A Perennial Upland Rice Plant?
A rice plant that would not have to be planted annually could help reduce erosion by providing a permanent ground cover. Perenniality exists in several wild rice species from Southeast Asia, but their yields are low. These species, however, can be crossed with cultivated rice.
The challenge facing scientists is to produce a high-yielding perennial plant adapted to the poor soils of the uplands, and one that is highly responsive to low amounts of purchased inputs, and that resists diseases and insect pests.
It's a challenge IRRI scientists are currently working on. New biotechnology tools will be used to transfer the perennial characters into cultivated rice, and new knowledge of genetic diversity will be applied to develop pest resistance.
See: Developing Perennial Upland Rice I: Field Performance of Oryza sativa/O. rufipogon F1, F4, and BC1F4 Progeny. Crop Sci. 43:120–128
Read more about this topic: Upland Rice
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