Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The results show hybrids with a good yield advantage for commercial
products and very good grain quality. At the same time, several lines are
under conversion to transfer the male sterile cytoplasm. Similarly, small
seed increases have been made at CIAT headquarters with good results.
New breeding methods with the aim of reducing breeding cycles through
rapid generation advance, the use of SNPmarkers to predict genetic value,
and more locations for testing are being implemented. Finally, a consor-
tium targeting the development of new relevant hybrid rice technology
for rice farmers in Latin America has been established.
D. Concluding Remarks
Looking ahead, the challenges include improving grain quality and
disease resistance, improving outcrossing capacity in parental lines,
improving seed production techniques for direct seeding, discovering
new herbicide resistance genes, and adopting adequate management
practices. Additionally, for the tropics, disease resistance, lodging tol-
erance, market development, and seed production are very important. In
conclusion, hybrid rice technology is being used in South America but
further improvements are needed for yield advantage, grain quality,
seed production, and market development.
VIII. RICE BREEDING PROGRAMS
A. The FLAR Breeding Program for Latin America and the Caribbean
The Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice (FLAR) is a public
private
partnership between local rice institutions and CIAT, which was formed
in 1995 with the aim of improving people
-
s lives by improving rice
technology (Zorrilla 2010). In 2013, 17 countries are represented and
>
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30 institutions are associated. One of the original innovations of the
alliance is the direct participation of farmers
organizations, agribusiness
companies, and research institutions, which brings about a very strong
link between research and technology transfer and actual production
problems. It is a voluntary alliance, so in each country different organi-
zations have the responsibility to represent the rice sector, making a
heterogeneous group with a common goal of improving rice production.
Its members provide funding to FLAR and it is a wide regional plat-
form that helps CIAT and partnering institutions to ful
'
ll their goals.
Through these years, FLAR has developed different programs to promote
better cultivars, better management practices, and better use of natural
