Flood-resistant rice developed
FE Report | Sunday, 15 March 2009
A US plant biologist helped create a type of flood-resistant rice that is being introduced to India and Bangladesh.
Pamela Ronald developed the new rice strain with a colleague at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) near Manila, David Mackill, and another scientist at the University of California Riverside, Julia Bailey-Serres.
"Most rice plants will die if submerged for just three days, but the new variety can withstand two weeks of flooding. It can make a crucial difference in a region where subsis tence farmers grow rice to feed their families and four million tonnes of rice is lost each year to flooding.
Pamela Ronald developed the new rice strain with a colleague at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) near Manila, David Mackill, and another scientist at the University of California Riverside, Julia Bailey-Serres.
"Most rice plants will die if submerged for just three days, but the new variety can withstand two weeks of flooding. It can make a crucial difference in a region where subsis tence farmers grow rice to feed their families and four million tonnes of rice is lost each year to flooding.