IRRI Annual Report 1993-1994

8/6/2019 IRRI Annual Report 1993-1994

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IRRIs Mission Statement

O UR G OALTo improve the well-being of present and future generations of rice farmers andconsumers, particularly those with low incomes.

O UR O BJECTIVESTo generate and disseminate rice-related knowledge and technology of short- andlong-term environmental, social, and economic benefit and to hdp enhance national rice research systems.

O UR S TRATEGY We pursue our goal and objectives through:

interdisciplinary ecosystem-based programs in major rice environmentsscientific strength from discipline-based divisionsanticipatory research initiatives exploring new scientific opportunitiesconservation and responsible use of natural resourcessharing of germplasm, technologies, and knowledgeparticipation of women in research and development partnership with farming communities, research institutions, and other organizations that share our goal

O UR V ALUESOur actions are guided by a commitment to:

excellencescientific integrity- and accountability innovation and creativity diversity of opinion and approachteamwork and partnershipservice to clientscultural and gender diversity indigenous knowledgeenvironment protection


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Contents

IRRI in brief 3Preparing the worlds rice bowl for the next century 4IRRI revamps its work plan 11Research program highlights 18

Irrigated rice ecosystem 18Rainfed lowland rice ecosystem 25Upland rice ecosystem 28Flood-prone rice ecosystem 30Cross-ecosystems 32

International program highlights 36Germplasm conservation, dissemination, and evaluation 37Networks 39

National research services 41Training 44

Information and knowledge exchange 46Finance and administration 49

What some newspapers have saidabout IRRI 53

1993 Financial statements 611RRI trustees at April 1994 82Internationally and nationally recruited

staff 1993 83Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) 86

Appendices1. Institutions collaborating with IRRI 882. Ongoing IRRI complementary projects 913. IRRI proposals needing special donor funding 95


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Acronyms and abbreviations used in this report

ARFSN Asian Rice Farming Systems Network ASSP Agricultural Support Services Project BMZ Der Bundesminister fur Wirthasliche (Germany)BRRI Bangladesh Rice Research InstituteCGIAR Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research

CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CREMNET Crop and Resource Management Network CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research OrganisationDOASL Department of Agriculture, Sri LankaEC European Community ECSA Eastern, Central, and Southern AfricaEPA Environmental Protection Agency FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsFOFIFA Foibe Fikarohana Ampiharina amin-ny Fampandrosoana ny

Ambanivohitra (National Center for Applied Research on Rural DevelopmentMadagascar)

GEF Global Environmental Facility GTZ Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (Germany)ICAR Indian Council for Agricultural Research

ICLARM International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management ICRAF International Center for Research in Agroforestry IDEAL Initiative for Development of Environmental Alliances

through LeadershipIDRC International Development Research Centre (Canada)IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development (Rome)IIMI International Irrigation Management InstituteINGER International Network for Genetic Evaluation of RiceINSURF International Network on Soil Fertility and Sustainable Rice Farming IPM Integrated Pest Management

JCIE Japanese Center for International ExchangeNARS National Agricultural Research SystemsNRI Natural Resources InstituteODA Overseas Development Administration

ORSTOM Office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique Outre-Mer(France)-- Now known as Institut Francais de RechercheScientifique pour le Developpement en Cooperation(French Institute of Scientific Research for Development)

Lao PDR Lao Peoples Democratic RepublicPhilRice Philippine Rice Research InstituteRDA Rural Development Administration (Korea)RF Rockefeller FoundationSARP Systems Analysis and Simulation for Rice ProductionUCL Universite Catholique de LouvainUNDP United Nations Development ProgrammeUSAID United States Agency for International Development UV-B Ultraviolet-B

WARDA West Africa Rice Development Association WAU Wageningen Agricultural University


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IRRI replanned, restructured,reframed and reorganized to meet future needsRice Research in a Time of Change IRRI's Medium-Term Plan for 1994-1998 publishedSixteen IRRI breeding lines from theirrigated rice breeding programnamed as varieties in nine countries,bringing the total number of IRRIbreeding lines named as varietiesthroughout the world to 252Two IRRI-derived salt-tolerant cultivars identified by the PhilippineSeed Board for prereleaseIRRI's Genetic Resources Centerbecame responsible for the interna-tional rice genealogy data base; 2,900records on crosses in Korea and18,000 hybrid records from latin

America now added to data baseGenebank collections increased to74,700 Oryza sativa samples, 1,330O. glaberrima and 2,216 wildspecies; accessions of Oryza sativadistributed to institutions in 29

countriesUse of biotechnology allowedsuccessful transfer of valuablegenetically controlled features (suchas resistance to diseases) into existing high-yielding rice linesSheath blight, and matching thenitrogen supply to crop demandfocused on as major factors insustaining yields in intensively cropped ricefields

Emphasis continued on using computer modeling to design new plant types with higher yield poten-tial: results from manipulating configurations of rice plants supportspredictionsScientists of the Rainfed Lowland RiceResearch Consortium evaluated 880breeding lines for the variableenvironments of the rainfed lowlandecosystemRainfed Lowland Rice ResearchConsortium research revealedimportant chemical processes that improve the tolerance of rice toexcess waterUpland Rice Research Consortiumresearch indicated opportunities forusing indigenous fungal pathogensfor biological weed control Improved upland rice varietiesshowed considerable promise,particularly in Indonesia and VietnamElite lines developed for use in flood-prone areas, and provided to Cambo-dia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, per-

formed well integrated pest management ap-proach had considerable impact in

Vietnam and other countries A combined biological, medical,sociological study produced signifi-cant new information about theeffects of pesticides on people

Scholars from 29 countries partici-pated in IRRI degree or postdegreetraining programs; trainees from 19countries participated in 10 groupcoursesInternational symposium on ClimateChange and Rice hosted by IRRI; 41conferences, workshops and meet-ings also hosted or cosponsoredTwelve scientific books published,some as dual imprints with commer-cial scientific publishers; approxi-mately 56,000 copies of major IRRIpublications distributed worldwideIRRIs library renovated and up-graded; its monograph collection now numbers 105,500

IRRI in Brief1993-1994


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Fifty years ago, the second world

war was coming to an end good reason to celebrate. Fifty years from now, we will be inthe middle of the next century.

Then the world will have to feed 10 billionpeople or more, half of them in Asia, andhalf of them rice eaters. This does not look like a reason to celebrate-not from todays

viewpoint.

Right now, the world is not preparedfor such a challenge. Not only must peoplebe fed, more than another two billionmust have employment opportunities,gainful employment that ensures a life of dignity. Even now one billion people, orabout 20 percent of the global population,can only dream of such. a life.

Can the world just wait for a solutionto turn up? It definitely cannotespecially

when it comes to a staple food like rice,upon which the daily existence of morethan two billion people depends.

Even if most of us do not yet feel theeffects in our own daily lives, our genera-tion will be held responsible for the most reckless, devastating, life-endangering attitude that people have ever adoptedtowards the natural resources on whichlife on our globe depends. The wealth and

Preparing the Worlds Rice

Philippines E. Masferre


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Bowl for the Next Century

lifestyle of those on the upper deck, theone fifth of the worlds population living comfortably, is being funded in most casesnot by newly generated income andresources, but by literally eating up what,only too often, Nature has created anddeveloped over millions of years.

For example, at todays rate of consumption our known resources of phosphates, an irreplaceable and valuable

natural fertilizer, will be completely depleted in about 150 years. Given thehistory of man, what is 150 years?

Our generations irresponsible attitudetoward its world, especially during thesecond part of this century, has led to theerosion and depletion of soil and waterresources, the loss of forest cover andriceland and the disappearance of endan-gered species, as reported by the United

Nations Conference on Environment andDevelopment (UNCED) in 1992 in Rio.

Rice, that crucial grain, is an integral part of human history, tied to us incountless traditions, interwoven in theoldest religious rites. We rightly say riceculture since this life-giving grain is part of human cultural evolution. Rice is the

woods only crop planted by emperorsand kings, offered to the Gods and eaten

U.S.A., R. Kendrick


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by both the wealthiest and the poorest.Rice is more than simply a food composedof carbohydrate, protein, fat, and. micro-nutrients. It has been a companion of humankind for more than 7000 years, back beyond our knowledge, beyond ourimagination.

Rice is but one of between 5,000 and10,000 edible plant species on our globe.To maintain our awareness of how thisone crop has influenced the lives of people up to today, IRRI is establishing arice learning center in Los Baos. In thiscenter the different rice-growing ecosys-tems, their history, their potential for thefuture, the research needed to make themproductive and sustainable, and IRRIscontribution, will be described. By doing this, we want not only to inform the morethan 35,000 visitors who come to ourInstitute annually, we want also tocontribute to the preservation of the most important cultures related to rice.

From the beginning of this year, IRRIhas started to implement its new work plan. This was carefully prepared over thepast year based upon a strategy developedin 1988 and 1989 that gave the long-termperspective for our role as an international institution serving national rice research

together with the needs of the rice-eating world.

Optimism is not an abundant com-modity on our globe these days, but we at IRRI are optimistic for several reasons:

We transformed most of our previous5-year Work Plan for 1990-1994 intosuccessful reality and, by doing so,retained and regained donor and partnerconfidence in our ability to solveproblems.

We are convinced that our research

agenda will serve our goalthe well-being of farmers and consumers,specifically the resource poor.Not only did our new work plan for thenext 5 years pass all external review processes, it also received the highest marks from the most rigorous andrespected scientists and donors.

Rice, thatcrucial grain, isan integral partof human history,tied to us incountless traditions, interwovenin the oldest

religious rites.Rice is theworlds only cropplanted byemperors andkings, offered tothe Gods, andeaten by boththe wealthiestand the poorest.


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We replanned, restructured, reframed,and reorganized our Institute to meet future needs and constraints, long before it became a painfully felt necessity in other sectors, including international agricultural research ingeneral.

We developed working relationshipsand collaborative mechanisms withnational research systems worldwide the consortia, the networks, shuttleresearchin which IRRI is playing, and.

will continue to play, an important rolein strategic and applied research.

We were thus able, even before thebeginning of 1994, to start with confidencesome of the new and very exciting programs that will help keep supply anddemand for rice in 2025 in balance, whilesustaining the worlds natural resourcebase.

To make that happen, 870 million tonsof unmilled rice will be needed each year 70 percent more than today. And that must be grown with less water, less labor,less losses, less pollution, and on muchless land than today. Many may say it isimpossible. Their fathers50 years ago might have said that flying to the moon isimpossible. We believe that we can

increase yields enormously; that theefficiency with which nutrients are used by the plant can be vastly improved. We havealready begun a new frontier project todevelop rice plants that fix their ownnitrogen directly from the air. And wealready know that the drudgery of riceproduction can to a large extent beremoved.

Through use of rice plants of a new design at present under development at IRRI, the high-potential irrigated systems

serving predominantly urban consumerscan become much more efficient. Theserices, with a yield potential 20-30 percent better than todays best, will most prob-ably be growing in farmers fields withinthe next 5 years.

Integrated pest management researchhas demonstrated the possibility of drastically reducing insecticide use, thus

serving the needs of farmers in cutting production costs, improving their health,and those of the public in reducing environmental concerns.

Research on intensively managed ricesystems has shown that timing fertilizerapplication better with the aid of up-to-date electronic tools that will shortly become available at very low cost, canincrease the efficiency with which ricecrops can take up nutrientsand by sodoing, reduce costs and pollution simulta-neously.

Some of our latest man-on-the-moonprojects, such as developing perennial riceand creating rice plants that can fixnitrogen, have already stimulated enoughdonor interest for us to begin expeditionsinto these new areas of rice researchtoward a better balance between theprotection of natural resources andpeoples needs for food.

These adventures are not driven by adesire for scientific extravaganza, but by our deep conviction that through science,

we will be able to reverse the trend of rural erosion, and that we can contribute toincreasing sustainable yields while keeping the different environments where rice isgrown in balance.

Providing the scientific answers forfilling the worlds rice bowl in the 21st century, for preparing the living base for 5billion rice eaters: thats what makesagricultural and rice research so different;thats what determines our researchagenda; and thats the stimulus, thedriving force of our enthusiasm andcommitment.

KLAUS LAMPEDirector General

Providing thescientificanswers forfilling the worldsrice bowl in the21st century, forpreparing theliving base for 5

billion riceeaters: thatswhat makesagricultural andrice research sodifferent: thatswhat determinesour researchagenda; andthats thestimulus, thedriving force ofour enthusiasmand commit-

ment.


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IRRI Revamps its

Work Planf the rice-eating world is to be fedin the 21st century, IRRI will haveto meet important new chal-lenges. By the year 2025some 8.3 billion people will

inhabit the earth, and about 4.3 billion will be rice consumers. The worlds riceproduction must rise by 70 percent, yet it must come from the same or a smallertotal land area. Research must be con-

ducted to increase the productivity of existing ricelands while simultaneously sustaining soil fertility, protecting theenvironment, and providing equitablereturns to farmers.

During 1993 IRRI developed a new work plan. Entitled Rice Research in a Time of Change: IRRIs Medium-Term Plan for 1994-1998, this replaced theprevious work plan. Both the new work plan and its predecessor have been basedon IRRIs long-term strategy. 2bward 2000 and Beyond,that was developed over 2years in 1988 and 1989, and reviewed, in1993.

This strategy divided IRRIs activitiesinto five interdisciplinary research pro-grams and five international support programs. The approach remains the samefor the new Medium-Term Plan, whichcommenced on 1 January- 1994.

This corporate report covers thetransition period for the end of theprevious work plan and the commence-ment of the new Medium-Term Plan.Reports cover the activities of each of the10 programs in the research and interna-tional, programs, and each. is presented

with the objectives and projects laid downin the new Medium-Term Plan.

IRESEARCH PROGRAMSThe five research programs concentrate onthe four major environments in which riceis grown. A fifth, termed the cross-ecosystems research program, focuses onresearch that will generate knowledgeapplicable to all, or several, ecosystems.

The programs are designed to focuson the many interlocking facets that makeup each ecosystem and affect rice produc-tion. They bring an integrated approach toeach ecosystem by maximizing closecollaboration between the appropriatescientific disciplines. They are forward-looking, using IRRIs disciplinary strengthsto address issues of strategic importance.

IRRI ecosystem-basedresearch program

Irrigated riceRainfed lowland rice

Upland riceFlood-prone rice (formerlycalled deeperwater and tidalwetlands )Croos-ecosystems

INTERNATIONALPROGRAMS

The five international support programsaim to strengthen the research capabilitiesof rice research institutions and scientists

within the global family of nations. They aim squarely at supporting a well-functioning-international rice research systembased on national and international partnerships, with links to a wide range of specialized, institutions and backed up by

The worlds riceproduction mustrise by 70percent, yet itmust come fromthe same or asmaller total landarea. Researchmust be con-

ducted to increasethe productivity ofexisting ricelandswhile simultaneously sustaining soil fertility,protecting theenvironment, andproviding equita- ble returns tofarmers.


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documentation and information exchange.Close interaction occurs with the ecosys-tem-focused research programs.

IRRIS RESEARCHTHEMES

The 1990-94 work plan identified four key challenges:

increasing rice productivity achieving sustainability protecting the environment addressing social equity.

IRRIs Medium-Term Plan for 1994-1998 focuses on meeting these same challenges,along with some newly emerging concerns,and the linkages and interactions

between the challenges. The central issueis how to balance the need for ever greaterfood production at prices that are profit-able to farmers and affordable to consum-ers, against very real concerns about protecting natural resources and theenvironment for future generations. Thenew plan stresses more and new forms of collaboration and greater collaboration

with national research programs, otherresearch institutions, and nongovernment organizations.

It is also designed to make progress with five themes, covering IRRIs responsi-bilities towards people, permanency,productivity, protection, and partnership.

Work within the Institutes 10 programs isgrouped, carried out, and monitoredagainst these themes.

People: helping improveliving and workingconditionsPeople are the ultimate focus for riceresearch. Better understanding of the way households, communities, and nationsmanage their resources, and of the factorsthat determine the trade-offs people makebetween maximizing their incomes in theshort term and sustaining their resourcebase in the long term, can help in setting research priorities and in formulating public policy, Evaluating the impacts of policy and technological change alsoprovides information to guide modifica-tion of and to set new directions for publicpolicy and research.

Permanency: sustainingthe natural resourcebaseThe permanency of the food productionbase on which the world relies, now and inthe future, depends on our care and use of the genetic diversity of rice and on ourhusbandry of agricultures natural resourcebasesoil, water, and biological activity,Preserving genetic resources in perpetuity,evaluating the long-term effects of intensively cropping ricefields, mitigating farmers risks through characterizing resource use, and arresting degradationare crucial activities.

Better understand -ing of the wayhouseholds,communities, andnations managetheir resources canhelp in setting research prioritiesand in formulating public policy.

Projects on improving living andworking conditionsRaising the yield plateauApomixis-ensuring equity inuse of hybrid riceGermplasm improvement forrainfed lowlandsImproved crop and resourcemanagement for flood-proneareasAgroecological characteriza-

tion, technology impact,gender, and policy analysesEvaluation and exchange ofsustainable productionsystems and technologies

IRRI international programsGermplasm conservation,

dissemination, and evaluationCrop and resource manage-

ment networksInformation and knowledge

exchangeTraining National research services


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Productivity: increasingresource use efficiencyNearly three quarters of the growth in riceproduction since 1966 has come from

increases of productivity from the landmade possible by widespread adoption of modern high-yielding varieties andassociated/and management practices.Quick-maturing varieties like IR36 pro-duced similar yields in much less time,allowing more intensive cropping.

The breakthroughs needed to achievegreater rice production to meet growth indemand in the near future will require that

Preserving geneticresources inperpetuity,evaluating thelong-term effectsof intensivelycropping ricefields,mitigating farmersrisks throughcharacterizing resource use, andarresting degrada -tion are crucialactivities.

Projects on sustaining the naturalresource baseReversing trends of decliningproductivity in intensiveirrigated riceSustaining the lowlandresource baseImproving rice-wheat systemsCharacterizing and analyzingenvironmentsRehabilitation andsustainability of upland rice-based farming systemsA sustainable system for theuplands: developing a peren-nial rice plantAssessing the potential ofrice germplasmConservation of rice genetic

resourcesInternational Network forGenetic Evaluation of Rice(IN GER)


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the productivity of other resources must also increase. A major increase in produc-tion is needed, but we cannot hope toachieve this without much higher effi-ciency in the use of nutrients, especiaiIy nitrogen, water, and labor. This meansmatching improved cultivars to improvedresource management.

This increased productivity will have anadditional benefit: higher productivity derived from changes in plant efficiency adds very little to costs for farmers. Gainscan be shared by both producers andconsumers.

We cannot hope toachieve the majorincrease needed tomeet futuredemand withoutmuch higherefficiency in theuse of nutrients,(especiallynitrogen), water,and labor.

Projects on increasing productivity

Improving nutrient manage-mentIdentifying tillage and waterinteractionsManaging resources forenhanced productivityImproving germplasm for theuplandsImproving germplasm forflood-prone areasImproving crop and resourcemanagement for flood-proneareasAssessing opportunities fornitrogen fixation in rice

Quantifying the performanceof rice ecosystems throughsystems approaches

International Network forGenetic Evaluation of Rice(ING ER)


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Protection: caring for theenvironmentGrowing enough rice to feed rapidly growing populations is already pressuriz-ing fragile environments. IRRI sharesinternational concerns about land degrada-tion, soil erosion, water shortage, andpollution. This translates into research on

ways to protect the environment andhuman health, while helping poor farmersimprove the profitability of their rice-basedsystems.

Partnerships: supporting and working withpartners

Virtually all IRRIs work involves someform of collaboration, or partnership. Thishas many synergistic benefitsshortening the time needed to solve problems,speeding the transfer of information andadvanced research methodologies,enabling scientific collaboration acrosspolitical borders and economic barriers,

and stretching scarce research resources.Important partnerships include bilateral agreements, shuttle research, joint

ventures, consortia and networks.

Important partner-

ships include

bilateral agree-

ments, shuttle

research, joint

ventures,

consortia and

networks.

ects caring for theironmentImproving pest managementExamining global climatechangeControlling human diseasevectorsIntegrated Pest ManagementNetworkManaging weeds usingchemicals: the role ofallelopathy and biologicalcontrolMobilizing biotechnology toolsfor rice breedingExploiting biodiversity forsustainable pest manage-mentQuantifying the performanceof rice ecosystems throughsystems approachesAsian Rice BiotechnologyResearch Network

Projects with a primary focus onpartnershipImproving rice-wheat systemsIntegrated Pest ManagementNetworkInternational task force on

hybrid riceRainfed Lowland ResearchConsortiumUpland Rice Research Consor-tiumAsian Rice BiotechnologyResearch NetworkInternational Network for theGenetic Evaluation of RiceEvaluation and exchange ofsustainable productionsystems and technologiesConferences and workshopsCollaborative in-countrytrainingNational research services


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NEW APPROACHESThe medium-term plan confronts the long-term challenges for feeding the world in2025 and beyond with three new mecha-nisms by selecting mega projects and

new frontier projects, and developing research consortia.Mega projectsThese projects focus on emerging andevolving issues of major concern to growthand sustainability of rice production.Research to explain and resolve these

issues should have an exceptionally largeimpact. The expectation of success fromresearch directed at resolving the issues ishigh. The nominated mega projects aremajor projects within the research andinternational services programs, and whileIRRI is guaranteeing them core funding,

additional funding from outside theInstitute would enable it to expand andaccelerate the extensive research neededto increase their impact. IRRI is thereforeseeking additional support for the projectsfrom donors.

New frontier projectsThese projects aim to explore exciting opportunities to stretch the horizons of

rice research, unconstrained by concernsof failure. The chances of success may bedifficult to predict, but the returns fromsuccess will be high. IRRI can only providelimited funding from its core budget forthese exploratory projects, and is there-fore seeking support for individual projects from donors. With additional support, IRRI will be able to developcollaborative linkages with other advancedlaboratories already working in relatedareas, and thus exploit the potential forachieving important advances in riceresearch.

IRRIs modes of partnership

IRRI scientists work with colleagues all over the worldin national agricultural research systems, in otheradvanced institutions and laboratories, in sister international agricultural research centers, in order regionaland international organizations, in voluntary and nongovernment organizations, and in the private sector.

National research servicesDirect consultation and training enable strengthening of a nationalprograms capabilities for undertaking its own research and forparticipating in partnerships with other programs.

Technology evaluation networks Voluntary, open, informal associations of scientists and researchorganizations with common interests allow members to exchange andevaluate technology, and share experiences and information.

Research networksIndividual scientists from IRRI and other institutions organize andconduct research driven by a predetermined theme or set of researchtools,

Research consortiaA group of selected institutions, including IRRI, mutually agreeto accept different responsibilities to contribute to achieving a commonobjective.

Bilateral national program-IRRI collaborationScientists of IRRI and a collaborating institution/country meet bienni-ally to review research progress and agree on a joint work planfor specific activities of mutual benefit.

Shuttle researchIRRI and a national program or another institution carry out differentphases of a project, with an exchange of scientists temporarily postedto each others institution.

Joint ventureIRRI and a collaborating institution together carry out a specificresearch project, with cost sharing.

Mega projects 1994Raising the irrigated riceplateauReversing trends of decliningproductivity in intensive

irrigated riceImproving rice-wheat systemsConservation of geneticresourcesExploiting biodiversity forsustainable pest manage-ment


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Research consortiaThese are groups of research institutions,including IRRI, from rice-growing coun-tries who agree to accept different

responsibilities to contribute to achieving a common aim. They can harness thegrowing capacity of national researchsystems and institutes to conduct researchof strategic importance. Two researchconsortia were established in 1991 withspecial funding support, one for therainfed lowlands and one for the uplands.

After more than two years of experience with these consortia, it is clear that suchconsortia can successfully address thebroad issues vital to improving the

productivity and sustainability of the vastly variable rice ecosystems. They can also bea mechanism for addressing agroecological concerns.

IRRI is seeking extra core funding tosupport the two existing consortia, andfor two morethe intensive irrigated,and the flood-prone ecosystems.

Research consortia can

successfully address thebroad issues vital toimproving the productivityand sustainability of thevastly variable riceecosystems. IRRI isseeking extra core fundingto support the twoexisting consortia and fortwo more the intensiveirrigated, and the flood -prone ecosystems.

New frontier projects 1994Apomixis-ensuring equity inuse of hybrid riceAssessing opportunities fornitrogen fixation in rice.Managing weeds using less

chemicals: the role ofallelopathy and biologicalcontrolDeveloping a perennial riceplant: a sustainable agricul-tural system for the uplands


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Research ProgramHighlights

IRRIGATED RICEECOSYSTEMExpenditure 1993 $3,572,000Approved budget 1994 $3,780,000Budget planned 1995 $4,700,000Internationally recruited staff 11Nationally recruited staff 88

Program goal

o improve the welfare of farmhouseholds and urban riceconsumers through increased,environmentally sound,sustainable production from

irrigated rice systems.

T

T

ProjectsRaising the yield plateauReversing trends of decliningproductivity in intensiveirrigated riceImproving nutrient manage-mentIdentifying tillage and waterinteractionsEnhancing postharvesttechnologyImproving pest managementSustaining the lowland ricebaseExamining global climatechangeImproving rice-wheat sys-temsApomixis ensuring equityin use of hybrid rice


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RationaleFifty five percent of the worlds ricefields,or 80 million hectares, are irrigated, andthey produce more than 75 percent of the

woods rice. Seventy four million of theseirrigated hectares are located in East Asia.Irrigated ricefields supply 90 percent of the rice needed by urban and rural landless consumers, and the stability of urban rice supplies and prices in recent years has stemmed largely from growth inrice production from irrigated farms.Production from such farms will need torise considerably further if this situation isto continue until the year 2025.

Almost all of IRRIs irrigated riceresearch projects involve strong collabora-tion with leading Asian universities andresearch institutions that study irrigatedrice, and this collaboration has the twinbenefits of broadening the research that can be done, and of strengthening thecapacities of the collaborating institutions.Close collaboration also occurs withleading laboratories throughout the world.

Highlights

Increasing the yield potential

T T T T T he target for intensively cropped

irrigation systems is to raise possibleyields by up to 50 percent. This is

being pursued by redesigning the riceplant to improve its potential yield, by developing hybrid rices for the tropics,and by improving crop management.

Sixteen IRRI breeding lines from theirrigated ,ice breeding program werenamed as varieties in nine countries in1993, which brings the number of IRRIbreeding lines named as varieties by thecountries of the world up to 252.

Eleven IRRI-derived breeding lines were released as new varieties inCambodia, India, Indonesia, Madagas-car, and Vietnam. Three rice hybrids(two semiarid and one tropical) werereleased by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states in India, and they have

yielded about 1 ton per hectare morethan local checks,Research continues on developing rice

plants that will have a much higheryield potential than todays best

varieties. Comparisons of tillering patterns of new plant types (improvedtropical japonicas) during the 1993 wet season showed they produced fewertillers than the high-yielding IR72, but the number of grains per panicle wasmuch higher. It was still too early toestimate the yield potential of the new plant types.

The tropical japonica rices of Asia,commonly known as bulus, that are still grown in some low temperature-affected parts of Asia, although fairly good yielders, have the drawbacks of being tail and take more than 7 months

Irrigated rice research objectives

To increase the potential of irrigated rice in tropical and subtropicalenvironments by 50 percentTo determine the causes of long-term productivity decline in inten -sively cropped systems

To increase the profitability and sustainability of intensive, irrigatedrice production through developing crop and resource managementtechniques for increasing input-use efficiencyTo develop environmentally sustainable and economically viable pestmanagement technology that uses minimal amounts of pesticidesTo characterize the water supply and water-induced degradation ofirrigated lowlands, and assess the impact of upper watershed activi -ties on lowland productivityTo quantify the impact of global climate change on irrigated riceproductivity and the impact of irrigated rice production on globalclimate change

Research contin-

ues on developing

new rice plant

types that will

have a much

higher yield potentialthan todays best

varieties.


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to mature. Nevertheless, they possesstraits that match the cultural andmanagement practices of farmers whogrow them. Five years of research intobreeding improved bulus appears tohave paid off. Shorter statured bulusthat mature in 122-135 days have beenproduced. These significantly outyieldlocal checks, and possess acceptablelevels of cold tolerance and blast resistance.

Maintaining high yields

T he intensively-managed irrigatedrice systems of Asia are only about 30 years old. Yet there are signs

that in the long term, their productivity may decline. The decline has appeared inIRRIs long-term continuous cropping

experiment, commenced in 1963, inseveral experiments in India and thePhilippines, and in the fields of innovativefarmers who adopted intensive cropping

very early. More inputs of nitrogen andother resources are now needed to reapthe same crops. A new IRRI mega projectis investigating the processes at work, andhow they can be mitigated by improvedmanagement.

A field experiment evaluating theinteractive effects of the nitrogensupply, root nematodes, and sheathblight on the yield potential of IR72indicated that sheath blight limits theyields that can be achieved by adding nitrogen fertilizer, Only 7.7 tons perhectare were achieved with an applica-tion of 200 kg of nitrogen per hectare

without control, compared with 9.1tons per hectare with control. Nema-tode infection appeared not to haveany effect. These initial results indicate

that the nitrogen supply and sheathblight pressure are dominant influenceson yield potential at IRRI on soilsrequiring fertilizer nitrogen to achievemaximum yield potential.Long-term experiments at IRRI and thePhilippine Rice Research Institute(PhilRice) indicate that while soil organicmatter levels have not de-

creased in the long term as rice yieldshave declined, the soil nitrogen supply has decreased. Thus, in contrast withmany other agricultural systems, inintensively cropped irrigated ricefieldsthe soil organic matter content doesnot indicate the soil nitrogen supply. Inthese fields, the chemical structure of soil organic matter may change in such

a way that the nitrogen in the soil organic matter becomes less available.

Effects of climate change

F F F F F or the first time in history, the worlds climate appears to bechanging as a direct result of

human activity. Increasing levels of carbondioxide (CO2) and methane (CHO in the

Reduction of theozone layer,probably caused bychlorofluorocarbonspeople havereleased, isincreasing theamount of biologically harmfulultraviolet radiationreaching the earth.

atmosphere are causing global warming reduction of the ozone layer, probably caused by for example chloroflourocarbonspeople have released, is increasing theamount of biologically harmful ultraviolet radation reaching the earth. Crops them-selves emit both methane and nitrous oxide(N2O), which is another greenhouse gas


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from which other oxides of nitrogen that reduce the ozone layer may also bederived. These changes affect plant growth, and therefore could have bothpositive and negative effects on cropproduction. IRRI is investigating theimplications of climatic change for ricegrowing. Research highlights include:

Studies modeling the effects on riceproduction of a doubled level of CO2 inthe atmosphere and consequent effectson temperatures indicate reducedproduction from China, Thailand, andBangladesh. However, countries suchas Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, as well as parts of India and China, shouldbenefit. These results should not be

viewed with much alarm since, giventhe time scale involved for the changesto occur, new varieties more closely adapted to the gradually changing conditions should have been bred, thusmitigating the effects of climaticchange.Modeling studies also indicate that global warming affects egg predators of the brown planthopper, the major ricepest. Among two mirid bug egg predators, Tytthus chinensis is morecommon than Cyrtorhinus lividipennis

in northeast Thailand where tempera-tures am high. At temperatures 5 Chigher than normal, T. chinensis appeared at least 10 times moretolerant of heat than C. lividipennis.Thus, egg predator populations shouldbe able to adjust to warmer tempera-tures.Field research made possible by IRRI-US Environmental Protection Agency collaboration has confirmed that rice fields are a major global source of

Surveys showedfarmers in thePhilippines andVietnam appliedthe mostpesti -cides duringthe early cropstages, and mostapplica -tions inboth areas wereinsecticides.

CH4 and that they emit significant amounts of N 2O. Emission of N 2O ishigh during the rainfed fallow seasonbut not during the flooded ,rice season.Conversely methane is emitted during the flooded periods. Midseasondrainage mitigated CH4 emissions

without significantly increasing N2Oemissions. Different plant types alsoaffect the amount of methane emitted.For example, field measurementsindicated the traditional Dular variety emitted about 30 percent more CH 4than the new plant variety IR65597.

Managing pests

MMMMM ost organisms occurring in ricecrops are not harmful, and arefrequently beneficial. Some 500

species of arthropods 0nsects andspiders), for example, may appear in aricefield during any one season, but only afew are a potential threat. Further,improved rice cultivars can tolerate or areresistant to some pests. Pest management seeks to use tolerance and resistance toprevent crop losses, and to minimize theundesirable effects of pesticides on the

beneficial organisms, and also on farmers.The 1992 market value for pesticidesused in ,ice was estimated at over US$3billion. Surveys of farmers in Leyte,Philippines, and the Mekong Delta,

Vietnam indicated that farmers appliedthe most pesticides during the early crop stages, and that most applicationsin both areas were insecticides.Substantial proportions of the spraysused were in the World Health Organi-zations extremely hazardous (Ia) andhighly hazardous (Ib) categories. Themain target pests were leaf-feeding insects. However, laboratory and fieldstudies have shown that rice crops canrecover from early damage by leaf-feeding insects without suffering yieldloss. Less than 20 percent of the spraysapplied by farmers in Leyte could beconsidered appropriate, whichindicates that the farmers perceptionsof pest management are highly influenced by the sight of insects eating their young crops, and the desire not to risk any damage.

Analysis of a random sample of 152rice-farming households in the Philip-


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pines taken between 1989 and 1991 toassess the medical and economicimpact of pesticides on their health hasproduced valuable results that includethe following: The incidence of eye abnormalities

increases significantly with age and with exposure to insecticides, but less so with herbicides; an increasein the application of insecticidesfrom the mean level of one applica-tion to two per season will increasethe probability of eye problems by 22 percent, and farmers applying three recommended doses of insecticides per season have a 53percent (1 in 2) probability of having chronic eye problems.

Skin problems are positively relatedto the use of insecticides andherbicides, although only herbicideuse is significant. With one herbi-cide application, the probability of skin problems rises to 30 percent (1 in 3), and with two to 50 percent (1 in 2).

Respiratory abnormalities arerelated to age, smoking, andexposure to insecticides. Herbicideuse apparently also increased the

chances of respiratory abnormality,but not significantly. Farmersapplying one recommended, dose of insecticide and herbicide per crophad a 50 percent higher probability of respiratory, abnormalities if they smoked.

Regular alcohol, consumption anduse of pesticides, especially herbi-cides, were significantly associated

with polyneuropathy, a degenerativedisease of the nerves usually caused

by toxins. While the sample meanhad a 2 percent (1 in 50) chance of contracting the disease, thisprobability rose by 550 percent forfarmers who regularly consumedalcohol.

Contrary to the commonly held view among farmers, using a cloth

to cover the mouth and nose whilespraying does not provide protec-tion. Indeed it actually causes moreproblems because the cloth absorbschemicals and the farmers theninhale through this concentratedfilm of chemicals.

In experiments in pest management involving farmer participation, groupsof farmers in the Philippines and

Vietnam were persuaded to experiment with abstaining from using early seasoninsecticide sprays. Most far mers (90percent) stopped early spraying anddid not experience any yield loss due toinsect damage after one season. It

appears that spraying during the first 40days is not only unnecessary, it seemscounterproductive. By participating inthe testing of simple concepts, farmerscan acquire knowledge and changetheir pest management practices.

Water and tillage

W et seedingthe practice of sowing pregerminated riceseed onto wet soilis attrac-

tive to farmers because it is less labor-intensive than transplanting rice seedlings.However there are problems with watermanagement, weed control, and standestablishment.

Direct seeding wet and dry

Farmers planting their crops in irrigated, flood-prone, and rainfedlowland areas have two choices. They can plant their seeds in nurser-ies, and then transplant the seedlings, or they can plant the seedsdirectly into their ricefields. Direct seeding comes in two forms: wetand dry direct seeding. The choice of which to use depends on thecircumstances.

In wet direct-seeded rice, pregerminated seed is broadcast ontowet soil, that may or may not have been puddled. The technique isused for irrigated rice, especially in Malaysia and the Mekong Delta of

Vietnam, and in very favorable rainfed lowland rice areas. Comparedwith transplanting, wet direct seeding reduces substantially theamount of labor needed for growing a rice crop, Wet direct-seeded rice

also consumes less water, mainly because less is used in preparingthe land, which is done in a much shorter time. Wet seeding allowsrice to survive drying out of the soil in rainfed crops better.

The major disadvantage of using wet direct seeding is that weedsbecome a problem, and many farmers who are short of labor thereforemust use herbicides. Also, the farmers land must be very level, andhe or she must manage the irrigation water efficiently to avoidwaterlogging as the crop becomes established.

With dry direct-seeding, the rice is seeded into moist ground byvarious methods. In rainfed areas, early planting of dry-seeded quick-maturing varieties allows time for farmers to plant a second crop thatuses late season rainfall. Dry direct seeding is used in flood-prone,rainfed lowland, and irrigated rice areas, and is, of course, the onlymeans of planting upland rice. It has the general advantages of usingless water, since soil preparation occurs in dry ground, and of a muchlower need for labor than either direct wet seeding or transplanting.Again, the major disadvantage is that farmers must invest more oncontrolling weeds using either labor, herbicides, or a combinationof both.

IRRI is concentrating its studies of direct seeding on use of wetdirect seeding in the irrigated rice ecosystem, and on use of dry directseeding in the rainfed lowland and irrigated systems.


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Studies of wet seeding show that it isboth more efficient than transplanting and can give similar yields. As competi-tion for water increases, the techniqueis becoming more popular, not only because it saves the back-breaking toil of transplanting, but also because it ismore water-efficient. Farmers use 20percent less water because wet seeding takes only between 7 and 10 days of

water-intensive land preparation,compared with between 25 and 30 daysfor transplanted ricefactors that meanhigher profits for farmers.Farmers who grow wet-seeded riceconsistently use higher than recom-mended seeding rates to suppress

weeds and apply herbicides at rateslower than recommended because,they say, higher rates do not result inbetter weed control. Trials over twoseasons have confirmed that seeding at rates higher than the recommended.doses indeed helps suppress weedsand results in higher yields in somecases. Herbicide rates can be reducedto half the recommended levels

without lowering their effectiveness.

Equipment for small farmers

E ngineering studies to help inproduction and storage of ricehave concentrated on small-scalemachinery that is inexpensive to make, isportable, and. can be operated by onefarmer. The aim is to help farmers andtheir households.

The design of a portable stripper-gatherer harvester has now beenexpanded to include variants that include a thresher, and another that also includes a bolt-on cleaner to form

a stripper-combine harvester, Astripper-gatherer has now been built by a collaborating manufacturer in Sri Lank. The stripper-thresher combina-tion has also been built at the Chinese

Academy for Agricultural MechanizationSciences. The Thai Department of

Agriculture and the Philippine Rice

The design of aportable stripper- gatherer harvesterhas now beenexpanded to includevariants that includea thresher, andanother that alsoincludes a bolt-oncleaner to form astripper combineharvester,

Research Institute (PhilRice) have alsocommenced stripper-harvesterproduction projects, and work hascommenced in Vietnam on manufactur-ing a stripper-gatherer system.


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Rainfed lowland rice research objectives

To understand and record the variety of circumstances facing ricefarmers in the rainfed lowland system, assess the risks and benefitsof agriculture in the different circumstances, and develop a clearpicture of which new technologies can be developed for thesedifferent circumstances.To develop appropriate methodologies for analyzing and manipulat-ing plant traits, water availability, soil-plant nutrient processes, andcropping systems technologies.To understand and exploit the genetic and physiological mechanismsfor adaptation to prevalent characteristics of different rainfed low-land environmentsTo develop new rice plant types adapted to different rainfed lowlandrice systems and low- to moderate-input productionTo develop sustainable intensified production systems for increasedproductivity and greater yield stability by integrating improvedgermplasm potential with agroecosystem potential

Highlights

Towards better crop management

D ry direct seeding of rice into dry ground saves labor and watercompared with traditional

transplanting of seedlings. However, it brings its own problems, particularly

weeds. These two closely related issues will become increasingly important asrainfed lowland cropping systems becomemore intensive, and as labor shifts to moreattractive enterprises and becomes scarce.

Studies of farms in Luzon, Philippines,show that farmers could save as muchas US$44 per hectare per season onlabor by adopting dry direct seeding;on average dry seeding proved moreprofitable than transplanting seedlings,even though land preparation costs

were slightly higher because themajority of farmers used hired tractorsfor dry plowing. Crops grown with dry land preparation also needed between20 and 40 percent less water. Direct seeding had the advantages of lowerlabor requirements, earlier cropestablishment that allowed moreeffective use of the premonsoon rains,

and earlier maturing of crops that allowed growing of a follow-up crop.Tests of the competitive ability of dry-seeded rice cultivars against weedsshowed that the number of weeds in acrop (as indicated by their total weight)did not necessarily indicate the riceyield, The cultivar growing with thegreatest weight of weeds yielded morethan 5 tons per hectare better thanmany cultivars growing with signifi-cantly lower weed weights.Experiments conducted at IRRI during 1.993 also showed how the levels of soil moisture and soil drying affect theemergence of rice and three weedspecies. Drying the soil within 5 days of seeding did not affect the emergence of rice seeds. However, it reduced weedemergence by between 28 and 54percent and caused some germinating

weed seeds to die. This explains why weed numbers are low in dry-seededricefields where the topsoil layer driesafter seeding.

Breeding better rice cultivars

TTTTT hese studies focus on breeding improved rice cultivars adapted tothe two major stresses of lowland

rainfed rice growing excess water and

water shortage. A combination of plant traits rather than a change of any singletrait is needed, and such traits as interme-diate height, photoperiod sensitivity, anddrought and submergence tolerancewould greatly increase the reliability of

yields from improved plants. A largeproportion of the activities have moved totwo areas that represent majorsubecosystemseastern India for work onsubmergence-tolerant population develop-ment, with the Central Rice ResearchInstitute at Cuttack serving as the maincenter, and. northern Thailand for studieson drought and tolerance of nutrient-poorsoils, with the Ubon Ratchathani RiceResearch Center serving as lead center.

At the Rainfed Lowland Rice Consor-tium key site at Cuttack, India, evalua-tion of some 880 breeding lines foradaptation to moderately deep (30-50cm) flooding has resulted in selectionof about 15 percent as suitable forfurther testing.The process of alcoholic fermentationenables organisms to produce energy

without oxygen (anoxia). This can beparticularly important for rice seedlingsthat grow in waterlogged soils that often lack oxygen. Studies of the

importance of the ability of rice rootsto use alcoholic fermentation toproduce energy showed that thegrowth rates of the coleoptiles inyoung seedlings are related to the ratesof ethanol synthesis. Aldehyde, a toxicintermediate of alcoholic fermentation,can rise to high concentrations in someintolerant varieties when oxygen is inshort supply in f looded soils, Measur-ing high rates of alcoholic fermentationand low aldehyde concentrations in

rice exposed to oxygen-deficient conditions could be useful indicators inbreeding programs aimed at increasing submergence tolerance, Biotechnology is now being used to manipulate thegenes controlling these processes withthe aim of increasing the tolerance of rice for oxygen deficiency.


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Drought, floodingpests, andadverse soil typeslimit the majority of rainfed lowlandrice farmers fromadopting high-yielding cultivarsand using fertiliz-ers and other

inputs. Significantproductivity gainswill translateimmediately intogreatly increasedrice production.


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interrelated problems that contribute todegradation of the uplands and damage tothe watersheds for the lowlands,

HighlightsImproving upland rices

ntil relatively recently, much less effort has been expended onbreeding improved rice plants for

upland areas than on the potentially moreproductive irrigated and rainfed lowlandregions. The research is therefore at amuch earlier stage. In one line of study,traits for yield stabilization and increasedyield are being combined, and theimproved cultivars are being tested fortheir adaptation for different upland

environments. Some advances include:Studies at many sites indicate improvedrice varieties are now available toupland rice farmers that produce stableyields, that have good resistance topests, diseases, physical and chemicalconstraints, and that yield between 50and 100 percent more rice than localchecks. Two accessions are now widely grown by farmers in Vietnam andSumatra, Indonesia; one has beenreleased nationwide in Vietnam. Severalother varieties are being used by national breeding programs in hybridi -zation studies.

In Sumatra, the upland improvedcultivar IR47686 has shown promise.

Contour hedgerow systemsassessed emoval of primary forest cover

and continuous cropping of sloping lands are the principal

causes of massive soil erosion that leads todeclines in soil fertility- and crop yields.Contour hedgerows offer one possibletechnology to address this problem. Surveys and studies in Luzon and

Mindanao, Philippines, of farmers whohad adopted hedgerows and alley cropping revealed that while thesewere clearly reducing erosion and

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increasing long-term stability- of sloping lands, they were not well regardedsince they did not provide short-termeconomic returns. Therefore ways needto be found to ensure that thesesystems generate income for the

poorest farmers, and thus provide aneconomic incentive to adopt them.Studies have begun on developing aperennial rice plant. Such plants couldbe grown along contours to provideground cover that acts as a soil barrier, while at the same time yielding adesired and economic product--namely rice.

Better pest managementesearch has concentrated on

managing weeds, rice blast, and nematodesmajor limiting factorsin upland rice production and ondeveloping rice cultivars that canoutcompete weeds. Studies in Leyte, Philippines, of how

weed communities change with timeon overused and followed land showedthat, for the most part, farmers growing rice and maize accurately assess their weed problems, and fallow their fields when yields decline. They also accu-

rately assess which weeds are indicating that their fields have recovered afterfallowing.Tests in the uplands of Leyte, Philip-

pines, of how well 18 rice cultivarscompeted against weeds showed that weeds caused yield reductions that varied between 77 and 27 percent,depending on the cultivar. The most

competitive cultivars formed many tillers, had a large leaf area (whichshaded out the weeds), and grew rapidly. IR55419-04, which was identi-fied as a competitive cultivar in 1992,continued to perform well. Applying an indigenous fungal patho-gen of the noxious weed grass Eleusine indica has significantly reduced this weed, and the pathogen could becomea useful control agent for this weed.In the LaoPDR, and in Sumatra,Indonesia, root-knot and root-lesionnematodes frequently occur together,and their impact increases with cropintensification. Comparisons ingreenhouse experiments using cleanand nematode-infested soils commonly

found in the uplands showed that plants infested with root-knot nema-tode could give only limited responsesto increased nitrogen fertilizer applica-tions. Thus, with root-knot nematode,the greater the amount of nitrogenfertilizer added the greater the gapbetween the potential yield and yieldsactually achieved. Rice plants infested with root-lesion nematode were able togive a substantially greater response toadded nitrogen fertilizer. Breeding and

management studies are thereforeconcentrating on minimizing root-knot nematode infestation.

Upland rice research objectives

To develop improved techniques and technology for increasing andstabilizing upland rice yieldsTo develop a range of upland rice production practices that will helprehabilitate degraded uplands and transform them into sustainable

agroecosystemsTo explore the feasibility of developing a perennial upland rice plantTo search for germplasm that is allelopathic to weeds


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FLOOD-PRONERICE ECOSYSTEM

TProjects Germplasm improvement

Improved crop and resourcemanagement for flood-proneareas

Expenditure 1993$700,000Approved budget 1994$710,000Budget planned 1995$940,000Internationally recruited staff3Nationally recruited staff10

Program goalo improve the productivity of rice in flood-prone environ-ments and integrate rice intosustainable productionsystems that provide for the

well-being of farmers and their families.

RationaleThis program deals with adaptation of riceto excess water and related problems.

More than 10 million hectares of ricelandin South and Southeast Asia suffer fromuncontrollable flooding in the low-lyingareas of riverine flood plains and deltas,Rice yields are low, and average only about1.5 tons per hectare because of problemsoils and unpredictable combinations of flood and drought, and yet these areassupport more than 100 million people.Tidal wetlands occur where water levels incoastal riceflelds fluctuate under theinfluence of marine tides. No evaluation

Above: More than10 million hec-tares of riceland inSouth and South-east Asia sufferfrom uncontrolla-ble flooding in thelow-lying areas ofriverine floodplains and deltas.

has yet been made of the areas of flood-prone ricelands in other important rice-growing regions in China, Africa and LatinAmerica, However, research and experi-ence gained in South and Southeast Asia isapplicable to flood-prone riceland in theseother regions.

HighlightsBetter rice for flood-prone areas

raditionally grown rice cultivars inflood-prone areas are well adaptedto extreme fluctuations in the water

regime and to acid and acid sulfate soils.The program aims to double the yield

T

potential by developing more producbreeding lines that tolerate temporasubmergence, or have the ability toelongate their stems during deep floothat tolerate drought and soil stresthat have resistance to common pests diseases, and that produce acceptab

grain.Elite lines from the program providedto Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnamhave performed well; sensitivitydaylength at higher latitudes currentlycauses problems when trying ttransfer new plant types from IRRmain flood-prone rice research basThailand to India and Banglades

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Surveying farmers needs

survey of 889 farmers from 184 villages in 20 provinces covering deepwater rice areas of

central, northern, and northeasternThailand identified general conditions of

deepwater rice cultivation, the technolo-gies used, and farmers feelings on thefuture for growing deepwater rice. Resultsincluded:

Just under 70 percent of farmersowned the lands they were farming, thearea cultivated by each family averagedbetween 4 and 7 hectares, 72 percent of farmers were using chemicalfertilizer, and the mean grain yield overall farms was about 22 tons perhectare.Characteristics farmers required in

varieties they used included being ready for harvest mid December toearly January, high numbers of tillers, aheight of 1.5-2 meters, drought andsubmergence tolerance, the ability toelongate rapidly as the flood watersrise, good kneeing ability (the ability tobend upwards from the nodes tokeep foliage vertical as flood watersrecede), long panicles, and long slender grain with aroma and goodcooking quality.

Eighty nine percent of farmers wish tocontinue to grow deepwater rice since it is the only crop that can survive inthe wet season, and there are few alternative good jobs.

Intensifying cropping systems

n Bangladesh, farmers have switchedfrom using traditional deepwateraman type rices that have to survive

wet season floods to growing high-yielding modern irrigated boro rice varieties inthe dry season, using water providedthrough low-lift pumps from shallow tube wells. The land is left fallow during themonsoon. However, the potential-further changes will soon be exhausted. Yet Bangladesh will need to produce afurther 1J million tons each year by 2010,

Flood-prone rice objectives

To characterize the changing production environments for possibleshifts in research on land use and environmental protectionTo develop improved germplasm that has higher and more stable

yield potential than farmers current varieties

To develop improved crop and resource management practices

A

I

so the land left fallow during the wet season will need to be brought back intocultivation. Studies have assessed featuresneeded in more productive deepwater ricesystems. These studies in collaboration with the Bangladesh Rice ResearchInstitute have shown that: combinations of modem-variety boro

and deepwater rice for the dry and wet

seasons can be grown very. successfully on 1.36 million hectares, and possibly afurther 2.2 million hectares if con-straints on the turnaround timebetween crops can be eliminated

region-specific crop and farming systems research is needed to identify appropriate planting times for modem-variety boro and deepwater rices sothat both can be grown successfully inconsecutive seasons on the same land

cold-tolerant varieties and tall, submer-

gence-tolerant deepwater rice varietiesneed to be developed.

Integrated pest managementats and nematodes cause majoryield losses in deepwaterricefields. Studies of the feeding

preferences of bandicoot rats in deepwaterrice fields in Bangladesh have indicatedthat they prefer snail flesh baits over paddy grains, coconut flesh, or dry fish, and that snail flesh may be effectively used as bait intrapping bandicoot rats from deepwaterricefields. Ufra nematodes have beenshown to cause serious damage, especially insouthwestern districts of Bangladesh, where infestation rates ranged from 10 to100 percent, and yield losses from 20 to100 percent.

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Coastal wetlandsidal rices are grown on some 4million hectares of land in coastalareas and along inland estuaries

located mainly in Bangladesh, India,Indonesia, Vietnam, and West Africa.Salinity and acid sulfate soils are the mainproblems.

Requests for improved germplasm withacid tolerance increased during theyear, especially from West Africancountries; 50 lines were provided to West African countries through the West Africa Rice Development Associa-tion (WARDA), and to Cambodia,Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand., and Vietnam.

Studies of reclamation of large tracts of acid sulfate soils in the Mekong Deltaof Vietnam have indicated the extent to which toxic substances leached fromthe soil can severely pollute surface waters and acidify the canal network.Pollution from newly cleared land varies, depending on the crop --pollution from crops of yam andpineapples grown on raised beds being about five times more serious than that from rice cultivation. Reclamationprojects must be planned carefully toprevent these types of pollution.

For the first time, the Philippine SeedBoard has identified two salt-tolerant cultivars, both IRRI-derived, forprerelease. One of these, the highly promising IR51500-AC11-1, is the first anther culture-derived line identifiedfor release from a cross involving indica rice lines, and probably the first anther culture derivative released foradverse environments.

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INFORMATIONECOSYSTEMSExpenditure 1993$3,582,000Approved budget 1994$3,550,000

Budget planned 1995$3,950,000Internationally recruited staff11Nationally recruited staff66

Program goal

To acquire knowledge andtools for use by ecosystem-based research at IRRI and innational systems and toaddress current or anticipated

problems across ecosystems.

ProjectsAssessing the potentialof rice germplasmMobilizing biotechnologytools for rice breedingExploiting biodiversity forsustainable pest manage-ment

Quantifying the performanceof rice ecosystems throughsystems approaches

Agroecological characteriza-tion, technology impact,

gender, and policy analyses

Rationale

Some research generates knowledge

applicable to all or several rice ecosystems,

and is thus best conducted within one

program. Th e program focuses on

forward-looking research empha-size use of new scientific technidques and

newly developed tools and applies them in

the broadset possible way to rice produc-

tion throughout the world.

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The germplasmheld as seeds inthe IRRI genebankcontinues to beevaluated for abroad variety ofcharacteristics -from biosystematicstudies to evalua-tion of the DNA ofaccession, toscreening for

resistance todiseases, togenetic andchromosomalstudies of resist-ance and otherdesirable features.


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Highlights

he germplasm held as seeds in theIRRI genebank continues to beevaluated for a broad variety of

characteristicsfrom biosystematic studiesto evaluation of the DNA of accessions, toscreening for resistance to diseases, togenetic and chromosomal studies of resistance and other desirable features. Activities take place through the GeneticResources Center, which includes the IRRIrice genebank (known as the InternationalRice Germplasm Center) and the Interna-tional Network for Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER . The Genetic Resources Center took

over responsibility for the internationalrice genealogy data base during 1993. Almost 2,900 records on crosses madein Korea and nearly 18,000 hybridrecords from Latin American countrieshave been added to the data base.

A rice genome data base called RICEGENES has been created jointly by researchers from IRRI and CornellUniversity, USA, to accommodate thelarge diversity of information generatedby genetic research on rice and othercrops.

Evaluation of wild rice accessions hasidentified some resistance to the twoviruses causing rice tungro, but highresistance to one (the rice tungrobacilliform virus) has yet to be identi-fied. Screening about 12,000 cultivatedrice accessions in the International RiceGermplasm Center for resistance torice grassy stunt virus failed to identify -any suitable source of resistance.Efforts are now being directed toscreening wild species in the collection.

Initial evaluations of 34 wild riceaccessions from eight species forresistance to sheath bight suggestedthat 33 were resistant, and one wasmoderately resistant. Screening of landraces from Cambodia, Myanmar, andIndonesia revealed variable

Evaluating seeds in the genebank

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Cross-ecosystems rice research objectives

To characterize rice germplasm for conservation and identification ofuseful donorsTo improve the capacity of ecosystem research programs at IRRI touse biotechnology tools in conventional and nonconventional plant

breeding to increase and sustain rice yieldsTo improve understanding of pest diversity; the plant-pestcoevolution process; and the biology and ecology of pests, beneficialinsects, and microorganisms in rice production environments forapplication in developing management strategies for different riceecosystems

To develop systems approaches and models that integrate knowl -edge on favorable and unfavorable environments and predict ecosys-tem behavior for different scenariosTo generate knowledge on the interactive effects of agroecology andsocioeconomic environments on people and the natural resourcebase

to the known nine races of bacterialblight, but only one (from Cambodia)was resistant to all.

Manipulating rice geneseveloping improved rice cultivarsinvolves generating new genetic variation and selecting improved

lines from among those variants. The widehybridization program continues to be amajor source of useful new genetic variation since it allows movement of chromosome segments from wild speciesinto cultivated rice. Transformation, theprocess by which alien genes fromorganisms that cannot form hybrids withrice are extracted and introduced into ricecells, is potentially another powerful way of increasing genetic variation. IRRI beganuse of a protoplast-based transformationprotocol in 1991 and initiated the newerparticle gun, or microprojectile bom-

bardment method, during 1993. Antherculture, in which anthers are removedfrom the florets, sterilized, and cultured toform plants, is another method of generat -ing and stabilizing genetic variation. Protoplast transformation has been successfully applied to Tepi Boro, a rice

variety from Bangladesh, and IR43using both the protoplast-based and

D

the microprojectile methods. Thetransformed plants expressed twobacterial genes. Transformation of protoplasts from japonica cultivarXhonghua 6 using two plasmidsonecarrying the hygromycin resistancegene from bacteria, the other thesoybean trypsin inhibitor gene (Ti3) forresistance to yellow stem borer--y ielded plants that contained bothgenes within their genome. The plantsare being tested to determine if thegene expresses itself strongly enoughto enhance resistance to yellow stemborer. After transformation using the particlegun, plants of the elite Korean variet Anjungbyeo expressed both thehygromycin resistance and the -glucuronidase bacterial genes afteregeneration, and. set seed. Thisdevelopment increases IRRIs capacity

to produce fertile transformed, plantfrom a range of rice varieties. This typeof study will enable scientists todevelop rice plants that express foreigngenes at the appropriate time and inappropriate tissues. Production of insecticidal proteins after wounding will be of particular interest.


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Seven hundred and twelve doubledhaploid lines were regenerated during 1993 using anther culture of 34 first -generation crosses. The crossesoriginated from IRRI breeding pro-grams and collaborative work with theCentral Soil Salinity Research Institutein India, the Rice Research Station inSri Lanka, and the Rice Research andTraining Center in Egypt. Evaluation innational trials in different saline-proneirrigated lowland areas of a highly promising anther culture-derived linefrom the cross IR5657/IR4630 indicatedthe line to be highly tolerant of salinity and to have a higher seasonal averagegrain yield than IR72.

Systems analysis and modelingmproving possibilities for greater riceyields and also the efficiency of resource use require a better under-

standing of both biological and physicalaspects of rice production. Simulation andsystems analysis provide a means of developing a rational basis for improving crop and resource management andgermplasm selection.

Simulation studies suggest that achieving yields of more than 12 tonsper hectare from irrigated tropical rice

will require modified plant design. Theleaves responsible for trapping the light energy needed for grain filling must not be shaded by the panicle that holds thegrain, and serious lodging caused by the greater weight of the grain in thepanicles must be prevented. Lowering the height of the panicle provides asolution. Manipulation of the panicleheight in glasshouse and field trials(using growth regulators or by using

similar genetic lines with different panicle heights) has confirmed that plants with low panicle heights allow leaves in the upper canopy to intercept more light, and these plants produce asignificantly greater weight of groin ineach panicle compared with normalplants.

I

In studies aimed at using nitrogenlevels of the leaves to predict the best times for applying nitrogen fertilizer, ahand-held, field-operated chlorophyll

meter accurately estimated leaf nitrogen concentrations, and there wasa strong positive relationship betweenchlorophyll meter readings and the rateof photosynthesis at different growthstages. It thus appears feasible to usechlorophyll meter readings to deter-mine throughout the grow-ing season when any cultivar needs more nitrogenfertilizer.

The effects of climatic change on riceproduction can now be simulated

through use of the ORYZA1 model.(Results appear in the report on theIrrigated Rice Ecosystem Program.)Enhancing INTERCOM, a model forsimulating crop-weed competition, hasmade it possible to improve under-standing of the complex interactionsbetween rice and the weed grass Echinochloa crus-galli.It can now

accurately predict yield losses in direct -seeded and transplanted rice in a rangeof environments.

Managing diseases and peststudies are concentrating onresearch into the epidemiology

and control of rice diseases, andinto insect pests and their managemen Contrary to current practices used by

farmers, studies in the Philippines othe impact of spraying insecticides orice-eating insects and their predatorsin ricefields have indicated that spraying during the first few weekafter planting considerably increasethe risk of pest outbreaks. This isbecause the numbers of their predatorsare much reduced. In crops sprayed 20,38, and 49 days after transplanting,predators were much more abundanin unsprayed fields than in the sprayefields during the spraying period.Sampling showed that sprays resulte in4 million more herbivores (rice plant eaters) per hectare at each samplingand by midseason there were 1 millionless predators per hectare. Pestsincreased nearly fourfold in sprayefields compared with the unsprayecontrols. Early spraying may in fact bthe root cause of secondary pest problems such as brown planthoppinfestation.

Complementary research in Vietnaminvolving the participation of farmerhas led the Ministry of Agriculture aFood to endorse a new integrated pest management policy of encouraginfarmers to forego using early spraythus saving at least 20 percent inspraying costs.

An egg parasitoid, Anagrus flaveolus,has been found to be very efficient at searching for brown planthopper egin unsprayed fields. The attack rategenerally increased with egg densityNatural brown planthopper egg mortality is reduced if fields aresprayed because the parasitoid isextremely susceptible to pesticides.

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Suspensions of spores of two indig -enous fungi isolated from the weedgrass and sedge species Echinochloa crus- -galli, Cyperus difformis,Fimbristylis miliacea,and from thesemiaquatic weedSphenoclea zeylanica have consistently providedexcellent control of these weeds inregulated environment studies.Research on using a leaf blight patho-gen onS. zeylanica as a potentialbiological control agent is the most advanced.

The sheath blight fungus(Rhizoctonia solani)isolated and inoculated ontoIR72 from plants commonly found inrice-based systems, including maize,sorghum, wheat, sugarcane,Rotthoellia

sp., Cyperus sp., cabbage and potato,successfully caused cross infection withall tested plants, with the exception of potato. This information is important inpredicting the development of sheathblight epidemics in rice-relatedcropping systems.

Impacts and constraints onfarmers

nvestigation of the biological, physical, and socioeconomic constraints

farmers face in all types of rice farmingpermits assessment of their needs andidentification of the factors that will allowthem to accept new technologies andpractices. Studies also look into the impactof new technologies and practices onvarious socioeconomic groups andmembers of farm households. They alsomonitor such factors as production, trade,consumption of rice, and economicconditions, and government policiesoverall, which affect demand for rice in

countries and regions. Analysis of what caused increased riceproduction in Myanmar showed thatgreater use of chemical fertilizerscontributed almost half of the growthsince 1974. Modern cultivars contrib-uted 37 percent; increasing the areaunder irrigation, 12 percent. A declinein rice production and yield has

I

occurred since 1987 and is due mainly to a rapid increase in the price of fertilizer compared with receipts fromrice. This has reduced fertilizer use by about two thirds.

The productivity of rice farming inIndonesia increased an average of 2.9

percent per year from 1969 to 1989.Studies of the impact of technologicalchange on this improvement showedthat adoption of modern rices contrib-uted 28 percent of the growth, whilegovernment programs on agriculturalintensification contributed 27 percent,and improved literacy rates, 20 percent.Third-generation IRRI varieties IR48and IR64 (released after 1985) contrib-uted 10 percent to productivity growth,second-generation IRRI varieties, 9

percent, and locally improved varieties, 7percent. Varietal improvement programs have had, and continue tohave, a significant impact on increasing the efficiency of rice cultivation.Studies in eastern India on the division

of labor between the sexes in farmfamilies show that female workers,particularly those from lower castes

Studies in eastern Indiashow that women areincreasingly taking overmanagement of family ricefarms. Increasing riceproduction through applica -tion of new knowledge andtechnologies will not beachieved if this fact is nottaken into account.

contribute considerable amounts of labor, and they must not be ignored.Because of the low productivity of thland, men have to search for work inthe cities to supplement the family income, with the result that femalede factoheads of households will increas-ingly take over management of ricefarms. Increasing rice productionthrough application of new knowledg

and technologies will not be achieved if this fact is not taken into account,especially since the majority of femal workers are illiterate, and will facecompeting demands on their time fromhousehold duties and agriculturalresponsibilitiesquite possibly to thedetriment of their childrens welfare.


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Even after severaldecades ofcollecting andconserving thegenetic diversityof rice, the need topreserve and sharethis preciousresource contin-ues. IRRI holdscollectedgermplasm in trust

and safeguards itin its genebank,the InternationalRice GermplasmCenter.

IntIntIntIntInt ernational Programernational Programernational Programernational Programernational ProgramHighlightsHighlightsHighlightsHighlightsHighlights


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Expenditure 1993$944,000Approved budget 1994$1,030,000Budget planned 1995$1,050,000Internationally recruited staff3Nationally recruited staff17

TProgram goal

o strengthen long-termconservation and worldwide

dissemination, exchange, andevaluation of rice germplasmto increase sustainable yields

and broaden the genetic base of farmerscultivars.

ProjectsConservation of rice geneticresources

International Network for theGenetic Evaluation of RICE(INGER)

RationaleEven after the major efforts of IRRI andother institutes over several decades tocollect and conserve the genetic diversityof rice, the need to preserve and sharethis precious resource continues. IRRI holdscollected germplasm in trust and safe-guards it in its genebank, the InternationalRice Germplasm Center, and by dispatch-

ing duplicate sets to other safe centers.The International Network for GeneticEvaluation of Rice (INGER) provides amechanism for global collaboration amongrice breeders. It involves scientists fromnational rice research programs, IRRI, andother international centers, who worktogether to improve rice.

Highlights

Conserving the worlds rice genes

Renovation and upgrading of thegenebank facilities and related

services has been going aheadover the past 3 years, although the mainphase of the renovation began during 1993with the construction of a seed-dryingroom and improved seed-processingfacilities. Seed inventory and germplasm

characterization: completion of theinventory reveals the genebankcontains 74,700Oryza sativa samples,

1,330O. glaberrima, and 2,216 wildspecies; 2,073O. sativa samples werecharacterized in the field, and paniclesfrom 1,443 accessions were character-ized in the laboratory.

Germplasm distribution: 8,642 acces-sions of O. sativa were distributedto institutions in 29 countries during1993; some 1,900 accessions of wildrices were also sent out in responseto 32 requests from institutions in12 countries; 62 accessions of O. glaberrima were requested by eightscientists from five countries; 14,980accessions were distributed toIRRI scientists.

Germplasm acquisition: 326 seedsamples were received either by directcollection or donation; collaborationwith the regional genebank of the

GERMPLASMCONSERVATION,DISSEMINATION,

AND EVALUATION

Germplasm conservation, dissemination,and evaluation objectives

To ensure comprehensive conservation of rice genetic resourcesTo provide national programs, IRRI and other international centerswith a mechanism to facilitate and promote the systematic ex -

change and use of rice germplasmTo improve rice germplasm information management and dataanalysis and managementTo evaluate promising cultivars, elite breeding lines, traditionalcultivars and genetic donors through a network of multilocation

trials to facilitate the genetic improvement of rice.

Southern Africa Development Couachieved the first comprehensivcollection of wild rices (46 accessiofrom Zambia, along with six accessionsfrom Botswana. A satellite-based globalpositioning system was used for tfirst time to locate sampling sitaccurately.

International Network for theGenetic Evaluation of Rice(INGER)

NGER promotes genetic diversityrice crops throughout the world.achieves this by promoting worldwide

exchange of seeds of different ricevarieties and evaluating promisincultivars, elite breeding lines, traditiocultivars, and genetic donors througnetwork of trials at many sites in differenvironments where they are grown underdifferent environmental stresses, suchdisease, drought, or adverse temperatuEach year INGER prepares nurseries(catalogued sets of seeds). Approprselections from these are providedparticipating institutions for testing andevaluation under local conditions anduse in national breeding programs.

The INGER Global Advisory Comm-tees annual review of results fronurseries showed that for the 199nurseries, 19 different nursery types --consisting of 638 sets made up of 1,test entries originating from 44 nationalagricultural research systems and four

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international centerswere assembled,dispatched, and evaluated in 35countries in Asia, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, andalso Australia. More than 500 entries

were tested in 10 nurseries selected torepresent different rice ecosystems,

and more than 1,000 entries in ninenurseries selected for evaluationagainst different environmental stresses

were tested over a wide range of conditions.Seven hundred and thirty six entriesfrom the 1992 nurseries were used asparents in national breeding programsin 16 countries, and a further 505 were

IRRIs genebank receives riceseed samples from manycountries, including Cambodia(top). It currently containsmore than 78,000 samples ofOryza sativa, O. glaberrima and wild rices. In 1993, atravelling INGER workshopreviewed the need forimproved germplasm forproblem soils, such as thissalt-affected area in Thailand(bottom).

evaluated further in eight countries;three INGER entries were released inCambodia, and one in India.For the 1993 nurseries, 776 sets of 15types of nurseries reached 46 countries

about 600 of these went to 18 Asiancountries, and the remainder to four in West Asia, two in North Africa, seven sub-Saharan Africa, and five in Latin America, and also to Papua New Guinea, the United States, and Italy.Site-monitoring visits each year helpexchange of information and. ensurethe quality of

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IRRI Annual Report 1993-1994

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