FRGA is a breeding procedure that speeds up the breeding cycle by growing segregating rice populations in close spacing under low nitrogen, high temperature, and short day conditions in the field. This allows several generations to be completed in one year. Key advantages include faster breeding cycles from F2 to F5 in one year, increased recombination, and natural selection. However, it also carries risks like genetic drift, decreased population sizes, and loss of lines to environmental stresses. While effective at advancing lines, FRGA requires extensive resources that made it difficult to sustain at IRRI.

1. Field Rapid Generation Advance
(FRGA)
Joseph C. Beredo, R.N.
Assistant Scientist
Irrigated Breeding Team for South East Asia
Plant Breeding Division

2. What is FRGA?
• Breeding procedure where segregating
populations are raised in an environment
using close spacing, low N, high
temperature, and short days to minimize
growth duration and make several
generations per year. (Vergara et al., 1982)
 DONE IN THE FIELD!

3. Advantages of FRGA
• It speeds up the breeding cycle (F2 - F5 or F6 in
one year)
• Increases number of favorable genotypes
(maximum chance for recombination)
• Very High throughput (250,000+ lines in an area of
800 m2 ; 3120 lines per population)
• Natural selection has a role
• Natural field conditions could further increase
performance of lines in advanced generations

4. Disadvantages of FRGA
• Lack of information on potential of individual or population
during RGA processing
• Possible genetic drifts are expected
• Decreased population size per generation – needs seed
multiplication at end of target gen!
• Populations are exposed to abiotic, biotic stresses and
natural phenomenon such as typhoons  results to 50%
loss of lines, even more!
• Labor intensive and expensive (in case of IRRI)

5. Preparation
• Minuro tray preparation
• Soil sterilization is optional to reduce
growth of weeds
• Mixing of basal fertilizer to soil
• Soil to minuro trays
• Breaking of seed dormancy

7. Seeding
• Strictly ONE seed is placed on each cell
following SSD
• Seeded minuro trays were logistically
brought to the field for tray placement
• NO thinning and pruning were done
(why?)
• Biodegradable wrapping paper were
placed to cover each minuro tray (why?)
• Overnight submergence of the minuro
trays for uniform germination (done only
after completion of tray placement for all popns)

10. Maintenance
• Fertilizer application (just multiply the
current rate with the number of minuro trays that
you have per population)
• But we did observe that 0% N application induces
earlier flowering (10 days earlier than with N
application)
• Integrated pest management
• Recording of days to flowering (FLW)
and days to maturity (MAT)
• Rodent fence is required

12. Harvest
• RGA plants were pulled from the
minuro trays
• Only ONE panicle (best looking and most
number of filled spikelets) is taken from
each plant
• Panicles are carefully stored in a
plastic box or paper bag
• Each panicle container is carefully
labelled

14. Seed Processing
• Sorting of panicles/seeds per population
• Breaking of dormancy
• Preparation of seeds for next FRGA cycle

15. Succeeding generations in FRGA

16. Why did we stop FRGA?
• After 2 cycles of FRGA (2014 EWS
and 2014 LWS), we realized that:
• Massive logistics are needed
• Requires excessive resources (land
rental and others)
• Very labor intensive and expensive
(minimum of 20-25 CWs to finish harvest of 250,000+ lines in less than 3
weeks; 1 CW = 9.45 USD / day  do the math!)

17. On the bright side…
• FRGA is very promising as an
extension or alternative of the
original RGA (glasshouse/screenhouse)
if you have unlimited resources
• Was it effective in advancing
breeding lines?  YES!

18. Acknowledgement
• Dr. Bert Collard – RGA master
• Dr. Rafiq Islam – RGA captain
• Rhulyx Mendoza – RGA mentor
• Ronald Santelices – support
• Mario Garcia – support
• Herman Hermosada – support
• Mark Anthony Javier – support
• Edwin Reyes – support

20. THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!
Field Rapid Generation
Advance (FRGA)