The overarching goal of the HRDC is to make better hybrids more widely available to rice farmers and through this contribute to raising incomes, making rice production more efficient and sustainable, and keeping rice affordable for billions of people who depend on it as a staple food. Hosted by IRRI, the HRDC has three major objectives:
- Support research on developing parental lines and hybrids for
- Strengthening hybrid rice product development programs at IRRI and in other public and private sector partner organizations;
- Enhancing yield heterosis in both dry and wet seasons by more than 20%;
- Increasing and stabilizing yields of seed production;
- Improving multiple resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses; and
- Improving hybrid rice grain quality.
- Provide better information on the performance of hybrids and develop best management practices through
- Multi-location hybrid performance trials conducted in collaboration with public and private sector partners, and
- Local research on hybrid rice seed production and best management practices for key hybrid rice mega-environments.
- Support information sharing, public awareness, and capacity building:
- Conduct assessments of key constraints to hybrid rice adoption and provide science-based information to policy makers;
- Evaluate the socioeconomic and environmental performance and impact of hybrid rice in different regions/countries/environments;
- Make information on hybrid rice more widely available and provide up-to-date content for printed and electronic media;
- Develop the next generation of hybrid rice specialists trained in research and business aspects through training courses, degree and non-degree education, with partners for public and private sector employees;
- Support shuttle scientist programs for among public and private sector scientists to strengthen collaboration among all stakeholders; and
- Support participation of scientists from developing countries in international conferences.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 03 February 2010 )