Sahel zone of West Africa is a new activity planned for 2000-01. Presently, the RDP provides technical support to 3 TCP projects, 2 UNDP-funded projects, and the rice intensification component in SPFS in several countries. It also provides technical support to an IRRI project on hybrid rice development in Asia, which is funded by the Asian Development Bank, under the framework of INTAFOHR.
1.3 The Inter-Governmental Groups, ESCB
The Inter-Governmental Group (IGG) of ESCB is responsible for supervising a project on Inland Valley Swamp Development (Sustainable Productivity Improvement in Rice in Inland Valleys in West Africa) in 3 West African countries, in collaboration with WARDA, the Project Executing Agency. This project is funded by the Common Fund for Commodities. Project implementation formally started in January 2000. ESCB also collects and analyses information on rice markets, which it disseminates, on a monthly basis either through the Food Outlook or the Rice Market Monitor. ESCB estimated world rice production (paddy basis), during 1999-00 at about 593 million tonnes and global rice trade, during calendar year 1999 at about 25 million tonnes (milled basis). Thailand and Vietnam increased their market share in 1999, at the expense of the other exporting countries. On the import side, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Brazil and the Philippines all purchased less rice than the previous year, an attribute of a recovery in domestic production. China is currently processing its entry into the World Trade Organization and, once successful, its accession to WTO may have substantial implications for world trade of rice.
1.4 Water Management and Irrigation Systems Group, AGLW
The Water Management and Irrigation Systems Group (WMISG) of AGLW will give more priority to the water management and irrigation development for rice production during the 2000-01. This is due to the impending global water crisis. Rice production occupied 30% of the world-total irrigated land and, per-hectare basis, the amount of water required for the production of rice is much higher than that required for the production of wheat and maize. At present, the efficiency of water use in rice production is about 30%. During 2000-01, WMISG will undertake action to define criteria and/or strategies for improving water use in rice production. Activities will include the defining of rice ecosystems; the refinement of CROPWAT, a database on crop water requirement for use by irrigation agronomists and technician; and co-operation with CG-institutions in research on water use efficiency in lowland rice.
2. Discussion on IRRI’s proposal for anncement of the International Year of Rice
IRRI’s proposal for the Announcement of the International Year of Rice was discussed. The participants supported the proposal in general but felt that there is sufficient information, especially in terms of the implications of such an Announcement and the associated activities for making this decision. With Mr. Edeson’s advice, the Meeting recommended that LONY be requested to contact UN Offices for clarification and information on the procedures of the Declaration of International Year by UN Assembly General and its implication on the activities associated with such Declaration.
3. Report on the preparation of the Expert Consultation on Yield Gap and Productivity Decline in Rice Production, Rome, 5-7 September 2000
The participants were informed that the preparation for the Consultation has been going on smoothly. Invitations have been sent to the potential participating-Experts, and the Secretariat of the IRC has received positive responses from Experts from USA, Australia, Italy, Korea Rep, IRRI, and WARDA indicating that they will participate in the Consultation. Modified Guidelines for the case studies on Yield Gaps and Productivity Declines were sent to Experts in Brazil, India, Egypt, Nigeria, and Philippines and positive responses were also received showing the progress of the studies.
4. Approval of the IRC Newsletter, Issue No. 49 (2000)
The participants approved the contents of the Issue No. 49 of the IRC Newsletter, which was proposed by the IRC Secretariat. They also recommended the inclusion of the record of this Meeting in the Issue No. 49.
5. Other matters: New Development in Rice Technologies and Others
The IRC Secretariat briefed the participants on the following advances in rice technologies and innovations:
5.1 Rice Genomics:
The genomics will be a
historic landmark for crop breeding as scientists will interpret gene structures
and patterns of expression in each organism. This integrated knowledge of large
numbers of genes is called genomics. For rice, Japanese scientists started to
sequence the Nipponbare genome in 1998. This sequencing of the genome will
greatly accelerate the isolation of useful alleles from other cultivars. Genes
conferring a key trait in a cultivar A will be mapped to specific regions of the
rice genome and then the Nipponbare databases will be consulted to identify
candidate genes that might contribute to the trait. Transformation with the
allele of candidate genes will indicate the responsible gene.
5.2 Yellow (or Golden) Rice:
Beta-carotene is an excellent source of vitamin A. Like any other plant, rice is capable of synthesising beta-carotene in its green parts. However, the rice grains are carotenoid-free. Beta-carotene is a naturally occurring carotenoid that is converted to vitamin A in animals and plants. This makes beta-carotene an excellent source of vitamin A for human beings. "Yellow Rice" was developed by an EU funded project on "Carotene Plus". This project modified rice plants by genetic engineering to make their grains capable of producing beta-carotene. The work consisted of isolating and transferring the bacterial phytolene desaturate gene of phytoene synthase and lycopene cyclase from Narcissus pseudonarcissus (daffodil) to rice plants. The grains of the resultant transgenic rice plants have a yellow colour due to the presence of beta-carotene in their endosperm, thus the name Yellow or Golden Rice. "Yellow Rice" is ready for testing, but we do not know if the yellow colour of rice will be widely accepted by consumers.
5.3 C4 Rice:
In light of current research,
the potential benefits from modifying rice by incorporating traits currently
found in plants such as maize, sorghum and sugarcane are enormous. Rice is the
C3 plant while maize, sorghum and sugarcane are the C4 plants. However, the
rice plant already contains all of the genes responsible for C4 photosynthesis.
The problem is that they are not switched on and regulated as they are in maize.
By transferring from maize to rice genes, with an improved mechanism for the
process of photosynthesis, researchers in the US (Washington State University)
and Japan (Tsukuba) have produced initial results that suggest that rice yields
could be increased by up to 20%.
5.4 Super Rice:
The work on Super Rice started in 1988, with the studies on improvement of physiological aspects of modern rice for increasing yield potential. The potential yield of this rice would reach 15 t/ha under tropical conditions, as compared to the present potential yield of 10 t/ha. The seeds of Super Rice have been available for testing in several countries. The present main constraints to Super Rice include low quality, high-pest susceptibility and many empty grains. The problem of many sterile grains is the most difficult to solve.
Super Rice is the continuation of the HYV generation (or Modern variety), which has widely been adopted by farmers during the Green Revolution. To achieve the goal of 15 t/ha, IRRI has exploited two strategies of breeding, e.g. (1) crossing Tropical Japonica X Indica and then (2) deploying heterosis of hybrid rice technology. The first strategy would increase the present yield potential by 25% or from 10 to 12.5 t/ha, while the second strategy would further increase the yield by 25% or from 12.5 to 15 t/ha.
Besides IRRI's work, Chinese and Japanese scientists have worked on Super Rice in the last several years. Chinese scientists have developed "New HYV" or "Super HYV", such as Teqing, Shanshua and Shen Nong 265, with the yield of 11-15 t/ha. Super 2-line hybrid rice variety yielded 17. -1 t/ha, when planted at Yongsheng, Yunan, in 1992. Japan started a 15-year project (1981-95) to increase the HYV yield by 50%. The yield of the Oochikara variety, with large grains, which has recently been developed, is higher than present potential yield (15 t/ha) by 15%. It is noted that the world's highest average yields of rice were reported in California (9.4 t/ha).
5.5 Ricechecks: An Integrated Crop Management Package
Rice growing conditions vary from field to field. This is the principal reason why the application of a generally recommended package failed to obtain high yield. During 1986-87, the Australian Rice Programme developed and transferred an Integrated Crop Management Package called "Ricechecks". The "Ricechecks" provide criteria for 8 key factors for farmers to check the performance of their crop management practices from land preparation to harvest. Rice yield is expected to increase 10-11 t/ha, if the crop management satisfied the criteria of all 8 key factors. The wide adoption of "Ricechecks", by Australian farmers, has increased the Australian national yield from about 7 t/ha in 1985-87 to 8.5 t/ha during 1990 to 1997.
5.6 Leaf Colour Chart (LCC):
The efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer application in rice production is still low. More than 50% of applied nitrogen is lost. Similar to the "Ricecheck" concept, IRRI recently developed LCC – a low cost and simple device - to assist farmers in determining of the amount of nitrogen for top dressing, especially during the panicle initiation stage, regardless of the soil fertility status of their field, as in the past. Farmers can determine the nitrogen requirement of a rice crop, at a given growth stage, based on the colour of rice leaves, using a LCC, instead of following standard recommendations.