SCIENCE CITY OF MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija—Researchers at the International Rice Research Institute have developed a rice variety found resistant to drought, salinity, alkalinity, iron toxicity and other multiple stresses.
Rc480, also known as GSR of Green Super Rice, was one of 25 new varieties approved recently by the National Seed Industry Council.
The other 24 were developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute or PhilRice, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippine-Sino Center for Center for Agricultural Technology or PhilSCAT, Syngenta, and LongPing Philippines.
Dr. Oliver Manangkil, NSIC coordinator and head of the Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Division of PhilRice, said GSR stands out among these varieties for its unique qualities. He said this variety can grow under saline and drought-prone environments, and has high and stable yields despite lesser input requirements.
The super rice, Manangkil said, offers a maximum yield of 4.4 tons per hectare, matures in 107 days after sowing or DAS, and has intermediate resistance to pests, such as yellow stem borer and brown plant-hoppers.
“The Super Rice is super in every sense of the word. It is super-resistant to all types of threats,” he stressed.
Manangkil added that of the 25 varieties, six are bred by PhilRice: Rc440 (Tubigan 39), NSIC Rc438 (Tubigan 38), and hybrid Rc446H (Mestiso 73) for irrigated lowlands, Rc472 (Sahod Ulan 22) for rainfed lowlands, and Rc462 (Salinas 21) and Rc470 (Salinas 25) for saline environments.