Crop and natural resource management for rainfed lowland rice

IRRI Seminar

Stephan Haefele
Senior scientist (soil science and agronomy)
Crop and Environmental Sciences Division, IRRI

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 13 December 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Introducing the AgMIP Project and improving crop models for response to climate factors

IRRI Seminar

K.J. Boote
University of Florida

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 6 December 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Three years in Eastern and Southern Africa... What's next?

IRRI Seminar

R.K. Singh
Senior scientist
Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division
IRRI

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 29 November 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Nine years at IRRI, nine years of change

IRRI Seminar

By Sigrid Heuer
Senior scientist (molecular biology)
Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division
IRRI

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 22 November 2012 November
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Video of Sigrid's seminar on Ustream (72:17)
Sigrid's slides on Scribd

Challenges for genetic analysis in MAGIC

PBGB Seminar

By Emma Huang
Senior research scientist
Mathematics, Informatics, and Statistics
CSIRO, Brisbane, Australia

1400H, Wednesday, 14 November 2012
PBGB Conference Room 1, NCBL Building, IRRI

Emerging opportunities to adapt agriculture and food systems to a variable climate

CESD Seminar

By James Hansen
Theme Leader,
Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS)
CGIAR Research Program 7

and

Michael Sheinkman
Regional Progamme Advisor for Asia, World Food Programme

1315-1415 H, Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Room A, D.L. Umali Building, IRRI

Breeding approaches for varietal improvement in rice, with special reference to genetic yield enhancement and stability, and reflections on 35 years of rice breeding in eastern India

IRRI Seminar

By S.R. Das
Emeritus professor
Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology
India

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 25 October 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Video of seminar on Ustream (63:01)
Seminar slides on Scribd

Public-private partnership: Getting the balance right

IRRI Seminar (A panel discussion)

Panelists:
Eero Nissila
Elsie Quaite-Randall
Noel Magor
Sigrid Heuer
James Quilty
Alfred Schmidley

Moderator: Bas Bouman, GRiSP Coordinator
Introduction: Achim Dobermann, DDG-Research, IRRI

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 18 October 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

The unique event will review IRRI’s history with private sector engagement and discuss varying viewpoints on the future of PPP by our IRRI panel before opening the floor to the audience. Diverse perspectives are welcome! 

Exploring regulatory networks of secondary cell wall formation during vessel development in monocots and dicots

Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division Seminar

By Lutz Neumetzler
Visiting research fellow
Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division
IRRI

1400 H, Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Room A, D.L. Umali Building

Abstract:

Plant cell walls provide rigidity, shape the habitus of an organ, and, in turn, form the plant body. They are designed to fulfill a variety of functions, among them, water and nutrient transport in heights up to 100 meters, resisting enormous negative pressure. During the life of the plant, different phases such as cell division, cell expansion, and cell differentiation require the cell wall to be flexible, expandable, and strong at the same time. This is achieved by a dynamic interplay between cell wall-synthesizing glycosyltransferases located in the Golgi Apparatus and in the Plasmamembrane; and glycosylhydrolases that remodel and fine-tune cell wall structure in the apoplast. Plant cell walls are comprised mostly of carbohydrate polymers and are thus one of the biggest sink compartments in the plant body. These fixed energy and carbon resources can be used in sustainable ways. In order to ease saccharification or deconstruction of cell walls for, e.g., bioethanol production, we attempted to understand regulatory and developmental programs by modifying receptor-like kinases and transcription factors in planta. Within the European consortium initiative Knowledge Based Bio-Economy (KBBE), Arabidopsis and Brachypodium distachyon, an annual grass model species, were used in a study to compare cell wall metabolism in monocots and dicots.

Varietal difference of ripening ability in rice

Crop and Environmental Sciences Division Seminar

By Fumitaka Shiotsu
Lecturer
Ibaraki University, Japan

1315-1415 H, Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Room A, D.L. Umali Building, IRRI

Abstract:

Steady increase of rice production warrants world food security in the future. However, improvements in rice yield potential have become stagnant recently not only in the tropics but also in Japan. In the seminar, we discuss the physiological characteristics of recent high-yielding varieties in Japan. In particular, we focus on the mechanisms responsible for varietal difference of the ripening (grain filling) ability. Our experiments showed that the "sink-source balance" was tightly linked to the ripening ability, and higher post-anthesis assimilation and stem reserves contributed to higher yield. We also found positive relationships between panicle morphology and ripening ability, suggesting that genetic control of panicle traits, at least in part, improves translocation efficiency and the ripening ability.

Update on the CGIAR Reform and strategy and results framework (SRF) action plan

IRRI Seminar

By Frank Rijsberman
CEO
CGIAR Consortium

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 4 October 2012
D.L. Umali Auditorium, IRRI

Video of seminar on Ustream (72:11)
Seminar slides on Scribd

Ecological intensification: A futuristic view of rice production

IRRI Seminar

By James Quilty
Postdoctoral fellow (soil science)
Crop and Environmental Sciences Division
International Rice Research Institute

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 27 September 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Transformations in the lowland rice-based ecosystems in Nyaungdon Township, Myanmar: Implications for farmer productivity and income

IRRI Seminar

By Yolanda Garcia
Consultant, IRRI; and
Professor, Department of Economics
College of Economics and Management
University of the Philippines Los Baños

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 20 September 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Video of Seminar on Ustream (59:20) 
Seminar slides on Scribd

Rice in Odisha: Present constraints and future opportunities

Social Sciences Division Seminar

By D.P. Ray
Vice chancellor
Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology
Bhubaneswar, India

1030-1130 H, Wednesday, 19 September 2012
SSD Conference Room, Drilon Hall, IRRI

MAGIC: A new genetic resource for multiple trait improvement and QTL discovery in rice

Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division Seminar

By Nonoy Bandillo
Assistant scientist
Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division
IRRI

1400 H, Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Room A, D.L. Umali Building, IRRI

Breeding new flood-tolerant rice varieties

IRRI Seminar

By Bertrand Collard
Scientist (plant breeding)
Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division
IRRI

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 13 September 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Video of seminar on Ustream (60:23) 
Seminar slides on Scribd

Marker-assisted breeding to improve grain yield under drought

IRRI Seminar

By Arvind Kumar
Senior scientist
Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division
IRRI

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 6 September 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Seminar slides on Scribd

Overcoming the phenotyping bottlenecks: An Australian perspective

CESD Seminar

By Xavier R.R. Sirault
Engineer scientist (plant phenomics)
CSIRO Plant Industry 

1315-1415 H, Tuesday, 4 September 2012
Room A, D.L. Umali Laboratory, IRRI

Using genomic approaches to increase rice’s yield potential

IRRI Seminar

By Parminder Virk
Senior scientist
Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division
IRRI

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 29 August 2012Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Seminar slides on Scribd >

Working with smallholder farmers for increased rice productivity: The Sulawesi experience

IRRI Seminar

By Madonna Casimero
Senior scientist (agronomy)
Crop and Environmental Sciences Division
IRRI

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 30 August 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Video of seminar on Ustream (58:03) 
Seminar slides on Scribd

Checking palay quality by image analysis of leaf coloration

IRRI Seminar

By
Rodrigo Muñoz, Jr., dean, College of Engineering and Architecture,
Maria Crizele de Jesus, electronics engineering student, and
Graychelle Isidro, electronics and communications engineering student
Bataan Peninsula State University
Philippines

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 16 August 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Toward sustainable irrigated rice farming under increasing labor and water scarcity

IRRI Seminar

By Kei Kajisa
Senior scientist (agricultural economics)
Social Sciences Division
IRRI

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 9 August 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Insecticide resistance selection, monitoring, and detection in China: from mechanisms to management

CESD Seminar

By Liu Zewen
Professor, insect neuro-pharmacology
Nanjing Agricultural University
China

1315-1415 H, Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Room A, D.L. Umali Building, IRRI

Major and consistent drought grain yield QTLs for marker-assisted breeding in rice

PBGB Division Seminar

By Prashant Vikram
Visiting research fellow
Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division
IRRI
1400 H, Wednesday, 1 August 2012
Room A, D.L. Umali Building, IRRI

Can agriculture feed and fuel the world? A role for plant biotechnology

PBGB Division Seminar

By Trevor Stevenson 
Molecular biologist 
RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
 
1400 H, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 
Room A, D.L. Umali Building, IRRI

Guidance and technology: An assessment of project intervention and promoted technologies

SSD Seminar

By Justin McKinley 
Intern
Social Sciences Division (SSD), IRRI
 
1530-1630 H, Wednesday, 18 July 2012 
SSD Conference Room, Drilon Hall, IRRI 

Genetic mechanisms of salinity tolerance at reproductive stage in rice

PBGB Division Seminar

By Reza Mohammadi 
Ph.D. scholar 
Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology (PBGB) Division, IRRI

1400 H, Wednesday, 18 July 2012 
Room A, D.L. Umali Building, IRRI

Neighborhood effects, social behavior, and behavioral game experiments

SSD Seminar

A. Neighborhood effects and social behavior: The case of irrigated and rainfed rice farmers in Bohol, Philippines
By Taku Tsusaka 
Postdoctoral fellow 
Social Sciences Division (SSD)
 
B. Preliminary study on behavioral game experiments
By James Randall 
Simon Fraser University, Canada 
Intern, Social Sciences Division (SSD)

1530-1630 H, Wednesday, 11 July 2012 
SSD Conference Room, Drilon Hall, IRRI 
 

Plants and global change: the ubiquity of plasticity

PBGB Division Seminar

By Adrienne B. Nicotra 
Future fellow/associate professor
Division of Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics 
Research School of Biology
Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

1500 H, Wednesday, 4 July 2012 
Room A, D.L. Umali Auditorium, IRRI

Rice races against rising temperatures

IRRI Seminar

By S.V. Krishna Jagadish
Scientist, plant physiology, IRRI
 
1315-1415 H, Thursday, 28 June 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Time of anthesis in response to environmental conditions in rice (Oryza sativa)

CESD Seminar

By Cécile Julia
Engineer in plant breeding; Ph.D. student in rice ecophysiology, CIRAD-AGAP, Montpellier, France Ph.D. research scholar, Crop Physiology Unit
Crop and Environmental Sciences Division (CESD), IRRI

1315-1415 H, Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Room A, D.L. Umali Auditorium, IRRI

Abstract:

Thermal stress and in particular heat during anthesis causes sterility in rice inflorescences. Rice spikelets open in the morning and close a few hours later. Genotypic variation in the time of day of anthesis is considered an escape mechanism from thermal stress, but little is known on its dependency on environmental conditions. 

One traditional, cold-tolerant rice cultivar and three improved tropical rice cultivars were grown in the field in four different climatic environments under flooded conditions to study the environmental response of time of day of anthesis. The time of day when the first spikelets opened, a maximum of spikelets were open and the last spikelets closed was observed daily on a population basis (2m² plots replicated 3 times).

Within the same environment, genotypic differences in time of anthesis and duration of anthesis were small. Across all genotypes and environments, the differences were broader and 80% of the variation of the time of maximum anthesis could be explained with the mean minimum air temperature (Tmin) during the 7 days preceding any given anthesis event. Linear, multiple regression models determined for each cultivar using Tmin and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) observations from the three tropical environments explained 94% of variation of time of anthesis onset and end. Low Tmin thereby delayed and low VPD advanced anthesis processes.

Under the assumption that panicle temperature during anthesis is indeed a major determinant of spikelet fertility in rice, it is concluded that the sensitivity of time of day of anthesis to air temperature and humidity is an effective eco-physiological adaptation of the rice crop.

Patterns of varietal adoption and economics of rice production in Asia

SSD Seminar

By Huaiyu Wang 
Postdoctoral fellow
Social Sciences Division (SSD), IRRI
 
1330-1430 H, Friday, 22 June 2012
SSD Conference Room, Drilon Hall, IRRI

Managing rice diseases in a changing rice production scenario

IRRI Seminar

By Casiana Vera Cruz
Senior scientist, plant pathology 
Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology (PBGB) Division, IRRI
 
1315-1415 H, Thursday, 21 June 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

View seminar on Ustream (54:55)

Root traits behind major-effect drought-yield QTLs in rice

IRRI Seminar

By Amelia Henry
Scientist, drought physiology
Crop and Environmental Sciences Division, IRRI

1315-1415 H (UTC + 8), Thursday, 14 June 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI

Abstract:
Rice root growth encompasses a remarkable genetic diversity in terms of growth patterns, architecture, and environmental adaptations. Root/drought research at IRRI has been ongoing since the 1970s, with a long-term focus on root growth at depth and large nodal root diameter as drought resistance traits. After direct selection for yield during the past decade that is now approaching impact at the farm level, we are seeing that root traits are indeed involved in improved yield under drought. Surprisingly, traits other than deep root growth and large diameter nodal roots have been observed. This presentation will summarize the progress we have made in identifying root traits behind major-effect drought-yield QTLs in genotypes developed at IRRI.