Looking for rice varieties

A rice variety capable of adapting to all harsh climatic conditions such as drought, flooding, salinity . is a challenge that is being studied by researchers at the International Rice Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines. assist.

Under the tightly controlled greenhouse, Glenn Gregorio - IRRI's research specialist - is crouching on a shelf with many cells like honeycomb. In each of the 86 beehive plots submerged in this saltwater are two germinated rice seeds. The tops of healthy young bodies are green, while the tops of other young bodies are yellow.

Now his team is testing many varieties of saline-resistant rice, such as the rice variety FL 478, which is giving the green, salt-tolerant tops, which can be selected for mass cultivation in the Philippines.'Here, the weather and humidity are ideal for rice. There are no diseases or pests, "said the researcher. He has worked at IRRI since the last quarter of the century to look for saline-resistant rice varieties. 'If rice dies, it is due to salinity'.

Salinity, drought, flooding, extreme weather . It is true that there are many problems that IRRI researchers have to deal with due to climate change for rice. Finding the changing climate-resistant rice varieties has become one of IRRI's research focus since its founding in Los Banos in 1960, about 63km from Manila. South East.

This rice research institute, where hundreds of researchers from all different nationalities are working, is one of 15 research centers in collaboration with an international agricultural research consulting group.

In the future there will be many new varieties of rice that can survive
in all weather conditions - (Photo: Le Monde)

61 million hectares of crops are threatened in Asia

Rice is the basic food for more than 3 billion people in Asia.'Yet in South Asia and East Asia alone, 23 million hectares of rice land are drought-prone, 22 million hectares are flooded and 16 million hectares of land are threatened with salinity' - chapter head Abdelbagi Ismail, curator IRRI's research on flood-tolerant rice varieties is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 'There needs to be a quick answer to the current climate change situation' - this Sudanese researcher is annoyed.

When completely submerged under water, rice will speed up growth by stretching its body and leaves to find ways to expose it to the air, because if not, rice will die after about 15 days. Unless it is implanted with Sub1, a gene discovered in 1996 in some older rice varieties.'In the case of flooding, Sub1 will help the rice stop growing so it can hold for up to 19 days - Mr. Abdelbagi explained and pointed to images of a flood-damaged rice field in India. The degree next to another green plot is planted with flood-resistant rice varieties - As soon as the flood waters recede, the impact of this gene also ends and the rice grows again. '

Thanks to bio-breeding and genetic selection techniques, only in the last few years IRRI has been able to produce many submerged-resistant rice varieties sub-gen 1. Swarma Sub 1 rice variety distributed throughout India Since 2009 and there have been more than 3 million farmers in the country choose to plant, more than 1 million in Bangladesh. This rice variety, even in the flooded environment, still yields 1-3 tons / ha.

Developing '3 in 1' rice variety

Although not a visible phenomenon such as flooding, saline intrusion due to over-exploitation of aquifers or rising sea levels is also causing tremendous damage to rice. This time, researchers at IRRI are trying to transplant a saline-resistant gene, called Saltol, into the local Indian variety.

Salt-tolerant varieties developed at IRRI are still in the experimental phase, and the Saltol gene is only capable of protecting plants in early growth, but Glenn Gregorio is very hopeful when ' the tests are Made in Korea is showing that cultivating these rice varieties even allows desalination, at least partially, to cultivate '.

IRRI's research groups also offer many drought-resistant rice varieties.'However, these varieties still yield relatively low yields - Indian researcher BP Mallikarjuna Swarny admits - our goal is to find ways to activate this type of anti-drought gene in currently cultivated rice varieties. genes to improve productivity. ' Researchers are creating harsh drought conditions on some of IRRI's plots of 252ha.

Meanwhile, researcher Glenn Gregorio is creating "torture chambers" as he describes them to sink 10-day rice plants in saltwater. 'This is a rice variety called tsunami rice' - this Filipino researcher is witty. He is also the father of the concept of 'trash rice' that is resistant to drought and salinity. Researchers like him are keen to develop rice varieties that are able to resist at the same time many harsh weather conditions. 'In Bangladesh, for example, farmers may face drought, flooding and salinity that occur in the same crop - researcher Glenn Gregorio said - They demand that we have a proper answer.' .

Dual rice varieties - both saline tolerant and drought-tolerant and well-tolerant - were born in 2012 in IRRI's laboratory.'With the tools we currently have, we can still dream of a' 3 in 1 'rice variety, even though some people are skeptical and think that the ideal variety cannot exist' - he Glenn Gregorio affirmed.