IRRI Hopeful Of The New Flood Tolerant Rice

Experts at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines have expressed optimism regarding the new flood-tolerant rice developed specially for rain fed lowland areas of Asia.

Farmers in India and Bangladesh are likely start commercial production of flood-tolerant rice next year giving them protection against crop losses from typhoons and heavy monsoon rains.
 
The flood-tolerant gene is introduced to existing rice varieties through normal crossbreeding techniques and not via genetic modification.

IRRI, which started a Green Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s with the development of high-yielding rice seeds, is also working on drought-resistant varieties of the grain to deal with a world beset by global warming.