Wednesday 4 June 2014

Traits for direct-seeded rainfed rice

By Amelia Henry
Scientist, Drought Physiology
Crop and Environmental Sciences Division, IRRI

1:15-2:15 p.m., Thursday, 5 June 2014
Havener Auditorium, IRRI





Abstract

Lower water availability coupled with labor shortages have resulted in an increasing inability to cultivate rice by transplanting. Direct seeding may be a strategic response to these problems, but there is a need for rice varieties that possess traits for better performance under the range of conditions to which the crop may be exposed. In rainfed rice systems, sowing into dry soil presents the possibility of exposure to new combinations of stresses, including competition from weeds, reduced nutrient uptake, water deficit, fluctuation from anaerobic to aerobic conditions, and new host-pathogen interactions. At IRRI, we are implementing a strategy to select and combine traits using novel breeding approaches to develop rice varieties with improved performance under direct seeding. The traits we have hypothesized as important for direct-seeded conditions, as well as their relationship with grain yield, will be discussed.

No comments:

Post a Comment