Diversity of Global Rice Markets and the Science Required for Consumer-Targeted Rice Breeding

With the ever-increasing global demand for high quality rice in both local production regions and with Western consumers, we have a strong desire to understand better the importance of the different traits that make up the quality of the rice grain and obtain a full picture of rice quality demographics. Rice is by no means a ‘one size fits all’ crop. Regional preferences are not only striking, they drive the market and hence are of major economic importance in any rice breeding / improvement strategy. In this analysis, we have engaged local experts across the world to perform a full assessment of all the major rice quality trait characteristics and importantly, to determine how these are combined in the most preferred varieties for each of their regions. Physical as well as biochemical characteristics have been monitored and this has resulted in the identification of no less than 18 quality trait combinations. This complexity immediately reveals the extent of the specificity of consumer preference. Nevertheless, further assessment of these combinations at the variety level reveals that several groups still comprise varieties which consumers can readily identify as being different. This emphasises the shortcomings in the current tools we have available to assess rice quality and raises the issue of how we might correct for this in the future. Only with additional tools and research will we be able to define directed strategies for rice breeding which are able to combine important agronomic features with the demands of local consumers for specific quality attributes and hence, design new, improved crop varieties which will be awarded success in the global market

Toxicological assessment of pesticides used in the Pagsanjan-Lumban catchment to selected non-target aquatic organisms in Laguna Lake, Philippines

Laguna Lake is the largest inland water resource in the Philippines and an important source of fisheries in the area. The Pagsanjan-Lumban catchment is the main freshwater input of the lake but contaminants resulting from agricultural activities within the catchment may impact fisheries. Laboratory-based acute toxicity data was generated on selected non-target aquatic species native to Laguna Lake for pesticides used in the catchment. Freshwater shrimp, Macrobrachium lar, were found to be the most sensitive species for the pesticides used in the areas surrounding the catchment compared to Tilapia sp. embryos, newly hatched Tilapia and 22mm Tilapia fingerling. Of the pesticides used in the catchment, the pyrethroids (lambda cyhalothrin, deltamethrin and cypermethrin) were found to be highly toxic under laboratory conditions to freshwater shrimp and Tilapia fingerling. Malformations, such as spinal deformities and abnormal yolk sac distribution, were observed in the fish embryos at pesticide concentrations below LC values. Currently there are no water quality guidelines available in the Philippines for pesticides. Such toxicity data on local species is highly beneficial in developing site-specific water quality guidelines. An acute hazard assessment was conducted for risk ranking of pesticides used in the Philippines by comparing the 48h LC values of selected pesticides to M. lar and actual concentrations of the pesticides detected in selected sampling areas within the Pagsanjan-Lumban catchment. The maximum measured concentration of profenofos (15.4μg/L) and pyrethroids (3-6μg/L) in the field samples collected in the Pagsanjan-Lumban catchment were above the 48h LC values. These compounds posed a high acute hazard (HQ>1) to freshwater shrimp in the Pagsanjan-Lumban catchment. Poor management practices in pesticide use could result in decline of rice-fish cultures and other economical invertebrates in some catchments in the Philippines

Chlorinated hydrocarbons in sediments from Manila Bay, the Philippines

Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides were analysed in sediments collected during the summer monsoon period (rainy season) in order to assess the contamination of Manila Bay. Results were compared with previous determinations made during the winter monsoon period (dry season) in order to evaluate seasonal fluctuation of contaminant levels in the Bay. In both seasons, PCBs were present in concentrations higher than chlorinated pesticides. In the rainy season the median concentration of ΣPCB was 0.256 ng g dry weight (range 0.08-1.173 ng g), followed by ΣDDT with 0.229 ng g dry weight (range 0.133-0.926 ng g) and Σchlordane with 0.049 ng g dry weight (range 0.024-0.175 ng g). Concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons in sediments were relatively low and, when concentrations determined in the rainy season and in the dry season were compared, in general, they did not show seasonal fluctuation with the exception of DDTs. Round the year, levels of these toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative contaminants in Manila Bay sediments were below threshold effect levels for marine biota

Organic contaminants in the marine environment of manila bay, philippines

Organochlorine pesticides (OCs) and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) were determined in sediments and oysters' soft tissues (Cassostrea gigas) collected in selected sites of Manila Bay. Overall, the concentration levels were very low. In sediments, PCBs were the compounds present in higher concentrations, with ∑13PCB congeners averaging 0.69 ± 0.46 ng/g (dry weight), followed by ∑DDT averaging 0.53 ± 0.28 ng/g and ∑chlordane with 0.26 ± 0.28 ng/g. Concentrations measured in oysters averaged 20 ± 17 ng/g (dry weight) for ∑13PCB and were higher than ∑DDT, with 9.5 ± 2.4 ng/g, and ∑chlordane, with 3.8 ± 3.1 ng/g. No dissolved residues of polar compounds, such as herbicides, and organophosphorous and organochlorine pesticides were found in the bay water. In general, results showed that concentrations of organochlorine pesticide residues, such as DDT, hexachlorocyclohexane, chlordane, lindane, endosulfan, and heptachlor in sediments and oysters were low in comparison with other coastal areas in Asia, although PCB concentrations in oysters were relatively high in some zones of Manila Bay and indicative of loose control of industrial chemical waste discharges into the bay. Nevertheless, current concentrations of persistent organochlorine contaminants in sediments were under threshold effect levels (TELs) and chronic toxic effects are, thus, unlikely to generate impairment of marine biota in Manila Bay

Microinsurance as it moderates the impact of coping strategies on poverty levels

With an environment continuously suffering, the occurrence of natural calamities has been increasing in number and magnitude in the recent years. Being plagued with the recent Typhoon Yolanda, this study proved to be relevant, timely, and nationally significant. The study tapped on the effectivity of microinsurance payouts on poor households in relation to the various coping strategies they have adopted. It sought to discover whether the presence of such microfinance service would help reduce poverty in the country given a households particular poverty level. The researchers tested the significance of these variables by administering survey questionnaires and conducting structured interviews to 29 insured households and 29 uninsured households. Findings showed that microinsurance helped mitigate the coping strategies used by households, thereby causing them to adopt a higher number of positive coping strategies as opposed to uninsured respondents. The improvement, however, was found to be limited to those households under the moderate poor and vulnerable non-poor categories, giving the connotation that the presence of microinsurance alone cannot lift poor households beyond the poverty line

The origin and evolution of fragrance in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Fragrance in the grain is one of the most highly valued grain quality traits in rice, yet the origin and evolution of the betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase gene (BADH2) underlying this trait remains unclear. In this study, we identify eight putatively nonfunctional alleles of the BADH2 gene and show that these alleles have distinct geographic and genetic origins. Despite multiple origins of the fragrance trait, a single allele, badh2.1, is the predominant allele in virtually all fragrant rice varieties today, including the widely recognized Basmati and Jasmine types. Haplotype analysis allowed us to establish a single origin of the badh2.1 allele within the Japonica varietal group and demonstrate the introgression of this allele from Japonica to Indica. Basmati-like accessions were nearly identical to the ancestral Japonica haplotype across a 5.3-Mb region flanking BADH2 regardless of their fragrance phenotype, demonstrating a close evolutionary relationship between Basmati varieties and the Japonica gene pool. These results clarify the relationships among fragrant rice varieties and challenge the traditional assumption that the fragrance trait arose in the Indica varietal group