New Flood-Proof, Drought-Tolerant Rice

Researchers have achieved some success in developing rice varieties that can withstand extreme conditions.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) reports that “scuba rice,” which can survive more than 2 weeks under water, is now being grown in flood-prone areas in India and Bangladesh.

In Japan, researchers led by Motoyuki Ashikari, a professor at the Bioscience and Biotechnology Center at Nagoya University, are hoping to develop rice varieties that can hold out under water even longer, says Sci- Dev.Net, a nonprofit organization providing information on science and technology for the developing world. They discovered two “snorkel genes” in rice that enable the plant to elongate its stem and keep its leaves above water as the flood rises.

A drought-tolerant variety is also under development at IRRI. The institute is experimenting on high-yielding rice in drought-prone regions of Africa, India, and the Philippines, IRRI’s Rice Today reports. •