Rice breeding at IRGA in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil focuses on developing cultivars adapted to different regions through breeding programs for general adaptation, hybrids, herbicide tolerance, and abiotic stress tolerance. The breeding program evaluates over 5,000 lines annually for yield, grain quality, disease resistance, and other traits. Recent releases include the high yielding, herbicide tolerant cultivars IRGA 427 and IRGA 428. The hybrid program has released the high yielding hybrid QM 1010 and is developing Clearfield hybrids. Breeding efforts aim to improve yield potential, grain quality, lodging resistance, and tolerance to stresses like iron toxicity and cold temperatures.

1. Rice Breeding at IRGA
Rio Grande do Sul – Brazil
I Taller GRISP
20-23 de febrero de 2012
CIAT, Palmira, Colombia

2. BRASIL

3. Farming Systems
South Region
Central Region
75% of Brazilian production
25% of Brazilian production

5. Rice production in Brazil and RS in
the last two seasons
Seasons Variation
Cultivated area (ha)
2010/11 2011/12 (%)
Brazil 2820300 2562700 - 9.1
RS 1171600 1053000 -10.1
RS / Brazil (%) 41,5 41,1
Total production (paddy, ton.)
Brazil 13613100 11170800 -20.9
RS 8904200 7042500 -17.9
RS / Brazil (%) 65,4 63,0

6. Rice at Rio Grande do Sul State
Season 2010/11 = 8.904 millions MT
8 1,5
Paddy yield (t/ha) 1,4
Planted area (Million ha
y = 5,361 + 0,208 x El Niño
7
1,3
Paddy yield (t/ha)
1,2
6
El Niño
1,1
5 1,0
Planted area (million ha) 0,9
4 y = 0,940 + 0,01729 x
0,8
0 0,0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
1
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-1
-1
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
Crop season

7. Cultivation Systems
65 % 12 %
MINIMUM
PRE-GERMINATED
TILLAGE
23 %
CONVENTIONAL TRANSPLANT

8. MINIMUM TILLAGE

9. AREAS WITH LEVEES

10. LEVELED AREAS

11. RED RICE IS THE MAJOR WEED
PROBLEM

12. CLEARFIELD IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR RICE
CULTIVATION IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL
BEFORE CLEARFIELD TECHNOLOGY AFTER CLEARFIELD TECHNOLOGY
YILED YIELD
4.000 kg/ha 8.000 kg/ha

13. Central Region of RS
Small farmers

14. Cultivated area (%)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
PU
ITA
INT
A-C
L
IRG
A4
24
Ep
agr
i 's
IRG
A4
17
BR
- IR
GA
409
Área cultivada (%)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
INI
AO
lim Ear
ar ly
63,2
Cultivars
Hy Me
diu
bri
ds m
27,3
a) Maturity group
BR
SS
inu Lat
e
9,6
elo
CL
IRG
A4 Área cultivada (%)
0
10
20
30
40
50
22C
L
Season 2011/12
BR
SQ
Rice varieties in RS
uer CL
ê
54,2
b–v
J
BR
S7
Tai
m Co
nv .
45,8
b) CLEARFIELD cultivars
El P
ass
o 144
L

15. IRGA
Research Division
Cachoeirinha, RS - Brazil

16. Field Day at Rice
Experiment Station
2012, 08 February

17. Rice Breeding

18. Rice Breeding
General Program Hybrid Program
Adaptation Development
to cold Development of hybrid herbicide
Herbicides Abiotic Stresses Diseases regions of tolerant cultivars
of hybrid cultivars
Tolerance tolerance Resistance RS
Development of
Hybrid rice
parental lines (P.
evaluations
Development of Recurrent selection L.)
segregant populations breeding
Seeds production
Mutation Submersion and salinity of P. L. and hybrid
tolerance breeding cultivars
Yield and quality
grain evaluations Development of P.
L. trought
recurrent
selection

19. Breeding Partners:
• FLAR - Temperate, Tropical and RD’s (durable
resistance to blast)
• Rice Institute of Hunan and Ana Paula -
Hybrids
• EMBRAPA – Recurrent Selection
• CENA - Mutation
• FURG – Grain contaminants
• FEPAGRO – Yield trials
• BASF - CL
• BAYER - Hybrids

20. Development of segregant
populations

21. General Program
• Objective: Rice cultivars development to different
regions of RS State.
• Actions: Crossings, selections, yield trials,
evaluations of diseases, iron toxicity and grains
quality, mutations, winter generation in NE
(Penedo, AL)
• Subprojects: Pre-germinated (water seeding
system), FLAR, Recurrent Selection

23. Rice yield trials
Uruguaiana
Cachoeira do Sul
Dom Pedrito
Santa Vitória do Palmar
Camaquã

24. Water seeding trial – EEA, Cachoeirinha

25. “Iron Toxicity nursery – Camaquã, RS”
Evaluate annually
around 3000
genotypes

26. Grain Quality Laboratory
Amylose content

27. Grain Quality Laboratory
Gelatinization
temperature

28. Milling quality
White center and
visual aspect of
grains

29. Improved lines, season 2011/12
IRGA / EEA – Cachoeirinha – FEV 2012
• IRGA 2694-25-3
• IRGA 3167-13Pg-1Pg-5
• IRGA 3217-3-4Pg-2Pg-7
• IRGA 3220-17-8-2
• IRGA 3416-6-2-MP-3
• IRGA 3476-7-1-MP-4

30. IRGA 425
• First variety for pre-germinated system
• Iron tolerant and medium resistant to blast
• High grain quality

31. New
Cultivar
IRGA 427
High yielding, good grain quality and
adaptation to warmer regions
Average yield = 10,1 t/ha
High yielding
Excellent grain quality

32. Rice breeding trough recurrent selection
1- Population Pirga 1/0/Pr/2 : Conducted in substation of
Uruguaiana, for extracting lines with high yield potential;
2- Population Pirga 2/0/Fr/2 : Conducted in substation of Stª Vitória
do Palmar, for extractiong lines with high adaptation to cold
region (south) of RS;
3- Population Pirga 3/0/Py/0 : Conducted at Cachoeirinha and
Torres for selecting lines with resistance to blast (Pyricularia
grisea).
AGREEMENT IRGA/EMBRAPA:
EMBRAPA: CNA 11 e CNA 12;
IRGA: Pirga 1/0/Pr/2 e Pirga
2/0/Fr/2.

33. Recurrent selection populations conducted at Cachoeirinha by
seedling transplantation – season 2009/10

34. Breeding line:
1. Cultivar development with resistance to blast
(Pyricularia grisea) trough “Hot spot” method and
gene acumulation.
Researchers: Gustavo Daltrozo Funck e Dieter Kempf
Achievements: released cultivars with resistance to blast:
• RESISTENT: IRGA 423, IRGA 424 and IRGA 426
• MR / MS: IRGA 425, IRGA 427 and IRGA 428
Goals:
1. Evaluate annually around 5000 genotypes;
2. Accumulate three genes which confer resistance to
blast: Pi 1, Pi 2 and Pi 3;
3. Evaluate the incidence of major leaf spots and grain
yield in the tests (VCU, Preliminary and Advanced).

35. “Blast nursery – Torres, RS”
Evaluate annually
around 5000
genotypes

36. Test 1
424
Test 2
423 417
Test 3

37. LABORATORY of PLANT PATHOLOGY
Diagnosis of plant diseases and seed health analysis

38. Cultivars development with
herbicide tolerance
1- Developing cultivars for the Clearfield System
2 - Induced mutation for the development of
cultivars tolerant to herbicides

39. Cultivars development with
herbicide tolerance
• 1.1- Conversion of cultivar IRGA 420:
Released in 2011
• 1.2- Conversion of cultivar IRGA 424: It will be
released in 2013
• 2.1- Screening for tolerance to Imidazolinone
herbicides – gene sequencing test
• 2.2- New mutants: Imidazolinones and Oxine
Ciclohexanodione

40. Imi rice
New
Mutants

41. New
Cultivar
IRGA 428
High yielding, good plant, smooth leaves,
tolerant to excess of iron in the soil, and
second generation for herbicide tolerance
Average yield = 9,8 t/ha
Yield trial
Good grain quality

42. RESEARCH LINE: COLD TOLERANCE
Goal: Develop cultivars suited to colder areas of the RS
and with cold tolerance in early stages.
Achievements: cultivars released:
RGA 424 - 2007
IRGA 426 - 2011

43. IRGA 424
• High yielding variety
• Iron tolerant and blast resistant
• Adaptation to south region

44. New
Cultivar
IRGA 426
Adaptation, high yielding and good quality to
cold regions of RS
Yield = 10,0 t/ha
Great panicles High grain quality

45. Research line – Molecular Markers Assisted
Selection
Researcher - Dra. Danielle Costenaro da Silva
Objetivos:
1- MAS as a tool for conversion of cultivar IRGA 424 for the Clearfield
production system.
2- MAS for blast genes Pi-1, Pi-2 e Pi-33;
Results obtained:
1- 89 primers – 18 % polymorphic (Puitá INTA CL e IRGA 424)
2- 8 primers studied:
RM224 – Pi-1
RM404 – Pi-33
RM72 – Pi-33
RM527 – Pi-2

46. Biotechnology laboratory

47. HYBRID RICE BREEDING

48. Hybrid Rice Program
Goal:
 Develop hybrid rice cultivars, adapted to the conditions of the RS,
establishing a system of mechanized production of hybrid seeds
 Focus:
 Increase the yield potential– 20 %
Tool for introduction of new technologies:
 Clearfield
 etc...

49. Hybrid Rice Program
Activities:
Cachoeirinha, RS
 Parental lines development (A, B e R)
 Hybrids evaluation
 Seeds production of improved hybrids
Penedo, AL (NE)
 Parental lines development (A, B e R)
 Crossings
 Seeds production of improved hybrids for trials

50. New hybrid cultivar: QM 1010 (H9)
IRGA / ANA PAULA / BAYER
Rice Experiment Station – Cachoeirinha - 2007/2008
Yield - 11.540 kg/ha
Grains per panicle - 197
Sterility - 9,7 %

51. Grain quality
Visual appearance of grain quality of Hybrid 9 compared to IRGA 417.
Híbrido 9 Irga 417

52. New Hybrids:
• Released:
– QM 1010 and IRGAP H7
– Herbicide Resistant: IRGA H7 RI and IRGAP H9 RI
• Improved lines:
– 13 hybrids: yield trial – VCU
– 10 CL hybrids: yield trial - VCU

53. Seeds multiplication of parental lines

54. Hybrid seed production in small scale

55. Major problems for rice breeding
• Red rice control
• Yield potential x grain quality
• Lodging resistance
• Seedling vigor
• Diseases: blast, leaf spots, stem and sheath
rots
• Iron toxicity resistance
• Cold tolerance to south regions

56. Rice Researchers at Breeding Staff
1. Antonio Folgiarini de Rosso – Breeder - Hyb.
2. Mara Cristina Barbosa Lopes – Breeder
3. Oneides Antonio Avozani – Breeder
4. Sergio Iraçu Gindri Lopes – Breeder
5. Gustavo Daltrozo Funck - Pathologist
6. Danielle Costenaro – Biotech.
7. Ana Paula Fontini – Breeder – Hyb.
8. Daniel Dawlow – Breeder – Hyb. New
Researchers
9. Gabriela Magalhães – Breeder
10.Roberto Weiler – Breeder

57. Thank you!
Sérgio Iraçu Gindri Lopes
Mara Cristina Barbosa Lopes
IRGA - Brazil
Foto: Ereno, março 2010