Monday 28 September 2015

​​​​Hybrid Rice ​R&D at IRRI

An IRRI Seminar

By Fangming Xie
Senior Scientist​-Hybrid Rice R&D
Plant Breeding

​​1 October 2015
1:15-2:15 p.m.
Havener Auditorium
IRRI

Monday 21 September 2015

​​The Explosion of Rice Bioinformatics

An IRRI Seminar

By: ​​​Nickolai Alexandrov
Senior Scientist
T.T. Chang Genetic Resources Center (TTCGRC​)​

​​24​​​​​ September 2015
1:15-2:15 p.m.
Havener Auditorium
IRRI

Abstract:

Rice bioinformatics exploded when the 3,000 rice genome sequencing project was completed last year. An unprecedented amount of sequence data required immediate attention—it had to be reliably stored, carefully quality-controlled, properly organized in data structures, and thoroughly analyzed. Not everything went smoothly and there were unexpected delays and a few mistakes. Nevertheless, the main results from this project have been made available to the rice community via a friendly and interactive web portal.

How does this data help breeders and other rice scientists in their work? What have we achieved and what new discoveries should we expect in the near future? How should we be prepared to meet new challenges in rice bioinformatics? More questions will be discussed and some of them will be answered in this seminar.


Tuesday 1 September 2015

​Changes in rice farming in the Philippines: Insights from five decades of the Central Luzon Loop Survey​

An IRRI Seminar

By Kei Kajisa​​
​Professor​ - Aoyama Gakuin University
​T​okyo​-Japan​

​0​​​​3 September 2015
1:15-2:15 p.m.
Havener Auditorium
IRRI

Abstract:

​​​The Central Luzon Loop Survey, started by IRRI in 1966 on the eve of the Green Revolution, is perhaps the longest continuous survey in rice farming and of rice farm families in existence. The dataset is suitable for documenting long-term stru​​ctural changes and drawing lessons for the future. Topics covered by this seminar will include the (1) lack of successors and aging of farm families, (2) progress of mechanization and outsourcing, (3) history of varietal adoption, (4) emerging problems in wet-season rice farming, (5) possible recurrence of insecticide use, and (6) changes in the beneficiaries of the Green Revolution. Future research agendas will also be discussed.