By Dr. Shalabh Dixit, Xenina Ibabao, Myrtel Valenzuela
IRRI has revolutionized rice breeding for direct-seeded rice (DSR) systems by establishing state-of-the-art phenotyping facilities in Kenya, India, and the Philippines. These hubs promote sustainability and climate resilience for smallholder farmers in Asia and Africa while speeding up the creation of high-yielding rice varieties by integrating mechanized planting, automated irrigation, and precision monitoring.
More farmers are using direct-seeded rice (DSR) instead of traditional transplanting due to growing labor expenses and water scarcity. While DSR offers practical advantages, developing rice varieties suited for this system has been challenging. High labor demand, limited mechanization, and uncontrolled field conditions have slowed the breeding of high-yielding, resilient varieties.
To help address this, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) initiated a breeding program to develop high-yielding varieties adapted to DSR systems. In the past, a key limitation of DSR breeding was the lack of adequate phenotyping facilities capable of screening large breeding populations. Phenotyping, which is essential for understanding how rice plants respond to stress, plays a critical role in helping plant breeders identify varieties that can better withstand challenging conditions.
To overcome this bottleneck, IRRI has now established state-of-the-art phenotyping facilities. Led by Dr. Shalabh Dixit, who also established and heads the institute’s DSR Breeding Program, these hubs in the Philippines, India, and Kenya provide researchers with advanced screening tools to develop rice varieties suited to real-world farming conditions.
Transforming Rice Breeding
The program aims to create phenotyping hubs where rice germplasm can be evaluated under actual DSR conditions representative of the target population of environments (TPE). IRRI’s headquarters in the Philippines hosts a 14-hectare facility, while India and Kenya each have 4-hectare hubs. These hubs function as research and training centers that help accelerate breeding innovations for IRRI and national programs.
“Precision in phenotyping is the cornerstone of plant breeding, paving the way for resilient grains that can thrive in tomorrow’s world. Accuracy in phenotyping ensures every grain sown is a step towards sustainability,” Dr. Dixit said.
These facilities help rice breeders reduce reliance on manual labor while enhancing data accuracy through mechanized planting, automated irrigation, and precision monitoring. Breeding experiments are now quicker and more efficient because of the use of tractors, drones, digital sensors, and advanced water management systems.
Overcoming Challenges in DSR
Shifting from traditional transplanting to DSR comes with its own challenges. Without flooded fields, rice must contend with weeds, endure drought, and adapt to varying soil conditions. To help breeders overcome these obstacles, the new facilities feature specialized screening setups for drought, salinity, and low nitrogen tolerance.
In the past, DSR trials were labor-intensive and had low throughput, resulting in limited progress. With improved infrastructure, rice breeders can test thousands of breeding lines more efficiently and with greater precision.
A Model for Sustainable Rice Farming
These facilities are not just about improving rice production—they’re also helping to promote sustainability. To ensure DSR aligns with environmental goals, rice breeders closely monitor water usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Partners and national research programs also integrate mechanized DSR breeding methods to enhance rice production systems.
The impact is already becoming evident: Several high-yielding DSR breeding lines developed through these facilities are making significant strides toward national variety release. As more farmers will have access to and adopt these new varieties, they can achieve higher yields and improve climate resilience.
Scaling Innovation to More Partners
The next step after setting up DSR phenotyping facilities is to use digital techniques to improve rice breeding. Digital field monitoring and high-throughput phenotyping will improve rice varieties for direct seeding and expedite data collection and processing.
Beyond research, these hubs’ technologies and knowledge are exchanged globally, facilitating the application of mechanized approaches adapted to local conditions.
This progress has been made possible through the collaboration of IRRI’s Regional Breeding Teams in Kenya and India and the IRRI Breeding Operations Unit, whose efforts have been instrumental in establishing these facilities.
