Agronomy and Water harvestingInstitutionalRice Breeding

ir8english

 

Next 28 November marks 50 years since the release of the variety that allowed for a leap in rice production in Asia and set a milestone for what would be the beginning of the Green Revolution around the world: variety IR8.

 

In 1960 the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), led by Robert Chandler and whose first mission was to develop a variety of high-yielding rice, was formed in the Philippines. Based on previous research conducted by various organizations in the United States, China and other Asian countries, IRRI accepted the challenge and formed a team led by Peter Jennings, and six years later announced to the world the liberation of the semi-dwarf variety IR8.

 

The seed of the variety IR-8 was initially introduced in the Philippines and India by IRRI, being rapidly adopted by thousands of farmers around the world, including Latin America. His short stature, early maturity and high capacity performance were the defining characteristics of IR8 that allowed quadruple production of rice.

 

IR8 seed was initially introduced in the Philippines and India by IRRI, being rapidly adopted by thousands of farmers around the world, including Latin America. Its low stature, precocity and high capacity of performance were the determining characteristics of the variety IR8 that allowed to quadruple the rice production.

 

Colombia, gateway IR8 in Latin America

In 1966, the same year as the release of IR8 in the Philippines, Peter Jennings sent 100 kilos of seed to Jorge Ruiz Quiroga, then manager of the National Federation of Rice Growers of Colombia (FEDEARROZ), who was responsible for expanding the use of IR8 through farmers affiliated to the Federation. A year later, in Colombia, Peter Jennings was able to witness the impact on production of the shipment of that seed of IR8 and its subsequent expansion to other tropical countries of Central and South America, as well as temperate regions of the Southern Cone. The Green Revolution began in Latin America. At that time the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT, by its Spanish acronym) was born in Colombia, and an inter-institutional collaboration agreement was signed with the Colombian Agricultural and Livestock Institute (ICA, by its Spanish acronym) and FEDEARROZ, which allowed that by the end of the 80’s all areas of rainfed and irrigation sow varieties semi – dwarf developed from IR8, as Cica 4 Cica 8 Oryzica 1 Oryzica Llanos 4 Oryzica Llanos 5, Metica 1 and Oryzica Caribbean 8, among others.

 

Therefore, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the IR8 is a very timely moment for CIAT and its allies in the region now, since his release impacted the evolution of breeding programs, the development of rice varieties that have been released since then and the agronomic crop management as well.

 

To join parallel celebrations at IRRI , CIAT together with FLAR and FEDEARROZ, will hold a panel on November 28, 2016 which will include presentations and discussions on the importance and impact of IR8 in Colombia and Latin America. Additionally, this celebration will be the right time to discuss the future of rice research in Latin America and the opportunities offered by new biotechnological tools, as well as conventional technologies, to begin what could lead to the second ” Green Revolution “; one of genetic character accompanied by recent advances in agronomic crop management and that allows new generations of varieties to express their maximum genetic potential.

 

If you want to join this event on Monday, November 28, will be broadcast via streaming. Please follow these instructions:

 

To join the meeting from your computer or phone, click here: https://bluejeans.com/256828986?src=calendarLink

  1. Enter your name and click the button “Join as Guest ” .
  2. Install the application. Follow the instructions.
  3. Select “Computer Audio & Video “
  4. Click the blue button ” I ‘ m Ready “