Breeding and improvement

Beyond common variation: How rare haplotypes could unlock the next generation of rice breeding

Beyond common variation: How rare haplotypes could unlock the next generation of rice breeding

September 28, 2026 1278

What new research reveals about rare genetic variation and how breeders can put it to work By...

Read More

Big leap or small steps? How relentless rice breeding laid the foundation for modern food security

Big leap or small steps? How relentless rice breeding laid the foundation for modern food security

March 25, 2026 3979

By Glenn Concepcion  In 1966, the release of a newly bred rice variety known as IR8 changed the course...

Read More

Engineering humanity’s most important crops for a warming planet 

Engineering humanity’s most important crops for a warming planet 

January 30, 2026 3785

By Glenn Concepcion The world’s “cereal bowl”, or the production of rice, wheat, and maize, is under the dual challenges of a surging human population and a rapidly warming climate....

Read More

A new blueprint for crop breeding: IRRI’s OneRice Framework forges a faster, more efficient path to global food security 

A new blueprint for crop breeding: IRRI’s OneRice Framework forges a faster, more efficient path to global food security 

October 1, 2025 4591

By Sankalp Bhosale, Suresh Kadaru, and Glenn Concepcion  As the global population continues its relentless climb, projected...

Read More

Wild ancestors may hold the key to more nutritious rice grains 

Wild ancestors may hold the key to more nutritious rice grains 

September 22, 2025 4832

By Rhowell Tiozon and Glenn Concepcion  For the nearly 9,000 years since its domestication, rice has been...

Read More

Machine learning algorithms are helping scientists analyze and predict grain quality and nutritional content for rice breeding 

Machine learning algorithms are helping scientists analyze and predict grain quality and nutritional content for rice breeding 

August 27, 2025 6163

The technology promises to accelerate the development of rice varieties that meet consumer preferences, enhance nutritional value, and...

Read More

Inside the global effort to defend rice from major diseases 

Inside the global effort to defend rice from major diseases 

August 18, 2025 7422

By Van Schepler-Luu & Myrtel Anne Valenzuela Rice diseases such as bacterial blight and blast are no...

Read More

IRRI’s Connected Breeding sparks a new era in crop innovation 

IRRI’s Connected Breeding sparks a new era in crop innovation 

July 31, 2025 5765

Connected Breeding, a new breeding strategy by IRRI, is set to revolutionize rice breeding by unlocking complex...

Read More

IRRI scientists introduce Speed Breeding 3.0 to accelerate climate-resilient crop innovation with OneCGIAR 

IRRI scientists introduce Speed Breeding 3.0 to accelerate climate-resilient crop innovation with OneCGIAR 

June 24, 2025 19325

By Pramod Gorakhanath Kabade, Uma Maheshwar Singh, Pallavi Sinha, Vikas Kumar Singh, et al.  Building on the...

Read More

IRRI Scientists Introduces New Breeding Approach to Harness Genomic Selection in Challenging Environments

IRRI Scientists Introduces New Breeding Approach to Harness Genomic Selection in Challenging Environments

May 15, 2025 5857

by Waseem Hussain, Mahender Anumalla, Margaret Catolos, Joie Ramos, Ma. Teresa Sta. Cruz, and Myrtel Valenzuela IRRI scientists are changing how rice...

Read More