3rd august (monday),2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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August 3, 2015 Vol 5 ,Issue VII



News shared by PhilRICE

Lucy Torres-Gomez is new rice ambassadress

Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez was named as new Rice Ambassadress in a recent meeting at the

House of Representatives, Quezon City.As rice ambassadress, Gomez will promote non-wastage

of rice and the consumption of brown rice and rice mixed with corn or other staples.

A multi-awarded television host, Gomez agreed to appear in videos and photos promoting the Be

RICEponsible advocacy to be shown in television, radio, billboards, and social media.

As public servant, she is a member of the 16th Congress and Assistant Majority Leader,

representing Leyte’s fourth district. Her priorities as legislator include public order and safety,

women, children, health, and education.

She had sponsored an amendment to the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009, which

revises the provisions on breastfeeding babies during work hours, and had pledged “no

classroom shortage by 2015” in her district.

Hazel V. Antonio, director of the Be RICEponsible campaign, said Gomez was chosen because

of her ideal image as a mother and her excellent track record as a public servant.

“Lucy is well-loved by many Filipinos and we believe that her influence as a policy-maker and

as a TV personality can inspire the millions of people to be part of this nationwide advocacy,”

Antonio said.

The Be RICEponsible is an advocacy campaign that aims to promote the RICEponsibility of

every Filipino to their bodies and to our country.

PhilRice gives tips on how to prevent rice spoilage

In most households and restaurants, rice leftovers typically get spoiled and thrown out.

Dr. Riza G. Abilgos-Ramos of the Rice Chemistry and Food Science Division (RCFSD) at

PhilRice recommends that to prevent spoilage, we should cook rice in smaller quantities at

several times of the day to reduce storage.

According to Dr. Alonzo A. Gabriel, a professor and food science expert at UP Diliman, a

bacterium called Bacillus cereus that causes food poisoning is present when cooking rice.



“Foodborne diseases and outbreaks start at home due to insufficient knowledge of households in

proper food handling,” said Gabriel who gave a lecture titled Food Security and Protection:

Updates on Quality, Safety, and Defense organized by RCFSD, 29 July.

Gabriel explained that the bacterium can survive heat while boiling and is most capable of

germination and outgrowth after the rice is cooked.

In preventing the said bacterium, Abilgos-Ramos suggested that after cooking, “it is best that rice

should either be kept hot (> 63°C) or cooled quickly then transferred to a refrigerator within two

hours.”

She added that boiled or fried rice must be stored outside the temperature range of 15-50°C and

not under warm conditions.

The seminar was part of the Nutrition Month celebration at PhilRice. Other events conducted in

this month-long celebration include a feeding program for elementary students and an institute-

wide Zumba competition.

PhilRice shares tips for the rainy days

Science City of Muñoz – PhilRice experts advise farmers to practice synchronized community

planting, and to mechanize the harvesting and drying processes to cope with the rainy season.

PhilRice-rainy season.

“Under rainfed conditions, our farmers need to practice synchronized planting in their

communities. Dry land preparation is desired, as when the rain comes, they can do direct-

seeding. With this technique, the seeds will start to germinate within five days,” said Dr. Norvie

L. Manigbas, PhilRice’s head of the Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Division.

Synchronized planting reduces incidence of pests and diseases in a specific area, thus minimizing

yield loss.

He also explained that under irrigated lowland conditions, land preparation should be done at the

onset of heavy rains so that fields are well-soaked in water. Levees and dikes should be repaired

to avoid water loss.

Farmers can use the wet bed or dapog method for seed establishment depending on field

conditions.

PhilRice also suggests proper drainage to avoid flooding, use of machines during land

preparation, harvesting, threshing, and drying to save time and labor.

“Time is vital during the wet season especially during harvest. As the rain usually comes in the

afternoon, we suggest the use of combine harvester to hasten harvesting operations. If it is

unavailable, farmers can use reaper and collect the straws for threshing,” Manigbas explained.



“It is important to finish these field operations in the shortest possible time to prevent yield loss,”

he added.

PhilRice recommends drying of palay in flatbed dryers and on nylon nets or canvas for easier

turnover when the rain comes.

“The general rule is to harvest and thresh the crop within a short period of time and dry the seeds

to a desired moisture content (usually 14%),” Manigbas concluded.

For more rice farming strategies, please contact the PhilRice Text Center at 09209111398.

Century-Old Rice Blight Finally Toppled? Key to Immunity Discovered

By Brian Stallard

Aug 03, 2015 03:55 AM EDT

Rice crops have been battling a deadly bacterial blight for over a century - one that decimates

crops and can leave entire farms in ruin. Now researchers think that affected regions may finally

stand a chance after discovering a rare mechanism that leave some lucky plants resistant to

infection.That's at least according to a study recently published in the journalScience Advances,

http://www.natureworldnews.com/reporters/brian-stallard

http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/6/e1500245



which details how an international team of researcher finally uncovered the key to Xoo

immunity.Xanthomonas oryzaepv.oryzae, or Xoo, is traditionally characterized by a

discoloration on the leaves of young rice plants. It quickly escalates from there, turning the

leaves brittle and grey, and rendering them useless in photosynthesis. Starved for energy,

affected plants quickly die, sometimes devastating up to 80 percent of a single season's crop. In

Japan alone, annual losses are estimated to be between 22,000 and 110,000 tons.What's worse,

this pathogen affects rice in a unique way, rendering industry standards for combating bacterial

infection, such as the application of copper compounds or antibiotics, largely ineffective.That's

why researchers have turned to closely analyzing those few plants that were lucky enough - in

the wacky roulette of genetics - to wind up with strong resistances to Xoo. (Scroll to read on...)

(Photo : Neil Palmer (CIAT))

Only six year ago, modern research practices revealed that immune responses in rice are

triggered to battle the blight when a Xoo protein dubbed Ax21 binds to the plants' cellular

receptor XA21.

"We were ecstatic with our results in 2009 because identifying the molecule that XA21

recognizes provides an important piece to the puzzle of how the rice plant is able to respond to

infection," Pamela Ronald, a plant geneticist for both JBEI and UC Davis, explained in

a statement.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369526613000289

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-07/dbnl-utr072415.php



It was theorized that once understood. experts could craft a crop (via genetic editing) that could

easily shrug off Xoo. However, after a century of researching the blight (historically starting in

1901) could it be that easy? The answer was no.

As it turned out, Ax21 wasn't the savior Ronald and her colleagues thought it was. In fact, it was

more like the housemate of the protein they needed. In other words, when Batman was the hero

Gotham deserved, the researchers wound up with his butler, Alfred. (Come on guys, nerd out

with me for a moment. We're talking about rice pathogens after all).

"We hypothesized that the activator of XA21 might be encoded in the proximity of the molecular

machinery that we already knew was involved," added Rory Pruitt, a member of Ronald's

research group.

So the researchers kept looking. Now, six years later, they've announced that this time for sure,

they have their hero. (Scroll to read on...)

(Photo : Roy Kaltschmidt, Berkeley Lab)

"Our results show that RaxX, a small, previously undescribed bacterial protein, is required for...

immunity to Xoo," Ronald happily reported. "XA21 can detect RaxX and quickly mobilize its

defenses to mount a potent immune response."The researchers added that even if the ultimate

goal of their work - the development of a fully-immune rice crop - is still a ways away from

being realized, the results can still be immediately useful for rice farmers.During their numerous

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthomonas_oryzae_pv._oryzae

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthomonas_oryzae_pv._oryzae



tests, the team also determined which strains of Xoo are heartier than others, even when running

up against plants with the XA21 response.

"Like prescribing the best vaccination for the flu each season by monitoring which flu strains are

going to be the most prevalent, it should be possible to screen wild Xoo populations in the rice-

growing regions of Asia and Africa for whether they encode RaxX alleles that are recognized by

XA21," Schwessinger explained. "We can then inform farmers which rice varieties will be

resistant to those bacterial populations."

For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines

and Global News (HNGN). http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/15926/20150803/century-old-rice-blight-finally-toppled-key-

immunity-discovered.htmNigeria imports rice worth over 2 billion USD since 2012: official

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- Nigerian central bank said Tuesday the Africa's most populous country has spent

2.41 billion U.S. dollars on rice importation between January 2012 and May 2015.The Governor of

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele made this known at an investors meeting in Abuja,

Nigeria's capital city. He said the bank's decision to ban foreign exchange for importation of rice, fish and

other items would not be reversed.According to him, the apex bank has no plans to reverse the ban,

adding that the reason for inclusion of rice in the exclusion list was not far-fetched.

"Unfortunately, this trend has resulted in huge unsold stock of paddy rice cultivated by our farmers and

low operating capacities of many integrated rice mills in Nigeria," he added.

The apex bank chief told his audience that the CBN in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and

Rural Development would come up with a comprehensive financing model to support rice millers and

other investors in the sector.He said the bank's decided to intervene in the sector through funding and

other packages because the country would not achieve its true potentials if it imported everything it could

produce locally.

The bank will make funds more accessible to farmers through some of its funding program such as the

Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme and the over one billion U.S. dollars Micro Small and Medium

Enterprises Development fund, he added.Emefiele said those that defaulted in the payment of customs

duty after bringing in excess quotas of rice into the country at concessionary rates would be penalized.He

said the CBN would take up the issue to the highest level in government to ensure that the money was

paid.The governor also assured rice producers that the bank would work closely with the Nigerian

Customs Service to address the issue of smuggling.

http://www.coastweek.com/3831-agriculture-05.htm

http://www.hngn.com/



Wanted: Proposals for sustainable rice production July 31, 2015 11:28 pm

by BERNICE CAMILLE V. BAUZON

The Philippines and the United Kingdom have joined forces to support research projects that will

boost resilience and sustainability of rice production in Southeast Asia.In a statement, the UK

Embassy on Friday said “food security is one of the greatest global challenges we currently

face.”To address this, the UK collaborated with four countries in Asia–China, the Philippines,

Thailand and Vietnam.“In a country where rice is a main part of almost every meal, enhancing

rice production is a major priority.

The headlines report that El Niño may be the most intense the country has experienced in recent

years. Studies have shown that climate change will have a devastating effect on food security if it

is not addressed now,” British Ambassador Asif Ahmad said.“Unli [unlimited] rice may no

longer be a promo offer. This project will help farmer productivity and enhance trading in rice,

when necessary. We encourage all researchers who are working toward the adequate supply of

this staple food to submit their applications to the Newton Fund,” he added.

The British Embassy in Manila has been calling for proposals on collaborative inter-disciplinary

research that will focus on long-term sustainable production of rice, as well as utilizing

combined strengths of academic research groups within China, the Philippines, Thailand,

Vietnam and the UK.This initiative is supported by the UK Government’s Newton Fund, which

helps build science and innovation partnerships with key emerging economies.

The UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UK BBSRC) and the UK

Natural Environment Research Council, in collaboration with Philippine Partners Department of

Science and Technology Philippine Council for Agriculture Aquatic and Natural Resources

Research & Development (DOST-PCAARD) and the Department of Agriculture Philippine Rice

Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) are calling for submissions of research proposals that will

address the following challenges in the Philippine context: greater resilience to biotic and abiotic

stresses; improved resource use efficiency (including Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Water); improved

quality of rice (including nutritional enhancement and grain quality); utilization of rice by-

products; novel research tool and technology development supporting the above areas (including

systems biology, bioinformatics, screening and characterization of germplasm for gene and trait

discovery).



These priority areas in sustainable rice research have been agreed though a regional workshop in

Bangkok in April, which brought together relevant funding agencies, key research organizations

and leading academics from China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and the UK.The proposed

projects should be up to a maximum duration of three years and will requirea UK Principal

Investigator as well as a Philippine Principal Investigator with the options of additional Principal

Investigators from other partner countries.

The deadline for submission of applications is on August 13, 2015.For more information on this

opportunity, the embassy invites researchers to visit the UK BBSRC website at

http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/opportunities/2015/newton-fund-joint-call-in-rice-research.

http://www.manilatimes.net/wanted-proposals-for-sustainable-rice-production/205365/

Special rice for the diabetics identified by Indian Institute of

Rice Research Friday, 31 July 2015 - 5:17pm IST | Team Iamin.in

Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research has

identified three rice varieties with low glycemic index values which are considered suitable for diabetic

patients, Minister of State for Agriculture, Sanjeev Kumar Balyan said in Rajya Sabha on

Friday."According to the IIRR Hyderabad, Lalat (GIS.17), BPT 5204 (GIQ.42) and Sampada (GIQ) are

considered suitable for diabetic patients. Any variety of rice with glycemic index less than or equal to 55

is considered diabetic-friendly," he said.

"Presently, these varieties are under cultivation in different states of India," he added.

http://www.iamin.in/en/west-delhi/news/special-rice-diabetics-identified-indian-institute-rice-

research-65990

Newton Fund seeks PH researchers for food self-sufficiency06:30 AM August 1st, 2015

The British Embassy Manila recently sounded the call for new tie-ups for food security studies,

especially rice resilience, production and sustainability, between Filipino researchers and their

counterparts in the United Kingdom.Through its Newton Fund, the UK Biotechnology and

Biological Sciences Research Council and the UK Natural Environment Research Council, in

collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for

Agriculture Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, and the Department of

Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute, are calling for research proposals dealing with

http://www.iamin.in/correspondent/Team%20Iamin.in



greater resilience, improved resource use, improved quality, utilization of byproducts, and novel

research tool and technology development for rice.

Farmer productivity

“In a country where rice is a main part of almost every meal, enhancing rice production is a

major priority,” British Ambassador Asif Ahmad said. “Studies have shown that climate change

will have a devastating effect of food security if it is not addressed now. This project will help

farmer productivity and enhance trading in rice, when necessary.”Proposed projects should be up

to a maximum duration of three years and will require a counterpart British principal

investigator, with the options of additional principal investigators from other partner-countries.

An initiative by the UK government, the Fund aims to strengthen research and innovation

partnerships with emerging economies such as the Philippines. Launched in 2014, the Fund is to

be shared across 15 partner-countries in the course of five years for joint research on

development topics, capacity-building projects, student and researcher fellowships and other

partnerships.

Covering three broad activities, the Fund focuses on:

People by improving science and innovation expertise (capacity-building), student and

researcher fellowships, mobility schemes and joint centers;

Research, through collaborations on development topics;

How to apply them in actual practice.

The call adds more opportunities to the Fund, which had already been looking for health research

collaborations between the country and the United Kingdom. It has also paved the way for PhD

programs and travel grants for individual researchers and institutional links for academic

institutions. Workshops to allow Filipino researchers to connect with their international

counterparts are also being offered.

The deadline for submission of applications is on Aug. 13, 2015. For more information on this

opportunity, please visit the UK BBSRC website:

http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/opportunities/2015/newton-fund-joint-call-in-rice-research.



http://business.inquirer.net/196301/newton-fund-seeks-ph-researchers-for-food-self-

sufficiency#ixzz3hbb4Mrk1

InterContinental Hotel Lagos, Refutes Claims of Closure by

Customs 03 Aug 2015

InterContinental Hotel, Lagos

Demola Ojoâ€¨

The InterContinental Hotel,

Lagos has clarified reports that

it could be closed down. This

was against the backdrop of

reports by some media last

week that the Nigerian Customs

Service (NCS) was moving

against the parent company of

the hotel over non-payment of

duties on rice imports.However,

in a statement by Milan Industries, which was made available to THISDAY on Sunday, the hotel

said it has no relationship with rice whatsoever. “We Milan Industries Limited are the owners

of InterContinental Hotel Lagos.

We write this re-joinder to clarify and correct the misinformation being disseminated in the

media concerning our refusal to pay import duty on rice and the decision of the Nigeria Customs

Service to shut down InterContinental Hotel.“We are not in the business of importing rice and

are a limited liability company; we cannot be held responsible for the alleged indebtedness of

another company,” the statement said.It said that, “the general public should disregard various

media reports that InterContinental Hotel is to be shut down because of our indebtedness to

Nigeria Customs Service.

”In a related development, the NCS has also found it necessary to clarify its position on its on-

going battle to compel defaulting rice importers pay outstanding duties owed the federal

government.According to the Public Relations Officer of the NCS, “The confusion was created



in view of the association of its owners, Milan Nigeria Limited with one of the defaulting

importers. Our records have shown that Intercontinental Hotel is not indebted to the Nigeria

Customs Service, and will therefore not be shut down as insinuated.“It is also necessary to

clarify that the defaulting importers targeted for sanctions, Conti Agro Nigeria Limited, is a

separate legal entity from Milan Nigeria Limited, owners of Intercontinental Hotel,” the

statement stated.

Tags: Featuered, Nigeria, Business, Intercontinental Hotel

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/intercontinental-hotel-lagos-refutes-claims-of-closure-by-

customs/216435/

NARS, ICAR Develop Flood Tolerant Crops By Express News Service

Published: 03rd August 2015 03:44 AM

Last Updated: 03rd August 2015 03:44 AM

BHUBANESWAR: The National Agricultural Research System (NARS) in collaboration with

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and State agriculture universities have

developed flood and drought tolerant crop varieties for different regions of the country including

Odisha.The rice varieties of Swarna Sub-1, Sambha Mahsuri Sub-1, Varshadhan, Gayatri, Sarla,

Pooja, Prateeksha, Durga, JalaMani, CR Dhan 505, CR Dhan 502, Jalnidhi, Neerja, Jaladhi-1,

Jaladhi-2, Hemavathi will be made available to farmers facing water logging problems for longer

period.

Swarna Sub-1 is bred from a popular Indian variety of rice Swarna by upgrading it with Sub-1,

the gene for flood tolerance. Swarna was developed by Andhra Pradesh Agriculture

University.The new variety can withstand floods for two weeks unlike existing varieties which

would wilt if it remains under water even for a few days resulting in economic loss to farmers.

However, Swarna Sub-1 can rise back to life after having submerged for two weeks.

As the demand for this variety is increasing, the Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack is ready

to provide the breeder seeds to the States affected by frequent floods including Assam, West

Bengal, Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Odhisa and Andhra Pradesh.

Similarly, drought tolerant varieties like Sahabhagi Dhan, Vandana, Anjali, Satyabhama, DRR

Dhan 42 (IR64 Drt 1), DRR Dhan 43, Birsa Vikas Dhan 203, Birsa Vikas Dhan 111, Rajendra

Bhagwati, Jaldi Dhan 6 are made available to the farmers.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/go/search/?search=Featuered

http://www.thisdaylive.com/go/search/?search=Nigeria

http://www.thisdaylive.com/go/search/?search=Business

http://www.thisdaylive.com/go/search/?search=Intercontinental+Hotel

3rd august (monday),2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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