Israeli breeding firm partners with IRRI

Kaiima Bio-Agritech, an Israel-based seed and breeding technology company, and IRRI have announced their partnership to develop new rice varieties. 

The partnership combines IRRI and Kaiima’s expertise in breeding and technology for the development of high-yielding rice hybrids and breeding lines. Through it, the two parties aim to breed new rice varieties with significantly more biomass and higher grain yield while maintaining a high level of important quality parameters.

Cambodia: Postharvest project assesses outcomes

Seventy-eight partners of the ADB-IRRI Postharvest Project from Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines met in Battambang, Cambodia, on 19 June for the International Seminar on Reducing Rice Postharvest Losses, funded by the Asian Development Bank.

Partners, who come from the government, the private sector, IRRI, and nongovernment organizations (NGOs), reported on the milestones and outcomes from adaptive research, technology promotion, and participatory approaches of the project.

IRRI rep to Lao PDR is guest in researchers lunch

Ben Samson (third from right), IRRI representative to
Lao PDR, with some of IRRI's young scientists.

The Young Researchers Lunch for June hosted Ben Samson, agronomist and IRRI representative to Lao PDR.

Dr. Samson described the upland rice-growing environment and answered questions about challenges that farmers in Southeast Asia face.

IRRI celebrates Philippine Independence

With a simple flag-raising ceremony, IRRI commemorated the 115th  year of Philippine independence at its headquarters on 11 June 2013. Photos

Young scientists take on multifaceted climate change project

From fields as diverse as hydrology, zoology, and modeling, five Ph.D. students measured greenhouse gas emissions and gathered biological, hydrological, and soil-related data as part of the Impact on Carbon, Nitrogen, and Water Budgets (ICON) project.

The students were interested to see if a significant difference existed among those parameters within small fields, which could greatly improve modeling and upscaling of any technology.

PhilRice opens harvest challenge

In the tradition of IRRI's own Agronomy Challenge and Rice Survivor, PhilRice is holding Palayabangan, a rice farming contest in which competing teams attempt to produce an ideal rice yield within specific farming input limits.

Former IRRI scientist now heads agricultural biology of RDA

Kyu-Seong Lee has been named director general of the Department of Agricultural Biology under the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) of the Rural Development Administration (RDA) of South Korea.

Dr. Lee is formerly visiting research fellow at IRRI's Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division, seconded from RDA where he was senior rice breeder.

IRRI sponsors emergency training for UPLB personnel

Another Neighborhood Emergency Services Team (NEST) training course was conducted by IRRI, this time at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) on 27–31 May 2013.

The NEST training, the fourth in 2013, was conducted by facilitators from the emergency research team, led by Jonathan Palma and Ardith Yangzon, for 43 participants from the various units and offices of UPLB. The participants will henceforth comprise the University's risk and disaster response team.