– Food revolution –
Scientists behind the project hope it will lead to a second “green revolution”.
The first began in the 1960s as the development of higher-yielding varieties of wheat and rice was credited with preventing massive global food shortages around the world.
That giant leap to producing more food involved the cross-breeding of unrelated varieties to produce new ones that grew faster and produced higher yields, mainly by being able to respond better to fertiliser.
But the massive gains of the earlier efforts, which earnt US geneticist Norman Borlaug the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, have since reached a plateau.
Although the DNA breakthrough has generated much optimism, IRRI scientists caution it is not a magic bullet for all rice-growing problems, and believe that genetically modifying is also necessary.
They also warn that governments will still need to implement the right policies, such as in regards to land and water use.
One of the key priorities of IRRI is to pack more nutrients into rice, transforming it into a tool to fight ailments linked to inadequate diets in poor countries as well as lifestyle diseases in wealthier countries.
“We’re interested to understand the nutritional value…. we’re looking into the enrichment of micronutrients,” Nese Sreenivasulu, the Indian head of the IRRI’s grain quality and nutrition centre told AFP.
Nese believes Type-2 diabetes, which afflicts hundreds of millions of people, can be checked by breeding for particular varieties of rice which when cooked will release sugar into the bloodstream more slowly.
IRRI scientists are also hoping to breed rice varieties with a higher component of zinc, which prevents stunting and deaths from diarrhoea in rice-eating Southeast Asia.
About The Author
