Bangkok, Thailand
November 20, 2007
Source:
SciDev.Net
Thai researchers are developing a breed of aromatic jasmine rice
that is resistant to some pests and diseases, as well as to
flash floods, drought and salinity.
The ongoing research, which uses laboratory techniques to back
up traditional breeding methods, was presented at the
international BioAsia 2007 conference in Bangkok this month (7–9
November).
Thailand is the world largest rice exporter, with jasmine rice
the most popular. But the country's rice plants often have to
struggle against severe flooding or drought, as well as damage
by the brown plant hopper (BPH) and bacterial leaf blight (BLB).
The experimental rice withstands nearly three weeks of flooding
and is resistant to BPH and BLB, says Apichart Vanavichit,
director of the
Rice Gene Discovery Unit in Thailand, who is leading the
research. His team are now looking for genes that enable other
rice plants to tolerate salt conditions and drought.
Vanavichit said they hope to release their "super rice" with the
whole set of resistance genes by 2012.
The scientists use genetic marker techniques to locate the
desired genes in different rice varieties, which helps them
identify the best parent plants for breeding.
Work began in 1998 with the identification of flood-resistant
genes in a local Indian rice variety.
In 2001 the researchers conducted a field trial, and last year
gave the flood-resistant rice seeds to farmers in northern
Thailand.
Meanwhile, researchers crossbred plants with BPH- and
BLB-resistant genes from a wild Sri Lankan rice and samples from
the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), before
combining those traits with the flood-resistant jasmine rice.
"What would happen if India hadn't allowed us to use its rice
variety? The sharing of genetic resources is definitely
beneficial," said Vanavichit.
Surawit Wannakrairoj, a member of the Thai National Plant
Variety Committee, told SciDev.Net that the results showed that
Thailand does not need to embrace genetic-modification
biotechnology.
Duncan Macintosh, a spokesperson for IRRI, says the development
of flood-resistant rice is progressing well in several
countries, so the chances of success in Thailand are high. "But
the main challenge will be to maintain the quality of jasmine
rice," he told SciDev.Net. |
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