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International Network for Genetic Evaluation of Rice to revitalize global sharing of rice breeding and genetic resources

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Bangkok, Thailand
May, 2007

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

Rising to today’s daunting challenge of exchanging rice breeding materials amid complex intellectual property regimes and dwindling resources were representatives from 17 countries in Asia and Africa, 3 CGIAR centers (IRRI, WARDA, ICARDA), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

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

To update the INGER TAC on the breeding resources to expect from IRRI, Plant Breeding, Genetics and Biotechnology (PBGB) Division Head Dr. Darshan Brar presented the state of the art on rice breeding, and IRRI Program 5 Leader Dr. Hei Leung discussed possible applications of DNA bar-coding and association genetics in INGER. Specific objectives of IRRI breeding programs and networks were discussed by Drs. Arvind Kumar, R.K. Singh, K.K. Jena, and Dave Mackill.

Global developments were reviewed on rice breeding material exchange by INGER Coordinator Dr. Ed Redoña, on data management and use of the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) by T.T. Chang Genetic Resources Center Head Dr. Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton, and on a Global Partnership Initiative on Plant Breeding Capacity building(GIPB) by FAO Senior Officer Dr. Elcio Guimarães. INGER’s contributions, in terms of direct varietal releases and in increasing the diversity of parental materials in NARES breeding programs, were repeatedly underscored in the country reports from Asia to Africa.

Key outputs of the meeting were the realignment of INGER nurseries and activities according to the needs and priorities of NARES and CG centers, refinement of INGER’s operational mechanisms, heightened NARES awareness on the SMTA and its positive implications for global germplasm exchange, and identification of key areas for improvement such as the use of IT for expediting seed requests, submission and analysis of data, and generation and dissemination of reports. The need to infuse a new science dimension to INGER’s activities was also emphasized. TAC members pledged to nominate more entries to INGER in order to increase NARES-to-NARES sharing and use of rice breeding and genetic resources that have been INGER’s hallmark during the past 32 years.

The plans formulated by the TAC will be presented for approval at the next meeting of the Council for Partnership on Rice Research in Asia (CORRA), INGER’s Steering Committee, in Vietnam this coming September. Hailed as one of the most successful and enduring partnership among NARES and CGIAR centers, INGER has played a vital role in facilitating the continued spread of modern rice varieties, thus sustaining the gains of the Green Revolution. Coordinated by Dr. Ed Redoña since September 2006, INGER is positioning itself into becoming the model and leading global network for the multilateral sharing of breeding and genetic resources and related information in the modern era.
 

 

 

 

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