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<strong>Rice</strong> around the worldMap Specialwww.irri.orgInternational <strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute July-September 2007, Vol. 6, No. 3RATS!The damage they doThe delicious worldof quality rice<strong>Rice</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>What will happen, <strong>and</strong> what's to be done?ISSN 1655-5422


Published quarterly, Outlook on Agriculture addresses an international<strong>and</strong> interdisciplinary readership. Each issue includes refereed papers,opinion pieces <strong>and</strong> commentary on recent scientific, political <strong>and</strong>economic developments. Special attention is paid to:• food policy <strong>and</strong> strategic developments in food production;• the role of agriculture in social <strong>and</strong> economic development;• agriculture <strong>and</strong> human health; <strong>and</strong>• environmental impacts <strong>and</strong> strategies.Subscribing institutions include universities, government departments,international organizations, consultancies, <strong>and</strong> scientific <strong>and</strong> technicaldepartments in major industrial companies.Submissions: The editor welcomes submissions to Outlook onAgriculture. Notes for authors are available on the IP Website(www.ippublishing.com). Articles should be double-spaced, printed onone side of the paper <strong>and</strong> sent in triplicate, with a disk specifying thesoftware used. Papers are refereed before publication. Please sendsubmissions to: Dr David Lister, c/o IP Publishing Ltd, Coleridge House,4–5 Coleridge Gardens, London NW6 3QH, UK. Dr Lister may also becontacted directly at outlookonagric@dsl.pipex.com or on tel/fax +44 193484 4163.To subscribe or to request a free sample copy, contact: TurpinDistribution Ltd, Stratton Business Park, Pegasus Drive, Biggleswade,Bedfordshire SG18 8TQ, UK. Tel: +44 1767 604957. Fax: +44 1767601640. E-mail: subscriptions@turpin-distribution.com.Subscription prices for the 2007 volume (four issues):USA – $389.00; Euro Zone – 380.00; Rest of World – £252.00.www.ippublishing.com


contentsVol. 6, No. 3Editorial ................................................................ 4Sacred ceremonies <strong>and</strong> political willNews ......................................................................... 5A new generation, a new revolutionAgreement to boost rice production in Indonesia<strong>Rice</strong> Camp 2007Gates Foundation looks at rice in ChinaTemperate <strong>Rice</strong> Research Consortium launched<strong>Rice</strong> market at a glanceIRRI Filipino staff recognizedScientific infrastructure vital for helping the poorPeople ...................................................................... 9AchievementsKeeping up with IRRI staffcoping with <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> ......................... 10Climate <strong>change</strong> threatens to affect rice productionacross the globe. What is known about the likelyimpacts, <strong>and</strong> what can be done about them?<strong>Rice</strong> quality rising ............................................ 16The first coming together of a new internationalnetwork of cereal scientists has laid the foundationfor major advances in rice grain qualityNew books ............................................................ 18Charting new pathways to C 4 rice<strong>Rice</strong>: a practical guide to nutrient management(2nd edition)<strong>Rice</strong> Genetics VMaps ....................................................................... 19The where <strong>and</strong> how of riceLetting a hundred flowers bloom ............ 22As director for research at the International <strong>Rice</strong>Research Institute, Ren Wang was instrumental instrengthening both international partnerships <strong>and</strong>research capacityPushing things forward ................................ 26Agricultural economist Mahabub Hossain retires frominternational work to pursue his dream for his homecountry of BangladeshForging a rice partnership for Africa ..... 30“When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion!”—sogoes a well-known Ethiopian saying. This couldbe an apt description for the new partnershipbeing forged among international research centersto address sub-Saharan Africa’s enormous ricechallenge.Fertile progress ................................................ 32The past 20 years have seen an evolution inresearchers’ underst<strong>and</strong>ing of how to best applynitrogen fertilizer to rice. That knowledge is nowbeing passed on to farmers.Preparing for the rat race ........................... 34A rare species of flowering bamboo puts rodents in afeeding <strong>and</strong> breeding frenzy that threatens faminein the Indian state of Mizoram<strong>Rice</strong> Facts .............................................................. 36Of rice <strong>and</strong> ratsRats <strong>and</strong> mice do untold damage to rice crops <strong>and</strong>stocks across the globe. Here, <strong>Rice</strong> Today presentsthe facts on the rodent scourge.Grain of Truth ................................................... 38The aerobic rice realityOn the cover:Traditional rice varietiesfrom Laos, like thisone, are usually highlyglutinous, resulting in theircharacteristic stickiness. Seethe story on pages 16-17.cover photo Ariel Javellanapublisher Duncan Macintosheditor Adam Barclayart director Juan Lazaro IVdesigner <strong>and</strong> production supervisor George Reyescontributing editors Gene Hettel, Bill Hardy, Meg MondoñedoAfrica editor Savitri Mohapatra (Africa <strong>Rice</strong> Center – WARDA)environment editor Greg Fanslowphoto editor Ariel Javellanaphoto researcher Jose Raymond Panaligancirculation Chrisanto Quintanaprinter Primex Printers, Inc.International <strong>Rice</strong> Research InstituteDAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, PhilippinesWeb (IRRI): www.irri.orgWeb (Library): http://ricelib.irri.cgiar.orgWeb (<strong>Rice</strong> Knowledge Bank): www.knowledgebank.irri.org<strong>Rice</strong> Today editorialtelephone (+63-2) 580-5600 or (+63-2) 844-3351 to 53, ext 2725;fax: (+63-2) 580-5699 or (+63-2) 845-0606; email: a.barclay@cgiar.org<strong>Rice</strong> Today is published by the International <strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute (IRRI), the world’sleading international rice research <strong>and</strong> training center. Based in the Philippines <strong>and</strong> withoffices in 13 other countries, IRRI is an autonomous, nonprofit institution focused onimproving the well-being of present <strong>and</strong> future generations of rice farmers <strong>and</strong> consumers,particularly those with low incomes, while preserving natural resources. IRRI is one of15 centers funded through the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research(CGIAR), an association of public <strong>and</strong> private donor agencies. For more information, visitthe CGIAR Web site (www.cgiar.org).Responsibility for this publication rests with IRRI. Designations used in this publicationshould not be construed as expressing IRRI policy or opinion on the legal status of anycountry, territory, city or area, or its authorities, or the delimitation of its frontiers orboundaries.<strong>Rice</strong> Today welcomes comments <strong>and</strong> suggestions from readers. Potential contributorsare encouraged to query first, rather than submit unsolicited materials. <strong>Rice</strong> Todayassumes no responsibility for loss or damage to unsolicited submissions, which shouldbe accompanied by sufficient return postage.Copyright International <strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute 2007


NEWS http://ricenews.irri.orgA new generation, a new revolutionAn exciting new program just themselves as a newlaunched in Asia is encouraging g e n e r a t i o n o fsome of the world’s brightest young revolutionaries—scientists to consider careers helping taking the latestdeveloping nations, instead of taking scientific knowledgejobs focused on the developed world. a nd u s i n g it toMany recent scientific advances— improve the lives ofsuch as the sequencing of the rice the world’s poor.”genome in 2004—have already begun In the 1960s,to help poor farmers overcome such young scientists fromage-old problems as drought, flooding, all over the world<strong>and</strong> high levels of salinity. Much of this t raveled to A siaprogress was achieved in advanced to help launch theresearch institutes in developed nations Green Revolution via the developmentby researchers far removed from the of new agricultural technologies forproblems poor farmers face in the field. Asian rice production. Since then, fewerThe 3-week <strong>Rice</strong>: research to production <strong>and</strong> fewer young people have chosencourse, launched last month at the careers in agricultural research in theInternational <strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute developing world, sparking concerns of(IRRI) in the Philippines, is one of the slowing progress <strong>and</strong> stagnation.first attempts to deal with this issue. Sponsored by the National Science“Many young scientists working Foundation in the United States, thein developed nations are increasingly United Kingdom’s Gatsby Foundation,isolated from the very people in poorer <strong>and</strong> IRRI, the new course attracted 26nations who could really benefit from participants from 12 nations, with halftheir work,” Susan McCouch, one of coming from the U.S. <strong>and</strong> Europeanthe leaders of the new course <strong>and</strong> a Union <strong>and</strong> half coming from ricegrowingcountries in Asia <strong>and</strong> Africa.professor in the Department of PlantBreeding <strong>and</strong> Genetics at Cornell The program also seeks to reverse theUniversity, said. “We want to <strong>change</strong> one-way traffic of recent decades thatthis, <strong>and</strong> encourage good young has seen thous<strong>and</strong>s of young scientistsscientists, wherever they are, to think of from the developing world taking jobsAgreement to boost rice production in IndonesiaIndonesian efforts to avoid foodshor t age s by i ncreasi ng r ic eproduction have been boosted by thesigning of a new agreement to help thenation’s millions of poor rice farmerswith new technologies.Senior officials <strong>and</strong> scientists ofthe Indonesian Agency for AgriculturalResearch <strong>and</strong> Development, <strong>and</strong> otheragencies of the Indonesian Ministryof Agriculture, signed the 3-yearagreement with IRRI on 23 March2007 in Jakarta.Indonesia, the world’s fifth mostpopulous nation, has been strugglingfor several years to increase its riceproduction. Shortages could triggerprice rises <strong>and</strong> cause severe hardshipfor the nation’s poor.The Indonesian government wantsto see an additional 2 million tons ofrice produced in 2007, followed by 5%growth in national rice production eachyear after that.“With world rice productiongrowing at less than 2% annually, it’sincreasingly difficult for countries toboost production beyond 2–3%,” IRRI’sDeputy Director General for ResearchRen Wang explained.But with global rice prices at a10-year high after doubling in the past2 years <strong>and</strong> world rice reserves at a30-year low, there is pressure on riceimportingcountries such as Indonesiato achieve self-sufficiency. The newagreement between Indonesia <strong>and</strong> IRRIfocuses on three key areas: supportfor the Indonesian government’s<strong>Rice</strong> Production Increase Program,collaborative research, <strong>and</strong> humanresource development.in the developed world.Participants learned the basics ofrice production, were shown the latestin rice research, <strong>and</strong> given h<strong>and</strong>sonexperience in such areas as ricebreeding <strong>and</strong> fertilizer management.Megan O’Rourke, a 27-year-oldmother of three doing her Ph.D. inecology <strong>and</strong> evolutionary biology atCornell University in the U.S., saidit was the first time she had workedin a developing nation <strong>and</strong> seen theeconomic conditions first-h<strong>and</strong>. “It ha<strong>sr</strong>eminded me that I began studyingagriculture because of its essentialplace in supporting lives <strong>and</strong> societies,”she said.IRRI plans to run the same coursenext year.Support efforts will include thedevelopment of improved varietieswith high yield potential, grain quality,<strong>and</strong> resistance to pests; a nationalstrategy <strong>and</strong> framework for hybridrice; <strong>and</strong> improved rice varieties thatcan tolerate submergence, drought,<strong>and</strong> low-temperature damage in highelevationareas.Collaborative research will includethe strengthening of research capacityfor the development <strong>and</strong> safe use oftransgenic rice in Indonesia, improvinggrain quality <strong>and</strong> the nutritionalvalue of rice, <strong>and</strong> special emphasis ondrought, disease resistance, <strong>and</strong> poorsoils.Capacity building will focus onpostgraduate degree training, on-thejobtraining, scientist ex<strong>change</strong>, shortcourses, <strong>and</strong> in-country training.<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


NEWS http://ricenews.irri.orgAriel Javellana<strong>Rice</strong> Camp 2007Twenty high school students from Thail<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> the Philippines attendedIRRI’s second annual <strong>Rice</strong> Camp on 23-28 April 2007. The camp is a funtraining course that teaches participants about the basics of agriculture<strong>and</strong> rice research. First held in April 2006 (see A rice future for Asia in <strong>Rice</strong>Today Vol. 5, No. 3), <strong>Rice</strong> Camp exposes participants to current trends in ricescience <strong>and</strong> rice farming, offers h<strong>and</strong>s-on experience in field <strong>and</strong> laboratorywork, creates awareness of the importance of rice research, <strong>and</strong> promote<strong>sr</strong>ice science as a future career. It is also a chance for the students to sharecultural differences <strong>and</strong> similarities. Participants drove a tractor, planted rice,collected <strong>and</strong> identified insects, tasted different varieties of rice, <strong>and</strong> more.<strong>Rice</strong> Camp 2007 was supported by IRRI, the Thai <strong>Rice</strong> Foundation under RoyalPatronage, <strong>and</strong> the Philippine <strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute.4th International Meeting on <strong>Rice</strong>The <strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute (IIArroz)<strong>and</strong> the Agro-industrial Group ofCattle <strong>and</strong> <strong>Rice</strong>, under the auspicesof the Agriculture Ministry of Cuba,have announced the 4th InternationalMeeting on <strong>Rice</strong>, to be held on 2-6June 2008 at the Havana InternationalConference Center. The meetingwill run concurrently with the 1stInternational Workshop of Millers <strong>and</strong>a rice expo. The meeting’s objectivesinclude discussions on the transfer ofsustainable technologies <strong>and</strong> updates<strong>and</strong> evaluations of rice knowledge,especially relating to rice production inLatin America <strong>and</strong> the Caribbean. Keythemes will include plant breeding <strong>and</strong>phytogenetic resources, technologiesfor managing rice cultivation, cropprotection, physiology <strong>and</strong> nutrition ofthe rice plant, <strong>and</strong> harvest <strong>and</strong> industrialgrain processing. Look for more detailsin future issues of <strong>Rice</strong> Today.Pakistan price riseDespite rapidly rising rice prices, thePakistani government has no plansto impose a ban on rice exports.Sik<strong>and</strong>ar Bosan, federal minister forfood, agriculture, <strong>and</strong> livestock, toldthe Pakistani Daily Times in May 2007that a combination of rice shortagesin other South Asian countries <strong>and</strong> arise in Pakistani production has ledto a boost in exports, which rose from267,000 tons in March to 284,000tons in April. The higher prices areprompting Pakistani traders to exportrice that would otherwise have beensold on the local market, leading toincreased domestic prices. According to<strong>Rice</strong> Exporters Association of PakistanChairman Aziz Mania, rice smugglingis also affecting local prices.Indian plan to boost grainsIn May 2007, Indian Prime MinisterManmohan Singh announced anew scheme to increase food grainproduction. This 25 billion rupee(US$614 million) investment aims toincrease food grain production by 20million tons by the end of 2009, <strong>and</strong>thereby avoid spiraling imports. <strong>Rice</strong>production will be boosted in two keyareas—through an additional 5 millionhectares of l<strong>and</strong> to be brought underirrigation, <strong>and</strong> by increasing the areaplanted to high-yielding hybrid ricevarieties to 10 million hectares, fromthe current 1 million, by 2012.Ag ministers’ Mekong meetingAgriculture ministers of the GreaterMekong Subregion (GMS) met on 9-11April 2007 in Beijing to review progressin the region’s cooperation in agriculture,endorse the Strategic Framework forSubregional Cooperation in Agriculture<strong>and</strong> Core Agriculture Support Program(CASP), <strong>and</strong> discuss the implications forthe GMS of new trends in agriculture.IRRI coordinator for the GMS GaryJahn, representing the ConsultativeGroup on International AgriculturalResearch (CGIAR), noted that CGIARcenters are able to contribute to the fivekey components of CASP—facilitatingcross-border agricultural trade <strong>and</strong>investment, promoting public-privatepartnerships for sharing agriculturalinformation, enhancing capacity inagricultural science <strong>and</strong> technology,establishing emergency responsemechanisms for agricultural <strong>and</strong> naturalresource crises, <strong>and</strong> strengtheninginstitutional linkages <strong>and</strong> mechanismsfor cooperation.New rice DNA mapResearchers at the University ofDelaware <strong>and</strong> Ohio State University,USA, have used new technology toconstruct a comprehensive “expressionatlas” of the rice genome. As well asidentifying individual genes, the newmap indicates regions of nongene DNAthat are “expressed”—that is, transcribedinto RNA—<strong>and</strong> may therefore play aregulatory role in the cell (genes aretranscribed into RNA, which is thentranslated by the cell into proteins;some RNA is not translated but insteadplays a role in the regulation of cellularprocesses). The study, discussed byAntoni Rafalski in the April 2007 issueof Nature Biotechnology (Taggingthe rice transcriptome), increase<strong>sr</strong>esearchers’ knowledge about thefunctionally active regions of DNAbetween genes <strong>and</strong> will thus help cropbiotechnologists develop improved ricevarieties. <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


Gates Foundation looks at rice in Chinadelegation from the Bill <strong>and</strong> Molecular BreedingA Me l i n d a G ate s Fo u n d at i o n N e t w o r k , a n e wled by Bill Gates, cofounder of the breeding strategyFoundation <strong>and</strong> chairman of Microsoft to c ombi ne geneCorp., <strong>and</strong> Raj Shah, director of the d i s c o v e r y w i t hAgricultural Development Program variety developmentof the Foundation, visited the Chinese initiated at IRRI inAcademy of Agricultural Sciences 1998 <strong>and</strong> coordinated(CA AS)-IRRI Joint Lab on <strong>Rice</strong> by Dr. Li.Molecular Breeding <strong>and</strong> Genetics Mr. Gates showedheaded by IRRI molecular geneticist great interest <strong>and</strong>Zhi-Kang Li on 18 April 2007.discussed severalThe delegation met with Dr. Li topic s, i nclud i ng<strong>and</strong> his team at CAAS, where Dr. Li molecular markers,gave presentations on <strong>Rice</strong> breeding in t he r ic e genomeChina—current status <strong>and</strong> prospects, sequence, gene expression, <strong>and</strong> ricethe concept of “Super Green <strong>Rice</strong>,” breeding, with Dr. Li. The group also<strong>and</strong> progress in the China National visited the National Key Facility forTemperate <strong>Rice</strong> Research Consortium launchedThe Temperate R ice Research i n t e m p e r a t e e n v i r o n m e n t s ;Consortium (TRRC) was launched strengthen capacity building amongduring an international planning TRRC partners; develop <strong>and</strong> shareworkshop on temperate rice on 2- improved germplasm <strong>and</strong> technologies4 May 2007 in Suwon, Republic of for problem solving <strong>and</strong> sustainableKorea. More than 90 scientists from temperate rice production; <strong>and</strong> improve12 temperate rice-growing countries grain quality, nutritional value, <strong>and</strong>in Asia, Europe, <strong>and</strong> North America postharvest technology.attended the workshop, which was In a welcome address, R DAcoordinated by IRRI with financial Administrator Kim In-Sik emphasizedsupport from the National Institute the importance of temperate rice inof Crop Science, Rural Development world food production <strong>and</strong> the needAdministration (RDA), Korea. for improvements in production, stressThe TRRC aims to strengthen resistance, grain quality, <strong>and</strong> nutritionalnational agricultural research <strong>and</strong> value to feed a rising population. IRRIextension system (NARES) partnerships Deputy Director General for Researchfor technology development, validation, Ren Wang spoke on the need to reduce<strong>and</strong> dissemination for improvement the big gap in the yield potential ofof rice production <strong>and</strong> productivity temperate rice between developed <strong>and</strong>Crop Gene Resources <strong>and</strong> GeneticImprovement <strong>and</strong> the China NationalCrop Genebank.Reader's LetterDear <strong>Rice</strong> Today,Zhi-kang li (left) showsBill Gates (center) <strong>and</strong>Prof. Shumin Wang, deputydirector general, Instituteof Crop Sciences Research,CAAS, around the CAAS-IRRI Joint Lab.developing countries.Participants focused on majorissues of temperate rice <strong>and</strong> identifiedresearch priorities <strong>and</strong> strategiesfor four major working groups: yieldpotential <strong>and</strong> grain quality, bioticstress (blast), abiotic stress (cold), <strong>and</strong>resource-use efficiency (water <strong>and</strong>nutrients).I write with hat in h<strong>and</strong> in admirationof the Aussies. Skimming through theApril–June issue of <strong>Rice</strong> Today, I findon page 7 (Australian rice doldrums)the extraordinary report of the nationalrice production for last year of 1,048million tons (roughly twice the outputof the remainder of the world). Whileit has declined some 80% for this year,126 million is nothing to sneeze at. Iremain humbled by this achievement<strong>and</strong> depressed to consider that I laboreddecades in the Americas to raise productionby a few measly million tons.CAASPeter JenningsLatin American Fund for Irrigated <strong>Rice</strong>Adam barclay<strong>Rice</strong> Today apologizes for the error, whichwas in no way caused by parochialismon the part of the Australian editor. Thecorrect figures are 1.05 million tons in2006-07, with 0.126 million tons predictedfor 2007-08.<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


NEWS http://ricenews.irri.org<strong>Rice</strong> market at a glanceTh e F o o d a n d A g r i c u l t u r eOrganization of the United Nations(FAO) reported in the March 2007 issueof the FAO <strong>Rice</strong> Market Monitor thatestimates of world paddy (unmilledrice) production in 2006 have beendowngraded to 629 million tons, a cutof 2 million tons. This figure is 4 milliontons lower than the record high of 2005.The decrease is thought to be largelydue to smaller crops in Asia, whichwere damaged by insects <strong>and</strong> irregularmonsoon rains. Production also fell inLatin America <strong>and</strong> the Caribbean, butrose in Africa for the fifth consecutiveyear. As expected, estimates of worldrice stockpiles at the end of the 2007season have been downgraded 2 milliontons to 103 million tons, due to thelower 2006 outlook.Initial global forecasts for 2007predict a rise in production back to2005 levels. This assumes a return toaverage growing conditions, positiveprice expectations, <strong>and</strong> rejuvenatedinstitutional support.FAO’s forecast of world trade in 2007was raised to 29.8 million tons, nearly1 million tons more than previouslyanticipated, <strong>and</strong> almost matchingthe 2005 trade record. The expectedincrease in trade largely reflects greatersupply needs by importing countriesfacing production shortfalls.As anticipated, rice export priceshave continued to climb. According tothe June 2007 FAO <strong>Rice</strong> Price Update,the All <strong>Rice</strong> Price Index (set at 100 for1998-2000 prices) reached 121 in May2007, up from 115 in December 2006.Experts predict this trend is expectedto continue for at least this year.IRRI Filipino staff recognizedThe winners in the 2006 Awards Program for IRRI Filipino staff wererecognized during the Institute’s Board of Trustees meeting on 18April 2007. Plant physiologist Evangelina Salcedo-Ella (pictured, left),Crop <strong>and</strong> Environmental Sciences Division (CESD), won the Award forOutst<strong>and</strong>ing Scientific Achievement, <strong>and</strong> CESD research technician EdgarAmoloza (pictured, right, receiving his award from Board ChairKeijiro Otsuka <strong>and</strong> Director General Robert Zeigler) won the Awardfor Outst<strong>and</strong>ing Research Support. The Award for Outst<strong>and</strong>ing AdministrativeSupport was shared by staff members of the Plant Breeding,Genetics, <strong>and</strong> Biotechnology Division for their work in organizing theFifth International <strong>Rice</strong> Genetics Symposium (Manila, 19-23 November2005) <strong>and</strong> the IRRI-India Office staff for their work in helping toorganize <strong>and</strong> run the 2nd International <strong>Rice</strong> Congress (New Delhi, 9-13October 2006). Ms. Salcedo-Ella was chosen for her work on flood tolerancein rice <strong>and</strong> Mr. Amoloza was recognized for his research projecton increasing Analytical Services Laboratory sample throughput <strong>and</strong>helping improve the lab’s operations.Jose Raymond Panaligan (2)Scientific infrastructure vital for helping the poorWorld-class scientific facilities play said. “And, it’s vital that institutesan increasingly important role in such as IRRI have the resources tohelping poor nations overcome poverty, continually upgrade <strong>and</strong> renovate theirfood insecurity, <strong>and</strong> new challenges own labs <strong>and</strong> facilities; otherwise, theysuch as the impact of <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>. will quickly become irrelevant.”The need for such infrastructure As a result of the upgrading, thewas highlighted at the annual meeting Institute has re-opened three labs atof the IRRI Board of Trustees (BOT) its Philippine headquarters:in the Philippines on 16-18 April 2007. A microarray laboratory: firstIRRI has spent several million dollars set up in 2001, this lab became fullyover the past 5 years upgrading its main operational in 2002 after an investmentlaboratories to keep them up to world of US$895,000 on new equipment <strong>and</strong>scientific st<strong>and</strong>ards.genotyping instrumentation. It serves“While advanced scientific research as a centralized facility supportinginstitutes in developed nations have a research <strong>and</strong> training to conduct genevital role to play in helping to solve expression analysis, genotyping, genesome of the developing world’s most tagging <strong>and</strong> mapping, <strong>and</strong> markerassistedbreeding. It also providesintractable problems, it’s essential thatwe also build, <strong>and</strong> continue to upgrade, access to the latest genomic tools toscientific infrastructure in poorer researchers from developing nations.nations,” BOT Chairman Keijiro Otsuka A grain quality <strong>and</strong> nutritionlaboratory: opened in December 2004after an investment of $1.2 million, thelab works with IRRI rice breeders <strong>and</strong>cereal chemists around the world toensure that new rice varieties reach thehighest possible st<strong>and</strong>ards in terms ofquality <strong>and</strong> nutrition.A biotechnology laboratory:opened in June 2006 a f ter a ninvestment of $1.7 million, this lab isa state-of-the-art, high-throughputtransgenic research platform to enabledeveloping countries to obtain newtechnologies <strong>and</strong> training. It alsoprovides a unique capacity to developpublic biotechnology products designedto benefit those nations without accessto such facilities.“It will be a tragedy if the poor missout on the benefits provided by our newscientific knowledge simply becausethey don’t have the facilities to use it<strong>and</strong> learn from it,” Dr. Otsuka said. <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


AchievementspeopleKeeping up with IRRI staffMARDThe president of India, A.P.J. Kalam,who visited IRRI in February 2006,has nominated former IRRI DirectorGeneral <strong>and</strong> World Food Prize laureateM.S. Swaminathan (1982-88) for theupper house of the Indian parliament. Inan opinion column in India’s HindustanTimes, JSS Rural DevelopmentFoundation adviser M. Mahadevappaalso touted Prof. Swaminathan asIndia’s next president.IRRI crop physiologist ShaobingPeng has been invited to be one offive Changjiang (Yangtze River) ChairProfessors of Huazhong AgriculturalUniversity.Time magazine (14 May 2007)has voted former Africa <strong>Rice</strong> Center(WARDA) breeder Monty Jones, fromSierra Leone, as one of the world’s 100most influential people. In a profilewritten by Jeffrey Sachs, director ofColumbia University’s Earth Institute,Dr. Jones was cited for leading thedevelopment of New <strong>Rice</strong> for Africa(NERICA), high-yielding varietiessuited to African conditions, which havedramatically helped improve Africanrice productivity, an achievement thatalso earned him the 2004 World FoodPrize. Read more about Dr. Jones inThe rice man of Africa on pages 28-29of <strong>Rice</strong> Today, Vol. 6, No. 2.IRRI Deputy Director General forResearch Ren Wang was recognizedon 19 May for his contributions toRen Wang (center) receives a plaque from Bui BaBong (left), vice-minister of Vietnam’s Ministry ofAgriculture <strong>and</strong> Rural Development, as IRRI scientistGary Jahn looks on.Vietnamese agriculture <strong>and</strong> ruraldevelopment. At a ceremony in Hanoi,Bui Ba Bong, vice-minister of Vietnam’sMinistry of Agriculture <strong>and</strong> RuralDevelopment, honored Dr. Wang forhis leadership <strong>and</strong> commitment inensuring that IRRI helps poor ricefarmers <strong>and</strong> consumers improve theirlives in Vietnam, <strong>and</strong> for his unqualifiedsupport for a more effective Vietnameseagricultural research <strong>and</strong> extensionsystem.Guy Trébuil <strong>and</strong> FrançoisBousquet, along with co-authorTayan Raj Gurung, have beenawarded the 2006 Ralph YorqueMemorial Prize by the editorial boardof the Ecology <strong>and</strong> Society Journalfor their article Companion modeling,conflict resolution, <strong>and</strong> institutionbuilding: sharing irrigation water inthe Lingmuteychu Watershed, Bhutan.The 500-euro prize was awarded for themost novel paper [Ecology <strong>and</strong> Society11(2):36] integrating different streamsof science to assess fundamentalquestions of the ecological, political,<strong>and</strong> social foundations for sustainablesocial-ecological systems. The fieldwork for the study was carried outwhen Drs. Trébuil <strong>and</strong> Bousquet wereassigned to the IRRI-Thail<strong>and</strong> Officein 2001-04.Former IRRI agricultural economistPrabhu Pingali was among 72new members <strong>and</strong> 18 foreign associatesinducted into the U.S.National Academy ofSciences in May 2007.Dr. Pingali, currentlydirector, Divisiono f A g r i c u l t u r a l<strong>and</strong> DevelopmentEconomic s, Fooda n d A g r i c u l t u r eOrganization of theUnited Nations, waselected in recognitionof his distinguisheda n d c o n t i n u i n gac h ie v e ment s i noriginal research,w h i c h i n c l u d e swork on technological <strong>change</strong> <strong>and</strong>agricultural development policy.IRRI Director for ManagementServices Kwame Akuffo-Akoto(pictured, above) bid farewell to theInstitute after more than 5 years ofinnovative <strong>and</strong> productive service. Heprovided IRRI with excellent financialleadership, developing <strong>and</strong> promotingbest practices in fiduciary management<strong>and</strong> financial reporting. Mr. Akuffo-Akoto was instrumental in aligningthe financial practices of IRRI <strong>and</strong> itspartner institutes supported by theConsultative Group on InternationalAgricultural Research with globalst<strong>and</strong>ards, <strong>and</strong> in formulating a singlefinancial policy for the entire group.Hung- G oo Hwang, seniorscientist seconded from Korea’s RuralDevelopment Administration (RDA),leaves after 3 years of outst<strong>and</strong>ingwork in japonica rice breeding<strong>and</strong> strengthening of IRRI-RDAcollaboration through leadership inthe genetic improvement of japonicarice. Dr. Hwang is replaced in the PlantBreeding, Genetics, <strong>and</strong> Biotechnology(PBGB) Division by Kyu-Seong Lee.Kumi Yasunobu, seconded from theJapan International Research Center forAgricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), left theSocial Sciences Division (SSD) in March2007. She was replaced by JIRCASscientist Shigeki Yokoyama. ZahirulIslam, international research fellow inSSD, left in June 2007. Xuemei Ji hascompleted his contract as a postdoctoralfellow in PBGB.Also departing were Ren Wang<strong>and</strong> SSD Head Mahabub Hossain(see more about them in this issue of<strong>Rice</strong> Today). R<strong>and</strong>olph Barker willserve as acting head of SSD.aileen del rosario<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


Coping withClimate ChangeClimate <strong>change</strong> threatens to affect rice productionacross the globe. What is known about the likelyimpact, <strong>and</strong> what can be done about it?Flooded rice fields, likethis one at the International<strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute inthe Philippines, releasesignificant amounts of thegreenhouse gas methane.Ariel JavellanaAs if rice farming weren’thard enough. It ispatently clear now thathumans have gone<strong>and</strong> made it a wholelot harder. And, in acruel irony, while the rich, developedcountries are the ones that haveproduced most of the greenhousegases that are causing <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>,it will be the poorer countries in thetropics—many of them reliant onrice to keep their populations fromhunger—that will be worst affected.As Earth warms up, one ofthe biggest concerns is the effecton agriculture—yet there hasbeen relatively little researchinvestigating the fundamentalquestion of how humanity willfeed itself in a <strong>change</strong>d <strong>climate</strong>.How will higher temperatures <strong>and</strong>the attendant increased incidenceof extreme weather such asdroughts, storms, <strong>and</strong> floods affectagricultural production? What arethe implications for feeding theworld’s burgeoning population,especially the billions of poor whorely on small-scale <strong>and</strong> subsistencefarming? And, of course, whatcan we do to lessen the impact?To start answering thesequestions, <strong>Rice</strong> Today spoke toReiner Wassmann, International<strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute (IRRI)senior <strong>climate</strong> scientist <strong>and</strong>coordinator of the IRRI-led <strong>Rice</strong><strong>and</strong> Climate Change Consortium.Dr. Wassmann is seconded toIRRI from the Research CenterKarl<strong>sr</strong>uhe (IMK-IFU) in Germany.What is IRRI’s past record on<strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> research <strong>and</strong>what are the current activities?IRRI has a long history of studyingthe effect of <strong>climate</strong> on rice. The firstexperiment on temperature effects onrice was conducted in 1961, one yearafter IRRI’s inception. Remarkably, thefirst work on high carbon dioxide (CO 2 )concentrations affecting rice plantswas performed in 1971, long beforethe issue of <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> becameknown to a broader audience. Likewise,the first workshop dealing with<strong>climate</strong> <strong>and</strong> rice dates back to 1974.In 1991, IRRI started researchexplicitly examining <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>impacts, namely, a project fundedby the United States EnvironmentalProtection Agency (U.S.-EPA), titledEffects of UV-B <strong>and</strong> Global ClimateChange on <strong>Rice</strong>, which used open-topchambers to study increased CO 2 <strong>and</strong>temperatures <strong>and</strong> included a modelingcomponent. More recently, IRRIhas dealt with temperature effectson rice yields in several researchactivities, including modeling work<strong>and</strong> analysis of high night-timetemperature effects, led by IRRIcrop physiologist Shaobing Peng.In 2007, IRRI established the<strong>Rice</strong> <strong>and</strong> Climate Change Consortiumto assess direct <strong>and</strong> indirectconsequences for rice production, todevelop strategies <strong>and</strong> technologiesto adapt rice to changing <strong>climate</strong>,<strong>and</strong> to explore crop managementpractices that reduce greenhouse gasemissions under intensive production.In the initial phase, our focusis on improved resilience of the ricecrop to heat stress. To attain thisgoal, we are pooling some of IRRI’<strong>sr</strong>esearch thrusts—plant breeding <strong>and</strong>plant physiology, for example—<strong>and</strong>we will add new tools for screening<strong>and</strong> impact assessment. Moreover, weare now establishing monitoring sitesto test the effects of emerging cropmanagementtrends (diversificationfrom rice-rice to rice-maize systems,for example) that will alter crops’budgets of carbon <strong>and</strong> nitrogen<strong>and</strong> thus significantly attempt toreduce greenhouse gas emissions.Data gathered from these siteswill be used to develop predictivemodels <strong>and</strong> guide future research.10 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 200711


Do higher temperatures <strong>and</strong>CO 2 levels affect rice yields?Overall, much uncertainty stillexists about the true direction of theimpact of CO 2 <strong>and</strong> temperature onrice yields. In the open-top chamberexperiment at IRRI in the early1990s, rice was grown at ambient <strong>and</strong>elevated (doubled) concentrations ofatmospheric CO 2 . Plants were alsogrown at ambient <strong>and</strong> elevated (plus4 °C) air temperature to study theinteractive effects of elevated CO 2 <strong>and</strong>temperature on growth <strong>and</strong> yield.Over the 2 years of the study, theelevated CO 2 + ambient temperaturetreatment increased total biomassby 40% <strong>and</strong> yields by 27% overthose achieved under ambientCO 2 <strong>and</strong> temperature. Under thehigh air temperature treatment,however, this stimulation decreased.Compared with ambient conditions,the combination of increased CO 2<strong>and</strong> increased temperature resultedin a small increase in biomass<strong>and</strong> yield in the dry season <strong>and</strong> asmall decrease in the wet season.The results of these studies arein line with so-called Free-Air CO 2Enrichment (FACE) experimentsexamining the effect of increasedCO 2 on rice. FACE experimentsallow researchers to increase CO 2concentrations in the field—asopposed to in greenhouses orchambers—<strong>and</strong> so offer a morerealistic assessment of the effecton plants. On the other h<strong>and</strong>,As populations grow, agriculture faces increasing competitionfrom the urban <strong>and</strong> industrial sectors for water <strong>and</strong> l<strong>and</strong>. Climate<strong>change</strong>, which is expected to alter the timing <strong>and</strong> location ofrainfall, is likely to compound this problem.Open-top chambers wereused in an IRRI study in theearly 1990s to investigatethe effect of increased CO 2<strong>and</strong> temperature on rice.there is no FACE system in tropicalcountries, so all our knowledgecomes from a limited numberof small-chamber studies.IRRI crop modeler John Sheehydetermined that, as a general rule,for every 75 ppm increase in CO 2concentration, rice yields willincrease by 0.5 ton per hectare,but yield will decrease by 0.6 tonper hectare for every 1 °C increasein temperature. However, nobodyhas studied the interactionsbetween CO 2 <strong>and</strong> temperatureunder controlled, realistic fieldconditions. The technology todo this is now available, <strong>and</strong>, iffunding can be found, IRRI hopesto develop an experimental systemin which both CO 2 <strong>and</strong> temperaturecan be controlled in rice fields.Will <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> result inhigher or lower rice production?One component of the U.S.-EPAproject dealt with modeling <strong>climate</strong><strong>change</strong> impacts on rice production.In a comparative approach, <strong>climate</strong>data from three general circulationmodels (GCMs; a class of computermodels used for underst<strong>and</strong>ing theglobal <strong>climate</strong> <strong>and</strong> projecting <strong>climate</strong><strong>change</strong>) were coupled with crop yieldmodels. The bottom line of this studywas that the global yield forecastlargely depended on the GCM used;one GCM resulted in a predictednet increase in rice yields (plus4–7%) while two GCMs predictednet decreases (minus 4–13%).Moreover, the range of different<strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> scenarios effectivelydefies a straightforward, singlefigureprediction of future yields.Uncertainty about global impactis caused by both GCMs <strong>and</strong> the cropsimulation models used for suchglobal predictions. In particular,we lack a good underst<strong>and</strong>ing of12 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


<strong>change</strong> on rice quality will occur fromhigher temperatures, which will affectseveral quality traits, including chalk,amylose content, <strong>and</strong> gelatinizationtemperature. The positive effects ofelevated CO 2 do not compensate forthe overall decrease in rice qualityfrom the effects of global warming.Climate scientist Reiner Wassmannis researching the impact of <strong>climate</strong><strong>change</strong> on rice, as well as the impactof rice on <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>.Ariel Javellana (3)the complex interactions of CO 2<strong>and</strong> temperature effects at theprocess level of plant physiology <strong>and</strong>development. Likewise, the combinedeffect of temperature <strong>and</strong> humidity isnot taken into account in the availablecrop models. All in all, there is muchscope <strong>and</strong> much need to improvethese models <strong>and</strong> also incorporatemechanisms that will allow us tomore reliably explore ways to adapt to<strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>, through, for example,genetic improvement of specifictraits or shifting crop management.How will <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>affect rice grain quality?The quality <strong>and</strong> characteristics ofthe rice grain itself are likely tobecome one of the key parameters fordetermining the impact of <strong>climate</strong><strong>change</strong>. The trends for grain qualitytake directions similar to those for thequantity of rice produced. In a studyconducted by Ph.D. student RachelleWard, under the supervision of IRRIcereal chemist Melissa Fitzgerald,elevated CO 2 decreased chalk content.As high chalk content is generallyan undesirable trait, this meantthat grain quality was improvedby increasing the proportion ofmarketable grains. Despite this, themost damaging effects of <strong>climate</strong>How will we ensure enough riceproduction in the future?There is a lot of genetic variationacross varieties of both cultivatedrice (Oryza sativa) <strong>and</strong> its wildrelatives. We are therefore optimisticthat IRRI will be able to developnew varieties that can cope withhigher temperatures. Scientists arealso confident that the resilienceof rice production systems to<strong>climate</strong> extremes, such as floods<strong>and</strong> droughts, can be improvedwithin certain boundaries.While IRRI sees plant breedingat the heart of improvements inrice production, the efficiencyof adaptive measures can beincreased significantly byother efforts, including• Molecular marker techniques tospeed up the breeding process;• Geographic analysis ofvulnerable regions (where therice crop is already experiencingcritical temperature levels);• Regional <strong>climate</strong> modelingto identify future “tiltingpoints” of rice production(temperatures or CO 2 levels aboveIRRIwhich major yield losses areexperienced, for example); <strong>and</strong>• Site-specific adjustment in cropmanagement (shifting plantingdates <strong>and</strong> improved watermanagement, for example).At the same time, the envisagedadaptation of rice productionto <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> will requiresubstantial funds to support vigorous<strong>and</strong> concerted efforts by national <strong>and</strong>international research institutions.Climate <strong>change</strong> has recently receivedenormous attention in the media<strong>and</strong> in policy statements, such as theStern Review on the economics of<strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>—which included asection on rice contributed by IRRI—<strong>and</strong> the Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change 4th AssessmentReport. All of these have identifiedadaptation of the agriculturalsector as the key to limitingdamage. Despite this unanimousassessment of the importance ofresearch on adapting agricultureto <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>, adequatefunding has yet to materialize.continued on page 15 As the world warms up, sea levels willrise, causing major problems in low-lyingrice-growing areas.<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 200713


Goodbye gasYuichi Furukawa (2) Yasukazu Hosen (2)Although rice production will be affectedby <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>, rice farming also hasthe capacity to amplify the problem.Because much rice is grown in flooded fieldsunder anaerobic (oxygen-depleted) conditions,it is likely to contribute to global warming morethan any other crop. The chemistry of floodedrice soils means that they release significantamounts of methane (CH 4 )—a greenhouse gasabout 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide(CO 2 ), <strong>and</strong> which accounts for a fifth of the globalatmosphere’s warming potential.Methane is the final product of the microbialbreakdown of organic matter. In rice soils, thesource of organic material can be residues ofthe preceding rice crop, root secretions fromthe growing crop, or manure applied as fertilizer.The significance of rice production as a cause ofrising CH 4 levels in the atmosphere over the lastcentury was recently re-emphasized in a report bythe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,which was released in May 2007.However, some ways of managing riceproduction help reduce CH 4 emissions. YasukazuHosen, a soil scientist seconded to theInternational <strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute fromthe Japan International Research Center forAgricultural Sciences, is leading a project todevelop crop management strategies thatincrease the efficiency of water use <strong>and</strong> thereforereduce the amount of water required, withoutsacrificing yield. In principle, such a strategycan significantly cut CH 4 emissions.Dr. Hosen <strong>and</strong> his team are assessing theenvironmental impact of existing water-savingtechnologies such as alternate wetting <strong>and</strong>drying irrigation <strong>and</strong> aerobic rice (a productionsystem in which specially developed, highyieldingvarieties are grown in well-drained,nonpuddled, <strong>and</strong> nonsaturated soils). The team’snext step is to analyze the effect on greenhousegas emissions of the timing of various aspectsof crop management, such as nitrogen fertilizerapplication, irrigation, <strong>and</strong> incorporation of cropresidue into the soil during the fallow period. Bygrowing the rice in specially designed chambers(see photos, above), the team can capture <strong>and</strong>measure gases emitted by the rice plant <strong>and</strong> itsfield soil.Although alternate wetting <strong>and</strong> drying has thepotential to reduce methane emissions from ricefields, it is likely to result in increased nitrousoxide (N 2 O) emissions. N 2 O, also a greenhousegas, is more than 300 times as potent as CO 2 .The trick is to find a way to minimize theenvironmentally negative effects <strong>and</strong> maximizethe positive results.Dr. Hosen <strong>and</strong> his team developed severalother hypotheses, including1. N 2 O emissions can be mitigated usingan appropriate combination of nitrogenapplication <strong>and</strong> irrigation timing.2. When crop residue is incorporated into thesoil early in the fallow period, it decomposesfaster than when it is simply scattered onthe soil surface. This causes higher CO 2emissions during the fallow period, but lowerCH 4 emissions during the following croppingperiod. Thus, the global-warming impact ofrice farming can be reduced with earlier cropresidue incorporation.Dr. Hosen cautions that it is premature tomake any solid conclusions, but early resultsare promising, with preliminary data indicatingmuch lower CH 4 emissions but significant N 2 Oemissions under alternate wetting <strong>and</strong> drying.At the time <strong>Rice</strong> Today went to press, the fieldexperiment was continuing, <strong>and</strong> a pot experiment(see photos, left) had been established to setguidelines for also reducing N 2 O emissions.14<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


An aerial view of IRRI'sopen-top chamber experimentin the early 1990s.IRRIWhat’s really going to happen?The impact of <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong> onrice yields will depend on the actualpatterns of <strong>change</strong> in rice-growingregions. Both higher maximum <strong>and</strong>higher minimum temperatures c<strong>and</strong>ecrease rice yields due to spikeletsterility <strong>and</strong> higher respirationlosses, respectively (respiration isthe process by which cells or tissuesobtain oxygen <strong>and</strong> so generate energyfor their growth <strong>and</strong> maintenance).However, these productionlosses may be averted or at leastmitigated through the concertedefforts of agricultural research<strong>and</strong> policies aiming to improverice varieties <strong>and</strong> accompanyingmanagement strategies.At the same time, rice productionmay be threatened in some especiallyvulnerable regions, such as thoseaffected by a rise in sea-levels.Some of Asia’s most importantrice growing areas are located inlow lying deltas, which play a vitalrole in regional food security <strong>and</strong>supplying export markets. It isunclear to what extent the impact ofhigher sea levels can be compensatedfor by improved water control <strong>and</strong>what the costs <strong>and</strong> socioeconomicconsequences of these <strong>change</strong>s are.However, what is clear is thatthe risks stemming from a sea-levelrise—which is projected in the rangeVietnamElevationBelow 1 m1–5 mEach dotrepresents 10,000hectares plantedwith riceRed RiverDeltaMekongDeltaVietnam’s rice industry depends heavily on lowlyingfarm areas in the Mekong <strong>and</strong> Red River deltas.Relatively small increases in sea level could havedisastrous consequences.of 10–85 centimeters over the nextcentury depending on the <strong>climate</strong>scenario used—are enormous forsome countries. IRRI geographerRobert Hijmans has constructeda map of Vietnam displaying therice area that is below 1 meter <strong>and</strong>between 1 <strong>and</strong> 5 meters above sealevel, respectively (see map, left).With Vietnam so dependent onrice grown in <strong>and</strong> around low-lyingriver deltas, the implications of asea-level rise are ominous indeed.The <strong>Rice</strong> <strong>and</strong> Climate ChangeConsortium is currently cooperatingwith the Southern Institute forWater Resources Planning in Ho ChiMinh City, Vietnam, on an impactassessment of different sea-levelrise scenarios on hydrologicalconditions in the Mekong Delta,the rice “granary” of Vietnam.Moreover, <strong>climate</strong> extremessuch as more frequent or moreintense droughts, cyclones, <strong>and</strong> heatwaves pose incalculable threatsto agricultural production. Giventhe significance of rice as a staplecrop, IRRI will strive to incorporatea range of “defensive traits” intomodern rice varieties <strong>and</strong> to improvecrop management to develop moreresilient rice production systems.<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 200715


Sticky rice, prawns, <strong>and</strong> water chestnutdumplings—one of the gourmet ricedishes prepared for participants at thegrain quality workshop.<strong>Rice</strong> quality risingAriel Javellana (2)by Duncan MacintoshThe first coming together of a newinternational network of cerealscientists has laid the foundation formajor advances in rice grain qualityby pool todiscuss the future ofamylose” is not your“Barbecuetypical dinner invitation.For most people, the first part of therequest is probably very enticing,but the last part has the potentialto provoke responses of “Er…sorry,I’m busy that night.” But, if you’reone of 75 cereal chemists <strong>and</strong>grain-quality experts who receivedjust that invitation in April 2007,it promises a great night out.The proportion of amylose (astarch) in the rice grain contributesto all traits of cooking <strong>and</strong> sensoryquality. Its future is therefore amatter of great concern to theresearchers from more than 20countries who met on 17-19 April2007 during a workshop entitledClearing old hurdles with newscience: improving rice grain qualityat the International <strong>Rice</strong> ResearchInstitute (IRRI) headquartersin Los Baños, Philippines.The workshop was part of amajor international initiative by theInternational Network for Quality<strong>Rice</strong>—which first came togetherelectronically in 2006—to try toboost the income of the world’smillions of poor rice farmers <strong>and</strong> atthe same time provide consumerswith more nutritious, better tastingfood. The gathering was also thenetwork’s first face-to-face meeting.New scientific knowledge isallowing rice researchers to developbetter quality rice varieties thatcould fetch a higher price fromconsumers, especially increasinglyaffluent rice consumers in Asia.The main aim of the newInternational Network for Quality<strong>Rice</strong> is to help rice breeders aroundthe world develop varieties withimproved quality traits such asbetter taste, aroma, <strong>and</strong> cookingcharacteristics as well as higherlevels of nutrition. Once provided16 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


to farmers, the new varieties areexpected to comm<strong>and</strong> a higherprice among consumers, especiallymany in Asia, who, as they becomewealthier, are seeking—<strong>and</strong>paying for—better quality food.“Much of this research wouldnot have been possible 10 years agobecause we simply did not have theknowledge or the underst<strong>and</strong>ingof quality that we do now,” RobertZeigler, IRRI’s director general,said. “It really is a very exciting timeto be involved in such research,especially because we can take thenew scientific knowledge generatedby activities such as the recentsequencing of the rice genome,<strong>and</strong> use it to improve the lives ofthe poor by providing either betterquality food or increased income.”“It’s very clear from the greatresponse we got to the workshopthat rice quality is becoming a veryhot topic in rice research almosteverywhere,” the convener <strong>and</strong> headof IRRI’s Grain Quality, Nutrition,<strong>and</strong> Postharvest Center, MelissaFitzgerald, said. “Many of theissues we discussed may not haveeven been considered a few yearsago, but, with the recent advancesin molecular biology <strong>and</strong> excitingnew areas such as metabolomics,we can do things now that wecould only dream about before.”Metabolomics is the wholegenomeassessment of metabolites(the molecules involved inmetabolism, which is the set ofchemical reactions that occur inWorkshop convenerMelissa Fitzgerald inher lab.Jose Raymond PanaliganR E C I P ESpicy prawn<strong>and</strong> chickenpattiesSource: Australian Women’s Weeklycookbooks, modified by MelissaFitzgerald, head of IRRI’s Grain Quality,Nutrition, <strong>and</strong> Postharvest Center. Thisis one of the dishes cooked for theworkshop participants.Makes about eight servingsPatties1½ cups cooked short-grain rice250 g minced chicken150 g small cooked prawns, shelled5 green onions, chopped2 cloves garlic, crushed2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger1 small fresh red chili, chopped1 tablespoon fish sauce2 tablespoons chopped fresh cori<strong>and</strong>er(cilantro) leavesCanola oil for shallow fryingliving cells), including the study of thechemical fingerprints that metabolicprocesses leave within cells.During the workshop, the latestresearch was presented in severalnew areas, including breedingfor better quality <strong>and</strong> geneticallymapping specific quality traits inrice such as taste <strong>and</strong> aroma, thecooking <strong>and</strong> eating qualities ofrice <strong>and</strong> how to measure sensoryqualities more accurately, <strong>and</strong> therole of important substances suchas starches like amylose in cookingrice <strong>and</strong> how they are measured.To give participants a breakfrom the intellectual rigors of theworkshop program—<strong>and</strong> to make surethat theory was put into practice—dinners <strong>and</strong> lunches showcasedrice dishes from around the world.Attendees were treated to gourmetmeals that included European<strong>and</strong> Central Asian rice dishes, aswell as “a banquet of rice in all itsSoutheast Asian gourmet forms.”“IRRI has a strong foundationof previous rice quality research tobuild on,” Dr. Fitzgerald said. “WeYogurt Dipping Sauce1 cup plain (unsweetened) yoghurt1½ tablespoons mild sweet chili sauce1 green onion, finely chopped1 tablespoon chopped fresh cori<strong>and</strong>er(cilantro) leavesProcess rice, chicken, prawns, green onions,garlic, ginger, chili, sauce, <strong>and</strong> cori<strong>and</strong>eruntil just combined. Divide mixture intoeight portions, shape into patties, place ontray, <strong>and</strong> refrigerate for 2 hours.After refrigeration, shallow-fry patties inhot oil until browned <strong>and</strong> cooked through;drain on absorbent paper. For dippingsauce, combine all ingredients in a bowl<strong>and</strong> mix well.needed that to ensure we made theright decisions as we move into anew era of rice quality research.”For many years, rice breedershave focused on developing varietiesthat would boost production <strong>and</strong>provide some insect <strong>and</strong> weedresistance to help farmers reducetheir use of pesticides; qualitywas not a high priority. However,major new advances in riceresearch <strong>and</strong> Asia’s continuingeconomic development have createdimportant new opportunities.“These are the two key <strong>change</strong>sdriving the whole process <strong>and</strong>making this research area soexciting,” Dr. Zeigler said. “If we canlink these two things together—ournew <strong>and</strong> improved knowledge <strong>and</strong>underst<strong>and</strong>ing of rice quality withaffluent-consumer desires for betterrice—then it’s possible we can alsohelp poor farmers improve their lives.“This would be an outst<strong>and</strong>ingexample of using the latest inscience to improve the lives of thepoor, while satisfying the desiresof the affluent,” he added.<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 200717


New Books www.irri.org/publicationsCharting new pathways to C 4 rice(edited by J.E. Sheehy, P.L. Mitchell, <strong>and</strong>B. Hardy; published by World ScientificPublishing, Singapore; 422 pages).With unfavorable conditionsbrought about by <strong>climate</strong><strong>change</strong> <strong>and</strong> other environmentrelatedissues, feeding the world inthe coming century will be no meanfeat. The situation offers an enormouschallenge to the rice researchcommunity, compelled to feedalmost half the world’s populationusing less water <strong>and</strong> nitrogen.In Charting new pathways toC 4 rice, 24 scientists blaze the trailtoward another Green Revolution,continuing the fight against hungerusing modern technology. Accordingto the authors, future substantialyield increases are likely only ifthe photosynthetic system of therice plant (known as C 3 ) can beconverted to the more efficient C 4photosynthesis of plants such asmaize. C 4 plants use water twiceas efficiently as C 3 plants; nitrogenuse is 30% more efficient, <strong>and</strong> theyare generally more tolerant of hightemperatures. When achieved, C 4rice will be the first non-evolutionaryexample of reconstructing theprimary metabolism of a plant.Showcasing alternative waysof achieving C 4 photosynthesis,the book presents papers by cropmodeler John Sheehy (Why builda new rice engine <strong>and</strong> why startnow?), agricultural economistDavid Dawe (Scientific research,poverty alleviation, <strong>and</strong> key trendsin the Asian rice economy), plantecologist Rowan Sage (Learning fromnature to develop strategies for thedirected evolution of C 4 rice), <strong>and</strong>other leading experts in the field.Charting new pathways to C 4rice is scheduled for publicationin July 2007. To order or inquire,contact IRRIPub@cgiar.org.<strong>Rice</strong>: a practical guide tonutrient management (2ndedition) (edited by T.H. Fairhurst, C.Witt, R.J. Buresh, <strong>and</strong> A. Dobermann;published by IRRI; 136 pages; US$10).In the last 5 years, site-specificnutrient management (SSNM)for rice has become an integral partof improving nutrient managementin many Asian countries. Nutrientrecommendationshave been tailoredto locationspecificneeds<strong>and</strong> promoted ona wide scale. Thefirst edition of<strong>Rice</strong>: a practicalguide to nutrientmanagement(2002) quickly became thest<strong>and</strong>ard reference for SSNM.Over the years, SSNM hasbeen refined through research <strong>and</strong>evaluation through the Irrigated<strong>Rice</strong> Research Consortium.Conceptual improvements <strong>and</strong>simplifications have been made,particularly in nitrogen management.A st<strong>and</strong>ardized four-panel leafcolor chart has been produced,with more than 250,000 unitsdistributed by the end of 2006.The evolution of SSNM promptedthis revised edition of the practicalguide, to ensure consistency withnewer information provided onthe SSNM Web site (www.irri.org/irrc/ssnm) <strong>and</strong> local trainingmaterials. This edition will also betranslated into several languages,including Bangla, Chinese, Hindi,Indonesian, <strong>and</strong> Vietnamese.The pocket-sized guideintroduces the concept of yieldgaps <strong>and</strong> underlying constraints.The functions of each nutrient areexplained in detail, with a descriptionof the deficiency symptoms <strong>and</strong>recommended strategies forimproved nutrient management.The 47-page color annex provides apictorial guide to the identificationof nutrient deficiencies in rice.To make this 2nd edition aswidely accessible as possible, it isalso freely available to downloadfrom the Web in PDF (www.irri.org/publications/catalog/ricepg.asp).<strong>Rice</strong> Genetics V (edited by D.S. Brar, D.J.Mackill, <strong>and</strong> B. Hardy; published by WorldScientific Publishing; 350 pages; US$88).<strong>Rice</strong> is now the model plant forgenetic research on crop plants.Those who work on rice do so notonly to help grow <strong>and</strong> eat it, but alsoto advance the frontiers of genetics<strong>and</strong> molecular biology. Progressmade since the first International<strong>Rice</strong> Genetics Symposium (IRGS) in1985 has made rice the organism ofchoice for research on crop plants,<strong>and</strong> the rice genome has becomea reference for other cereals.This volume is a collection of thepapers presented at the 5th IRGSin Manila, Philippines, in 2005. Itreports the latest developments inthe field <strong>and</strong> includes research onbreeding, mapping of genes <strong>and</strong>quantitative traitloci, identification<strong>and</strong> cloning ofc<strong>and</strong>idate genesfor biotic <strong>and</strong>abiotic stresses,gene expression,<strong>and</strong> genomicdatabases <strong>and</strong>mutant inductionfor functionalgenomics.To purchase the completeelectronic publication or selectchapters, go to http://tinyurl.com/2lyvl6. A paperback edition,to be sold only within thePhilippines, will be available atIRRI for $27 from late July.18 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


The where <strong>and</strong> how of riceby Robert HijmansMaps<strong>Rice</strong> is grownin more than100 countries.According tothe Food <strong>and</strong>AgricultureOrganizationof the UnitedNations (FAO),the global ricearea harvestedin 2005 was153 millionhectares. The amount of l<strong>and</strong> used forrice is less, in the order of 127 millionhectares, because in some fieldsfarmers plant two, or even three,rice crops each year. One hectareof double-cropped l<strong>and</strong> thereforeprovides 2 hectares of rice area eachyear (areas referred to hereafterare harvested areas, as opposed toactual l<strong>and</strong> areas). On this l<strong>and</strong>,farmers produce 628,000,000,000kilograms of rough (unmilled) rice.This averagesout to about 95kilograms for eachperson on Earth.Almost halfthe global ricearea is in India<strong>and</strong> China <strong>and</strong> 89% is in Asia. Africa<strong>and</strong> the Americas each have a littlemore than 5%. The eight countrieswith the most rice area are all inSouth <strong>and</strong> Southeast Asia (India,China, Indonesia, Bangladesh,Thail<strong>and</strong>, Vietnam, Myanmar,<strong>and</strong> the Philippines) <strong>and</strong> they have80% of the global rice area.<strong>Rice</strong> production agroecosystemsare often classified according tothe dominant water regime. Forexample, rice fields are distinguishedfor being irrigated or rainfed, <strong>and</strong>for being flooded or not flooded.Irrigated rice, typically grown onKnowing where <strong>and</strong> howrice is grown is crucial forassessing threats to <strong>and</strong>opportunities for productionbunded fields that retain water toassure flooded conditions, makesup about 44% of the global ricearea. This is the dominant systemat high latitudes (both north <strong>and</strong>south), but also in southern India<strong>and</strong> on the Indonesian isl<strong>and</strong> ofJava. Flooded rice is the mostproductive rice ecosystem, producingabout 75% of the global output.Most of the rainfed rice fields arealso flooded for at least part of thegrowing season. This agroecosystem,commonly known as “rainfedlowl<strong>and</strong>s,” comprises about 45% ofthe global rice area <strong>and</strong> is particularlyimportant in eastern India <strong>and</strong>Southeast Asia. The remaining 11% ofthe world’s rice area is grown in the“upl<strong>and</strong>” ecosystem, which comprisesfields that are neither flooded norirrigated. In Asia, this system hasdeclined considerably in Thail<strong>and</strong><strong>and</strong> China, but is still important. Itis the dominant production systemin Africa <strong>and</strong> Brazil interms of area planted.The reality is alwaysmore complex, withfields that are sometimesflooded, or receive verylittle supplementaryirrigation. In parts of northernChina, for example, rice is grown as a“normal” (nonflooded) field crop, withsupplementary irrigation as needed,while some of the upl<strong>and</strong> rice inBrazil receives water from sprinklerirrigation. It remains a challengeto adequately characterize riceagroecosystems <strong>and</strong> obtain accuratestatistics about their distribution.The map on the next two page<strong>sr</strong>eflects the International <strong>Rice</strong>Research Institute’s (IRRI) currentbest estimates based on subnationallevelproduction statistics in riceproducingcountries. While IRRI hasAriel Javellana (2)a long history of compiling such datafor Asia, 1 the Institute now considersall rice-producing countries, incollaboration with the InternationalCenter for Tropical Agriculture,the Africa <strong>Rice</strong> Center, <strong>and</strong> theInternational Food Policy ResearchInstitute. The map for Africa is afirst approximation, <strong>and</strong> consistencybetween the classifications usedin Latin America <strong>and</strong> Asia needsimprovement. Meanwhile, thetechnology for this type of workis changing: a recent paper byXiangming Xiao <strong>and</strong> colleagues 2 hasshown how time series of satelliteimages from the MODIS sensor canbe used to map flooded rice areas.Knowing where <strong>and</strong> how rice isgrown is crucial for assessing threatsto <strong>and</strong> opportunities for production,<strong>and</strong> hence for determining researchneeds. For example, to estimate thepossible impact of a drought-tolerantrice variety on income <strong>and</strong> povertyalleviation, you need to know (alongwith many other things) how muchrice is produced in areas affected bydrought, what the current rice yieldsare, <strong>and</strong> how much yield increaseto expect from the new variety.Trends of detailed rice area <strong>and</strong>yield data can also help us betterunderst<strong>and</strong> ongoing patterns of<strong>change</strong>, <strong>and</strong> the implications for foodsecurity <strong>and</strong> research priorities.1. The work of the late Robert E. Huke, a professor of geography at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA,<strong>and</strong> a visiting scholar at IRRI, has been particularly important <strong>and</strong> is the foundation for IRRI's current work.2. Xiao X, et al. 2006. Remote Sensing of Environment 100:95-113.Dr. Hijmans is a geographer inIRRI’s Social Sciences Division.<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007 19


Map: Robert Hijmans / Design: Juan Lazaro, IV<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007, Vol. 6, No. 3Where <strong>and</strong> how rice is grown is crucial information for determining research priorities.


<strong>and</strong> influence traits) at the ChineseAcademy of Agricultural Sciences(CAAS) in Beijing. “One of the mostexciting aspects of my work at IRRI,”he says, “was guiding new workin areas like functional genomicsto ensure it made a difference inthe lives of poor rice farmers.”On his next trip overseas—thistime to Korea—Dr. Wang was toestablish yet another consistenttheme to his work at IRRI: thistime, his commitment to helpingIRRI’s partners in the nationalagricultural research <strong>and</strong> extensionsystems (NARES) of rice-producingnations. While in Korea, hesigned a new collaborative 2-year work plan that focused on 15individual research projects.“IRRI’s many partnerships<strong>and</strong> relationships with the NARESare vital not only to its researchbut also to its continuing ability toachieve impact <strong>and</strong> really make adifference in the lives of poor ricefarmers <strong>and</strong> consumers,” Dr. Wangsays. “My job was to identify thoseareas where IRRI could play a usefulrole, <strong>and</strong> those where it could not.”In addition to building ondecades of successful researchrelationships in Asia, Dr. Wang ledefforts to build new relationshipsin regions such as CentralAsia <strong>and</strong> Africa. However, hisbiggest challenges remained inSouth <strong>and</strong> Southeast Asia.“The rapid development ofmany NARES in Asia, especiallyin nations such as Korea, India,Thail<strong>and</strong>, <strong>and</strong> China, meant IRRIhad to <strong>change</strong> also, or be leftbehind,” Dr. Wang says. “Duringmy time at IRRI, several of thesenations have moved from beingsimple research partners to actualdonors, so the whole relationshiphas fundamentally <strong>change</strong>d.”Fortunately for IRRI, Dr. Wanghad the experience to deal withsuch major <strong>change</strong>s. For most ofhis career, he has been surroundedby <strong>change</strong> <strong>and</strong> opportunity. Bornin 1955 in Taiyuan, the capital ofShanxi, Dr. Wang saw little ricewhile growing up <strong>and</strong>, it appeared,was never destined to enter theworld of agricultural research.Shanxi is known as the coalcapital of China, containing aboutone-third of the nation’s coaldeposits. Because of its high altitude<strong>and</strong> dry <strong>climate</strong>, little rice is grownthere, with the main crops beingwheat, maize, millet, sorghum,<strong>and</strong> potatoes. Dr. Wang’s fatherwas a well-known <strong>and</strong> respectedvice governor of the province.At 18, Dr. Wang started his firstjob, as a farm worker at the LinfenDr. Wang with IRRIDirector GeneralRobert Zeigler <strong>and</strong>(above) at his farewellseminar in June 2007.Jose Raymond PanaliganAgricultural Research Institute inShanxi, where he worked for 3 years.Originally, he expected to go from thefarm into the construction industry,but was so taken by agriculturethat, fatefully, he went on to get hisfirst degree, in plant protection,in 1978 from the Departmentof Agronomy at the ShanxiAgricultural University in Taigu,60 kilometers south of Taiyuan.From there, he launched hiscareer in agricultural research bytaking a job in 1979 as an assistantlecturer in agricultural entomologyat the same university. He then wenton to his master’s degree in biologicalcontrol, which he completed in1982 from CAAS’s Institute ofBiological Control in Beijing.Launching his internationalcareer on a Rockefeller scholarship,Dr. Wang was one of the firstChinese students allowed to studyoverseas when he left to get hisPh.D. in entomology in 1985 fromthe Department of Entomology atthe Virginia Polytechnic Institute<strong>and</strong> State University in Blacksburg,Virginia, in the United States.Next, he returned to China towork at CAAS, eventually rising toassistant director of the Institute ofAriel Javellana (2)<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 200723


Biological Control in 1993, when heleft to become deputy director of theInternational Institute of BiologicalControl at CAB International inthe United Kingdom until 1995.He was then tempted backto China to become CAAS vicepresident, the post he was holdingwhen he was appointed head ofresearch at IRRI. Dr. Wang saysexperience has taught him that,as a manager of research, it ismore important have a broadunderst<strong>and</strong>ing of many differentscientific areas rather than be anexpert in only one. “If you have goodpeople, it’s important you let themtake the lead,” he says. “The difficulttime comes when you are presentedwith many good ideas, <strong>and</strong> you as themanager have the resources to chooseonly just a few <strong>and</strong> not everything.”Dr. Wang says that while at IRRIhe tried to focus on two broad areasfor scientific advancement. The firstwas in the general area of germplasmDr. Wang <strong>and</strong> his staff(from left) Donna Robles,Lucy Gamel, <strong>and</strong> VelindaHern<strong>and</strong>ez.improvement <strong>and</strong> the second wasnatural resource management. Atthe same time, he was intent oncontinuing the Institute’s efforts tostrengthen socioeconomic research<strong>and</strong> provide policy support todeveloping countries. “During mytime at IRRI,” he says, “we saw thedevelopment of new facilities suchas the gene array <strong>and</strong> molecularmarker applications lab—whichallows researchers to rapidlyanalyze a large number of genes todetermine their function—<strong>and</strong> thecreation of the new crop researchinformation lab—a bioinformaticsunit, which allows the powerfulcapture, analysis, storage,integration, <strong>and</strong> dissemination ofbiological information—as a jointventure between IRRI <strong>and</strong> theInternational Maize <strong>and</strong> WheatImprovement Center in Mexico.”In the area of natural resourcemanagement, Dr. Wang oversawthe establishment of IRRI’s firstever environmental council, whichprovides environmental policies<strong>and</strong> ideas for not only the Institute’<strong>sr</strong>esearch, but also its operations.In response to requests fromits NARES partners, IRRI alsostrengthened its focus on fragileupl<strong>and</strong> areas, recognizing thatthis was where many of Asia’spoorest rice farmers lived.Typifying his commitment to theInstitute’s goals in these areas, inJanuary 2001, Dr. Wang traveledto Nepal to sign a memor<strong>and</strong>umof underst<strong>and</strong>ing betweenIRRI <strong>and</strong> the NepalAgricultural ResearchCouncil that led tothe development ofa detailed researchprogram for riceproduction in themountain kingdom.Ariel Javellana (3)24 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


Later that same year, Dr. Wangled an IRRI team to China toestablish what has become the worldrice industry’s premiere event, theInternational <strong>Rice</strong> Congress. Heldevery 4 years, the first Congresswas held in 2002 in Beijing after agr<strong>and</strong> opening attended by the thenpresident of China, Jiang Zemin.Dr. Wang says one of the keysto any success he had in China orelsewhere in Asia was the strongsupport he received from the rest ofthe IRRI management team. “I wasvery fortunate to be hired by RonCantrell when he was IRRI’s directorgeneral. He taught me much that Iwas able to use later on,” he explains.“I firmly believe that oneof the secrets to success for anymanagement team, especially at aresearch institute, is to be able toargue about issues on a professionalbasis, while still maintainingstrong personal relationships.Sometimes, this can be difficultin an Asian context, so it was veryhelpful to work at an internationalorganization like IRRI, which isbased in Asia—I have a lot to thankmy management colleagues for.”Dr. Wang says he also triedto place special emphasis on hi<strong>sr</strong>elations with locally hired staff atIRRI. “I was very proud to be invitedto become an honorary memberof the IRRI Filipino ScientistsAssociation. It’s something thatI will always value,” he says.During Dr. Wang’s term as DDG-R, the Institute faced a decline insupport from some key donors thatrequired a reduction in staff. It wasa difficult time, especially for thoseworking on the research side of IRRI.Most of Dr. Wang’s memories,however, are positive. He wasalso at IRRI when one of the mostsignificant breakthroughs in thelong history of rice research wasannounced. The release of the firstdraft sequences of the rice genome,by the Beijing Genomics Institute<strong>and</strong> Syngenta simultaneously in2002, <strong>and</strong> the final sequencing ofthe rice genome by a Japanese-ledinternational consortium in 2004,made headlines around the world.Dr. Wang examines rice in oneof IRRI's demonstration fields.It also triggered a revolution intraditional rice research, the impactof which will be felt for years to come.“There’s been incredible progressin rice research, not just at IRRI, butall over the world,” Dr. Wang says.“That we can take all of this newknowledge <strong>and</strong> use it to improve thelives of the poor has made my time atIRRI a very rewarding experience <strong>and</strong>something that I will never forget.”Dr. Wang is leaving IRRI instrong research shape. Not only doesit have a new strategic plan for 2007-15 called Bringing hope, improvinglives, but the Institute has alreadybegun to implement a new mediumtermplan for its research to meet thegoals of the overall strategic plan.Although he is departing IRRI,Dr. Wang is not leaving agriculturalresearch. In fact, his next adventureextends his opportunity to influencenot only IRRI but also its 14 partnerinstitutes of the Consultative Groupon International AgriculturalResearch (CGIAR). As the CGIAR’snew director, Dr. Wang functionsas the chief executive officer ofthe CGIAR system <strong>and</strong> heads theWashington, D.C.-based CGIARSecretariat. He also becomesa member of the World Bank’ssenior management under itsVice Presidency for Agriculture<strong>and</strong> Sustainable Development.Dr. Wang says that he is excitedby the challenge posed by his newrole, <strong>and</strong> that his time at IRRI willnever be forgotten. “I have a lot tolearn in my new job <strong>and</strong> need all ofIRRI’s support <strong>and</strong> counsel,” he says.“Let a hundred flowers bloom,let a hundred schools of thoughtcontend.” This is perhaps one of thebest-known phrases to come out ofmodern China, but it also sums upnicely the success <strong>and</strong> managementphilosophy of a young man who setout from Shanxi more than threedecades ago to help make the worlda better place—<strong>and</strong> that he has.<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 200725


Pushing thingsforwardAgricultural economist MahabubHossain retires from internationalwork to pursue his dream for hishome country of BangladeshAriel Javellana (2)by Meg MondoñedoTwo things st<strong>and</strong> out whenyou listen to MahabubHossain: his resolve instamping out global poverty<strong>and</strong> his love for his country.After 15 years of excellence—inresearch, livelihood analysis, impactassessment, rice sector analysis,poverty mapping, providing policysupport to governments <strong>and</strong>institutions, <strong>and</strong> training developingcountryscientists—International <strong>Rice</strong>Research Institute (IRRI) economistMahabub Hossain is ready to returnto Bangladesh with a mission.“I’m taking an early retirement,”says Dr. Hossain. “I could stay hereuntil 2010, when I’ll be 65, but I’mleaving because I feel that I owesomething to my country. Bangladeshhas serious problems, the livingenvironment there is very poor, <strong>and</strong>I’m leaving a good job <strong>and</strong> a good lifehere at IRRI. But I want to set up aprivate-sector development studiesinstitute—that is my aim, to set up aninstitute <strong>and</strong> see if I can leave a legacyin Bangladesh. I am going back to mycountry to share what I have learned.”Dr. Hossain’s next move is to jointhe Bangladesh Rural AdvancementCommittee (BRAC), the largestnongovernmental organization inDr. Hossain,wearing hisbeloved Filipinobarong, presents aseminar at IRRI.Bangladesh <strong>and</strong> one of the largestin the world, as its executivedirector. BRAC, whose mission isto reduce poverty <strong>and</strong> empower thedisadvantaged, focuses on incomegeneration for the poor throughmicrocredit <strong>and</strong> employment inagriculture, <strong>and</strong> on skill enhancementfor the poor through better healthcare <strong>and</strong> education. In this role,he will have the chance to focushis decades of experience on theproblems facing his home country.Dr. Hossain was born in 1945 ina remote village in undivided Bengalunder British India—an area thatnow belongs to the Indian state ofWest Bengal. He <strong>and</strong> his family livedthrough the partitioning of Bengalby the British in 1947. The easternarea of Bengal, home to a Muslimmajority, went to Pakistan, becomingEast Pakistan. In 1971, East Pakistanbecame Bangladesh after its civil warwith West Pakistan (now Pakistan).The Hossain family migrated to East26 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


Jose Raymond PanaliganPakistan in 1949 during a time ofethnic cleansing targeting Muslims.In 1958, Dr. Hossain returned toWest Bengal to live with his maternalgr<strong>and</strong>parents <strong>and</strong> take advantageof the better schooling available. In1966, he returned to East Pakistanafter completing his bachelor’sdegree at Calcutta University.As a child in West Bengal,India, Dr. Hossain did not dreamof becoming a social scientist. “Myaim in life was to become a doctor,”he says. “But the school in myvillage did not offer science courses.They only had humanities, arts,<strong>and</strong> agriculture, not science. Mygr<strong>and</strong>parents, who brought me up,did not allow me to go to anotherarea to get a science education, sothat was the end of my aim in life. Iwent to study humanities <strong>and</strong> thenI was attracted to history. It wasmy favorite subject. But somehow, Iended up majoring in economics.”As head of IRRI’s Social SciencesDivision, Dr. Hossain providedleadership <strong>and</strong> tactical input to thedevelopment of IRRI’s research <strong>and</strong>institutional plans. He led IRRI’<strong>sr</strong>esearch programs on rainfedenvironments, along with variou<strong>sr</strong>esearch projects, <strong>and</strong> networks suchas the Consortium for Unfavorable<strong>Rice</strong> Environments. He also providedstrong leadership in organizing socialsciences research to meet IRRI’spriority needs <strong>and</strong>, in the process,developed astrong <strong>and</strong>harmoniou<strong>sr</strong>esearch team.Dr. Hossainjoined IRRI in1992, after thethen DirectorGeneral KlausLampe told himabout the positionearlier. “Duringthe RockefellerFoundationmeeting onbiotechnologyin 1990,” herecalls, “Iwas invited by Dr. Lampe for abreakfast meeting. He told methere was a position vacant at IRRI,<strong>and</strong> that they had been lookingfor someone for about a year.”Following his interview, Dr.Lampe promptly offered him the job.But getting Dr. Hossain onboard turned out to be a difficulttask. In 1988, the Bangladeshigovernment appointed Dr. Hossaindirector general of the BangladeshInstitute of Development Studies(BIDS), the policy think tank ofBangladesh. He rose above manyof his seniors in the institution.“I told Dr. Lampe that theposition at BIDS was good for twoterms of 3 years each <strong>and</strong> I couldnot betray the trust that they gaveDr. Hossain with A.P.J.Kalam, president ofIndia, who visited IRRIin February 2006.Bangladeshi mediaoften shows interest inDr. Hossain's work in hishome country.BRRIme,” he recounts. “But I assured himthat, after a year, I could decide if Iwanted to continue after completingone term. Only then could I decideif I wanted to join IRRI. So thatwas my polite way of saying no.”Dr. Lampe took Dr. Hossain’swords to heart, <strong>and</strong>, 1 year later—toDr. Hossain’s awe—called again tosay that the position was still vacant.“Dr. Lampe knew that I wasapproaching the end of my first termas director general at BIDS, he knewI was going to decide whether I woulddo a second term,” says Dr. Hossain.“My thinking was that, obviously,the job at IRRI was good <strong>and</strong> noone should deny themselves a goodopportunity, particularly for bettereducation of their children. I askedDr. Lampe to write to my boss, SaifurRahman, the finance minister at thattime, who was also chairman of theboard of trustees of BIDS, in order tofacilitate my release from BIDS. Thatwas how my career at IRRI began.”Dr. Hossain later found out thatIRRI sought him so ardently becauseof his rich background <strong>and</strong> h<strong>and</strong>s-onexperience in assessing the impact ofagricultural technologies on incomedistribution <strong>and</strong> poverty. FromBangladesh, he had been a memberof the coordinating team of an IRRIproject investigating these issues inseven Asian countries. He also hada good grasp of policymaking <strong>and</strong>planning, a skill that would proveinvaluable in helping IRRI carryout its mission to reduce poverty<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 200727


DR. HOSSAIN, in his late 20s, in front of Cambridge University's ClareCollege, where he was a postgraduate student from 1972 to 1977. Thepassport photos on the right show his progression through the years.<strong>and</strong> hunger, improve the healthof rice farmers <strong>and</strong> consumers,<strong>and</strong> ensure that rice productionis environmentally sustainable.Dr. Hossain has no regrets aboutdeciding to join IRRI. In 1985-87,while working at the InternationalFood Policy Research Institute, heperformed a detailed study on theimpact of the Green Revolution—theintroduction in the 1960s <strong>and</strong> 1970sof modern, fertilizer-responsive, highyieldingrice varieties—in Bangladesh.“I knew how much IRRIwas contributing, so I thoughtthis was a very good institutionto work for,” says Dr. Hossain.“I knew that working at IRRIwould tremendously advance myknowledge of what was happening inagricultural development in Asia.”A contented look spreadsacross his face as he adds thathe enjoyed every minute of the15 years he spent at IRRI.However, he is still very muchtroubled by the global issues thatform daunting challenges forIRRI. As the population in Asia’slow-income countries continuesto increase, the goal of providingadditional food is becoming more <strong>and</strong>more difficult to meet. Compoundingthe problems caused by growingnumbers of people is the increasingDR. HOSSAIN is an economistunafraid to get his feet dirtyin the field.HOSSAIN PERSONAL COLLECTIONshortage of l<strong>and</strong>, water, <strong>and</strong> laborthat have been diverted fromagricultural to nonfarm activities.“The challenge is how to meetthe dem<strong>and</strong> for rice,” says Dr.Hossain. “Every input is scarce<strong>and</strong>, as long as the populationcontinues to increase at an alarmingrate, that challenge remains.”He adds that one of IRRI’s pivotalroles is to <strong>change</strong> the perceptionof donors from Europe <strong>and</strong> theUnited States that the Asian foodsecurityproblem is almost solved<strong>and</strong> the remaining challenges canbe h<strong>and</strong>led by the private sector.“I think we need to convince ourtraditional donors that our job isnot yet done,” he says. “As a socialscientist, one of my responsibilitieslies in preparing a story that willconvince donors that more supportis needed for IRRI to do its job.”Dr. Hossain’s researchachievements are many <strong>and</strong> varied.Furthermore, much of his work hasbeen with social scientists from thenational agricultural research <strong>and</strong>extension systems (NARES)—theinstitutions in the countries whereIRRI works—<strong>and</strong> so has helpedboost the research capacity <strong>and</strong>strength of agricultural social scienceprograms throughout Asia. He hasconducted policy dialogues in severalcountries, including Bangladesh,the Philippines, <strong>and</strong> Myanmar.By supervising the compilation<strong>and</strong> updating of IRRI’s freelyavailable <strong>Rice</strong> Statistics Database(www.irri.org/science/ricestat)—IRRI28 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


Dr. Hossain with hisstaff in IRRI's SocialSciences Division.Ariel Javellanawhich contains data on rice area,production, yield, import-exportfigures, consumption, prices,l<strong>and</strong> use, adoption of improvedvarieties, <strong>and</strong> costs <strong>and</strong> returnsin rice farming—Dr. Hossainhas ensured public access toimportant information that hashelped ensure that rice researchhas been targeted <strong>and</strong> effective.Dr. Hossain’s work, with NARESscientists, on household surveysto generate primary data on theoperation of the rural householdeconomy has greatly increasedresearchers’ <strong>and</strong> policymakers’underst<strong>and</strong>ing of rural livelihoodsystems. He performed numerousimpact assessments, which haveexp<strong>and</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> deepened the bodyof knowledge on such issues asyield losses from pests <strong>and</strong> climaticstresses, IRRI’s role in providing ricebreedingmaterials (such as seeds)to other countries, <strong>and</strong> the impactof rice research on the reductionof poverty. This last assessmentdemonstrated that indirect impact—in terms of, first, availability ofyear-round employment in ricefarming <strong>and</strong> agricultural growthinducedrural nonfarm activities,<strong>and</strong>, second, higher purchasingcapacity of staple food due to lowrice prices—has been substantial.For Dr. Hossain, IRRI is notjust a research institute but ahumanitarian organization as well.“If IRRI had not been here,” he says,“we would have seen severe foodinsecurity in many countries. IRRIhas done tremendous work to addressissues of food security. However,we should not be complacent; weare still engaged in a war againsttime. If IRRI had not existed, Iwould have seen many more peopledie of hunger in my own country,Bangladesh, which experiencedfamines in 1944 <strong>and</strong> 1974. IRRI isa household name in Bangladesh<strong>and</strong> many other countries in South<strong>and</strong> Southeast Asia have benefitedtremendously from IRRI’s support.”After 15 years at IRRI, Dr.Hossain will dearly miss manythings. First <strong>and</strong> foremost are hisstaff. “They are the best,” he says.“The national staff are the realcontributors to IRRI’s achievements,while the internationally recruitedstaff may be regarded as mediumtermvisitors. Our external reviewers<strong>and</strong> participants at internationalmeetings <strong>and</strong> workshops are alwaysvery impressed by the organization<strong>and</strong>, especially, the assistance <strong>and</strong>dedication of the secretaries <strong>and</strong>other support staff. I think thenationally recruited staff are thereal assets of the Institute. I willmiss my staff; they have become myfriends. We are like a family here.”Another thing that he will miss isthe traditional Filipino shirt knownas a barong. Initially, he wore abarong to blend in with the Filipinoculture but, over time, he grew tolove the comfortable shirt, whichis traditionally made from fiberderived from banana or pineappleplants. “The only thing that I missis the pocket,” he says with a smile.“It has no pocket for a pen!”As he prepares to depart IRRI,Dr. Hossain keeps his dreams forthe Institute close to his heart <strong>and</strong>mind. “I want to see this instituteprosper further,” he says. “I hopethat, within the next few years,IRRI will be running with thesubstantial resources requiredto implement its mission.”With countless achievements,awards, <strong>and</strong> immense contributionsto IRRI <strong>and</strong> Asia, Dr. Hossainleaves with gratitude <strong>and</strong> a singlepiece of advice for everyone:“Always push things forward.”<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 200729


Forginga ricepartnershipfor Africaby Savitri MohapatraIRRI Board memberRuth Oniang‘o admiresa Nerica plant.r.v. raman (3)“When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion!”—so goes a well-known Ethiopiansaying. This could be an apt description for the new partnership being forged amonginternational research centers to address sub-Saharan Africa’s enormous rice challenge.According to the latest figuresfrom the Food <strong>and</strong> AgricultureOrganization of the UnitedNations (FAO), paddy (unhulledrice) production in Africa hasgone up for the sixth consecutiveyear, reaching 21.6 million tons in2006, 6% above the 2005 total.FAO attributes the record harvestto favorable weather conditions <strong>and</strong>the positive effects of the adoptionof New <strong>Rice</strong> for Africa (NERICA)varieties developed by the Africa<strong>Rice</strong> Center (commonly knownas WARDA) <strong>and</strong> its partners.<strong>Rice</strong> is successfully <strong>and</strong>economically produced in a wideProf. oniang‘o (left) withWARDA board membersTsekede Abate (center) <strong>and</strong>Mary Uzo Mokwunye.range of agroecologies in Africa.Advances have been made inunderst<strong>and</strong>ing the dynamics ofrice production systems <strong>and</strong> indeveloping technologies designedfor African conditions.However, many challenge<strong>sr</strong>emain, <strong>and</strong> smallholder farmersin sub-Saharan Africa continueto face a blitz of problems, manyof which are compounded by newchallenges such as <strong>climate</strong> <strong>change</strong>.Dem<strong>and</strong> for rice is soaringacross much of sub-Saharan Africa<strong>and</strong> 40% of this dem<strong>and</strong> is beingmet by imports at a staggering costof about US$1.5 billion per year.WARDAeconomistscaution thatAfrica wouldbe ill-advisedto rely heavilyon rice importsfor its growingdem<strong>and</strong>,because only4% of world riceproduction issubject to trade,with most ricebeing consumedin the country where it wasgrown. Moreover, global ricestocks are declining <strong>and</strong> somerecent predictions have rice pricesdoubling in the near future.To effectively address some ofthese daunting challenges, WARDA isjoining forces with the International<strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute (IRRI) <strong>and</strong>the International Center for TropicalAgriculture (CIAT by its Spanishacronym) as part of a new allianceaimed at creating a strong synergyfor rice research in Africa. The threeresearch centers are supported by theConsultative Group on InternationalAgricultural Research (CGIAR).“This research alignment seemsvery relevant to us because we workon the same commodity <strong>and</strong> thereare certain areas of collaborationthat have not been fully tappedbefore,” said WARDA DirectorGeneral Papa Abdoulaye Seck.Dr. Seck explained that someof the agroecologies in Asia, LatinAmerica, <strong>and</strong> sub-Saharan Africaare alike <strong>and</strong> rice farmers indeveloping countries face manysimilar challenges. “Therefore,a research alignment where thecomparative advantages of thesecenters are combined can have alarge-scale impact in Africa,” he said.Taking this into account, fivethematic areas have been identifiedfor joint research to boost the30 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


simon senoudevelopment of the African ricesector: genomics, seed systems,policy <strong>and</strong> markets, postharvesttechnology, <strong>and</strong> the commodity chain.One of the priorities of thisalliance is to strongly support theInternational Network for the GeneticEvaluation of <strong>Rice</strong> (INGER)-Africa,which is coordinated by WARDA.Based on IRRI’s model <strong>and</strong>adapted to African conditions,INGER-Africa has been sosuccessful that an impact studyby WARDA economists showedthat, thanks to its catalytic effect,rice varietal improvement in sevenWest African countries generateda producer surplus gain of aboutUS$360 million in 1998.WARDA recently recruited anew coordinator for this network,which serves as a vital link betweennational programs in Africa <strong>and</strong>international centers, promotinggenetic diversity through theex<strong>change</strong> <strong>and</strong> evaluation <strong>and</strong> useof improved breeding materialsoriginating from worldwide sources.Capacity building in allthe rice-related research <strong>and</strong>development activities is anotherthrust of this collaboration, whichwill be carried out with supportfrom partners such as FAO <strong>and</strong>the Rockefeller Foundation.These selected priority themesas well as the proposed strategyof the new rice partnership forAfrica were unveiled at the CGIARAnnual General Meeting in 2006through a joint presentation bythe directors general <strong>and</strong> researchdirectors of WARDA <strong>and</strong> IRRI.Several donors, including theRockefeller Foundation, Japan,Canada, <strong>and</strong> France, as well asinternational nongovernmentalorganizations such as SasakawaGlobal 2000, endorsed the initiativeof intercenter collaboration forbigger impact in Africa. Participantsfrom Africa also expressedeagerness <strong>and</strong> enthusiasm.As an indication of their genuineinterest in this partnership, forthe first time <strong>and</strong> at WARDA’sinvitation, IRRI representatives—Board Chair Keijiro Otsuka <strong>and</strong>two board members, Ronald L.Phillips <strong>and</strong> Ruth K. Oniang’o—tookpart as observers at WARDA’sboard meeting in March 2007.“This testifies to IRRI’s firmcommitment to work closely withWARDA,” remarked Dr. Otsuka,who, as a strong advocate forIRRI-WARDA partnership, is alsoenthusiastic aboutWarda scientist Aliou Diagne (right)with IRRI board members Ron Phillips(left) <strong>and</strong> Keijiro Otsuka.Warda director generalPapa Seck (left) <strong>and</strong> IRRIDirector General Robert Zeiglerat the 2006 annual generalmeeting of the CGIAR.the potential ofNERICA, aftercarrying outimpact studieson the NERICAvarieties adoptedin Ug<strong>and</strong>a.WARDA BoardChair GastonGrenier warmlywelcomed theIRRI delegationat the boardmeeting. “I agreefully with Dr.Seck that it wouldbe impossible for any singleorganization to implement aneffective research for developmentagenda in Africa,” he said.Building on this momentum,senior scientists from the centershave already started attendingeach other’s research planningmeetings <strong>and</strong> WARDA <strong>and</strong> IRRIscientists are contributing to jointscientific publications. IRRI senta big delegation to WARDA’s FirstAfrica <strong>Rice</strong> Congress in 2006 <strong>and</strong>has proposed to jointly organizewith WARDA <strong>and</strong> other partnersthe next Africa <strong>Rice</strong> Congress,planned for 2009 in Dakar, Senegal.Already, three joint proposalsthat were submitted to donors—theCanadian International DevelopmentAgency (CIDA), the Gatsby CharitableFoundation, <strong>and</strong> the InternationalFund for Agricultural Development—have been approved. The proposalsinclude the organization of aplanning workshop, rice germplasmcollection in eastern Africa, <strong>and</strong>improvement of rice productionin East <strong>and</strong> southern Africa.With support from CIDA, theplanning workshop is scheduledfor June 2007 to advance this jointinitiative. Research directors of thethree centers are expected to attend.Congratulating WARDA onthe new developments, Ren Wang,IRRI’s deputy director generalfor research, who is set to becomeCGIAR director in July 2007, said,“WARDA is on its way toward acenter of excellence under Dr. PapaSeck’s dynamic leadership <strong>and</strong> weat IRRI are excited about it.”<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 200731


The past 20 years have seen an evolution inresearchers’ underst<strong>and</strong>ing of how to bestapply nitrogen fertilizer to rice. Thatknowledge is now being passed on to farmers.FertileprogressAriel Javellana (2)by Rol<strong>and</strong> J. BureshNitrogen (N) is withoutdoubt the nutrientthat most limits riceproduction. It is typicallyrequired in greater quantities thanany other nutrient if rice farmersare to reap high yields <strong>and</strong> profits.Inappropriate N management alsohas detrimental effects on crop yield<strong>and</strong> the environment <strong>and</strong> aggravatesdisease <strong>and</strong> pest incidence.Large portions of the fertilizerN applied to flooded rice fieldsare rapidly lost as gases to theatmosphere. As a general principle,about one-third of the fertilizer Napplied by conventional farmers’practices to irrigated rice grownin paddies (lowl<strong>and</strong> rice) in Asiais lost within two weeks to theatmosphere as gases. About onethirdof the fertilizer N remains inthe soil at crop harvest, <strong>and</strong> onlyabout one-third of the fertilizerN is taken up by the rice crop.Beginning in the 1970s <strong>and</strong>continuing through the 1980s,research on N management forlowl<strong>and</strong> rice largely focused onincreasing N fertilizer use efficiencythrough “reducing N loss.” Theaim was to increase the portionof fertilizer N taken up by the ricecrop. A key parameter of successwas the “recovery efficiency” orpercentage of applied fertilizer Ntaken up by the mature rice plant.The recommendations forfarmers arising from research in the1980s <strong>and</strong> 1990s involved splittingthe application of fertilizer N twoor three times during the growingseason. Rates of fertilizer N werepreset <strong>and</strong> uniform across vast ricegrowingareas for a given growingseason. The recommended firsttiming of fertilizer N application wastypically before crop establishment(basal), involving use of one-thirdto two-thirds of the total fertilizerN to be used throughout theseason. Thorough incorporationof fertilizer N into soil before riceestablishment—preferably withoutst<strong>and</strong>ing floodwater—was promotedas a way to reduce N loss.Through the 1990s <strong>and</strong> onward,emphasis was placed on matchingthe application of fertilizer N to thereal-time, field-specific needs of arice crop. During the past 20 years,the focal message for increasing Nfertilizer use efficiency has evolvedfrom “reducing N loss” to “feedingcrop needs.” This evolution recognizesthe importance of managing N toaccommodate the diversity in field-,season-, <strong>and</strong> variety-specific needs ofrice for supplemental N. Varying theapplication of fertilizer N to “feed”the specific needs of a crop enhancesopportunities for increasing yieldper unit of applied fertilizer N whilealso reducing N loss <strong>and</strong> increasingrecovery of fertilizer N by the crop.During the past 20 years,the key parameter of success hasevolved from increased “recoveryefficiency” of fertilizer N to increased“agronomic efficiency,” which is theincrease in grain yield per unit offertilizer N applied. This emphasis onthe output per unit of input withoutcompromising on the need for highyield acknowledges the importanceof ensuring increased profit forfarmers. Over the same period,guidelines have evolved from preset<strong>and</strong> uniform fertilizer rates acrossvast areas to an increased awarenessof the importance of adjusting32 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


ates <strong>and</strong> timings to site-specific<strong>and</strong> growth stage-specific needs.Guidelines are now available wherebyfertilizer N rates for field-, season-,<strong>and</strong> variety-specific conditions canbe determined from the estimatedcrop response to fertilizer N <strong>and</strong> atargeted agronomic efficiency forfertilizer N (see The evolution ofnitrogen management, right).The split application of fertilizerN remains an essential componentof recommendations. Monitoring offarmers’ fertilizer practices in Asiain the past decade revealed thatfarmers often apply a substantialportion of their fertilizer N eitherbefore or within two weeks after cropestablishment. Their early applicationof fertilizer N consequently oftenexceeds the dem<strong>and</strong> of young ricefor N. This can lead to vegetativegrowth in excess of the optimum,which can increase the susceptibilityof the crop to lodging (fallingover), pests, <strong>and</strong> diseases.Recent advances in Nmanagement for rice include as akey component the adjustment ofthe early N application to matchthe relatively low dem<strong>and</strong> of youngrice for supplemental N. Guidelinesare now available to ensureappropriate use of only moderateearly N to match crop needs.The evolution of nitrogen management1987 2007Focal message “Reducing N loss” “Feeding crop needs”Key parameter of fertilizer Recovery efficiency Agronomic efficiency combinedN efficiencywith high yieldTotal N rate Fixed by season Determined by crop response to N<strong>and</strong> agronomic efficiencyKey component(s) of Basal (prior to crop Moderate early N; variable NN management establishment) rates <strong>and</strong> distribution withinincorporationthe seasonA leaf color chart offers asimple, quick way for farmersto assess the nitrogen needsof their crop.Another key component of recentadvances in N management involvesvarying rates <strong>and</strong> distribution offertilizer N within the growingseason to match crop dem<strong>and</strong> forsupplemental N. In this respect, theleaf N status of rice, which is closelyrelated to photosynthetic rate <strong>and</strong>biomass production, serves as asensitive indicator of the crop dem<strong>and</strong>for N during the growing season.The leaf color chart (LCC) is aninexpensive <strong>and</strong> easy-to-use tool forestimating leaf N content. The LCCis usually a plastic, ruler-shapedstrip containing four or more panelsthat range in color from yellowishgreen to dark green. Several typesof LCCs with varying shades ofcolor <strong>and</strong> varying guidelines for Napplication have been developed<strong>and</strong> distributed to rice farmers.Guidelines initially establishedwith LCCs were based on realtimeN management in whichfarmers monitor leaf color at 7- to10-day intervals about four to sixtimes during the growing season.Farmers then apply fertilizer Nwhenever the leaves are moreyellowish green than a thresholdLCC value, which correspondsto a critical leaf N content.<strong>Rice</strong> farmers, when presentedwith options for using the LCC, oftenprefer less monitoring of leaf color. Analternative fixed-time option widelydisseminated since 2004 enablesfarmers to monitor leaf color onlytwice: once at active tillering (whenshoots emerge from the main stemof the rice plant) <strong>and</strong> once at panicleinitiation (when the grain bunches ofthe rice plant first form). These arethe two growth stages critical for asufficient supply of N. Farmers thenadjust their applications of fertilizerN upward or downward based on leafcolor, which reflects the relative needof the crop for N at these stages.The International <strong>Rice</strong> ResearchInstitute, through collaboration withpartners across Asia, has developed<strong>and</strong> calibrated a st<strong>and</strong>ardizedLCC (see photo, left) that enablesfarmers to select between equallyeffective real-time <strong>and</strong> fixed-timeN management options for varyingwithin-season N rates. This LCChas been widely distributed <strong>and</strong>taken up across Asia since 2004. Itis to date the only LCC calibratedacross large rice-producing areasfor both N management options,enabling farmers to opt for lesslaborious fixed-time N management.Dr. Buresh is a senior soil scientist at theInternational <strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute.For more information on N management,see www.irri.org/irrc/ssnm.<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 200733


Preparing for the rat raceby Jason OverdorfA rare species offlowering bamboo put<strong>sr</strong>odents in a feeding <strong>and</strong>breeding frenzy thatthreatens famine in theIndian state of Mizoramaileen del rosario (2)At nightfall in the remotestate of Mizoram innortheast India, villagerslisten with apprehensionto the rustling of thous<strong>and</strong>s ofrats foraging <strong>and</strong> breeding in thejungle. For now, the rodents aregorging themselves on floweringbamboo. But when the bamboodies <strong>and</strong> the rice harvesting seasonbegins, a scurrying plague willdescend on their paddy fields.An unusual species of bambooblankets Mizoram, a remote statewith an ethnically distinct tribalpopulation. Melocanna bacciferaflowers only once every 50 years or so,generating millions of high-proteinseeds that turn the local rats intoincredibly prolific breeders. But, whenthe seasonal rains arrive <strong>and</strong> causethe seeds to germinate, the rodentssuddenly lose this source of food.Now present in huge numbers, therats invade the rice paddies in theirquest for food, destroying the cropsthe villagers depend on for survival.In a single night, the legionof rodents can clip the ears fromevery rice stalk in a field, saysJames Lalsiamliana, the MizoramAgriculture Department official whoheads the state’s rodent control cell.During last year’s harvest—whenthe bamboo flowering began inthe eastern part of the state—morethan 40 villages lost their entirecrop. And this year, the floweringhas peaked across all of Mizoram.“They depend on this paddy forsubsistence,” Mr. Lalsiamliana said.“The state will now have to arrangefinancial support for these areas.”Local villagers call the once-in-50-years phenomenon mautam, or“bamboo death.” And the last timeit hit, in 1959, it was indeed deadly.The state government dismissedlocal forecasts as superstitiou<strong>sr</strong>aving, <strong>and</strong> was unprepared toUnfortunatelyfor people, ratslike rice too.fight off the rodents or provideadequate relief for the massivefood shortages that followed. Thi<strong>sr</strong>ejection by the government led tothe formation of the Mizo NationalFamine Front (MNFF) to organize<strong>and</strong> coordinate relief measures.The consequent sense ofalienation <strong>and</strong> marginalizationamong the Mizo people led to ideasof separatism <strong>and</strong> secessionism.The MNFF was transformed intoa political party called the MizoNational Front <strong>and</strong>, on 1 March 1966,the Front declared the Mizo people’sindependence from India. Thusbegan a violent chapter of insurgency,which continued for 20 years, endingin 1986 through the signing of anaccord with the government of India.The famine was estimated to havecaused more than 10,000 deaths,<strong>and</strong> the conflict itself took morethan 3,000 lives. Now, one of themovement’s leaders, Pu Zoramthanga,is Mizoram’s chief minister.This time around, thegovernment has released morethan US$125 million to fight theproblem. And, as many as 5 yearsback, Mizoram began tapping experts34 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


to develop a coordinated plan tolimit the effects of the flowering<strong>and</strong> control the rodent population.The Ministry of Environment <strong>and</strong>Forests drew on experts from theInternational Bamboo <strong>and</strong> RattanNetwork (INBAR) <strong>and</strong> the UnitedNations Industrial DevelopmentOrganization (UNIDO) to helpfind new ways to use the bamboo<strong>and</strong> thus encourage local villagersto harvest it before it flowers. Theministry also called in Canada’sJohn Bourne, a 30-year veteranof Alberta’s rat patrol who helpedmake the Canadian province ratfree, to study the local rodents <strong>and</strong>develop a plan for killing rats. Lastseason, the program Mr. Bournehelped develop allowed villagersto kill hundreds of thous<strong>and</strong>s ofrodents using homemade traps<strong>and</strong> poison supplied by the state.Mr. Lalsiamliana says thestate paid villagers 100 rupees($2.40) for every 50 traps theyset <strong>and</strong> distributed more than15,000 kilograms of rodenticide.T.P. Subramony, head of INBAR’sDelhi office, says India now has acomprehensive plan that coversextraction <strong>and</strong> management of theThis view across mountains in southern Mizoramshows the extent of the flowering bamboo (lightbrown foliage) that provides rats with enough foodfor their numbers to climb to plague proportions.bamboo, howto regeneratethe forest cover,controllingthe rodentpopulation,<strong>and</strong> dealingwith healthhazards thatmay arise withthe proliferationof the vermin.But, he says thekey to a solutionlies in realizingthe value of the bamboo itself.Although locals cut down <strong>and</strong>burn bamboo to collect ash thatthey use as fertilizer, experts fromthe state’s Bamboo DevelopmentAgency estimate that less than 1%of the 850,000 hectares of bamboogets harvested, which is why apanel of researchers from UNIDO<strong>and</strong> India’s Rain Forest ResearchInstitute has recommended thepromotion of cottage industries suchas the manufacture of toothpicks<strong>and</strong> bamboo mats <strong>and</strong> a temporaryban on harvesting bamboo inother parts of the country forthe paper industry, along with aEvery 50 years or so,the bamboo speciesMelocanna bacciferaflowers, providing a richsource of food for ratsin the Indian state ofMizoram. The results canbe devastating.host of other economic stimuli.“One issue is the dyingbamboo,” Mr. Subramony said.“Then there is the question of howto utilize it. There is a threat, butthere is an opportunity also.”Nevertheless, this floweringseason, averting a food shortagedepends on killing rats. And thatmay not be enough. Because farmersfear that the rats will destroytheir crops, many have simply notplanted in 2007. Consequently, theMizoram Agriculture Departmenthas predicted a rice shortfallof around 75% in 2007-08.A local government reward of 1rupee (2.4 cents) per rat has alreadyled to more than 400,000 rats killedby early May 2007. Despite theeffort, some districts in Mizoramexperienced major destruction ofcrops in the 2006-07 winter.“There will likely be a foodshortage, <strong>and</strong> that may lead tofamine,” said S.N. Kalita, formerlythe principal secretary of forests<strong>and</strong> head of the Environment <strong>and</strong>Forest Department of Mizoram. “Butthe situation cannot be comparedwith 1959. Now our communicationby road <strong>and</strong> air transport areimproved, so transporting in foodwill not be a problem. Already, somereserve stock has been created.All I can say is that the stategovernment <strong>and</strong> the governmentof India is fully prepared.”Shahnaz Kimi (2) / www.flickr.com/photos/73231755@N00Jason Overdorf is a freelance journalistbased in New Delhi. This is an edited versionof an article that appeared in the TorontoGlobe <strong>and</strong> Mail on 30 March 2007.<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 200735


RICE FACTSThe rice-field rat, Rattus argentiventer,is the main rodent pest in rice fields inIndonesia, Malaysia, <strong>and</strong> Vietnam.Of rice<strong>and</strong> ratsStory <strong>and</strong> photos by Grant SingletonRats <strong>and</strong> mice do untold damage to rice crops <strong>and</strong> stocks across theglobe. Here, <strong>Rice</strong> Today presents the facts on the rodent scourge.has sent the ratsto our homesteads“Natureby thous<strong>and</strong>s, <strong>and</strong>farmers are being eaten off theface of the earth by them.”This quote from H.C. Bartley(1911) appeared in his book Studies inthe art of rat catching. After a careerspent catching rats <strong>and</strong> rabbits inEngl<strong>and</strong> for a living, he wrote thisbook as a reference for teaching hisprofession at schools. He dedicatedhis book to the headmasters ofEton, Harrow, Westminster, <strong>and</strong>Rugby. Alas, given the dearth ofspecialists in rodent managementin Europe, it appears that the bookdid not become prescribed reading.The human fascination withrats is highlighted by the recent republicationof this book <strong>and</strong> a newbest seller published in 2005 simplycalled Rats. The latter is the storyof Robert Sullivan, a journalist whospent a year observing the secretlives of rats in Harlem in New YorkCity. He punctuated his observationswith historical accounts such ashow rats catalyzed major <strong>change</strong>sin the living conditions of Harlemtenants after many other efforts,including tenant strikes, failed.Rats <strong>and</strong> mice, animals thathave played a central role in humanlife for thous<strong>and</strong>s of years, arearguably the most important familyof mammals. There are over 2,270species of rodents (defined as animalsthat have continually growingincisor teeth <strong>and</strong> no canine teeth)<strong>and</strong> 42% of all mammal species areclassified as rodents. They are theultimate mammalian weed, livingin almost every habitat on Earth,<strong>and</strong> adapting well to environmentssignificantly altered by humans.Rodents have two major impacts.The first is the substantial pre- <strong>and</strong>postharvest losses they cause toagriculture. The second is as carriersof debilitating human diseases.Rodents have an enormouseconomic impact on stored grainin developing countries. Rats needto eat 10–15% of their body weighteach day <strong>and</strong> they contaminatemuch more rice than that with theirdroppings. In one year, 25 adult ratswould eat <strong>and</strong> damage about halfa ton of grain <strong>and</strong> produce about375,000 droppings! Good data onpostharvest losses caused by rodentsare sparse; however, reports of upto 20% postharvest losses of riceare not unusual. In 1991, a studyin the central Punjab in Pakistanfound that for every person living ina village there were 1.1 house rats.Extrapolating to the national level,it was estimated that 0.33 billionmetric tons of cereal (rice, maize,<strong>and</strong> wheat) were consumed annuallyby house rats in Pakistani villages.This is a conservative figure becauserodents damage more food than theyconsume <strong>and</strong> cause major damageto the structure of grain stores,which in turn leads to increasedweather <strong>and</strong> insect damage.Taking food from our tableAcross Asia, preharvest losses ofrice range from 5% in Malaysia to17% in Indonesia. To put this intoperspective, a loss of 6% in Asiaamounts to enough rice to feed225 million people—roughly thepopulation of Indonesia—for 12months. Rat damage is often patchy<strong>and</strong> family rice plots small, so itis not uncommon for farmers orvillagers to lose half of their entirerice crop to rats. Some farmersTrap barrier systems, like this onein Banaue, Philippines, help farmerscontrol rodents.36 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007


A woman sellsbarbecued rat meatat a market in Pyay,Myanmar.state that “for every eight rows ofrice they sow for their families,they sow two rows for the rats.”In Southeast Asia, the ricefieldrat (Rattus argentiventer) is thenumber-one preharvest pest inIndonesia <strong>and</strong> is one of the top threepests in Vietnam. In Laos, a memberof the Rattus rattus complex ofspecies causes episodic problems, <strong>and</strong>Lao upl<strong>and</strong> farmers consider rats asthe problem they have least controlover. In the upl<strong>and</strong>s of Laos, Vietnam,<strong>and</strong> parts of India, rat populationsoccasionally erupt <strong>and</strong> cause massiveproblems. Mizoram, in northeasternIndia, is currently experiencing suchan outbreak (see Preparing for therat race on pages 34-35). A previousmassive plague in the 1950s led tofamine conditions <strong>and</strong> triggered a<strong>change</strong> of government. The lowl<strong>and</strong>sof India <strong>and</strong> Bangladesh have anumber of rodent pest species, withthe lesser b<strong>and</strong>icoot rat, B<strong>and</strong>icotabengalensis, being a major pest.In many areas, farmers actuallyabstain from planting a secondor third rice crop because of theexpectation of severe rodent damage.This “forgone” loss in productivityis rarely taken into account.Searching for the ideal rat trapThrough underst<strong>and</strong>ing thepopulation ecology of specificrodent species, effective rat-controlWildlife biologist Rachel Labadoris surrounded by rat-damaged fields(see the bare, brownish patch) inBanaue, Philippines.methods that are simple to apply <strong>and</strong>environmentally friendly have proveneffective in lowl<strong>and</strong> irrigated ricecrops (see A simple solution, right).Each rodent pest species has differentbehavioral characteristics, breedingdynamics, <strong>and</strong> habitat preferences.Some species are seasonal breeders,some breed throughout the year, <strong>and</strong>others breed at very specific times.The ricefield rat, for example, breedsonly when rice is in the reproductivephase—if there is one rice cropper year, they have one breedingseason, if there are two, they willhave two, <strong>and</strong>, if three crops, theywill have three breeding seasons.Female rats are pregnant for21 days <strong>and</strong> mate the day after theygive birth. One female can give birthto three litters (12 young per litter)during a rice crop, resulting in atotal of 36 rats. These young willnot breed until the next crop unlessneighboring farmers plant their cropsmore than 2 weeks apart. This willextend the breeding season, allowingthe rats (six females) from the firstlitter to also breed (rats breed at 7weeks of age). Therefore, the oneadult female could potentially giverise to 120 rats in a single season.Attempting to rid their crops ofrats, rice farmers have developeda range of ingenious devices <strong>and</strong>strategies. Rat traps of all shapes<strong>and</strong> sizes have been used but mostlywith little success in reducingdamage to rice. This is mainlybecause they have been appliedby individual farmers after ratnumbers are already too high.The good, the bad, <strong>and</strong>the not so uglyThe challenge for biologists hasanother important dimension: ona continental scale, usually lessthan 10% of rodent species causesubstantial impacts. Indeed, manyrodent species provide important“ecological services” (they assistcycling of nutrients, for example,<strong>and</strong> generally play an importantrole in nature’s food web). Giventhat management programs rarelydistinguish between rodent species,often the nonpest rodents are atA simple solutionOnce the ecology of a major pest speciesis understood, scientists <strong>and</strong> extensionspecialists can work closely with farmers todevelop ecologically sound, cost-effectivemanagement strategies that dovetail intonormal farming practices, including traditionalrat-catching methods. Village-level studies inIndonesia <strong>and</strong> Vietnam have clearly shown thatrat populations can be successfully managed iffarmers work together as a community <strong>and</strong> if theyapply their control at the right time <strong>and</strong> in theright habitats. Such ecologically based actionshave also led to a 50% reduction in the use ofchemical rodenticides.One simple technology added to the armoryof rice farmers is a trap-<strong>and</strong>-fence system knownas the trap barrier system (see Building a betterrat trap on pages 34-35 of <strong>Rice</strong> Today Vol. 4,No. 2). Used across much of Southeast Asia, itcomprises a plastic fence surrounding a smallrice crop planted 2–3 weeks earlier than thesurrounding crop, with traps set into the plastic.At night, rats follow the line of the plastic untilthey reach a hole, which they enter to reach therice. They are subsequently caught <strong>and</strong> removedthe next morning.The trap barrier system is most effectivewhen combined with the following communityactions:• keep irrigation banks less than 30 cm wide tomake it difficult for rats to build nests;• conduct community campaigns using localmethods to control rats within 30 days ofplanting the crop (before rats breed); thesecommunity actions should focus on villagegardens, main irrigation channels, <strong>and</strong>roadsides;• clean up any grain spills at harvest; <strong>and</strong>• synchronize planting so that crops are plantedwithin 2 weeks of each other.grave risk. The negative ecologicalconsequences of rodent controlcan therefore be better managedif the method is specificallytailored to the problem species.H.C. Bartley’s commentary thatthe art of rat catching should betaught in schools needs to be taken astep further in Asia. Rodents causetremendous economic hardshipto Asian smallholder farmers, yetsolutions for management can besimple <strong>and</strong> effective. More youngbiologists need to be encouraged toenter the fascinating secret world ofrats <strong>and</strong> work closely with farmers toassist them in their struggle againstthe hardships caused by rodents.Dr. Singleton, a rodent expert, isthe coordinator of the Irrigated<strong>Rice</strong> Research Consortium.<strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 200737


grain of truthThe aerobicrice realityby Bas BoumanAsk someone to think of a rice field <strong>and</strong> odds arethey’ll imagine a flooded paddy. Growing rice inpuddled fields works well as long as there’s enoughwater to do it. But, increasingly, that’s not alwaysthe case. As populations increase <strong>and</strong> the industrial <strong>and</strong>urban sectors compete with agriculture for water, “aerobicrice” offers a water-saving alternative to many of the millionsof rice farmers worldwide.Aerobic rice is a production system in which speciallydeveloped varieties are grown in well-drained, nonpuddled,<strong>and</strong> nonsaturated soils. With appropriate management, thesystem aims for yields of at least 4–6 tons per hectare.The usual establishment methodis dry direct seeding, as opposed totransplanting seedlings into a floodedfield. Aerobic rice can be rainfed orirrigated. Irrigation can be appliedthrough flash-flooding, in furrows (orraised beds), or by sprinklers. Unlikeflooded rice, irrigation—when applied—is not used to flood the soil but to justbring the soil water content in the rootzone up to field capacity (the maximumpossible before saturation occurs).Aerobic rice also allows farmers topractice conservation agriculture, suchas mulching <strong>and</strong> minimum tillage. Despite these advantages,farmers must overcome several problems that are affectingarobic rice. <strong>Rice</strong> fields that are not permanently floodedtend to experience more weed growth <strong>and</strong> more species ofweeds. Appropriate herbicide use, plus additional manualor mechanical weeding in the early phases of crop growth,is therefore needed to control weeds.Soil-borne pests <strong>and</strong> diseases such as nematodes, rootaphids, <strong>and</strong> fungi are known to occur more in aerobic ricethan in flooded rice, especially in the tropics. Currently,aerobic rice cannot be grown continuously on the same pieceof l<strong>and</strong> each year without a yield decline. Depending on thecropping history <strong>and</strong> soil type, low yields can even occur onfields cropped to aerobic rice the very first time.Achieving high yields under relatively favorable aerobicsoil conditions requires new varieties of aerobic rice thatcombine the drought-resistant characteristics of upl<strong>and</strong>varieties (grown on nonflooded sloping upl<strong>and</strong>s) with thehigh-yielding characteristics of lowl<strong>and</strong> varieties (grownin irrigated, flooded fields). Several breeding projects, suchas the ongoing program at the International <strong>Rice</strong> ResearchInstitute, are working toward this goal.Will aerobic ricereplace rice grown inflooded conditionson a large scale?First-generation tropical aerobic rice varieties weremostly derived from crosses between tropical parentsfrom the two major subspecies of rice, indica <strong>and</strong> japonica.Some aerobic rice breeding programs have also developedsuccessful varieties by crossing high-yielding lowl<strong>and</strong> ricevarieties with traditional upl<strong>and</strong> types. In northern China,several new elite aerobic varieties with yield potential of upto 6.5 tons per hectare were released in the late 1990s.Aerobic rice can be found, or can be a suitable technology,in the following areas:1. So-called “favorable upl<strong>and</strong>s”: areas where the l<strong>and</strong> is flat(or terraced), where rainfall with or without supplementalirrigation is sufficient to frequentlybring the soil water content close tofield capacity, where no serious soilchemicallimitations occur, <strong>and</strong> wherefarmers have access to external inputssuch as fertilizers. Examples includethe Cerrado region of Brazil <strong>and</strong> newlyformedterraces in the hills of Yunnan,China, where farmers are achievingaerobic rice yields of 3–4 tons perhectare.2. Fields on upper slopes or terracesin undulating, rainfed lowl<strong>and</strong>s. Quiteoften, soils in these areas are relativelycoarse-textured <strong>and</strong> well-drained, so that ponding of wateroccurs briefly or not at all during the growing season.There are no widespread examples of aerobic rice in rainfedlowl<strong>and</strong>s, but these upper fields have been proposed as atarget domain.3. Water-short irrigated lowl<strong>and</strong>s: areas where farmersdo not have access to water to keep rice fields flooded fora substantial period of time. A good example is the NorthChina Plain, where aerobic rice is grown on about 80,000hectares with supplemental irrigation.Besides these typical rice-growing environments,aerobic rice can also be found in traditionally nonricegrowingareas. Again in the North China Plain, farmersare experimenting with aerobic rice as a means of cropdiversification in areas where maize has traditionally beenthe dominant crop.Will aerobic rice replace rice grown in flooded conditionson a large scale? It may be too early to tell, but there is nodoubt that, as rice farmers are forced to compete for less <strong>and</strong>less available water, aerobic rice has a major role to play.Dr. Bouman is a senior water scientist at IRRI.38 <strong>Rice</strong> Today July-September 2007

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