rice

New tool probes function of rice genes

harminka — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:02:46 -0500

A new tool for investigating the rice genome has been developed by researchers at UC Davis led by Pamela Ronald, professor of plant pathology. The inexpensive, publicly-available rice DNA microarray covers nearly all the 45,000 genes in the rice genome. Details are published this week in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.

Gene that may contribute to improved rice yield

harminka — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:18:01 -0500

A team of scientists, including Penn State Distinguished Professor of Biology Hong Ma, has identified a gene in rice that controls the size and weight of rice grains. The gene may prove to be useful for breeding high-yield rice and, thus, may benefit the vast number of people who rely on this staple food for survival.

Secret ingredients behind germinated rice

harminka — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:23:23 -0500

A team of researchers has identified the active compounds that contribute to the health benefits of pre-germinated brown rice; the healthy components are a related set of sterol-like molecules known as acylated steryl-beta-glucosides (ASGs).

Water-stingy agriculture reduces arsenic in rice markedly

harminka — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:47:56 -0500

A new farming method first developed to conserve precious irrigation water may have the added benefit of producing rice containing much less arsenic than rice grown using traditional rice-farming methods, researchers in the United Kingdom report.

Boosting biofuel production from rice straw

harminka — Mon, 26 May 2008 08:39:00 -0500

Researchers in China are reporting a discovery that could turn rice straw into an inexpensive new renewable source of biofuel. Their new study, scheduled for the July 16 issue of ACS' bimonthly journal Energy & Fuels, describes a way to boost production of biofuel from rice straw by almost 65 percent.

African farmers gaining access to disease-resistant rice varieties

harminka — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:10:25 -0500

As concern builds around the impact of rising food prices and new restrictions on rice exports from Asian countries hit by adverse climate conditions, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) announced today that African rice breeders have made critical steps towards ensuring self-sufficiency and boosting African rice production.

A built-in strategy for transgene containment

harminka — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:44:38 -0500

A method of creating selective terminable transgenic rice was reported by the scientists of Zhejiang University in this week’s PLoS ONE. Unintended spreading of transgenic rice by pollen and seed dispersal is a major concern for planting transgenic rice, especially transgenic rice expressing pharmaceutical or industrial proteins.

Rice that ‘Snaps, Crackles and Pops’ with Protein

harminka — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:53:52 -0600

Scientists in the United States and India are reporting development of a high-protein variety of rice, dietary staple for half the world’s population. The study is scheduled for the Jan. 23 issue of ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a biweekly publication.

New public-private hybrid rice group aims to raise rice yields in tropics

harminka — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:37:51 -0600

A new international research initiative, linking the private and public sectors for the first time and launched on November 9 at the 2007 Asian Seed Congress, aims to boost the research and development of hybrid rice for the tropics.

Rice-producing nations call for increased focus on production

harminka — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:10:35 -0500

The world’s major rice-producing nations – including China and India – are calling for closer collaboration in efforts to feed Asia’s billions of rice consumers in the face of unprecedented new challenges.

Scientists produced new type of rice

harminka — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 10:35:23 -0500

An international team of scientists has produced a new type of rice that grows better and uses water more efficiently than other rice crops. Professor Andy Pereira at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) has been working with colleagues in India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Mexico and The Netherlands to identify, characterize and make use of a gene known as HARDY that improves key features of this important grain crop.

UD leads $5.3-million research project on rice epigenetics

harminka — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:13:09 -0500

Using a novel “deep sequencing” technology that can in one fell swoop decode 50 million sequences representing well over a billion bases of DNA, a research team led by University of Delaware scientists is working to unmask where, why and how certain genes are switched on or off in rice--a crop vital to the world's food supply.