VARIASI TANAMAN PERTANIAN

Rice at a price

The advent of biotechnology and World Trade Regulation rules will significantly change the way rice farmers in Asia gain access to new varieties. The new concepts of plant variety protection (PVP) and intellectual property rights (IP) are set to change the long cherished tradition that varieties are exchanged freely among farmers and countries. It was on the basis of this ready access and free exchange that the Green Revolution developed so rapidly. William Padolina, a deputy director general of IRRI, anticipates more restricted access and possibly greater cost with companies and countries applying patent and PVP rights. "Most countries are putting in place PVP and other patent laws that meet the minimum requirements of the WTO's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement", he has said. "These new laws, which aim to protect the genetic resources of each country, will definitely affect the way research is conducted and germplasm is exchanged. Eventually this will also affect how rice is grown, processed and sold".

Six similar tests were conducted at the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs.  Average yields across varieties and locations ranged from about 7,960 pounds/acre in the very early trials to 10,830 pounds/acre in the intermediate tests.  The combination of a dry, warm planting season and midseason temperatures cultural practices and disease levels. Some growers are realizing a yield increase with split applications, but the potential benefit of this practice, particularly within the

context of new straw management practices and new varieties, requires further study.

M-205 seeding rate

Observations from the 2001 season indicated that dense plant populations, especially under high nitrogen levels, might compromise yields of M-205.  A seeding rate by nitrogen level study was conducted to test this observation under controlled conditions.  Plots with seeding rates of 100, 150 and 200 pounds/acre were treated with N rates of 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 pounds/acre.  No consistent trends in yield response to seeding rates in relation to nitrogen rates were observed.

Moisture meter calibration

There are 27 Calrose medium grains from 2002 that were being grown for purification, seed increase and agronomic evaluation at the Hawaii Winter Nursery.  These entries have greater yield potential than respective checks and lodging resistance superior to M-202.

Sources of blast resistance from RES, the Southern U.S. and foreign sources, including high-yielding Chinese varieties, were crossed with California-adapted varieties.  Fifty-two of 380 of these crosses were blast related.  Thirty-four percent of 808 rows — representing 102 pedigrees — of Calrose medium grain in the Hawaii nursery were blast-related.  A special test of blast resistant entries was conducted at RES.  Breeding efforts have overcome the 30 percent yield drag, higher blanking levels and lower milling yields and have produced improved experimental lines with blast resistance.  Another yield test with 518 rows is planned for 2003.  Eleven of these entries have sufficient merit to be advanced in Hawaii for further testing in 2003.

Decrease Production Costs and Reduce Risks

Although production of whole milled grain is the ultimate objective, there are many obstacles that a farmer is faced with during the growing season that may affect production. The breeding program selects for improvement in many different traits in an effort to develop cultivars which can withstand a wide range of stresses due to pathogens, insects, weeds, and inclimate weather.

Seedling Vigor - Rapid emergence of seedlings through the soil is critical for establishment of a uniform plant population. Temperatures during the planting season can vary widely and thus, strong seedling vigor is particularly important if a cold snap occurs after planting. Rapid growth during the seedling stage will allow farmers to flood their fields early. Flooding of rice fields is not necessary for plant growth but it is used as a non-chemical means of controlling weeds. Rice is unique in that it can grow under aquatic conditions whereas many weeds cannot.

Plant Height and Lodging Resistance - Since the 1980's, most rice cultivars grown in Texas have possessed the semidwarf gene which reduces plant height and strengthens the stem holding the grain. Conventional height cultivars which do not possess the semidwarf gene tend to lodge (fall down) prior to harvest. This type of cultivar is particularly vulnerable to high winds which are common during the fall hurricane season on the Gulf Coast. In addition, farmers can boost yields by using higher fertility rates with semidwarfs without significantly increasing plant height. Deployment of semidwarfing genes in cereal crops around the world has dramatically increased yields while reducing losses due to lodging. This resulted in what has been called the "Green Revolution" in crops.