Poster23: Agronomic and nutritional improvement of rice in LA

Evaluation of promising lines and distribution to partners . Breeding materials developed by the AgroSalud Project are shared with our collaborators for evaluation, selection, and seed multiplication under local conditions. Best lines will be released as varieties.

Rice is the most important food grain in LAC, not only from the food security perspective but also from the nutrition and health aspect. Rice is particularly important in the diets of poor people, who make up about 40% of LAC’s total population; among the poorest 20% of the population, rice supplies more protein to the diet than any other food source. People living in areas where rice consumption is high are suffering from a number of major nutritional problems, as a result of vitamins and/or minerals naturally present in the rice grain but otherwise removed during the milling process. Women and children are especially susceptible to deficiencies in micronutrients, particularly vitamin A, iron and zinc. The costs of these deficiencies are high and economic and health indicators in LAC are deteriorating. Biofortified rice is the Rice Program’s contribution to combat malnutrition in LAC, and to eco-efficient rice production. Our aim is to increase the content of iron and zinc in milled rice, using conventional breeding methods. Varieties, landraces, and breeding lines are screened for mineral content to identify products that could have immediate utility, as potential varieties or donors. A crossing program is also under way to combine high-iron and zinc with high yield potential, tolerance to main biotic and abiotic stresses, and good grain quality. This project is carried out in close partnership with research institutions in Colombia, Bolivia, Cuba, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Panamá . Agronomic and Nutritional Improvement of Rice in Latin America Jaime Borrero, César P. Martinez, Katherine Loaiza, Sory H. Sanchez International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), AA 6713, Cali, Colombia [email_address]

Establishment of efficient protocols and methodology to identify rice lines having higher nutrient content, especially Fe and Zinc.

Development of populations and lines having a high level of iron and zinc . By using conventional methods of breeding, lines combining high yield potential, tolerance to main diseases and insect pests, good grain quality, and higher iron and zinc content in milled rice are produced. This is done in conjunction with local breeders.

Conducting GXE studies to determine the influence of climatic and soil factors in the expression of iron/zinc in the grain. The expression of iron and zinc in the grain depends on several factors including climatic and soil conditions. This type of studies are conducted locally by our partners in Cuba, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua. This information is needed to make recommendations to farmers as agronomic practices contributing to an eco-efficient production of nutrivars.

Evaluation of the nutritional status and acceptance of promising lines.

Breeding activities under way in Colombia, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Panama, and at CIAT are on schedule and will meet the goals of delivering nutrivars as planned by 2009-2010. Bolivia and Cuba are releasing the first nutrivars by February and June/2009, respectively followed by Brazil, Nicaragua and Dominican Republic in 2010. Bolivia, Cuba and Brazil are producing enough seed of nutrivars for delivery to end users. Demonstration plots and field days are conducted by our partners to present nutrivars to farmers , as well as contacts with the news media to promote AgroSalud. Our partners are highly motivated and committed to meet Agrosalud goals. Priority is given to releasing nutrivars, seed multiplication and distribution to farmers and in collaboration with our partners and Agrosalud’s economist to monitor economic and social impact of the adoption and consumption of biofortified rice. The ultimate goal is contributing to food security, improved nutrition and health and to an eco- efficient rice production in LAC . Several breeding strategies are being used for the development and deployment of high iron ( 6-8 ppm ) and zinc ( 22-25 ppm ) rice lines for micro-nutrient deficiency areas. Different activities including evaluation of rice germplasm, GxE trials, crop management, and seed multiplication are carried out. Materials and Methods Results and Discussions Future Activities Introduction Acknowledgment : CIDA : Canadian International Development Agency and CIAT core funding.

Evaluation of materials from germplasm banks for mineral content.

Harvest of rice samples Clean room Analysis of Fe and Zn by atomic adsorption Method NIRS Technology Dehulling and milling Rice flour Effects of soil and foliar fertilization and grain iron/zinc concentrations . Rice farmers and consumers evaluating cooking/eating preferences . Crosses between high iron/zinc parents Backcrossing Population breeding Backcrossing Azucena Saavedra 27 Releasing Nutrivars Vg: seedling Vegetative (scale) Fl: days to flowering Ht: Plant Height(cm) Est. % : Sterility percentage. P1000-grain: 1000-grain Weight Yield kg/ha. : Grain yield Fe ( mg/Kg ) : iron in grain Zn ( mg.kg ) : zinc in grain