|
Today is :
Archives (2000)
Transgenic IR72: hope
for the rice farmers
by Mary Charlotte O. Fresco
|
October-December
2000
|
Among the issues and constraints facing the
rice industry in our country, the high infestation of pests
and diseases is considered as the major threat in rice production.
Various studies have shown that poor pest management, coupled
with indiscriminate use of inorganic pesticides and herbicides,
brought about a drastic decrease in the annual yield of rice.
One of the identified rice pests that causes headaches to
our local farmers, particularly in the provinces of region
I, II, and III is the Bacterial Leaf Blight (Xantomonas
oryzae pv.). BLB is a water-borne disease that infects
rice plants when droplets carrying the pathogenic bacteria
land on leaf wounds caused by factors such as heavy rains
and typhoon winds. The bacteria often attack the leaf margins
and leaf tips, leaving translucent lesions. These lesions
may elongate and extend into the middle of the leaf. Infected
plant leaves will turn yellow to brown and eventually die.
 |
| Rice leaf sheat infected by leaf
blight |
Scientists found out that rice plant is more
susceptible to the said disease especially under high temperature
and humidity and when nitrogen fertilizer is applied.
Plant biotechnology advancements offered a solution
to this worsening issue through genetic improvements in crops
that could not be addressed with conventional plant breeding.
To make sure that this technological breakthrough
would be available to poor farmers, the Philippine Rice Research
Institute (PhilRice) in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija introduced
the Bacterial Leaf Blight Rice (BLB) or technically known
as transgenic IR72. The transgenic IR72 is a genetically-modified
organism (GMO) that contains a Xa21 gene. This cloned gene
is a short segment of DNA present within the rice genome which
contains protein that has the ability to combat bacterial
leaf blight. The gene was extracted from a wild variety of
palay, which usually thrives in grassy and unproductive areas.
According to experts and scientists in this field, aside from
its high resistance to BLB, IR72 seedlings may have higher
yield than the usual varieties and it requires less amount
of agricultural inputs such as inorganic fertilizers and pesticides.
The Xa21 gene has long been used in seedling
preparation to produce viable and vigorous planting materials.
PhiRice experts are planning to conduct a field
test using the seedling of IR72 to determine its level of
tolerance and resistance to BLB. They also assured farmers
that this transgenic rice is safe to humans, animals, and
environment. 
(For more information, please contact PhilRice, Maligaya,
Munoz, Nueva Ecija, tel. no. (044)456-0354)
More Articles:
Vol. 2 No. 4
October-December 2000
»»
CERDAF approves 16 NIRDEAPs
»» DA
launches biotech program under PL480 fund
»» Genetic
engineering delays ripening in papaya and mango
»» Enzyme
extraction of essential oils
»» DA-BAR
grants P34.4-M to biotech RDE network
»» Transgenic
IR72: hope for the rice farmers
»» 13 sacks
of palay for P60
»»
Small farmers' gain from GE crops higher than those of commercial farmers
»» Bagoong
alamang beneficial to human health?
»» Filipino
scientists clone mango and papaya genes
»» Philippine
Ag-Biotech: how far have we come
»» National
integrated RDE agenda and program for biotechnology
[More
2000 Articles]
|
