January 2011: The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has released its January to March edition of “Rice Today,” with an article on a project for new rice varieties that use water and fertilizer more efficiently, are high-yielding and are disease resistant.

The article describes the Green Super Rice for the Resource-Poor of Africa and Asia project, a collaborative project between IRRI and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The article outlines the breeding practices to produce improved rice varieties. It notes that the resulting rice varieties can be customized for particular locations, underscoring that 106 Green Super Rice varieties are ready for seed exchange and germplasm distribution. Other articles in this edition of “Rice Today” describe additional efforts to produce improved rice varieties. IRRI is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Rice Today]