Summary

The vision of this partnership project is to develop rice varieties and rice cereal technology to meet the needs of growers, industry and government to enhance economic activity, protect the environment and underpin regional development and stability.
There are three key elements of the project. Firstly, the rice breeding program generates genetic variability, by crossing or hybridising different rice varieties to combine the best attributes of each of the varieties into one new variety. This is to continually introduce new traits needed to improve tolerance to environmental stresses and to improve yield potential and grain quality.
The second element is the detailed evaluation of lines and selection of new varieties. As the breeding lines progress through subsequent generations and exhibit new combinations of traits, the breeders apply objective measures of agronomic performance and grain quality to winnow the lines and extract the best new varieties.
The third element is refinement of the lines to select those lines which combine a broad range of yield and grain quality traits to meet the requirements of growers and markets, and production of foundation pure seed. The project will also oversee the maintenance of the pure seed of current commercial cultivars.

Program

Rice

Research Organisation

(DPI) The Crown in right of the State of New South Wales acting through the Department of Primary Industries within Regional NSW

Objective Summary

Rice Improvement
1. Develop varieties to meet specific market requirements
2. Develop varieties with higher water use efficiency and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses.
3. Explore opportunities for breeding new maturity and quality classes