Plenary Technical Session of ASEAN Regional Conference on Food Security (ARCoFS) 8-10 October 2013, Penang, Malaysia

MALAYSIA AND FOOD SECURITY ASSURANCE: STRENGTHENING RICE BREEDING PROGRAM

Prof. Dr. Mohamad bin Osman Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam

O. MOHAMAD1, O. SUHAIMI2, K. HADZIM3, and A. G. MOHAMAD BAHAGIA4

Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
1

Faculty of Agro-Based Industry, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli Campus, Kelantan

2

Former Rice Breeder with MARDI Rice Research Centre, Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia & Former Consultant to BERNAS
3

MARDI Rice and Industrial Crops Research Center, Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia
4

MALAYSIAN SCENARIO
Rice is the worlds most important food crop and a primary source of food for more than half of the worlds population More than 90% of the worlds rice is grown and consumed in Asia where 60% of the earths people live Rice accounts for 35-75% of the calories consumed by more than 3 billion Asians It is planted to about 154 million hectares annually or on about 11% of the worlds cultivated land

MALAYSIAN SCENARIO
Rice being the staple food, therefore a strategic crop Focuses on sustainability of rice production to meet the demand for increasing population Requirement is to be at least 70% self-sufficiency

To meet increasing demand of the future, the government provides allocation for R&D
The most significant approaches being development of new varieties

RICE YIELDS
Potential attaining 12t/ha The current average granary yield is 5-6 t/ha (at a heavy cost)
15 10 5 0 Potential yield Actual yield

INCREASING THE YIELD POTENTIAL OF RICE

Various strategies for increasing the yield potential of rice includes

1) Conventional hybridization and selection procedures

2) Ideotype breeding

3) Hybrid rice breeding

4) Wide hybridization 5) Genetic engineering

EPP 10: Strengthening Productivity of Paddy Farming in MADA No. 1 2 3 4 5 Projects Breeding of inbred and hybrid rice varieties Agronomic package for inbred and hybrid rice cultivation Pest and disease management Postharvest management Water management and field mechanization

RICE VARIETIES RELEASED, 1964-2005

RICE VARIETIES RECENTLY RELEASED

Varieties MR 232 MR 220CL1 MR 220CL2 MR 253 MR 263 MR 269 Year 2006 2010 2010 2010 2010 2012 Resistance genes Blast, BLB, ShB Blast, BLB, PMV, shorter maturity Blast, BLB, PMV Blast, Panicle blast, BLB, BPH, PMV Blast, BLB, BPH Blast, BLB

RICE IDEOTYPE BREEDING

RICE VARIETIES RELEASED, 1964-2012

Rice yield (t/ha)
10 8 6 4 2 0
196 4 198 6

Directseeding

200 5

1964 1965 1966 1968 1972 1973 1974 1974 1979 1979 1979 1981 1984 1984 1984 1985 1986 1988 1990 1990 1991 1991 1995 1995 1997 1999 2001 2005 2006 2010 2010 2012 Main-season

100

110

130

140

150

120

Maturation period (Days)

RICE VARIETIES RELEASED, 1964-2010

Off-season

RICE VARIETIES RELEASED, 1964-2005

Resistance genes for major P&D

6 5 4 3 2

1
0

RICE VARIETIES RELEASED REACTION TO BLB

Source: Saad & Habibuddin (2010)

BREEDING METHODS FOR RICE

Conventional Breeding Non-Conventional Breeding

Should be well-grounded Should be consolidated Should achieve realistic long-term goals

BREEDING MALAYSIAN METHODS SCENARIO IN PRACTICE

Many researchers and breeders have been taking advantage of advanced high-tech techniques in biotechnology as a tool to considerably enhance their research and breeding capability Trends show that these biotech techniques tend to dominate in many ways in terms of human resources and funding at the expense of conventional plant breeding. Conventional plant breeding is less effective than modern approaches ?

This should not be the case and should be urgently readdressed.

READDRESSING MALAYSIAN BREEDING SCENARIO METHODS

After so many years, we are still struggling on how to integrate and streamline these expertise and tools into appropriate integrated rice breeding at national level.

How do we balance the allocation of resources between conventional and modern approaches?
Conventional breeding methods are battle-tested

High-tech methodologies yet to be proven

Both approaches play important roles in their own specific areas Both approaches complement each other in simplifying to tackle the hurdles posed in recombining both qualitative and quantitative traits to ensure food sufficiency

ISSUES RELATED TO RICE BREEDING

Policy dictates that it has been to improve income and welfare of rice farmers

Multi-disciplinary approach has prevailed until sometime in mid 1990s

Afterwards the philosophy of rice breeding began to erode e.g. Maintenance breeding Importance to of rice quality -- we began to tackle this sometime in early 1980s

Coincided with the beginning of directseeded rice culture

ISSUES RELATED TO RICE BREEDING

Coincided with the end of the era of the Green Revolution, when almost all the rice genetic resources from all corners of the rice growing world have been collected e.g. the problem is in the utilization of these rich genetic resources versus the plant variety protection Should consider the task as full of failures and rare success We have five decades of learning curve and the transformation to modernize our rice culture has yet to be completed

WAKE UP CALL
April 2008 rice shortage crisis has been a blessing in disguise

It has wakened us up from decades of complacency

Conventional rice breeders belong to a dying breed The older generation of rice breeders needs to pass the baton to our younger generation of rice breeders The younger generation must be prepared to earnestly learn for the sake of continuity of efforts

NEED TO STRENGTHEN RICE BREEDING

It is with such backdrop that strengthening rice breeding programs becomes a highly important topic

Rice breeders must not be overly confident that rice breeding is easy
It is indeed very complex task
It is perhaps because of such complexities that UN/FAO had decided that Year 2004 be declared as Year of Rice with the theme Rice is Life

 Sustainable, resourceful and comprehensive rice breeding programs is therefore highly timely

More well-trained, dedicated and experienced rice breeders are needed to ensure effective rice breeding programs are up and running Conventional rice breeder MUST take the DRIVER SEAT
It is imperative for our country, our future generations and humanity as a whole

Thank You