Melody M. Aguiba, Manila Bulletin via Checkbiotech

A genetically modified (GM) rice that can resist the destructive bacterial leaf blight (BLB) is being developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PRRI) that is seen to cut 60 percent loss from BLB that festers even high-yielding hybrid rice varieties.

Antonio Al Alfonso, PRRI genetic transformation manager, said the BLB-resistant rice may be commercialized in five years and should eliminate yield destruction that affects rice particularly in the wet season.

Characterized by the browning and drying of the leaf from the tip down to the stem, BLB can be resisted by the GM rice when injected with a BLB-resistant gene from a non-cultivated wild rice found in the forests.

"The challenge to breeders is how to transfer the gene to cultivated rice. (So far, it’s been) very successful," said Alfonso who studied rice genetic engineering at Cornell University.

The screenhouse testing of BLB-resistant rice in the Philippines began in the wet season of 2002, followed by the 2003 dry season.

Despite having successfully transferred the BLB-resistant gene to cultivated rice, Alfonso said the state research agency wants to improve on the GM variety that will be both BLB-resistant and high-yielding as farmers complain of hybrid rice’s susceptibility to BLB in the wet season.

Taking its cue from a UC Davis California gene transfer of BLB resistance, the PRRI has developed the IR 72.

"In Asia, the Philippines is the first to have a field trial of the transgenic rice. IR 72 was confirmed to have strong resistance to bacterial blight. But it still has to be translated to a further selection that will have a clear yield advantage," he said.

Farmers that planted the hybrid rice SL-8H claimed their yield shot up to as much as 12 metric tons (MT) per hectare (from the three MT national average rice yield), but admitted BLB can be so destructive it can wipe out nearly all harvest.

The International Rice Research Institute initiated about two decades ago the development of BLB-resistant rice, and PRRI adopted the same research applicable in the local setting.

However, it may take some time before this may be released for commercial propagation as commercialization requires stringent testings to be approved by the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP).

The process includes testing for toxicity and allergenicity, and the GM crop also needs to have a multi-locational testing.

If it is to be tested on multi-locations, the GM rice may be tested in PRRI’s field centers which are in Midsayap, North Cotabato; Agusan; Batac, Ilocos Norte; San Mateo, Isabela; Los Baños; and Negros Occidental.

Aside from the BLB-resistant rice, PRRI is also presently experimenting the genetic engineering of Vitamin A rich rice, fungal disease resistant rice using chitinase and glucanase gene transfer which are resistant to the fungal disease; stemborer-resistant rice; and drought and salinity tolerant rice.

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