Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
E. Rice Breeding in Argentina
Rice production in Argentina is situated in the northeastern part of the
country, taking advantage of good environmental conditions, includ-
ing soils that are marginal for other main crops (such as soybeans,
wheat, and maize), the abundance of surface water provided by the
Paraná and Uruguay rivers, and favorable rain regimes that allow the
construction of dams.
Actually, the rice crop area in Argentina is 250,000
260,000 ha, with
a production of around 1.6 million tonnes per year. All rice production
occurs under irrigated conditions, and is highly mechanized. Since
2000, rice yield has been growing at a rate of 124 kg ha
1
per year;
however, in the last 2 to 3 years, that rate has been slowing down.
Some 50
-
-
60% of rice production is for export.
1. History.
Rice breeding in Argentina started around 1930 in Salta with
the creation of the Güemez Experimental Station, where the
first local
cultivars were selected. At that time, rice production was concentrated
in the northwestern part of the country. Slowly, the rice-growing area
was moved to the northeast (mainly in the provinces of Corrientes
and Entre Ríos). In the 1940s, a second rice experimental station was
created in La Plata Province of Buenos Aires. This station generated
some local cultivars that were planted mainly in Entre Ríos. At that time,
rice production depended largely on the use of foreign cultivars and rice
breeding consisted of selections within those materials. Although local
programs generated their own cultivars, they contributed little to the
planted area. Cultivars planted at that time produced short, medium, and
long wide grain, and yield was rather low (Jetter, unpubl.).
Rice breeding received an important boost at the end of the 1950s with
the creation of INTA that established experimental stations all over
the country, and two of them (Corrientes and Concepción del Uruguay,
located in the provinces of Corrientes and Entre Ríos, respectively)
started breeding programs for rice. The introduction of high-quality,
long-grain U.S. cultivars gradually replaced the use of local cultivars
with short and medium grain. The production of cultivars with long
grain became an important objective of rice breeding programs in
Argentina. At the same time, in Corrientes, a long, wide (bold) grain
type became important and was widely planted.
In the mid-1960s, CIAT was created, and it started a strong breeding
program for rice. CIAT generated and distributed a large amount of
modern semidwarf materials with high yield potential, resistance to
lodging, and good response to nitrogen fertilizers. Beginning in the
