Corteva Agriscience and IRRI announce rice tech partnership
Corteva Agriscience – the agriculture division of US giant DowDuPont – and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on Monday announced a multi-year framework agreement on collaborative rice research, deployment of new breeding technologies and the development of breeding programmes.
Rice is the world’s most important staple food, directly feeding more people than any other crop.
To meet the demand of a growing global population, rice production needs to dramatically increase by 25 per cent over the next 25 years, the partners said.
Yet increased competition for dwindling resources such as land and water, unpredictable climates, farm-labour shortages and lack of technical expertise are some of the issues threatening the future of rice.
The agreement between DowDuPont and the IRRI provides both parties with access to advanced technologies, including IRRI’s germplasm, hybrid and inbred rice programmes and Corteva Agriscience’s precision breeding technologies.
The partnership seeks to improve the genetic outcomes of breeding programmes, encourage sustainable rice cultivation, and develop new rice varieties which deliver higher yields and are more resilient against biotic and abiotic stresses, Corteva Agriscience said in a release.
