Research giant's Singapore lab to create new rice varieties

Tania Tan, Straits Times 14 Jun 08;

INTERNATIONAL research giant Bayer opened a $10 million lab here yesterday that is aiming to create hardier and higher-yielding varieties of rice.

The company is hoping work at the 5,000 sq m facility in Pandan Loop will help Asian countries grappling with rice shortages and skyrocketing prices.

The laboratory will focus on creating rice strains that are 30 per cent more productive than current varieties. These hybrids will also be disease resistant, said Bayer spokesman Damien Plan.

Researchers will use DNA analysis to determine if their cross breeding has been successful. The technique cuts out the lengthy process of planting, harvesting and testing the rice. 'It's as good as traditional breeding methods, only much faster,' said Mr Plan.

A disease-resistant hybrid could be produced here in as little as four years, he said.

Bayer CropScience has commercial varieties of hybrid rice - that yield between 20 per cent and 30 per cent more grain - growing in seven countries including India, Vietnam and Brazil, but they are not disease-resistant.

The Pandan Loop lab is currently staffed with five scientists, but hopes to treble this number within the next three years.

It is believed to be only the second lab here that focuses on rice. Local research institute Temasek Life Sciences also conducts such studies.

Asia is the world's rice bowl, producing over 90 per cent of rice crops annually.

'Singapore is at the centre of Asia, providing the best place to do research, with maximum impact,' said Mr Plan. '(Local) talent is also crucial in this project.'

In the face of a world food crisis, the lab is a timely addition as calls for rice research by organisations like the World Bank grow louder.

Skyrocketing rice prices crippled many poor communities, causing riots in some, as prices hit US$1,000 (S$1,300) per tonne last month.

Producing the ultimate 'super rice'
From iron-fortified rice to hardy GM varieties, scientists aim to improve staple
Tania Tan, Straits Times 14 Jun 08;

YOU are what you eat.

If researchers had their way, many more stomachs would be filled - with healthier rice, the crop which feeds half the world.

Take, for example, rice containing extra iron, created by extensive cross-breeding of grain varieties.

In 2005, more than 300 Filipino women were randomly fed either high iron-fortified or normal rice for a nine-month period.

The research, conducted by the International Rice Research Institute (Irri) in the Philippines, was compelling: Over 20 per cent more women fulfilled their daily minimum iron requirements simply by eating iron-fortified rice.

'By putting nutrients directly into rice, we give poor rural communities a chance at a better life,' said Dr Parminder Virk, an IRRI senior scientist who worked on developing the high iron-fortified rice, which is now being grown in padi fields in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Polished rice is low in essential nutrients such as iron, vitamin A and zinc, leading to malnutrition in poor communities where people eat little else.

'For people who rely on rice alone, they'd need to eat several kilos of rice a day to prevent malnutrition,' said Dr Virk.

Since the 1960s, scientists have been trying to create a 'super grain' that is tougher and more nutritious than conventional rice.

About 20 countries conduct rice research. Most efforts are centred in Asia, which produces more than 90 per cent, or 645 million tonnes, of the world's rice every year.

Researchers have successfully produced versions of rice with high iron, zinc or vitamin A content - by selecting traits from more than 20,000 varieties of grain available - through generations of conventional breeding, explained Dr Virk.

With technological advances, a new breed of rice has also emerged, incorporating genes from other plants, and sometimes, bacteria, he added.

These are created by inserting the genes of say, soya bean, into the grain, to encourage iron production. Bacteria genes have also been incorporated to produce genetically modified rice rich in vitamin A.

Local researchers have also made some progress in developing a Singapore brand of 'super rice'.

Dr Srinivasan Ramachandran, associate director of the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory's Rice Functional Genomics research programme, is focusing on creating hardier grains.

His team has developed a drought-resistant grain that can withstand up to 12 days with little or no water - conditions that normal varieties cannot survive in.

'Rice is a delicate crop,' explained Dr Ramachandran. 'Too much or too little water, and it is ruined.'

Another variety produced in his lab also yields up to 13 per cent more grain than normal.

The new strains are being tested in small-scale field tests in Temasek's lab in Beijing.

The three-month test, slated to end next month, will allow researchers to gauge how well the grain performs under real-life field conditions. If successful, the grain will be grown on a larger scale, as the research is fine-tuned.

But while high-yielding and nutritious rice produced the old-fashioned way has been a success in countries such as Thailand and the United States, it will be some time before genetically modified (GM) rice hits store shelves, despite its superior features.

Detractors say a GM staple could potentially harm health.

'True, we are not sure what the possible impact might be, consuming GM rice every day for the long term,' said Dr Ramachandran. 'But there's been no evidence to suggest a health risk.'

Said Irri's Dr Virk: 'Public acceptance still has some way to go.' However, he hopes that the first drought-resistant grains will be approved for commercial release within the next five years.

Added Dr Ramachandran: 'Since this is a staple food, there are understandably health concerns which require more testing to address.'

Nonetheless, such grains could play a part in alleviating world hunger.

'It's one tool that can help address a very large and complicated problem,' he said.