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BULLETIN 1
New Rice Lines Promise Bigger Harvests with Less Water and Labor
IRRI October 10, 2025
Indian farmers may soon benefit from new rice lines that deliver bigger harvests while requiring less water and labor.
Scientists from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have developed new rice lines suited for dry direct-seeded rice (DDSR), a method in which seeds are planted directly into dry soil rather than flooded paddy. This approach reduces water use and labor costs, which are major challenges for farmers.
The new lines combine 19 important traits, including anaerobic germination, higher yield, stronger seedlings, resistance to lodging, and protection against pests and diseases such as blast, brown planthopper, and gall midge. These improvements were developed into MTU 1010, one of India’s most widely grown rice varieties. The traits were also added into IR 91648-B-89-B, an elite breeding line that carries a major QTLs for rice grain yield under reproductive-stage drought stress in the background of Swarna, another mega variety popular among Indian farmers.
In field trials, the best performers produced up to 5.7 tons per hectare under DDSR and 5.6 tons under traditional flooded fields. This is about 15 to 16 percent higher than the yield of their parent varieties.
“This is one of the few successful efforts to combine a wide set of DDSR traits into elite rice backgrounds,” said Regional Breeding Lead-South Asia, Dr. Vikas K. Singh. “It shows that popular transplanted varieties can be redesigned for direct-seeded systems without losing yield or grain quality.”
Several of the new lines are already in India’s varietal release pipeline, with two under advanced evaluation trials.
The research was carried out with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) with support from India’s Department of Biotechnology, with the IRRI-ICAR work plan further supports the work. For further reading, access the paper Enhancing crop resilience through elite pre-breeding lines with key traits for dry direct-seeded rice published via Plant Genome.
See: https://www.irri.org/news-and-events/news/new-rice-lines-promise-bigger-harvests-less-water-and-labor
Scientists from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have developed new rice lines suited for dry direct-seeded rice (DDSR), a method in which seeds are planted directly into dry soil rather than flooded paddy. This approach reduces water use and labor costs, which are major challenges for farmers.
The new lines combine 19 important traits, including anaerobic germination, higher yield, stronger seedlings, resistance to lodging, and protection against pests and diseases such as blast, brown planthopper, and gall midge. These improvements were developed into MTU 1010, one of India’s most widely grown rice varieties. The traits were also added into IR 91648-B-89-B, an elite breeding line that carries a major QTLs for rice grain yield under reproductive-stage drought stress in the background of Swarna, another mega variety popular among Indian farmers.
In field trials, the best performers produced up to 5.7 tons per hectare under DDSR and 5.6 tons under traditional flooded fields. This is about 15 to 16 percent higher than the yield of their parent varieties.
“This is one of the few successful efforts to combine a wide set of DDSR traits into elite rice backgrounds,” said Regional Breeding Lead-South Asia, Dr. Vikas K. Singh. “It shows that popular transplanted varieties can be redesigned for direct-seeded systems without losing yield or grain quality.”
Several of the new lines are already in India’s varietal release pipeline, with two under advanced evaluation trials.
The research was carried out with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) with support from India’s Department of Biotechnology, with the IRRI-ICAR work plan further supports the work. For further reading, access the paper Enhancing crop resilience through elite pre-breeding lines with key traits for dry direct-seeded rice published via Plant Genome.
See: https://www.irri.org/news-and-events/news/new-rice-lines-promise-bigger-harvests-less-water-and-labor
BULLETIN 2
The Philippines approved the cotton event GFM cry1A for commercial cultivation.
The Philippines approved the cotton event GFM cry1A for commercial cultivation.
Event Name: GFM Cry1A
Event Code : GTL-GFM311-7
Trade Name: not available
Crop: Gossypium hirsutum L. - Cotton
Developer: Nath Seeds/Global Transgenes Ltd (India)
Method of Trait Introduction: Pollen-tube pathway (PTP)
GM Traits: Lepidopteran insect resistance , Antibiotic resistance , Visual marker
Commercial Trait: (Singular) Insect Resistance (IR)
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/newsletter/default.asp
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Genetic diversity and reproductive modes of aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus isolated from cashew nuts in coastal Kenya
Pauline Wambui Gachanja, Manase Aloo Onyango, Eugene Mwanza Muzami, Kyalo Katua, Colletah Rhoda Musangi, Dennis Wamalabe Mukhebi, Bicko Steve Juma, Cecilia Mbithe Mweu, Virginia Gathoni Gichuru, Wilton Mwema Mbinda
World J Microbiol Biotechnol.; 2025 Oct 13; 41(10):379. doi: 10.1007/s11274-025-04612-3.
Genetic diversity and reproductive modes of aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus isolated from cashew nuts in coastal Kenya
Pauline Wambui Gachanja, Manase Aloo Onyango, Eugene Mwanza Muzami, Kyalo Katua, Colletah Rhoda Musangi, Dennis Wamalabe Mukhebi, Bicko Steve Juma, Cecilia Mbithe Mweu, Virginia Gathoni Gichuru, Wilton Mwema Mbinda
World J Microbiol Biotechnol.; 2025 Oct 13; 41(10):379. doi: 10.1007/s11274-025-04612-3.
Abstract
Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) is a major cash crop in the coastal region of Kenya, as a source of livelihood for small-scale farmers in Kilifi, Kwale and Lamu counties. Despite being an important food crop, cashew nuts are highly susceptible to aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus, primarily due to their nutritional profile and poor pre-harvest and post-harvest practices. The presence of aflatoxins poses significant health risks to consumers of cashew nuts due to the carcinogenic, genotoxic, and hepatotoxic nature of these toxins. The detection of aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus in cashew nuts from coastal Kenya demonstrates the necessity for comprehensive research aimed at mitigating the risk of aflatoxicosis outbreaks, which continue to pose a major public health challenge in the country. In this study, we report for the first time the genetic diversity and modes of reproduction of aflatoxigenic A. flavus using genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. 33,752 bi-allelic SNPs obtained from 17 A. flavus isolates from Kilifi, Kwale and Lamu counties were used. Our analyses revealed a lack of differentiation and low genetic diversity among A. flavus populations from cashew nuts in the coastal region. Both heterothallic and homothallic A. flavus isolates were observed, with heterothallic and MAT1-2 genes being more predominant. Clonal reproduction was evidenced by the unequal distribution of mating type genes and the observed low genetic diversity. Further analysis of the extent of recombination and linkage disequilibrium (LD) found A. flavus population to be sexually recombining, although we hesitate to interpret these results due to the small sample sizes. Our phylogenetic analyses indicated that our populations are likely to produce low levels of aflatoxins. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the population genetics of A. flavus, which can inform future research and strategies to mitigate aflatoxin contamination in cashew nuts, ensuring consumer safety and safeguarding the source of income for the people of the coastal region of Kenya.
