Bert Collard and Kshirod K Jena irrigate the breeding programs

Bert Collard: NSIC Rc238 released in 2011: high yielding and aromatic.

Change is not for the sake of change only.
IRRI is undergoing a major changes. the driving force is " Full Cost Recovery".
In future all the new varieties will have Sub 1 gene as default. Rice with Sub1 gene is submergence tolerance.
To broaden genetic base, more researches are needed.
New improved cropping system is necessary: Direct seeding, Alternate wetting and drying, Season and regional specificity.
Works ahead: Select for specific traits- sub 1, super earliness; quickly move to multi location site testing.

Flow of works

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KK Jena: Increasing yield potential in rice using genomic and physiological approaches.

Yield growth of rice has fallen by 0.2 % in last two decades. We need to increase yield potential by 0.6% every year.

Genes cloned for plant architecture [I believe there is no IP issue associated with this information]