A new international research initiative, linking the private and public sectors for the first time and launched at the 2007 Asian Seed Congress, aims to boost the research and development of hybrid rice for the tropics.
The Hybrid Rice Research and Development Consortium (HRDC), established by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), will strengthen public–private sector partnership in hybrid rice, a technology that can raise the yield of rice and thus overall rice productivity and profitability in Asia.
Hybrid rice takes advantage of the phenomenon of hybrid vigor—known as heterosis—to achieve yields 15–20% higher than nonhybrid (inbred) varieties. Over the past three decades, the technology has helped China achieve food security, but has not yet reached its potential in the tropics.
IRRI and its partners in the public and private sector have led research on development of, and use of, hybrid rice technology in the tropics for almost 30 years. Successful deployment of hybrid rice in Asia, however, requires more effective cooperation between public research institutions and the private sector in research to overcome current constraints.
The HRDC will be hosted by IRRI and will have three major objectives:
* Support research on developing new hybrids with enhanced yield heterosis, improved seed production, multiple resistances to stresses, and grain quality.
* Support research on best management practices for rice hybrids.
* Improve information sharing, public awareness, and capacity building.
Public and private sector organizations and companies with interest in hybrid rice development are invited to become members of the HRDC. For private-sector members, annual financial contributions under the consortium structure will take into account the status of seed companies at different stages of development. HRDC members will have access to improved parents, hybrids, and breeding lines, including seeds and associated information.
The HRDC will have a public–private sector advisory committee and will meet annually to provide information to its members on new plant genetic resources available or under development, review research on hybrid rice management, discuss new research priorities, and make decisions on other consortium activities such as capacity building for both the public and private sectors.
According to IRRI senior hybrid rice researcher Fangming Xie, the HRDC will significantly enhance the capacity for hybrid rice research and product delivery, while providing services and support to the private sector in its product development and delivery that will benefit the general public.
“National agricultural research and extension systems and other public sector organizations engaged in hybrid rice research and development will be among the primary beneficiaries of funds generated by the HRDC”, said Dr. Xie. “Rice farmers in Asia will benefit from accelerated access to hybrid rice-based technologies such as more and better hybrids, good-quality seed, knowledge, and services provided by the private and public sectors.”
Contact for further information:
Dr. Fangming Xie
Senior Scientist, Hybrid Rice Breeding
Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines
E-mail: f.xie@cgiar.org
Phone: +63-2-580-5600, ext. 2769
Fax: +63-2-580-5699
# # #
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is the world’s leading rice research and training center. Based in the Philippines, with offices in 13 other countries, IRRI is an autonomous, nonprofit institution focused on improving the well-being of present and future generations of rice farmers and consumers, particularly those with low incomes, while preserving natural resources. IRRI is one of 15 centers funded through the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an association of public and private donor agencies (www.cgiar.org).
# # #
For information, contact Duncan Macintosh, IRRI, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines;
tel +63-2-580-5600; fax: +63-2-580-5699; email d.macintosh@cgiar.org.
Web sites:
IRRI Home (www.irri.org)
IRRI Library (http://ricelib.irri.cgiar.org)
Rice Knowledge Bank (www.knowledgebank.irri.org)
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
A low-cost technology boosts farm income in Kazakhstan
A low-cost technology boosts farm income.
ALEPPO, Syria: A low-cost technology developed by scientists at ICARDA to treat high level of magnesium in soil by using calcium has demonstrated the potential to double the crop yield in magnesium-rich soils in Central Asia.
In southern Kazakhstan alone, more than 150,000 hectares of land is affected by high levels of magnesium, which causes soil degradation and seriously reduces crop yield.
Scientists have established that addition of adequate quantities of phosphogypsum (PG), a low-cost source of calcium, in the soil mitigates the effect of excess magnesium and increases crop yield. On-farm trials of the new technology conducted by ICARDA and NARS in Arya Turkestan area of Kazakhstan produced remarkable results
The PG technology has the potential to increase cotton yield to 3 t/ha, while the farmers usually got 1 to 1.5 t/ha without such intervention. The increase in the yield prompted farmers to voluntarily adopt the technology, bearing 30 percent of the cost for transportation and application of PG, a byproduct of phosphorus fertilizer industry easily available in Central Asia.
“I never dreamt of such a bumper crop from this problem soil. Normally, we get only 1-2 tons of cotton per hectare, but now with this simple technology, I can reap an extra ton this year,” says 34-year-old, Abdurashid Koshkarov, a farmer from Stariy Ikan village, 130 km northeast of Shymkent, capital of South Kazakhstan Province. He is one of the 19 progressive growers who voluntarily used PG to improve land productivity in this region, where high magnesium content in the soil crippled crop productivity.
The farm productivity and the profitability have gone up significantly. “I spend about US$ 400 to raise a hectare of irrigated cotton crop in our traditional way, and with PG application it rose to about US$ 540. The returns also increased correspondingly. At the current price of cotton at US$ 475 per ton, the gross income goes up to US$ 1650 per hectare. It meant that with an additional investment of US$ 140, we could get about an extra ton of cotton worth US$ 475 from every hectare,” explained Mr Koshkarov.
Research on the PG technology started in 2001 as part of the Phase 1 and 2 of the ADB-funded Soil and Water project implemented by ICARDA in Central Asia. The technology was out-scaled in 2006 under another ADB-funded project, jointly implemented by ICARDA, IWMI and ICBA, to an area of over 100 ha, says Dr Manzoor Qadir, ICARDA-based Marginal-Water Management Scientist of ICARDA/IWMI, who heads the initiative to out-scale this technology in this region. The Kazakh National Water Management Institute implemented the PG trials in the study area.
More and more farmers in the region are aware of the new technology and are convinced that the yields soared with the application of PG. There is an increased demand for PG in the region, and farmers firmly believe that a “silent green revolution is in store for them”.
Mr Jolaman Dozbayev, a 57-year old cotton farmer in the same village, said: “Until last season, we were in a bad situation. But PG application changed it altogether. The high returns from cotton ushered in a new wave of prosperity in our lives,” he said with a sense of pride.
“Our studies showed that the PG dose per hectare should be based on some simple soil tests, and it works out very economical for the farmers. It is enough if the farmers apply PG once every four to five years,” says Dr Qadir.
Dr Manzoor Qadir (m.qadir@cgiar.org)
ALEPPO, Syria: A low-cost technology developed by scientists at ICARDA to treat high level of magnesium in soil by using calcium has demonstrated the potential to double the crop yield in magnesium-rich soils in Central Asia.
In southern Kazakhstan alone, more than 150,000 hectares of land is affected by high levels of magnesium, which causes soil degradation and seriously reduces crop yield.
Scientists have established that addition of adequate quantities of phosphogypsum (PG), a low-cost source of calcium, in the soil mitigates the effect of excess magnesium and increases crop yield. On-farm trials of the new technology conducted by ICARDA and NARS in Arya Turkestan area of Kazakhstan produced remarkable results
The PG technology has the potential to increase cotton yield to 3 t/ha, while the farmers usually got 1 to 1.5 t/ha without such intervention. The increase in the yield prompted farmers to voluntarily adopt the technology, bearing 30 percent of the cost for transportation and application of PG, a byproduct of phosphorus fertilizer industry easily available in Central Asia.
“I never dreamt of such a bumper crop from this problem soil. Normally, we get only 1-2 tons of cotton per hectare, but now with this simple technology, I can reap an extra ton this year,” says 34-year-old, Abdurashid Koshkarov, a farmer from Stariy Ikan village, 130 km northeast of Shymkent, capital of South Kazakhstan Province. He is one of the 19 progressive growers who voluntarily used PG to improve land productivity in this region, where high magnesium content in the soil crippled crop productivity.
The farm productivity and the profitability have gone up significantly. “I spend about US$ 400 to raise a hectare of irrigated cotton crop in our traditional way, and with PG application it rose to about US$ 540. The returns also increased correspondingly. At the current price of cotton at US$ 475 per ton, the gross income goes up to US$ 1650 per hectare. It meant that with an additional investment of US$ 140, we could get about an extra ton of cotton worth US$ 475 from every hectare,” explained Mr Koshkarov.
Research on the PG technology started in 2001 as part of the Phase 1 and 2 of the ADB-funded Soil and Water project implemented by ICARDA in Central Asia. The technology was out-scaled in 2006 under another ADB-funded project, jointly implemented by ICARDA, IWMI and ICBA, to an area of over 100 ha, says Dr Manzoor Qadir, ICARDA-based Marginal-Water Management Scientist of ICARDA/IWMI, who heads the initiative to out-scale this technology in this region. The Kazakh National Water Management Institute implemented the PG trials in the study area.
More and more farmers in the region are aware of the new technology and are convinced that the yields soared with the application of PG. There is an increased demand for PG in the region, and farmers firmly believe that a “silent green revolution is in store for them”.
Mr Jolaman Dozbayev, a 57-year old cotton farmer in the same village, said: “Until last season, we were in a bad situation. But PG application changed it altogether. The high returns from cotton ushered in a new wave of prosperity in our lives,” he said with a sense of pride.
“Our studies showed that the PG dose per hectare should be based on some simple soil tests, and it works out very economical for the farmers. It is enough if the farmers apply PG once every four to five years,” says Dr Qadir.
Dr Manzoor Qadir (m.qadir@cgiar.org)
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