Rice Crop Manager now available as an Android application

RCM goes offline, recommendations now available without internet

Los Banos, Laguna - The Department of Agriculture (DA) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) launched the working version of the Rice Crop Manager (RCM) Philippines mobile Android application on March 18, 2020. The offline platform can generate and provide personalized recommendations to individual rice farmers on nutrient and crop management, even without an internet connection.

German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development visits APART, World Bank-funded IRRI project in Assam

Dr. Gerd Muller (Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation & Development, Govt. of Germany) holds a portion of a mat nursery as he is explained by Dr Sudhanshu Singh (Team Leader, APART project, IRRI Assam) about transplanting time and crop duration of BINA Dhan 11, a climate resilient rice variety.

27 February 2020, Assam - Dr. Gerd Muller, Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Germany, and a team of senior government officials with Consulate General for Kolkata Dr. Michael Feiner, Deputy Head of Mission Mr. Egon Kochanke, and Mrs.Gerti Muller-Hoorens, visited the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) site.

Dr. Darshan Brar, leading IRRI breeder, passes away at 76

Dr. Darshan Singh Brar, former head of IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology (PBGB) Division, passed away from a heart attack on the evening of 11 March at the age of 76.

For 25 years from 1987 to 2012, Dr. Brar worked with his fellow scientists at the institute to broaden the gene pool of cultivated rice. With his expertise in genetics, plant breeding, and molecular cytogenetics, Dr. Brar successfully transferred novel genes from wild species of Oryza to cultivated rice, an important plant breeding approach that has revolutionized rice farming around the world.

IRRI celebrates International Women’s Day in Odisha

08-March-2020 - In celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day, IRRI organized a one-day interactive meeting with forty women farmers at Khamanga Village in Khordha district of Odisha to discuss challenges and opportunities and to raise awareness on improved crop management practices.
 

IRRI celebrates the work of its women scientists

For International Women’s Day (08 March) and International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February), IRRI organized a week-long series of events to highlight the work of its women scientists and provide an opportunity for some of them to mentor young men and women.

New SEA rep pays courtesy call to Thai Rice Department Director General

24 February, Bangkok - Dr. Yurdi Yasmi, IRRI’s new Regional Representative for Southeast Asia, made a courtesy call to Mr. Sudsakorn Pattarakulnit, the Director General of Thailand Rice Department (TRD).

Participatory message design workshop to accelerate adoption of rice best management practices in Myanmar

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), through the Agricultural Development Support Project and CORIGAP project, organized a participatory message design workshop in Nay Pyi Taw on 25-27 February. Attended by 25 Department of Agriculture (DOA) staff, the workshop aimed to enhance their capacity in crafting user-friendly print and video materials to better communicate best management practices and technologies for rice production.