An adventure in applied science - IRRI books - International Rice ...

IRRI today 177International Rice Stem Borer NurseryInternational Rice Observational Nursery (irrigated)International Rice Arid Region Observational NurseryInternational Upland Rice Observational NurseryInternational Rainfed Lowland Rice Observational NurseryInternational Rice Deepwater Observational NurseryInternational Rice Salinity/Alkalinity Tolerance Observational NurseryInternational Rice Cold Tolerance NurseryAn important part of IRTP are the monitoring tours. International teamsmade up of national rice scientists, and including representatives from IRRI,travel at appropriate times to the IRTP nurseries to observe how they are beingmanaged and which entries appear to be the best. Usually, about four suchteams are organized annually, each covering a different region.The IRTP unquestionably is one of IRRI’s most important activities, providingas it does the means of testing the world's most promising rice germplasmin so many environments.The following are a few examples of the IRTP's many significant contributionsto rice improvement as described in the Institute's 1979 annual report:• Several national breeding programs, in addition to the one at IRRI, havedeveloped varieties maturing in less than 100 days as a result of parentsidentified in the early maturing yield nursery.• Varieties resistant to several biotypes of the brown planthopper havebeen identified.• Varietal resistance to gall midge has remained stable during the past 5years in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Thailand.Asian Cropping Systems Network (ACSN). As reported earlier, until 1972 theRockefeller Foundation had given considerable support to the multiple croppingwork at IRRI, providing the services of Bradfield, who remained from late1964 until mid-1971, and of his replacement, Harwood, who arrived inFebruary 1972. That same year, the IDRC of Canada took a strong interest inIRRI's multiple cropping research and made a grant of just over $150,000 tosupport the program. Meanwhile, since 1970, Canada — through CIDA —hadprovided the services of Gordon Banta as visiting agricultural economist in theMultiple Cropping Department.By 1973, IRRI began calling its work in multiple cropping a cropping systemsprogram. In 1974, the program was expanded to include a network of experimentalsites in various agroclimatic zones in South and Southeast Asia. Testsites were selected in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Tohandle the increased work load, two scientists were added to the program.Virgilio R. Carangal became ACSN coordinator and Litsinger was added asassociate entomologist. In 1975, the staff was expanded further with theaddition of Edwin C. Price as associate agricultural economist (Banta havingleft IRRI in mid-1974), Hubert G. Zandstra as agronomist, Keith Moody asweed scientist, and Richard L. Tinsley as visiting associate agronomist. By theend of 1975, therefore, the cropping systems program was staffed by six seniorscientists and had become a major program at IRRI.