
Rice Researchers Will Aim Even Higher at New
Research CenterBy Ben Hardin October 22, 1998U.S. rice yields have nearly tripled
in the past half century, thanks to researchand to farmers skill in
applying it in regions well suited for rice. U.S. rice yields now average
nearly 6,000 pounds per acre, among the worlds highest. What would be a plausible encore by scientists during the next quarter
century? If their breeding strategy succeeds, yields might rise as much as 23
percent, while grain quality is kept high. The scientists, at the Agricultural
Research Service, are based at the agencys new
Dale Bumpers National
Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Ark. The center is scheduled to be
dedicated in ceremonies today. ARS is the chief scientific arm of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. The ARS researchers are working to develop rice breeding lines and improved
germplasm with the combined strengths of two rice subspecies, indica and
japonica. For thousands of years, tropical farmers have grown indica and selected
high-yielding strains resistant to insects and disease. Japonicas, known for
high grain quality, have traditionally been grown in other areas, where insect
and disease problems are less severe. These areas, in the U.S. and elsewhere,
are generally at more than 30 degrees north or south latitude. But in preliminary experiments at Stuttgart, indica strains have outyielded
japonicas by 23 percent and generally matured 11 days earlier. The long-term
challenge: Breed into indica rice the superior grain qualities of the
japonicaswithout sacrificing yield. Kernels of high-quality rice, rich in amylose starch, are less prone to
stick together after cooking. Stuttgart researchers recently acquired indica strains from the
International Rice Research Instituteat Los Banos in the Philippines. These strains have amylose content approaching
that of southern U.S. tropical japonicas. At the new center, better equipped
for basic and applied research, the scientists are pursuing ideas for enhancing
these indica strains so they will excel in both yield and quality. Scientific contact: J. Neil Rutger, ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice
Research Center, Stuttgart, Ark., phone (870) 672-9300, ext. 223, fax (870)
673-7581. * For more information about the new center, contact Ben Hardin, ARS
Information Staff, phone (309) 681-6597,
[email protected]. Story contacts Rice Research Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center U.S. Department of Agriculture | |