New drought-tolerant rice goes against the grain

Researchers have been testing a new type of drought-tolerant rice that could be the next big thing for India’s agriculture industry, especially its dry eastern region. And it goes against the grain, considering rice is usually quite a water guzzler.

Sahbhagi dhan, which translates from Hindi to mean rice developed through collaboration, is the source of a 15-year effort by scientists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) based in Los Banos, about an hour south of Manila, as well as partners that include the Central Rainfed Upland Rice Research Station in Hazaribag, Jharkhand.

The variety has been shown it can survive without rainfall for as long as 12 days.

According to the IRRI, two new sister lines of the rice have demonstrated improved productivity in drought-prone regions of India and the Philippines, and have been recommended for release so that farmers can cultivate them.

The lines also tested well under aerobic and alternate wetting and drying situations, and have proven to be as high-yielding as those that need sufficient water.

Given that water shortages are expected to affect 15 to 20 million hectares (37 to 49 million acres) of irrigated rice within 25 years, the IRRI said farmers could deal with the crisis through smart crop management and genetically modified crops, areas being researched by other countries as well (see India, UK start bio-crop research and Double-whammy hits genetically modified crops). 

Drought-resistant crops are also being sought after by companies including Basel, Switzerland-based Syngenta, which said last year it planned to build a biotech research and technology center in Beijing. The center’s focus was on early-stage evaluation of genetically modified and native traits for key crops such as corn and soy in the areas of yield improvement, drought resistance, disease control and biomass conversion for biofuels (see Syngenta to build research center in Beijing).