MANILA, Philippines - Scientists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) successfully developed a salt-tolerant variety of rice, the agency said Tuesday.
The rice variety, which was crossed from the exotic wild rice species Oryza coarctata and rice variety IR56, is said to have twice the salt tolerance of those of existing rice varieties.
Unlike regular rice, the new rice line can expel salt it takes from the soil into the air through the salt glands it has on its leaves, explained Dr. Kshirod Jena, lead scientist of the IRRI.
With this development in agricultural research, the farms in coastal areas that were rendered useless because of high-salinity content can now be utilized.
Further testing and studies are still being conducted to ensure the efficiency of the new rice variety, but the agency hopes that in four to five years, this salt-tolerant rice variety would be available to farmers.
The wild rice species Oryza coarctata grows in salty water, making it tolerant to water with high salinity concentration. However, this variety is unsuitable for edible rice production.
Scientists had been trying to cross the salt-tolerant species with edible rice species since the mid-1990’s but it was only now that they achieved a promising outcome.
Rice is considered as the major staple food for more than half of the human population, especially in Asian countries like the Philippines. The threats posed to sustainable food production led to continuous agricultural researches. - Sharmaine L. Tan, Philstar.com Trainee