ISARC: Development of Rice with Low Methane Emission

• 02 Apr 2024

Why in News?

Recently, Senior agriculture officials from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal gathered at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC), Varanasi for the 7th ISARC Coordination Committee (ICC) meeting.

Key Points

• Presiding over the meeting, IRRI interim director general said ISARC is emerging as an evidence-based research hub for all research related to transforming the rice-based agri-food system in the South Asian Region.
  • In 2024, the focus is to work on development of rice varieties with low methane emissions and enhancing the productivity of premium quality nutritious rice.
  • To achieve the goals, ISARC is working on propagation of best agronomic and management practices such as Dry Seeded Rice (DSR) and Alternate Wet and Drying (AWD).
• DSR, one of the major flagship research programmes of IRRI, delivers faster planting and maturing, conserves scarce resources like water and labor.
  • It is more conducive to mechanization and reduces emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change in comparison to the conventional puddled transplanted rice technique.
• ISARC has showcased its capabilities in research, extension, capacity development, and technology dissemination, bringing tangible solutions to address pressing challenges facing our agricultural landscape.
• A few achievements like release of ultra-low Glycemic Index rice varieties, Speed breeding protocol, Direct Seeded rice and Seeds Without Border, and urged the national partners to replicate the innovations in their respective regions through technical support from ISARC.

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

• IRRI is an independent, non-profit, research and educational institute, founded in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations with support from the Philippine government.
• The institute, headquartered in Los Baños, Philippines, has offices in 17 rice-growing countries in Asia and Africa.
• The IRRI South Asia Regional Centre is located at Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh).
• It aims to improve the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers and protect the rice-growing environment for future generations.

Direct Seeded Rice (DSR)

• It is a viable option to reduce the unproductive water flows.
• DSR refers to the process of establishing a rice crop from seeds sown in the field rather than by transplanting seedlings from the nursery.
• Conventional rice establishment system requires a substantial amount of water.

Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD)

• It is a water-saving technology that farmers can apply to reduce their irrigation water consumption in rice fields without decreasing its yield.
• In AWD, irrigation water is applied a few days after the disappearance of the ponded water. Hence, the field gets alternately flooded and non-flooded.