Published on 24 August 2012 Hits: 682 Written by AFP

PARIS: Scientists on Wednesday said that they had developed a strain of rice that grows well in soils lacking the nutrient phosphorus, a feat that could boost crop yields for some farmers by as much as a fifth.

The announcement ends a quest to pinpoint a mystery gene that helps the roots of baby rice plants tease phosphorus from the soil, enabling them to notch up strong, early growth.

The gene has now been transferred to modern varieties of rice using classic methods of cross-breeding, not genetic engineering, said Sigrid Heuer at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baos town, Laguna province.

Next week, national rice breeders from Bangladesh, India, and Thailand will be briefed on the exciting find, which should benefit small farmers most of all, Heuer said in a phone interview from Manila.

I would expect to see [an improvement in yield of about] 20 percent, but it depends so much on the type of the soil and how severe the stress is, Heuer said.

But realistically, we are talking conservatively of an average of 10 to 20 percent, and locally a little more if the [phosphorus] stress is severe, she added.

The breakthrough seeks to address one of the biggest problems facing rice growers from the southeastern United States to South America, Southeast Asia and China.

Many soil types bond tightly to phosphorus, surrendering only a tiny amount of the precious mineral to plant roots.

To get around this, farmers look to phosphorus fertilizers, which are spread on the field.

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Gene breakthrough could boost rice yields

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